On January 4, 2023, KiHeiTai Inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Ryosuke Abe) has appointed Nikolai Arsentiev as its new Chief Technical Officer, and Lourdes Sanchez Voigt as its new Chief Customer Officer.
Since joining the company in 2016, Nikolai has been involved in the launch and software development of Airfunding, a donation-based crowdfunding service for emerging countries, as a lead engineer.
After the launch of “Open Town,” a crowdfunding service that gathers funds and supporters for community development around the world using “Web3” technology, Nikolai has been leading the project from the technical side as the Dev Team Lead and also in charge of the development of smart contracts.
Lourdes has also been contributing to the growth of Airfunding as the Community Team Lead since joining the company in 2017, leading a multinational team with members from Colombia, Argentina, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other countries.
Her contribution to the newly launched crowdfunding business, Open Town, as the lead of the community team is also outstanding.
With the appointments of Nikolai as CTO and Lourdes as CCO, KiHeiTai will promote the operation and creation of a team that better meet international standards.
In addition to utilizing Web3 technologies such as blockchain technology, Open Town will strengthen its network with NGOs, local governments, and international organizations around the world in order to more rapidly expand Open Town’s global operations.
【Profiles of New CTO and CCO】
CTO：Nikolai Arsentiev
Born on May 14, 1986. In 2010, he studied abroad in Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. In 2016, after graduating from the Computer Science and Engineering faculty of the University of Granada (Spain), he joined KiHeiTai as a software engineer working on the social networking service “Airtripp.” In 2022, he got appointed CTO, overseeing the development of the Airfunding and the Open Town project.
CCO：Lourdes Sanchez Voigt Born on May 21, 1983, in Malaga, Spain. She graduated in History in 2006, and postgraduated in Archeology and Heritage at the University of Malaga in 2011. From 2006 to 2014 , she was engaged in research at the Regional Government of Andalusia and the University of Malaga. After joining KiHeiTai in 2016, she has been in charge of the main communication with customers for Airtripp and later Airfunding. In 2022, she got appointed CCO and the main lead on the community development of the Open Town project.
※The information and images displayed on this page are current as of the time they were published. If you would like to publish or quote this information, please contact KiHeiTai’s Public Relations Department at press@kiheitai.co.jp.For inquiries regarding this announcement, please contact the following: KiHeiTai Inc. (Public Relations: Tsukada) E-mail：press@kiheitai.co.jp
60% of the proceeds will be donated to an NGO in Lombok to build a community space for the future of the town
KiHeiTai Inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Ryosuke Abe; hereinafter: “KiHeiTai”) has launched “Open Town,” a Web3-type crowdfunding service that continuously collects funds and supporters to realize self-reliant community development around the world, utilizing the technology of Web3 (the next-generation Internet called “decentralized Internet”). The first Open Town project was launched in February 2022 in Karungu Village, Uganda, and proceeds from the sale of the NFTs are being used to implement the community development of the village.
This October, KiHeiTai will launch the “Lombok Kidz NFT” project on the Indonesian island of Lombok as the second Open Town project. As the first community development measure in this project, the proceeds from the sales of “Lombok Kidz NFT” 1st Series: Communication (number of issues: 600, price: 0.05 ETH/NFT) will be used to build a community space to revitalize the area. The “Lombok Kidz NFT” 1st Series: Communication will be available for sale on the official Lombok Kidz NFT website (https://lombok-kidz.open-town.org/) beginning Wednesday, October 26, 2022 (JST).
Summary of the “Lombok Kidz NFT” Project
Solving local issues in Lombok through community development with local NGOs, artists, and NFT purchasers
Lombok Island, located east of Bali and belonging to the Lesser Sunda Islands in central Indonesia, is a resort area that attracts many tourists from abroad. However, the secondary education enrollment rate there is very low at 52% of the population, and employment education is also inadequate, forcing many people to rely on low-paid manual labor. By 2014, about 1.5 million women had migrated to Saudi Arabia to support their families, and many others are being forced to migrate to other countries for work. To address these issues, KiHeiTai has decided to collaborate with Sasak Satu Swara, a local NGO working to solve educational issues in Lombok, and a digital artist from Indonesia and implement community development with proceeds from NFT art sales together.
