DUBAI – 3RD UNIT has officially launched as the first intellectual property fintech (IPFi) platform in the MENA region, spearheading the way for early-stage intellectual property to be considered a viable and popular alternative asset class.

This news comes shortly after the August 21 announcement that South Korean IPFi startup Story Protocol raised $80 million at a 2,25 bln valuation in a Series B funding round led by a group of investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).

3RD UNIT started in early 2024 in response to the growing demand for real-world asset tokenization and to support the creators economy and expansion of independent intellectual property in the entertainment industry. The company was incubated at an early-stage startup accelerator program hosted at AREA 2071, part of the Dubai Future Foundation, within the Museum of the Future.

The newly launched IPFi platform, currently in its early adopter (beta) stage, is designed to connect individual investors with emerging creative IP asset opportunities in a trusted and secure environment.

Initially focused on Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, 3RD UNIT aims to attract creators and intellectual property holders from across the wider Gulf region. Plans are already in place for a second operational office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to support its regional expansion.

The launch of 3RD UNIT coincides with the UAE's introduction of its new intellectual property (IPR) system, which features 11 integrated initiatives across various fields and applications of intellectual property, as well as ongoing efforts to regulate digital assets and cryptocurrencies.

“To build a globally competitive and thriving creative industry, it’s essential to focus on locally sourced and resonating IP ideas. The world is eager for culturally rich and original storytelling, but this requires stronger systems for discovering and funding early-stage projects. Involving individual investors from the very beginning, building a community from day one, and leveraging blockchain for tokenization, probably offers one of the most effective way to make this happen,” says Lukasz Alwast, co-founder and CEO of 3RD UNIT.

The company is currently accepting preliminary subscriptions (waitlist) for three pilot intellectual properties: (1) Project Noor, a mysterious sci-fi anthology exploring the origins of life and matter in space; (2) Project Zephyria, a poetic fantasy turned mystical adventure inspired by the landscapes and culture of Saudi Arabia; and (3) Project Kandakas, a historical political fantasy featuring female heroines, inspired by ancient Sudanese culture and modern geopolitics.

All intellectual properties will pass through the 3RD UNIT franchise development launchpad, which is designed to prepare them as pre-production stage-ready assets for co-productions in gaming, film, and location-based attractions. In this process, the team places a particular emphasis on modern transmedia design.

The creative assets are expected to be available on the digital marketplace in 2025, once the company has obtained all the necessary fintech and crypto compliance licenses.