What would the NFT space be without free thinking coders, developers and builders in general? Absolutely nothing, that is. Without the creators and innovators of blockchain technology, the NFT space, let alone NFTs and the blockchain itself, would never have come to fruition. That should be clear to anyone within the Web3 sphere.
Beyond the many digital native artists and NFT collectors who deserve recognition, the builders, those who strive to make breakthroughs or use blockchain and NFT technology, are praiseworthy many times over. However, it remains true that those at the cusp of innovation are often overlooked, perhaps because, unlike artists and collectors, these individuals often play the long game, creating at scale in an arena broader of your timeline.
So, to honor those who, whether overtly or covertly, drive innovation in the NFT space, we’ve selected 10 builders who have had a palpable influence on the ecosystem over the past year. Chosen via qualitative metrics and presented in no specific order, these movers and shakers are people you may or may not have heard of, but are truly worth keeping an eye on.
4156
4156, formerly known as Punk4156, is an anonymous investor, NFT collector, and artist who rose to fame early in the NFT space. Once a CryptoPunk maximalist, he was the owner of one of the most coveted punks out there: CryptoPunk #4156. Having changed his position in CryptoPunks over the years, he has gone from being an influential collector to a noted builder. The creator of the fantastically popular. NFT Project Nouns and branding, 4156 is a vocal supporter of NFTs being Creative Commons Licensed (CC0), which gives collectors all rights to duplicate, brand, trade and use the intellectual property contained in their NFTs as they see fit. Overall, 4156 is considered a great champion of Web3, NFTs, and digital property, and is a steward of NFT-based innovation.
jason bailey
jason bailey has a long history on the blockchain. First known as the purveyor of art and technology blog Artnome, he is considered an early adopter of NFTs and was one of the first collectors to amass pieces in SuperRare, helping spearhead the then-burgeoning crypto art revolution. Through his projects, as ClubNFTof which he is CEO and co-founder, Bailey has worked to ensure the security and longevity of NFTs, while promoting a more sustainable and green NFT environment.
Betty
CEO and co-founder of Deadfellaz, Betty has established himself as a pillar of the NFT community while remaining a major figure within the ecosystem of his influential PFP project. While NFT’s path to success has been elusive and ambiguous to some, she has remained a strong advocate for independent artists at a time when creative opportunities have become conditional and creator royalties have come under attack. . An advocate for diversity and inclusion in the NFT space, Betty has continued to be instrumental in driving the conversation around creating equity on Web3.
6529
Over the years, the pseudonym 6529 has become a critical thinking leader in the NFT space. In addition to being one of Web3’s wise voices, 6529 has gone from being a top-tier collector to a quest-driven builder who has championed the establishment of an open metaverse against centralized, corporate players like Meta. Although he is still known for his philosophical threads on Twitter, his open metaverse (OM), released on OnCyber, revolves around the idea that “100 million people in an open metaverse can change the world.” Currently, OM and the 6529 brand act as a hub for crypto art exhibits, single-edition collections, education, and more.
kate haun
kate haun is a crypto investor and the founder of haun companies, a venture capital fund that invests in Web3. By early 2022, she had raised $1.5 billion for the firm, achieving the largest seed fund ever raised by a lone founding partner. In May of the same year, Haun led a $50 million funding round to power Zora’s NFT Tools protocol, which provides accessible tools for building NFT collections and independent marketplaces for artists and businesses. She is also a member of Coinbase’s board of directors and joined as the company’s first independent director.
Farokh
Farokh is an NFT collector and entrepreneur best known for his thought leadership in the NFT space. He is the founder of the radio carpet Web3 media ecosystem, which claims to be the first fully decentralized media platform. Prior to NFTs, Farokh was known as a prolific social media expert, growing the brand’s following (including his own company Goodlife Media & Communications) to millions. After earning accolades as one of the leading voices of the NFT boom of early 2021, he switched gears, becoming a builder and spearheading the content creation push through shared ownership.
amanda cassatt
amanda cassatt is a builder that has a long and prosperous history in the blockchain industry. What ConsenSysA Marketing Director, she introduced Ethereum to the market and later created the Ethereal Summit for ConsenSys, which is a series of events that hosted some of the world’s first NFT galleries. In 2019, Cassatt left ConsenSys to create serotonin, a marketing and product studio focused on NFTs and other Web3 technologies. Here, he supports blue-chip projects like IPFS, NFT initiatives from big brands like Sotheby’s, and everything in between. In addition, he also created Mojitosan NFT trading suite that helps creators launch and grow NFT marketplaces, membership programs and communities.
Richard
richer chanknown in the NFT space simply as Richerd, he is a developer, collector, and co-founder of the NFT creation platform Manifold. A longtime advocate for NFTs and creators who own the means of production, Richerd helped create Manifold as a service to empower independent artists to create their own smart contracts, rather than just using the ones owned by NFT marketplaces. Through Manifold, Richerd has helped lower the entry bar for artists and creators striving to enter the NFT space, while further perpetuating decentralized digital ownership ideologies.
Amazing
For years, the enigmatic artist known as Trippy he worked in the shadows before emerging in the NFT space as an optimistic light and advocate for blockchain technology. Although he was originally credited for growing the largest online psychedelic community, through Trippy Laboratories, his multidisciplinary Web3 creative studio, has now shifted focus to making Web3 events more native to decentralization. Through collaborating with A-list celebrities and influential artists, spearheading philanthropic efforts, and producing immersive experiences created by and for the NFT space, Trippy has easily become a champion of the people and a steward of culture and culture. Web3 technology.
lesley silverman
A seasoned veteran of art law, lesley silverman works as head of Web3 in united talent agency, bringing a unique perspective on art regulation to your company’s Web3 department. At UTA, he embodies the agency’s mission to empower brands and creators as the NFT space evolves. Drawing on his experience, Silverman has helped clients launch their own Web3 projects and has worked on teams that have signed Deadfellaz and others, and has helped Larva Labs, Coinbase and more as clients. Silverman’s actions are actively helping to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3, and his unique balance of optimism and caution continues to be admired throughout the NFT space.