NFT purchasers are also able to participate in the community development process and reflect their own ideas through voting. In addition, NFT purchasers may benefit financially from the future value enhancement of Lombok Kidz NFT, as well as enjoy the opportunity to receive guided tours from locals when visiting Lombok, socialize and work in the community space to be built, and participate in local traditional events and festivals together with the local people.
About Lombok Kidz NFTs
Issued per use of sales proceeds. Proceeds from the First Series go to the construction of a community space that will be responsible for community revitalization.
To realize the above structure, Lombok Kidz NFT art was created by Dany Saputra, a digital artist from Indonesia. Sixty percent of the sales of the first series, the first 600 pieces, will be donated to Sasak Satu Swara, an NGO in Lombok, for the construction and decoration of a community space.
Sample of “Lombok Kidz NFT” 1st Series: Communication
This series depicts the future of Lombok one year from now when Lombok children have hope for the future after having the opportunity to spend time in community spaces, gain work experience, and practice their English.
<Basic information about “Lombok Kidz NFT” 1st Series: Communication>
<Profile of the creator of “Lombok Kidz NFT” 1st Series: Communication>
Mr. Dany Saputra A young digital artist from Indonesia, currently pursuing his master’s degree in Turkey. With a deep interest in NFTs and the metaverse, Dany has been professionally designing NFTs for the past three years. Dany also manages the company Metamorve, dedicated to providing NFT creation services. https://metamorve.com/
Comments: I am very proud to be a part of the Sasak Satu Swara project that supports the Lombok community and as an Indonesian, I’m very proud to be able to share our culture with the world through NFT. I am grateful to KiHeiTai for providing us with a place to learn, connecting people from all over the world, and helping the Lombok community grow and develop. As an artist, I have been figuring out the best way to have a huge impact on the community through art and finally, I found that KiHeiTai offers the best idea to create NFT and distribute the proceeds to the community.
About the Community Space to Be Built With the Proceeds of “Lombok Kidz NFT” 1st Series: Communication
The Lombok Kidz NFT Community Space will be a 120 m2 building, approximately, made of wood and concrete, respecting the traditional architecture of Lombok, and will be located in Kampung Inggris Puyung, the English campus managed by Sasak Satu Swara.
Image of the Community Space
The space is available to school students, families, staff, and members of the nearby community for social events, classes, and recreational activities. It will also be open to Lombok Kidz NFT purchasers and travelers, who will be able to visit anytime they want and participate in activities with the locals or work remotely using the free Wi-Fi.
It is anticipated that the increase in tourists due to the establishment of the community space will not only stimulate the local economy but also provide learning opportunities for Sasak Satu Swara students who wish to work in the tourism industry in the future, to learn English and hospitality skills. It is also expected to provide an opportunity for NFT purchasers to make connections and gain experiences that are not available through normal sightseeing and travel.
Comments from the project leader, the president and founder of Sasak Satu Swara
Levi Akhmad, President of Sasak Satu Swara, commented on the launch of the “Lombok Kidz NFT” project as follows:
“Most importantly, I want to encourage the local community and locals, because we empower women here, and I want them to be positively affected by the project’s influence.
I hope this project runs very well and all the goals that we have, such as helping the children and assisting the teenagers in getting jobs, especially in tourism, since we run their training they can practice this specialty with the NFT holders visiting the place.”
<Levi’s Profile> The president and founder of Sasak Satu Swara, a registered organization that provides education to children and adults in Lombok, Indonesia, to prepare them to chase a bright future. He has worked as a tourist guide and a lawyer in Lombok, while teaching English, culture, and geography to underprivileged children, providing them with the means to find a job in the future without having to migrate to other countries.
【About KiHeiTai Inc.】 KiHeiTai is a global company that produces cross-boundary web services to connect people around the world and make the impossible possible. Combining “Web3” technology with “social contribution,” KiHeiTai operates “Open Town,” a crowdfunding service that sustainably gathers funds and supporters for community development in countries around the world. Open Town” aims to create a “self-reliant community” through co-creation between local residents and NFT holders in various countries around the world. The project can raise funds like a crowdfunding campaign by selling the art to the entire world. The first phase of community development was launched in February 2022 in Karungu village, Uganda. For more information, visit https://kiheitai.co.jp/.
【About Sasak Satu Swara】 Sasak Satu Swara is an NGO that was founded in September 2020 with the goal of providing free education to children and adults in Lombok, Indonesia. Its mission is to provide quality education to young people living in Lombok, where poverty is repeated from generation to generation, and to help them acquire knowledge and skills that will be useful for employment, especially in the tourism sector.
