What is the name of your solution?
Native Meta Verse
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
Virtual land that Natives can gather, learn and inspire.
What specific problem are you solving?
The specific problem within the challenge I am working to solve is
- Drive positive out comes for Native Learners of all ages while supporting culturally grounded educational opportunities on and/or off reservations.
- support the creation, growth, and success of Native-owned Businesses.
This leads me to my specific problem which is, to create a place for Native Americans in the virtual world that we can meet, sell goods, share knowledge, and inspire each other. This is lacking and we need to keep up with technology or we are going to get left behind.
The scale I am planning to do is reach all of Native America and the globe. This is do to technology and the advancement of virtual reality being more affordable and available than ever before. My main goal is to create a center and own a piece of virtual land that anybody can come to through the meta verse. It would act like a gatherings of nations a place for natives to hang out and visit. Also this would act like a museum where NFTs can be sold and bought and goods can be sold online. Where people can meet face to face virtually. Even have visitors come by and check it out.
Which factors contributing to the problem relate to your solution?
Some factors that contribute to the problem with Native Americans not having a presence in the virtual space is due to lack of knowledge about Virtual reality, lack of funding, and a lack of not having a Native Space.
Here is some quotes from articles to show how important this is.
"The possibilities of a virtual world, where everything is supported by lines of codes, could open new revenue streams for companies diving into this new venture. The opportunities are limitless, and based on how Americans have adopted an increasingly digital life, the change is already taking place. Walmart announced earlier this month it would step into the virtual world, providing currency and allowing customers to buy and sell NFTs."
ABC NEWS
A Pew Research study from March 2021 found that 31% of Americans were almost always online, while 79% were online several times a day. Maini said the recent patterns show how people are starting to shift away from physical to virtual goods based on the time spent on apps and games.
Right now we are in the wild west the great land rush and Native America needs to be on it. This would increase business opportunities for all the tribes and would bring technology and our stories together.
What is your solution?
My solution is easy. 1. Buy virtual land 2. Create some real estate on that land. 3. Create NFTs on the blockchain. 4. testing. 5. launch and marketing.
Basically what I am saying is buy some land build a building get some buzz going and invite a lot of people there and show the building and the contents inside it. of course this is virtual and people would need virtual reality head sets. They are cheap of course and maybe in the test run I can send the virtual head sets to people who want to try it out. So basically this virtual land and the place on it is going to be the main meeting spot of all of Native America in the virtual world. The technology it uses is the internet, virtual reality headsets, NFTS, Cryto Currencies, and the Virtual world.
Virtual reality is becoming the next big thing. Companies are investing billions into this world. I see in a couple of years, Natives can start selling goods at this spot, share stories, talk to elders, talk to others here, hold meetings, buy/sell/and trade etc. This place would give Native Americans another avenue of selling goods and having a presence in a world where we think we don't exist.
Strong preference will be given to Native-led solutions that directly benefit and are located within the Indigenous communities. Which community(s) does your solution benefit? In what ways will your solution benefit this community?
My target population for now is Native Americans living outside the reservation that have access to funds and the internet. This is only temporary and I hope I can access the people living in reservations. People tend to forget that Native Americans have to leave the reservation to find work and in doing so they lose a little of themselves, culture, and language. I am one of them and I wasn't lucky to have my grandparents growing up and it would be cool to have a spot where I can listen to share the stories. I have been doing surveys to understand the needs to the people and they are being connected, another place to do business, and representation. I am going to be engaging with them in short videos on tik tok, facebook, instagram, and youtube all the way from the beginning and to completion. The solution would address their needs by giving them their space to exist in this new world that is being built as we speak.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
We are the right people to do this because we are part of the people that need this solution. We are with the people and engaging with them through tik tok, facebook, short films, instagram, and youtube. We know where they are and the attention spans for information. We keep seeing the same things come up time and time again. Crypto, NFTs, and the "meta verse" are scary terms associated with scams and spooky unknown stuff on the internet. While this is happening billions are being invested everyday and the decision to implement this solution came from the people. This is the beginning of something huge and we as Native Americans can't be left behind.
Where our solution team is headquartered or located:
Phoenix, AZ, USAOur solution's stage of development:
PilotHow many people does your solution currently serve?
2
Why are you applying to Solve?
The reason why I am applying to solve is for technical and marketing barriers I face. I am having trouble scaling the concept and keeping up with some of the technical side of crypto currencies that are associated with different virtual worlds. Also I hope someone at Solve can give me a hand with the legal side. Thanks.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Steven H Tallas
Please indicate the tribal affiliation of your Team Lead.
Navajo
Is the Team Lead a resident of the United States?
Yes
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Drive positive outcomes for Native learners of any or all ages while supporting culturally grounded educational opportunities on and/or off reservations.
What makes your solution innovative?
This solution is approaching the communication and business problems of Native America by using Virtual reality. I expect this to be a game changer in how tribes and communities communicate. This can even be the new way to sell goods and protect the authenticity of buying Native made goods. This would also enable broader positive impacts because this space is accessible to everyone and this means that Native Americans would still have a voice in the virtual arena.
What are your impact goals for the next year and the next five years, and how will you achieve them?
Impact goal next year:
1. Have five tribes sign up and use it for meetings.
I would market it and set up meetings with some of the smaller tribes and to present the benefits and provide some free VR headsets.
2. Sign up 20 vendors.
I would market and bring in 20 vendors on this new program that I know personally and people who are brave to give it a shot.
3. Get 500 guests visits every month.
I will create a feature Documentary on the "Native Meta Verse". I would advertise it on news papers, articles, podcasts, tik tok, youtube, instagram. I will use click funnels and landing pages.
These are small goals that would get the ball moving and this would have some impact and after the tik tok educational/entertaining videos hopefully people would see the benefit to the "Native Meta Verse".
Next Five years:
1. Have Native Casinos use and accept crypto through VR
Campaign politicians and personal connections, people to change some laws about using crypto.
2. Have all Native Tribes use VR regularly
I would slowly introduce the VR world and make it apart of their world. This is the future and it is now.
3. Have 10,000 guests every month.
A combination of marketing and incentives would drive traffic to the "native meta verse.
By this time I would have an established team and investors backing the project and making it a hub of Native America on the virtual world. People at this time would see the positive impacts of the endeavor.
How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?
The way to measure the progress is using data metrics, surveys and NFT sells. Basically we would see how many people are using the site, how long they are on it, if they are buying anything, and reviews online. This metric is available. This would be are indicator that the project is a success. We would also reach out with surveys and comments to improve the project and listen to the people.
What is your theory of change?
I expect my solution to have an impact on the problem because of certain elements of the solution. It all starts with research and knowledge of the block chain, virtual reality, meta verse, crypto, nfts and where its all heading. This leads to me seeing the problem that Native Americans where being left out of the equation. We are not having access to the opportunities that the virtual world gave others therefore I will create that access. If it's successful the participants would increase, vendor sells would increase, people talking about Native Americans online would increase. The data overall would increase and therefore by increasing it would be safe to say that is change.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
We are going to be using the blockchain, virtual reality.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new application of an existing technology
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
In which states do you currently operate?
In which states will you be operating within the next year?
What type of organization is your solution team?
Not registered as any organization
How many people work on your solution team?
1
How long have you been working on your solution?
2 years
What is your approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into your work?
open to all.
Solution Team
-
Steven Tallas Native Meta Verse
to Top
Our Organization
Native Meta Verse