Meet Bilal El Alamy, the Pyratz Captain / CEO ! 🏴‍☠️

As our Pyratz Crew spotlight series comes to a close, we are excited to introduce Bilal El Alamy, our proud Captain / Co-Founder / CEO of the Pyratz!  🏴‍☠️

In this blog post, Bilal takes us on a journey through his Web3 adventure. He is much more than an entrepreneur, investor, blockchain enthusiast, or builder. Over the past few years, Bilal has been leading a revolution in special investment vehicles (fintech), DeFi, Web3 Gaming, NFT art, Blockchain education, and Web3 media. Join us as we take a behind-the-scenes look at Bilal's groundbreaking contributions to the Web3 ecosystem.

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From Equisafe to PyratzLabs

Bilal El Alamy has been known as a multi-faceted individual and an important player in the French crypto community. But did you know his entrepreneurship journey started with fintech industry?

Back in 2017, together with Frédéric Bertoïa, he started his very first company, Equisafe, a platform that specializes in the creation and management of SPVs (Special purpose vehicules) that can take various forms (private, public, funds). The platform provides services to investors' clubs and investment companies, and at the time of its founding, there were few similar offerings in the market.

Despite encountering several pivots along the way, the platform was a success, but Bilal wasn't satisfied with just one venture. He had all kinds of ideas and on top of it, he wanted to be an entrepreneur and investor at the same time. So he teamed up with Maxime Sarthet, Thomas Binetruy, and Jacques Lalo to start PyratzLabs, a startup studio fully specialized in Web3. The growth of PyratzLabs has been fascinating:

Since its inception in 2021, PyratzLabs has grown rapidly, with a portfolio of 30 companies in gaming, DeFi, art, and infrastructure. Additionally, we have opened a 1000m2 office in Paris Levallois to foster and federate the French Web3 ecosystem.

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While Bilal launches numerous Web3 startups through PyratzLabs' co-founding and accelerator segments, the question arises: what ecosystem is he building from PyratzLabs? 🔥

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Bilal in Art: Lezar House, NFT Factory

Bilal's interest in revolutionizing the art market has led him to co-found Lezar House as part of the BHIND art collective alongside Jacques Lalo, Alexandre Vannucci, and Thomas Binetruy. However, Lezar House is not just for any NFT art. It's a tech-art studio that promotes the fusion of digital and physical art and has opened a physical gallery in Barcelona.

The concept of the studio is perfectly exemplified in the Be Twin Lines collection, which merges fine art, algorithms, and 3D printing technology. It’s the first of its kind that allows collectors to own the same piece of art in both the Metaverse and real life. Namely, by acquiring a Be Twin Lines frame, collectors can not only experience the artwork as Metadeco and but also materialize it physically in real life using 3D Printing. 10 specimens (”materials”) available in total, the first 3 are concrete, ceramic, and acrylic.

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In addition, Bilal also co-founded NFT Factory as part of the founding member collective. Just like Lezar House opening a physical gallery in Barcelona, NFT Factory has opened a physical gallery in Paris to bring together art lovers, curators, and artists.

Beyond digital art. 🤟

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Bilal in DeFi: Smartlink, DeFy Labs, Securd

Bilal has a keen interest in DeFi innovations and has identified two key challenges in democratizing DeFi: (1) complex user interfaces, and (2) risk volatility. 🪙

To tackle these challenges, Bilal has contributed to the launch of Smartlink, which offers two products: a marketplace for exchanging physical goods in cryptocurrency and a decentralized exchange platform for transparently buying or exchanging token pairs.

Furthermore, Bilal has also established a DeFy Labs department within PyratzLabs. This department is currently focused on developing the Securd protocol, which aims to democratize the use of DeFi in retail by providing a simple user experience and efficient risk allocation.

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Bilal in Gaming: Dogamí plus 10 more Gaming Ventures in Pyratz Portfolio

Bilal is also making waves in the gaming industry. As many in the NFT community know, gaming and NFTs are a match made in heaven. Bilal, along with Max Stöckl, Adrien Magdelaine, Gregory Magadoux and Kristofer Dayne Penseyres, recognized this and co-founded Dogamí, a play-to-earn petaverse universe. Initially starting as a Tamagochi-style experience, Dogamí has grown into a full-fledged ecosystem after raising an impressive $14 million in seed funding.

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But there's more to Dogamí than just a fun gaming experience. Bilal has a larger vision of using games to educate and raise awareness of NFTs and DeFi among as many people as possible.

And finally, it's not just Dogamí: 30% of the Pyratz portfolio is currently dedicated to gaming ventures, demonstrating Bilal's commitment to and passion for this exciting and growing industry. 🕹️

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Bilal in Education and Democratization of Web3: Blockchain Business School, n3w society

Bilal's focus on adoption has extended beyond his ventures in art, DeFi, and gaming. In 2023, he co-founded the Blockchain Business School with Fabien Ansaldi, with the goal of democratizing blockchain education for a wider audience and nurturing the next generation of Web3 talents. Be it you want to become a blockchain developer, product manager, or you want to create your own NFT collection, or simply learn more about Web3 thanks to curiosity, you can achieve it with BBS. On top of it, Bilal envisions the school to not just offer short-term speed trainings, but also long-term education in the form of bachelor and master degrees. 🎓

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But it’s not just school that can educate - with Dounia Sitayeb, Bilal also co-founded n3w society, a media platform where Web3 culture meets fashion and lifestyle. He recognizes that modern people prefer visual content over technical jargon and seeks to bridge the gap between the two. n3w society provides visually appealing content on social channels and its website, but most importantly a bookzine that to be found in every salon, living room, and hotel lounge.

“It’s the kind of book that no one reads, but just by scrolling and flipping the pages, the experience and the education you get is already way beyond any more means - why not a Vogue for Web3?”

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Ending Notes

As the Web3 ecosystem continues to expand and develop, Bilal El Alamy stands at the forefront, revolutionizing various industries and building a community of like-minded individuals.

His entrepreneurship journey has taken him from fintech to blockchain education, from gaming to DeFi, from NFT art to Web3 media. His dedication to the growth of the Web3 ecosystem knows no bounds, his unique combination of business and tech expertise has been inspiring, along with an unwavering commitment to his vision for the future. It's no wonder that many of the Pyratz employees joined the company for an opportunity to work with him.

So here comes the ending question: as we look to the future of Web3, what groundbreaking projects and initiatives do you think Bilal and his crew at PyratzLabs will undertake next…?