There are millions of NFTâs for sale, and it seems like thousands of new projects are launching daily. How do you cut through all the noise to determine the best NFT projects to follow and potentially invest in?
For one, and depending on how much money you are looking to spend, you may not want to look at NFTâs as an investment. There are currently 4 million assets on OpenSea (the most popular NFT marketplace) and potentially millions across other marketplaces like (Rarible, Foundation, SuperRare, NBA Top Shot, and more). Knowing that the NFT universe is immense and ever-expanding, it is safe to say not all these assets will appreciate.
So, you might ask, what should you look for in a project? We find NFTâs with utility (defined below) as a great first introduction into NFTâs and their potential future uses.
Utility NFT: An NFT assigns a use to the digital asset outside of owning just a piece of art. A utility NFT can be one in which you receive a physical piece of art that matches the NFT you purchased; it could be special access to an event, exclusive in-person memberships, or future use in the digital world (think gaming).
Suppose you can find a project with a mission that you can relate to, which also has some form of utility. In that case, you are getting more out of the NFT purchase than simply digital ownership of an asset (art, photo, video, audio, etc.).
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Crypto Baristas
Website: https://cryptobaristas.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cryptobaristas
Discord: https://discord.gg/cryptobaristas
The worldâs first NFT funded cafĂ© & more by us, Coffee Bros.!
Crypto Baristaâs Season 1 will launch with 60 caffeine-loving characters whose ownership helps conceptualize and open the Worldâs First NFT funded CafĂ©.
Owners of a Crypto Barista enjoy caffeinated perks for life at all future cafe spaces and websites. Owners also control the âBarista Bank,â a 15% fund set aside from the projectâs revenue for future use in the coffee space. Some potential uses for the Barista Bank can support charitable organizations in the coffee space, advance the Crypto Barista project, or start something new.
âThe goal of Crypto Baristaâs is to build a community of like-minded individuals that appreciate art, caffeine, entrepreneurship, and innovation. The projectâs ambition is to initially open a physical space in NYC where art and innovation are at the forefront. The future of Crypto Baristas beyond that will be up to the holders and followers of our campaign.â
â Dan Hunnewell (Owner, Coffee Bros.)
The Coffee Bros. Crypto Barista project looks to solve the three sometimes lacking pieces in many NFT projects, governance, community, and ownership. The project will evolve through Seasonal launches, where each season focuses on a new endeavor within the coffee space while providing perks and governance to all holders.
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Azuki
Website: https://www.azuki.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/azukizen
Discord: http://discord.gg/azuki
Azuki are the self-proclaimed skaters of the internet as they are âskating between the blurred lines of the physical and digital worlds as they are beginning to blend.â
As a project, Azuki is a collection of 10,000 avatars that give you membership access to âThe Garden.â The Garden is where Azuki sees their project blurring the physical and digital worlds. Azuki uses its characters and partnerships for streetwear collabs, additional NFT drops, and eventual live events.
Azuki has also been seen pushing the boundaries with new offerings like their recent Bobu the Bean Farmer. Bobu, the Bean Farmer, was to fractionalize the artwork and create a Bobu Token where all owners in the community can govern the Bobu character within the Azuki universe. The token owners will guide Bobuâs future in this unique web3 experiment.
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Kibatsu Mecha
Website: https://kibatsumecha.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kibatsu_Mecha
Discord: https://discord.gg/kibatsumecha
Kibatsu Mecha, created by artist and animator Jerry Liu, is a collection and story of 2,222 unique hand-generated and fully animated characters.
Kibatsu Mechaâs range in rarity and have a combination of 7 traits. A handful of Kibatsu Mechaâs will have the âmega rareâ title and carry unique characteristics that are not seen across other characters in the collection.
The lore of Kibatsu Mecha: âKibatsu Mecha and their pilots inhabit Megacity Kibatsu and its surrounding territories. They rumble in the Ataki Arena, one of the cityâs most dangerous yet spectacular fight circuits. They fight for many reasons â for glory, for riches, for the thrill, for revenge, for survival, for power, for honor, for love⊠but more on that later.â
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Doodles
Website: https://doodles.app/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/doodles
Discord: https://discord.gg/doodles

Doodles are a collection of 10,000 NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that are made up of hundreds of exciting visual traits designed by Burnt Toast. Hand-drawn Doodles include skellys, cats, aliens, apes and mascots. The Doodles collection also includes dozens of rare heads, costumes, and colorways of the artistâs palette.
What is so unique about owning a Doodle is that it allows you to vote on community-driven features and future products and events. The entire roadmap for Doodles is a collaborative experience between the collectors and the project architects/designer.
Doodles also has a community bank called the âDoodlebankâ which is their treasury that is community governed and will be used to fund new experiences. Currently, and at the time of this writing, the Doodlebank holds over $5M in funds.
Doodles have seen the most unique progression in the NFT space after launching their Space Doodles project. âSpace Doodles are personal spaceships for your Doodle. Each Space Doodle is generated from over 200 audio-visual traits and accompanied with stats that reflect the competency of your Doodle in its spaceship. Space Doodles and their stats will be used in future Doodles experiences that deliver surprise and delight to the wider NFT ecosystem.â
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Women Rise
Website: https://www.womenrise.art/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenriseNFT
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/X5Ut9u7MGW

