LOS ANGELES, October 12, 2018 – Artist, entrepreneur and humanitarian Pras Michél gave an inspiring keynote at the Mobile World Congress Americas, as he announced plans for the Blacture M1 – the first blockchain phone to be available in the U.S.
During his speech, the artist also highlighted important contributions that African Americans make in creating trends and influencing mainstream lifestyles. A recent Nielsen report showed that the buying power of this demographic reached $1.2 trillion in 2017, indicating that African Americans drive new trends.
Michél then shared the inspiration for his digital platform, Blacture, as a whole. Meant to usher in a new era of Black renaissance, a commercial teasing the initiative aired during the 2018 Super Bowl and was seen by nearly 1.2 billion people.
The Blacture digital platform is an ecosystem that houses elements such as Education, Healthcare Entertainment and an E-Marketplace. The innovative Blacture M1 Blockchain based Android OS Smartphone will be a conduit to access these services, as well as other additional exclusive content. The device, which also features NFC capability and wireless charging, will be pre-embedded with a digital e-wallet and comes equipped with a prepaid card.
Michél commented that, “The Blacture M1 mobile device will be the first mass market Blockchain Smartphone in the USA and the first phone that pays the user back.”
Michél’s appearance at the Mobile World Congress Americas, the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry, is ground-breaking in that it is the first time anyone has debuted a product created for “the Culture,” targeting Black consumers first – not as a postscript – and solidifies his place as a thought-leader in this ever-changing industry.
Says Michél: “We want to ensure our culture is represented well on digital platforms. Our entry into this space is a way for our voices to be heard and recognized. Blacture was formed to address the lack of diversity that exists within the Tech industry. We are not trying to compete with anyone, rather we want to educate and empower our people so that they have the necessary tools to take on the challenges of tomorrow.”