- The company will pick the program’s participants from fields like art, music, and fashion.
- Selected creators will get benefits like exposure to Visa’s clients and partners.
- Micah Johnson, the creator of the Aku World, is the first creator to enter the program.
Leading financial services company Visa announced the official launch of the Visa Creator Program yesterday. According to Visa, this is a one-year immersion program seeking to convene creators interested in building their businesses with non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The program targets entrepreneurs in art, music, fashion, and film.
This launch comes after the financial services giant first announced the Visa Creator Program in October 2021. Through this push, Visa seeks to help creators unlock their full potential in the rapidly growing $100 billion creator economy.
Visa’s strategy involves working in different cycles. Each cycle will see the project support a selected group of creators seeking to expand their understanding of the technology and platforms that power NFT commerce.
Selected creators will enjoy perks like technical and product mentorship, access to a community of NFT creators, opportunities to engage with thought leaders in web3, and exposure to Visa’s clients and partners. On top of this, they will get a one-time stipend to help them kick-start their next phase of growth.
The first cycle will include Micah Johnson, a former professional baseball player and the creator of the Aku World NFT project, which features a young black astronaut.
Commenting on his involvement in the project, Johnson said,
In the early days of my NFT career, I relied on a community of NFT experts and advocates to ground me in this new world. I’m excited to work with Visa in providing that same type of mentorship to emerging artists setting out on their NFT journey.
Helping creators establish ownership of digital works
Visa believes that NFTs can help creators achieve verifiable ownership and authenticity of digital goods and media. Through the Visa Creator Program, the firm seeks to help small and micro businesses gain more access to the digital economy. With such access, creators will be well equipped to generate revenue and grow their enterprises.
Visa’s Head of Crypto, Cuy Sheffield, remarked,
NFTs have the potential to become a powerful accelerator for the creator economy.
He added that Visa has been studying the NFT works and its potential impact on the future of commerce, retail, and social media. Sheffield pointed out the Visa Creator Program aims to help a new breed of small and micro businesses tap into new mediums for digital commerce.
The launch of the Visa Creator Program comes after the company first revealed its interest in NFTs with the purchase of a CryptoPunk in August last year.
