Blackdove acquires Foundation NFT Marketplace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Digital Art Leader Blackdove acquires Foundation to Deliver End-to-End NFT Solution

Acquisition Unites Marketplace Pioneer with Display Infrastructure Leader, Welcoming Foundation Founder Kayvon to Board

Miami, FL — January 27, 2025 — Blackdove, a leader in digital art distribution, display, and collection management, today announced the acquisition of Foundation, the premier platform for tokenized digital art. The acquisition brings together two pioneers from the earliest days of the digital art movement to deliver the industry's first end-to-end solution spanning tokenization, acquisition, distribution, and display.

From the earliest stages of the digital art industry, Blackdove has been uniquely focused on delivering museum-quality, physical installations of digital art that rival traditional art in any setting. From pioneering early integrations such as the Samsung Frame, to powering major global installations and enterprise-grade digital art networks, Blackdove has remained steadfast in building a permanent company for the future of digital art.

Blackdove's specialty has long been the management of digital art collections and the seamless distribution and display of artwork across screens at scale. As blockchain technology and digital art tokenization emerged, Blackdove integrated blockchain capabilities to enable leading organizations to build the next generation of art marketplaces.

During this evolution, Foundation established itself as the leading technology platform for on-chain digital art sales, under the leadership of its founder, Kayvon. Since its founding, Foundation has played a central role in helping artists establish sustainable practices on-chain and in shaping the broader NFT ecosystem. Over its lifetime, Foundation facilitated more than $230 million in primary sales for artists around the world, hosting all-time-high NFT sales for artists like Jen Stark, James Jean, and Reuben Wu. The platform became a venue for landmark auctions by Edward Snowden benefiting the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and by ix shells benefiting the Tor Project—proof that digital art could intersect meaningfully with journalism, civil liberties, and public-interest causes.

Blackdove is thrilled to welcome Kayvon to the company, where he will join the Blackdove Board of Directors and help guide the future of tokenized art sales and marketplaces. The transition ensures continuity for artists and collectors while placing the platform under a long-term steward focused on preservation, stability, and continued operation.

"This acquisition completes our technology stack," said Marc Billings, CEO at Blackdove. "By integrating Foundation's extraordinary tokenization and marketplace technology into Blackdove's global distribution and display infrastructure, we are delivering the complete digital art experience the industry has been striving to achieve. Our intent is to continue the Foundation legacy of providing the best ETH marketplace in the ecosystem with additional capital and focus."

Foundation will maintain a unique and standalone business on an ongoing basis. Blackdove will increase the interoperability of the Foundation and Blackdove platforms as a feature for increasing distribution of artworks through to displays, and enhancing the catalog offering to collector clients. As part of this acquisition, Blackdove will begin outreach to find a new CEO for Foundation.

For collectors and artists, this integration unlocks a fully verticalized workflow: previewing artworks on screen, preparing for drops, acquiring works on-chain via websites or marketplaces, and immediately displaying acquired pieces across Blackdove-powered environments. The result is a seamless, immersive experience that bridges the gap between digital ownership and physical presentation.

Blackdove's infrastructure is already deployed globally, enabling collectors and institutions to display NFTs and digital works with museum-grade fidelity. The addition of Foundation's full tokenization and marketplace capabilities represents a natural expansion of Blackdove's platform and positions the company as the most comprehensive digital art ecosystem in the market.

Blackdove proudly welcomes the Foundation team and its global community, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of digital art—from creation and tokenization to acquisition, delivery, and display.

About Blackdove
Blackdove is the leading platform for digital art distribution, display, and collection management, powering premium installations for collectors, enterprises, and institutions worldwide.

About Foundation
Foundation is a leading platform for tokenized digital art, enabling artists and collectors to create, discover, and transact artwork on-chain.