Thank you very much for your continued support of Airfunding.
On April 14, 2022, we announced the reduction of the list of countries from where projects can be made through Airfunding to 26 countries.
Due to recent problems we are experiencing with the limitation of available transfer methods, we regret to announce that we have decided to further reduce the number of countries in which we offer Airfunding services down to 14 countries. The new countries that won’t be able to create new projects are: United States, Ukraine, Taiwan, Singapore, UK, Ghana, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Guatemala, Uganda, and South Africa. In addition, from now on, our method of transferring will be through Bitcoin. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience these measures may cause to you, and for more information, please refer to the details below.
＜14 countries from where new projects can be created in Airfunding（the most updated list）＞
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Mexico
Peru
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Turkey
Nigeria
The projects that have been created outside the 14 countries listed above have been closed on our website by May 15, 2022 in order to make sure we complete the transfer of the funds collected through those projects. Detailed information about the transfer of the pending amounts should be sent separately to eligible customers.
We deeply apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment this action may cause to you. We will make every effort to resume our Airfunding service in your country in the future, and hope to see you again when we reopen.
＜New Meathod of Transferring＞
For the time being, Airfunding will be transferring funds to project owners in Bitcoin. We apologize for the inconvenience and would appreciate your understanding.
Thank you very much again for your cooperation.
＜Contact Info＞
KiHeiTai Inc.
■Address：108-0074 AMS Takanawa 9F, 1−26−20 Takanawa Minato City, Tokyo
■TEL：+1 630-708-7726 (Monday to Friday, from 14:00 to 18:00 JST)
Thank you very much for choosing Airfunding as your crowdfunding platform.
So far, Airfunding has been the crowdfunding space for more than 450,000 projects created all around the world, and they have helped thousands of people pay for their medical expenses, assist their families, local communities, etc.
Although we wish to keep providing the service to the whole world, after considering all possible options, we have decided to reduce the list of countries from where projects can be created in Airfunding in order to improve the quality of our service.
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After April 6, 2022, our service of Airfunding will be available only in the following 26 countries (and, if possible, in the future we will increase the list):
Mexico
Philippines
US
South Africa
Ukraine
Malaysia
Uganda
Taiwan
Colombia
Ecuador
Turkey
Guatemala
Nigeria
Peru
Japan
Chile
Indonesia
Singapore
UK
Brazil
Ghana
Thai
Costa Rica
Argentina
Belgium
Germany
For those of you who are in the countries where Airfunding is no longer available:
You will be able to keep raising funds if you have an ongoing project, and we will make sure that you receive the collected funds that haven’t been transferred to you yet. However, from now on it’s not possible for you to create a new project in the platform. We send our sincere apologies for the inconvenience that this measure might cause to you, and we hope to see you again when we resume Airfunding service in your country in the future.
Entre los países en los que se proporciona el servicio de crowdfunding de Airfunding por Kiheitai Inc, desde el 22 de marzo se está experimentando una demora o suspensión de las transferencias de PayPal en los países a continuación.
Países donde las transferencias de PayPal están suspendidas (no obstante, hay disponibles otros servicios de pago): Ecuador, Brasil, El Salvador, Perú, República Dominicana, Taiwán, Sudáfrica, Guatemala, Honduras, entre otros.
Países donde las transferencias se han suspendido por completo: Colombia, Venezuela.
Actualmente estamos investigando la causa de la suspensión de las transferencias mediante PayPal.
Para transferir fondos a usuarios en Venezuela y Colombia, empleamos los servicios de PayPal como la forma más segura y confiable de enviar dinero. Sin embargo, actualmente no contamos con un método de transferencia alternativo y por tanto los pagos están suspendidos.
Para países que no sean Venezuela y Colombia, sigue habiendo disponible otros servicios de pago alternativos (Wise, Azimo).
Nos disculpamos sinceramente por la preocupación y las molestias causadas a los propietarios de proyectos afectados por esta situación.
Le informaremos nuevamente tan pronto como se reanuden las transferencias a los países afectados.
Agradecemos profundamente su paciencia y comprensión y esperamos que pueda seguir utilizando los servicios de Kiheitai y Airfunding.
