Tired of ads? Enjoy an ad-free experience by signing up.
Tech in Asia · · 2 min read

First Meta Receives Half A Million in Funding from Plug & Play Tech Center

Singapore, March 29, 2012 – First Meta (www.firstmeta.com) announced today that it has secured SGD 588,000.00 in growth capital from Silicon Valley based technology business accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center, and Singapore’s National Research Foundation. First Meta currently provides a web-based exchange for users to buy, sell, and trade virtual currencies for real money across multiple games and virtual worlds. The Company has deep expertise in the virtual goods space. First Meta was the first provider of ATMs and Credit Cards inside the popular virtual world Second Life, and their existing exchange was built to provide users with further liquidity.

“Consumers are being bombarded with virtual currency today like we’ve never seen before. We get them from games, websites and reward programs. Soon most of us will have 5 or 10 different types of online currency. You likely have a handful already. First Meta provides a safe environment for you to mange and trade these goods; we work closely with game publishers and other issuers of currency to offer a sanctioned environment for trading” says CEO Autumn Radtke who joined First Meta in January. The company, which already has stable revenue, is using the newly secured capital to build the next generation of its virtual goods exchange and expand support to new platforms.

Virtual Currency trading is somewhat similar to forex trading and it’s already a large business in Asia. “We believe as gaming becomes more mainstream so will secondary trading. We’re here to help the new generation of game companies and currency issuers participate in revenue and avoid the black market fraud problems associated with unsanctioned trading.”

“First Meta is in a fast growing and exciting industry and we are looking forward to working with the team to succeed in Asia and beyond”, added Jupe Tan, VP International Operations of Plug and Play Tech Center and Director of Plug and Play Singapore.

About FirstMeta:
First Meta a Singapore based technology company was founded in 2007 with the goal of providing virtual financial
services to end users of games and virtual worlds.

About Plug and Play Tech Center:
Plug and Play Tech Center officially commenced its Singapore operations in March 2010 with the goal of
accelerating entrepreneurial companies, increasing their access to the dynamic resources of Silicon Valley and
increasing the chances of commercial success.

About National Research Foundation:
The National Research Foundation (NRF), set up on 1 January 2006 as a department under the Prime Minister’s
Office, seeks to strengthen Singapore’s R&D capabilities, encourage greater innovation and nurture the growth of
technology-based enterprises in Singapore.

For more information please contact

Wayne Soh
Business Development Manager
Plug and Play Singapore
Email: wayne@plugandplaytechcenter.com

Autumn Radtke
CEO
First Meta
Email: autumn@firstmeta.com

Stay ahead in Asia’s tech landscape

You've reached your 2 free content limit for the month. Sign up for free to read the full story.

🏄 For casual readers / 👶 Free

Basic

US$0

Free forever

Get instant access to this article and more every month

0 premium content

Unlimited news briefs

5

5 articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0 per day

⌛Sign up in 20s. No payment details needed.

📖 For learners / 👍 Starter

Lite

US$4.92/month

Billed annually at US$59/year

Get instant access to this article and more every month

4

4 premium content

Unlimited news briefs & articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0.17 per day

Cancel anytime

Our subscriber community includes professionals from these companies:

Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.

Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.

TIA Writer

Tech in Asia