Nick Rose Ntertsas

Nick Rose Ntertsas is a Greek entrepreneur, investor, and environmental advocate known for his leadership in the NFT marketplace sector through his founding and role as CEO of Ethernity Chain, later rebranded as Epic Chain and subsequently EPIC Travel. He has garnered recognition for pioneering efforts in authenticated digital collectibles and for his environmental advocacy, notably through creating the viral #PrayforAmazonia hashtag during the 2019 Amazon wildfires.

Early Career and Background

Nikolaos, commonly known as Nick Rose Ntertsas, began his entrepreneurial journey in Greece where he founded several hospitality ventures. These include the Crystal Club, The Ritz Suites, and The Loft, which contributed to his early reputation in the hospitality industry. ^[1] In his twenties, he moved to the United States to broaden his career horizons and explore the blockchain sphere. ^[2]​

Ntertsas's entry into the blockchain domain began with an investment in Bitcoin in 2011. It is reported that he purchased 500 Bitcoin after overhearing a conversation during a poker game in Las Vegas. ^{[3] [1] [4]} Leveraging his interest and insights into emerging technologies, he later started 10X Capital, a friends-and-family trading fund focused on cryptocurrencies, in 2016. ^[1]​

Additionally, Ntertsas provided consultancy for Ron Burkle and The Yucaipa Companies, offering strategic insights in various projects. ^[2]​

Environmental Advocacy

Nick Rose Ntertsas is known for his efforts in environmental awareness and action. He created the #PrayforAmazonia hashtag, which became a widely used social media tool drawing global attention to the Amazon rainforest wildfires in 2019. Although EverybodyWiki initially reported that public figures such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cara Delevingne, and Emmanuel Macron shared the hashtag, this was corroborated by independent coverage from Yahoo Finance/Money.com, which also cited Kim Kardashian. However, the reliability of sources varies. ^{[5] [2]}​

To further his environmental commitment, Ntertsas founded Oxygen Seven, a nonprofit organization with the ambitious goal of planting one million trees in California. He also holds the position of Chief Digital Officer at Global Wildlife Conservation, underscoring his ongoing involvement in environmental advocacy and digital conservation efforts. ^{[5] [6]}​

Founding Ethernity Chain

​Ethernity Chain was conceived by Nick Rose Ntertsas around 2019/2020, per his own account in a PANews interview; the platform's first NFT sale, with digital artist BossLogic, occurred in March 2021. ^[8] The marketplace focused on authenticated, licensed digital collectibles, known as aNFTs. Through strategic partnerships, Ethernity Chain collaborated with various high-profile individuals and brands, creating NFTs related to Muhammad Ali, Pelé, Tony Hawk, and Lionel Messi. The platform also featured notable digital collectibles like the Associated Press photograph of the Iwo Jima flag raising. ^{[7] [8]}​

Nick's innovation in the NFT space extended to the establishment of Ethernal Labs, an NFT ecosystem studio designed to foster diverse digital art collections and support artists through incubation. Under his leadership, Ethernal Labs raised $20 million in funding. ^[9]​

​Ethernity Chain's business model included decentralized finance (DeFi) applications using ERN tokens, which allowed holders to participate in governance and redeem unique NFTs through liquidity provision. ^[8]​

Later Company Evolution

Following its initial success, Ethernity Chain underwent a rebranding process, first to Epic Chain and later to EPIC Travel. While the rebrand indicated a shift in the company’s focus, Nick Rose Ntertsas's role in the latest phase of EPIC Travel is not clearly defined in current sources. ^[7]​