Entre los países en los que se proporciona el servicio de crowdfunding de Airfunding por Kiheitai Inc, se ha experimentado una demora en la transferencias de los fondos recaudados en Colombia y Venezuela desde el 1 de Octubre de 2021 hasta el 28 de Febrero de 2022.
Cuando transferimos fondos a Venezuela y Colombia, empleamos los servicios de PayPal como la forma más segura y confiable de enviar dinero. Sin embargo, la cuenta de Kiheitai fue suspendida debido a la detección de posibles transacciones fraudulentas, lo que provocó una demora en las transferencias a los propietarios de proyectos.
Actualmente, se ha conseguido solventar el problema y las transferencias de fondos a los propietarios de proyectos tanto en Venezuela como en Colombia se están realizando con normalidad. Para finales de marzo de 2022, se espera completar todas las transacciones a los propietarios de proyectos que hayan sufrido dicha demora.
Nos disculpamos sinceramente por la preocupación y las molestias causadas a los propietarios de proyectos.
Para evitar que se repita esta situación, Kiheitai tomará las siguientes medidas en el futuro:
Como medida para evitar el bloqueo de nuestra cuenta, estamos reforzando el control de todos los pagos recibidos en la plataforma diariamente.
Realizaremos un monitoreo constante de los servicios de transferencia y la expansión de plataformas para ofrecer más métodos disponibles.
Construiremos un sistema de transferencias confiable lo antes posible
Agradecemos su paciencia y comprensión y esperamos que siga utilizando los servicios de Kiheitai y Airfunding.
As of the present time, we regret to inform you that in Russia, where Kiheitai Inc. provides Airfunding services, particularly crowdfunding projects launched after March 1, 2022, we can no longer remit funds as our payment partners cease their operation in Russia on that above said date.
We are using Wize and Azimo for remittances to Russia, but due to the recent global economic activity, remittances using both services have become impossible. Airfunidng team is currently exploring various ways to make payment possible in this country however, we might need 3 to 4 months’ time to resolve this issue as almost all types of remittance is not possible.,
We deeply apologize for the inconvenience this has caused the project owners.
We will inform you the soonest as there is progress on both remittance services.
The Airfunding team sincerely prays for peace and for the safety of all people living in both Russia and Ukraine.
С 1 марта 2022, AirFunding временно приостанавливает перевод средств, собранных на платформе пользователями из России.
В настоящее время Wize и Azimo используются для денежных переводов в Россию, но из-за влияния недавней экономической ситуации, денежные переводы с использованием обоих сервисов недоступны. Команда Airfinidng занималась поиском различных возможных методов перевода средств, но по состоянию на 4 марта ситуация такова, что денежные переводы в Россию временно недоступны.
Приносим искренние извинения за беспокойство и причиненные неудобства владельцам проектов.
Мы сообщим вам сразу, как только проблема будет разрешена в обеих службах.
Мы молимся за мир и безопасность всех людей, живущих в России.
Savanna Kidz NFTs is an experimental NFT that aims to transform and rebuild real-world communities into a progressive decentralized society through DAO participation.
It is a pioneering project that will provide tangible and actual effects beyond the usual digital realm of NFT projects.
The idea of a decentralized society with multiple autonomous communities that are economically and culturally independent from the restraints of centralized government control, is translated into the development of the first Open Town Project, an experience that will start with the village of Karungu, Uganda, in a remote area with difficult access to water and medical services.
For this, the Savanna Kidz NFT project team will coordinate with Faith Angels Ministry, an authorized NGO composed mainly by Karungu locals.
The development flow of the Open City, ruled by DAO voting
Savanna Kidz NFT holders will have the right to propose ideas and take part in DAO voting towards the development of the Open Town.
$OPENTOWN is a governance token that will be used by NFT holders to vote for the developmental direction of each community in the Open Town Project.
Each Savanna Kidz NFT entitles its holder to claim 3,000 $OPENTOWN tokens immediately following the sale, and actual holders will then receive an Airdrop of 4 $OPENTOWN daily throughout 12 years.
This governance token will be used in DAO voting, allowing holders to coordinate with key members of Faith Angels Ministry to plan the town development through a series of discussions and proposals.
An official announcement about the Sale schedule will be done on Feb 7, 2022
On January 17, 2022, promotions of Savanna Kidz NFTs were officially launched.
More details about the pre-sale, the first voting and the mint day of Savanna Kidz NFT will be included in an official announcement that will occur on February 7, 2022 .
