At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, the mood wasn’t just celebratory - it was transformative. Hendrik Hey’s Digital Genesis Fund, in partnership with Goldfinch Holdings, revealed a $20 million co‑investment fund at TechCannes this summer. This move wasn’t about a singular film or flashy premiere. It marked the launch of a broader vision: a global infrastructure for decentralized, AI-enhanced storytelling that aims to reshape how the world funds, experiences, and thrives in media.

MILC (Media Industry Licensing Content), founded by Hendrik, is central to that vision. It's not merely a tool - it’s the connective tissue powering licensing, tokenized distribution, immersive experiences, and audience participation. In partnering with Goldfinch, MILC isn’t following trends. It’s helping write the next chapter of media history, one where technology isn’t a feature - it’s the foundation.

What Sets This Partnership Apart

This $20 million initiative was never intended to be a one-off transaction. It’s the operational skeleton for a media economy rooted in decentralization and global reach. By combining blockchain, AI, and tokenization, Digital Genesis and Goldfinch aim to empower creators and audiences with ownership, control, and creativity.

Their first flagship launches reflect that vision. Lumiere, backed by media brands like Animoca Brands and Rolling Stone, is a tokenized crowdfunding platform that empowers fans to invest in media projects at the earliest stages. It shifts the financing narrative from closed-door studios to passionate, engaged audiences.

Then there's The Squad - a Web3-native production studio built on smart contracts. It ensures creators retain full IP control while collaborators receive transparent compensation, ushering in a more equitable production system.

MILC is the backbone of this new media economy, providing the tools, space, and infrastructure for creators to thrive in the metaverse. MILC blends content, commerce, and community. It’s where branded experiences, rights management, ad monetization, distribution, and real-time feedback merge around immersive storytelling. Instead of merely watching the media, audiences can actively participate in the storytelling process.

A recent market study reveals the global blockchain industry hit $26.91 billion in 2024 and is expected to skyrocket to nearly $1.88 trillion by 2034, growing at a compound annual rate of 52.9%. That level of acceleration demands real-world infrastructure, exactly what MILC provides.

From TechCannes to Global Activation

Cannes was more than a reveal - it inaugurated a global campaign. First in line is the Indonesia Creative Investment Forum, set for later this year. Co-hosted by Goldfinch’s Indonesian division, this two-day event will gather government leaders, investors, and creators to explore decentralized tools like MILC, Lumiere, and The Squad.

Southeast Asia is a vital focus. With fast-growing digital talent and economies on the rise, the region is a fertile ground for innovation. The plan isn’t to impose foreign frameworks. It’s to co-create: channeling local IP, collaborative funding, and immersive experiences, backed by partners like Synco, Goshen Prime, and Indonesia’s Creative Ministry.

This is only the beginning. Hendrik Hey is now in conversation with partners across Latin America, Europe, and Africa. That global web of collaboration speaks to a greater aim: co-financed, co-owned, and co-created content that transcends borders. During the Cannes presentation, Hey captured this mission: “We are no longer just creating content; we are building worlds. And in these worlds, everyone becomes part of the story.” It wasn’t just a pitch - it was a working system inviting creators, investors, and businesses to step in and start building.

Web3 Consulting: From Jargon to Strategy

Money moves headlines, but it's implementation that moves industries. For decentralized media to stick, people and businesses need clarity and confidence. That’s where MILC’s Web3 consulting steps in.

MILC has led introductory sessions at the Chambers of Industry and Commerce in Hesse and Koblenz. These deep-dive webinars translated blockchain, NFTs, tokenization, and smart contracts from buzzwords into actionable insight.

The next phase kicked off on June 4, 2025, in collaboration with the East Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The session moved beyond theory, offering concrete guidance - from readiness assessments to implementation frameworks that let businesses leverage blockchain for real-world impact.

MILC’s strategy ensures that organizations don’t drift into Web3 by accident. Instead, they enter intentionally, positioning themselves for future competitiveness, streamlined licensing, immersive experiences, and lasting audience engagement.

Cannes wasn’t an endpoint - it was the starting line. The $20 million fund, along with its suite of projects and education initiatives, signals the emergence of a new media landscape: one that favors ownership over access, infrastructure over apps, and audiences over transactions.

MILC isn’t watching from the sidelines; it’s engineering the infrastructure that makes it possible, blurring the divide between creator and consumer, business and user.

As the initiative rolls out from Cannes to Jakarta, East Württemberg to beyond - the message is clear: this isn’t a rerun of old Hollywood or a digital echo of broadcast TV. It’s an entirely new ecosystem shaped by global creators, technologists, and communities.

In this evolving landscape, people won’t just watch stories - they’ll own them. With MILC at the core, that future is already under construction.

About MILC

Hendrik Hey is the Founder of MILC (Media Industry Licensing Content), a pioneering company in the blockchain and metaverse space, with a strong background in media and content. MILC operates a real live metaverse platform that serves not only the media industry but also various industrial use cases. The company also focuses on Web3 consulting, aiming to support complex real-world industries on their way into Web3. MILC is a sister company of European media giant Welt der Wunder, which Hey founded over 25 years ago. For more information, please visit https://www.milc.global and https://www.ionpowergrid.com