This story was initially published in The Creators — a newsletter about the people powering the creator economy. Get it sent to your inbox.
Infinite Objects is a design and technology firm founded in 2018 to give video a more tangible way to be exhibited. The company raised $6 million in seed funding, and has worked with the digital artist Beeple. Observer executive editor James Ledbetter recently caught up with founder and CEO Joseph Saavedra, and chief operating officer Roxy Fata; this transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
Observer: Let’s start with a description of Infinite Objects.
Joseph Saavedra: Infinite Objects creates bespoke physical representations of digital assets. Those could be blockchain-backed assets. We focus on video, something that is tangible, something that you can appreciate outside of a browser and outside of an app. With blockchain assets and NFTs, we take the provenance, the authenticity of the blockchain data and permanently imbue the physical with that provenance as well. So we really connect the physical to the digital. Our products become a one-to-one physical twin to that digital asset.
And why is that a benefit?
Saavedra: Because we’re really elevating the value of the content and emphasizing that this is a collectible. Just because it is a file does not mean it can’t be physically collectible as well. Our product is wholly unique in that it has no buttons, no switches, no connectivity and can never be updated.
Roxy Fata: I think the regular consumer finds value in experiencing something and receiving something on a purchase. It helps artists—artists want their pieces shown in spaces so people can get familiar with their work. So it has benefits in that regard as well.
A lot of people think of NFTs as something to speculate and flip. What percentage of NFT buyers do you think are interested in this type of permanent physical presence?
Saavedra: I would venture to say 90% of NFT collectors have at some point asked the question “How can I show this off?” Without having to open my phone to show my friend. It’s a question that you see on Twitter all the time.
The NFT market kind of took off in early ‘21. It seems to have considerably cooled. How does that affect your business?
Fata: Not at all. We’re defining a whole new product category. We cater to a lot of different audiences, but with NFT specifically it’s not a cause for concern, we have so much faith and belief in the technology of Web 3.0. It’s been really wonderful to see art lead the way in understanding how this technology can be used in the future.
Saavedra: What you’ve seen cool down are floor prices, right? You’ve seen the actual US dollar value of X, Y, or Z investment drop in half. Our product has nothing to do with floor prices. Our product is entirely for people who are fans of the content that they’re collecting. If you are a fan of the NBA, of Lady Gaga, you want to show off your collection. That’s the audience that we’re building for.
How can an individual creator benefit from Infinite Objects?
Fata: We work with a ton of them and we find that adding the physical really helps benefit their sale. We work with a lot of galleries, too.
Where do you see the digital collectable market headed?
Fata: In a great direction. It’s just going to get more and more popular. Tons of brands see value in it. There’s just that sneakerhead culture of people really wanting. There’s still lines down sneaker shops. I think that it’s not going away.
Saavedra: The idea of a digital collectible has now been accepted as a thing, whether or not it’s a thing that’s going to bring you a thousand percent returns. I think we are moving past that, which is a great thing.
This interview was originally published in The Creators, a newsletter about the people powering the creator economy. Get it in your inbox before it’s online.
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