So far, it’s expected the pre-sale to happen between the 14th and 15th of February, while the first voting will be done between the 14th and 17th of the same month.
This first voting will take place among three different proposals to contribute with the development of the first Open Town in Karungu Village:
Provision of clean water to the community through the construction of water tanks.
Acquisition of a community bus for the population of Karungu.
Banking development to promote saving culture through Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA).
Savanna Kidz NFT mint sale is still to be determined, but it is expected to occur between the end of February and the beginning of March of 2022, with a supply of 10,000. Each Savanna Kidz NFT will be priced at 0.05 ETH on mint.
How to be a part of Savanna Kidz NFTs
Those interested to be a part of this project can wait until the Savanna Kidz NFT mint sale is open to the public.
In the meantime, Savanna Kidz official Discord server can be joined here, where it’s possible to receive the latest updates and directly interact with Savanna Kidz NFT creators and other members of an already increasing community.
This is a big opportunity for cryptocurrency and NFT lovers to involve themselves in a cutting-edge project that intends to create self-sustaining real-world decentralized cities through the power of crypto.
About KiHeiTai: KiHeiTai is a global company that uses web services to eliminate boundaries around the world. With groundbreaking services such as “Airfunding,” a global donation-based crowdfunding service that enables people to change their lives for the better with a small number of funds, and “Airtripp,” a global community service used by 10 million people in 200 countries around the world, Kiheitai is expanding possibilities beyond borders, culture, language, and distance. With members in 11 countries around the world, Kiheitai is committed to eliminating any kind of barriers.
Despite the stringent effort to curb the pandemic around the globe, the Delta variant found new routes into Southeast Asia. Cases were at all-time high in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Indonesia has the highest number of cases with 3,854,354 cases and 117,588 deaths followed by the Philippines with 1,741,616 cases and 30,340 deaths and Malaysia with 1,404,899 cases and 12,510 deaths. The highly contagious Delta variant was first detected in India last October and has become the dominant strain worldwide. With this spike in Southeast Asia, many people sought help to help them and their families to raise funds for a variety of causes. During this pandemic, the use of such initiatives has significantly helped individuals or communities requiring money for medical, personal and other expenses.
Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world a lot, we get to see how the weakness of the system and governments are in handling this crisis, we also get to see how people are unprepared and suffering from this pandemic. Crowdfunding became one of the most helpful ways to alleviate their needs, it became a tool to empower them to rise beyond their needs by asking help from kindhearted people across the globe. Crowdfunding provided help to people beyond distance even when people are restricted to even step out of their homes, anyone can donate small amounts in the comfort of their own homes and make a difference in someone’s life. With the current spike in Southeast Asia, many people again turn to crowdfunding as this is the easiest and most powerful way to reach out to people for help.
“Airfunding has been helping a lot of people especially COVID-19 related project overall we have raised $321,518 USD for pandemic related projects in the past year and still gearing up to help more people across the globe get help beyond borders and beyond lockdowns.” – says Ryosuke Abe, CEO of Co-Founder of Kiheitai Inc., the parent group for Airfunding.
Image source: Dhaka tribune
Many crowdfunding platforms are available across the globe, however many of which are not available in the Southeast Asia. Not even world’s biggest crowdfunding platform that helped millions of people get funding is not yet available in the region. But not to fear, as Kiheitai Inc., a Tokyo-based digital company that owns the crowdfunding site called Airfunding is here to help everyone by everyone. In its 3 years of operations, Airfunding has helped close to a million people around the world get funding for medical and other personal or community needs. In the region alone, Airfunding has helped over 300,000 people raise funds for any cause especially in this time of pandemic where people need financial assistance to pay for their medical, business, community, or even personal needs. To date, approximately $1,200,000 in support has been generated on Airfunding through more than 100,000 projects in the Philippines since it started in May 2018.
Airfunding is a fundraising platform that specializes in small-scale projects made by individuals, groups, or local NGOs, for a personal cause, community initiative, an event, or just anything that needs funding. It is a keep-it-all crowdfunding platform, so project owners keep the entire amount collected even if the target has not been met.
There is help beyond borders and barriers, Airfunding has over 10,000,000 supporters around the world and can be accessed in 200+ countries. Airfunding is free to use, anyone can register and start creating projects in less than 5 minutes. Joining is completely free, Start your Airfunding project today!