Women Rise is a 10,000 randomly generated collection by the internationally acclaimed visual artist Maliha Abidi.
The goal of the collection is to make the NFT space more inclusive and diverse by introducing more women characters as well as donating a percentage of primary sales to funds that focus on gender equality, girlsâ education, and mental health in marginalized societies.
The collection represents women from around the world and the traits go beyond the diversity of just skin colors. Women activists, artists, scientists, coders and many others rising to make the world a better place!
Women Rise allows art lovers to own a unique art piece while also making the NFT space more diverse and inclusive.
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Propertâs Virtual Realty
Website: https://propertys.xyz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/propertys_nft
Discord: https://discord.gg/propertys

Propertyâs is the most innovative real estate collecting game in the NFT & metaverse space. Bringing together the mechanics of the worldâs most popular games, they aim to provide an experience never seen before â on & off the metaverse. Each NFT is a collectible card that displays a piece of real estate inspired by different cultures & economics.
Propertyâs has been feverishly adding partnerships with other brands and NFT communities ahead of their launch. One such partnership is with the Crypto Baristas where the Propertyâs game will feature Crypto Barista-themed coffee shops and carts throughout the land.
Keep an eye on Propertyâs as their game is part of the Sandbox user-generated world which is just beginning to take shape.
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Cryptoon Goonz
Twitter: https://www.cryptoongoonz.com/other
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cryptoon_goonz
Discord: http://discord.gg/cryptoongoonz
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Cryptoon Goonz is by creator and tattooer @SeanTat2s and is a 6969 generative rubber hose style characters project with hundreds of unique traits.
Cryptoon Goonz reminds us of early Mickey Mouse style art, and each piece is decked out in pop culture, hip-hop, and streetwear references.
Cryptoon Goonz has a solid and passionate Discord community of >10,000 members and is worth the following to learn more about the project.
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Invisible Friends
Website: https://invisiblefriends.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InvsbleFriends
Discord: https://discord.gg/rndm

Invisible Friends is from animator Markus Magnusson, who brings 5,000 invisible walking characters to life. Markus Magnusson is rightfully known as Motion Markus, and if you take a look at his Vimeo, you can see why.
The Invisible Friends project is set to go live in February of 2022 and has already gained a massive following of Discord (250k+ members) and Twitter (373k followers).
If you are not lucky enough to beat the odds and mint one of the 5,000 characters, Markus has launched a very well designed merch bundle which can be found here.
Even the illustrator of the Crypto Baristas project is in love with Invisible Friends and can be seen speaking about the project on his blog about Best Illustrated NFT Projects of 2022
I know I already talked about a walking project, but it is a highly complex animation sequence to create. And in my opinion â if the character needs to walk in place as a loop, it is incredibly more difficult. This project takes my fear and walks all over itâpun intended.
Tony Bui of Crypto Baristas
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MekaVerse
Website: https://www.themekaverse.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MekaVerse
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/mekaverse

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The MekaVerse is a collection of 8,888 generative Mekas with hundreds of elements inspired by the Japan Mecha universes.
The MekaVerse project was created by Mattey and Matt B, two friends and 3D artists who have jumped feet first into the NFT space.
The roadmap of the MekaVerse project includes bringing to life the Mekas through high-quality, 3D-printed toys. The MekaVerse project continues to unfold as the roadmap is driven by the founders and holders of the characters. The projectâs future ambitions include streetwear, collaborations with famous artists, and potential short films using the characters.
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Nouns
Website: https://nouns.wtf/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nounsdao
Discord: http://discord.gg/nouns
The SupDuck collection has one of the best communities to date. The biggest investors and NFT collectors (whales) guys such as Banks or Garyvee …
The art offered is remarkable with a palette of bright and varied colors, mythical characters, a cartoon-like graphic universe with its own $Volt Token that should be released soon.
They are constantly innovating and have released their mobile application exclusively for holders. Itâs a very ambitious project that has already proven to be a great Long term investment. The floor price should easily continue to go up in the months to come.
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Decentraland
Website: https://decentraland.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/decentraland
Discord: https://dcl.gg/discord

Decentraland is a virtual world with its own DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) that hands over control to the virtual space users.
Decentralandâs world is fueled by their marketplace of virtual in-game assets like land, wearables (for your characters), and more.
All that is needed to play is a web browser and a cryptocurrency/digital asset wallet like MetaMask. While the wallet is unnecessary, it improves the gameâs experience as your wallet keeps all your digital assets safe, like names, collectibles, and LANDS.
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Conclusion
It is not always easy to determine what makes a great NFT project or a worthy investment. When choosing the best NFT projects in 2022, we assembled projects that were more than just artwork (called Utility NFTs).
Utility NFTâs are those that assign a use to the piece of artwork, such as access to an event, exclusive in-person membership, or assets in a game. When deciding what to look for with your first purchase of an NFT, find a utility project that you would benefit from. For example, Crypto Baristaâs is a coffee-themed NFT project that funds a cafĂ© in NYC while giving caffeinated perks back to the holders (such as discounted coffee, free drinks, and more). VeeFriends is another Utility NFT that provides access to a multi-day super conference. Both of these NFTâs hold value beyond the artwork, which makes the purchase more sound.
As we monitor the NFT space in 2022, we will continue to add to our Top 10 NFT Projects to Follow list and ensure to have the latest and greatest project.
Until then, catch up on some of our other reading regarding NFTs.