INFINITE OBJECTS
Infinite Objects is a venture-backed startup I founded in 2018, building next-generation, radically simple display products for monetizing, collecting, and distributing video.
“Body Paint” by Exonemo. One of the
inaugural Infinite Objects Art editions.
Founder and CEO (+CTO, CPO)
ROLE
IPS TFT LCD Displays, Patented Sensor Actuated UX and Industrial Design, Blockchain, Shopify
TECH
Courtside Ventures, Betaworks, BDMI, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Serena Ventures, 35 Ventures, Dapper Labs, Windmere Club Capital, Fuel Capital, Advancit Capital, WOCstar, Weekend Fund, Shrug Cap, Erick Snowfro Calderon, ThankYouX, Adam Fields, GFR Fund, Scott Belsky and more.
INVESTORS
PRESS
Links
2018-2025
YEAR
In 2015 I began working with a bespoke product development studio started by Nick and Kosta. One of our most exciting partners was GIPHY, who was quite well funded at the time. We became their de-facto R&D lab, working on a number of VR, AR, and novel mobile applications for consuming and creating moving image content. With my hardware background, I eventually began pitching “consumer” product concepts, and they funded the prototyping of a few crazy concepts both around camera and display technology. One of those experiments led to the concept of a display that can never be updated by the end user.
Immediately the potential as a consumer product for monetizing and distributing digital Art, Entertainment, and Personal Content became obvious. In February 2018, encouraged by Alex (founder of GIPHY) and Nick, I decided to found the company with the vision of developing display products that would change how video is sold, collected, and appreciated through design-forward physical forms. Thus began the story of Infinite Objects, leading to over $11M venture raised, over $14M gross revenue generated, and hundreds of thousands of customers served across 90+ countries in the following 7 years.
“Squish Screen” by Frank Guzzone
Infinite Objects officially launched at an event at the New Museum in October of 2019, featuring the debut of 11 limited-edition Art video prints by artists curated by Rhizome, Daata, and Transfer Gallery.
For Artists, Infinite Objects represents an opportunity to sell video artwork, and a new way for followers to collect video artwork. For most artists the idea of “selling a video piece” in 2018 was nearly unheard of, and IO was not only a novel form factor, it also allowed for physical customization on the front and backside, with embedded certificates of authenticity featuring edition numbers, piece information, and even wet signatures. Indelible, physical provenance for digital artwork.
In February 2020, we launched the ability for customers to upload a video and customize their own Infinite Objects Video Print. This offered a unique take on the standard “Digital Photo Frame” product that is widely commoditized on Amazon.
Our vision was to make our product explicitly NOT a tech gadget. IO’s do not require any of the setup, account login, app installation, or WiFi configuration. One of the critical innovations of our products was a radically simple user experience: pick it up and your IO will magically turn on in your hands and begin looping (up to 24 hours) of video content permanently flashed on the device. No. Setup. Required.
Infinite Objects Customer Unboxing Playlist
We patented the only consumer display product on the market that featured NO buttons or switches. The secret is in a Hall effect sensor embedded in the back of the device and a magnet hidden in the packaging. When in it’s boxed, the device is off. Removing the display from it’s packaging instantly turns it on, and this became something our customers would post about on socials, creating an organic marketing flywheel.
Infinite Objects x NBA Top Shot promo announcement.
The third pillar of the content verticals I envisioned for IO was Sports and Entertainment. Sports memorabilia alone is a billion-dollar vertical, and I personally have been a fan of the NBA for years. One of our first prototypes was a “moving player card” featuring Steph Curry.
Klay Thompson on how meaningful holding his comeback Moment is to him.
In 2021, we brought this to life through a collaboration with the NBA and Dapper Labs, the creators of NBA Top Shot. This represented a milestone in the NFT space as we we developed a webapp which required users to authenticate their ownership of an NBA Top Shot NFT in order to be able to purchase an Infinite Object of their NBA Moment. Each unit had a QR code linking to the NFT on-chain, and was authentically licensed with league logos.
Magic Johnson unboxes an Infinite Object of him dunking like only he does.
One strategy that proved powerful both in terms of revenue and growth was that of B2B and Partnerships. We worked with over 100 brands, events, and agencies to bring campaigns and branded content to life in an innovative form factor. Corporate gifting, VIP swag, and retail merchandising were opportunities for companies to look innovative while rewarding their audience with a new generation of collectible.
IO x CNN Vault: Obama’s 2008 election victory is called Live on TV by Wolf Blitzer.
This also became a marketing hack, as we were earning revenue to get our product in the hands of many influencers and future customers who were being gifted something at a VIP event, or exposed to our new product through an IO-driven campaign.
Kim Kardashian GIPHY Award Unboxing
We were lucky enough to work with many very high profile partners, and learned a ton through licensing and commercial creative IP collaborations in the process.
Just some of the brands and partners we’ve worked with over the years.
Finally, a word on growing, managing, supporting, and learning from: our team. As a first-time founder, I was acutely unaware what it meant to grow and manage a team of up to (at our largest) 35 full-time employees across 5 states and 3 continents. I had no idea how important having a dedicated HR lead was until we were around 20 people. I was equally new to the idea of letting people go, sometimes several in a day. The experience has been one of a lifetime for me, and I’m proud to know that’s the same for many who spent time working and growing at Infinite Objects. I can also say for certain that the incredible heights we reached as a company would absolutely never have been possible without the brilliant and thoughtful minds that contributed to the journey.
More thoughts and business learnings coming in future Medium posts, feel free to follow along. Thanks for reading.
