Ben Strack

A former pro at DraftKings and Amazon Web Services executive has made the move over to the blockchain gaming space.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/svasan/">Srini Vasan</a> has joined Game of Silks as its chief technology officer, the company told Blockworks. He intends to help the blockchain game build its backend tech stack to enable a “frictionless” in-game experience for metaverse users.&nbsp;



Vasan was an enterprise architect at Amazon Web Services from 2019 to 2021 before joining sports betting platform <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/draftkings" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DraftKings</a> as a vice president of engineering — a role in which he was tasked with building out the platform’s NFT marketplace.  



<a href="https://blockworks.co/news/citi-projects-metaverse-to-capture-five-billion-users-and-up-to-13b">Citi said in a March 2022 report</a> that the total addressable market for the metaverse could reach $13 trillion by 2030, while users could amount to roughly five billion.



“We can debate which compound annual growth rate will be proven correct in 5 to 10 years, but the commercial potential of this space seems undeniable from my perspective,” Vasan said.&nbsp;



Game of Silks touches on several areas which may shape the future of blockchain gaming, Vasan argued — such as the replication of real-world sports and sports betting, as well as new revenue sharing models between professional athletes (or, in this case, race horses).



Digital horse racing has been around, as the startup behind Zed Run — which allows users to virtually breed, sell and buy horses — <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/tcg-a16z-back-virtual-horse-racing-startup">raised $20 million</a> in Series A funding in 2021. 



Game of Silks, built on Ethereum, replicates and tokenizes each year’s crop of professional racehorses as they are registered. Owners of these NFTs, called Silks Horses, are rewarded as their real-life counterparts win races and breed offspring.



Vasan’s hire comes after the blockchain game partnered with the New York Racing Association, which <a href="https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/news/nyra-registers-all-sources-handle-of-more-than-$2.32-billion-for-2022">generated</a> $2.3 billion in wagering last year.&nbsp;



“Game of Silks’ long-term goal is to deliver a fantasy-football-sized impact on the sport of thoroughbred horseracing by introducing the sport to new audiences and demographics that might not have ever thought about attending a race previously,” Vasan said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">a16z adds former Google exec&nbsp;</h2>



<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonprosenthal/">Jason Rosenthal</a>, as a16z crypto’s new operating partner, is set to work with the CEOs and founders in the venture capital firm’s portfolio.



“We’ve staffed the a16z crypto operating team with experts in functions such as go-to-market, recruiting, and regulatory, to provide guidance to our founders in those areas,” <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/a16z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a16z</a> crypto founder <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/chris-dixon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chris Dixon</a> said in a Monday <a href="https://a16zcrypto.com/content/announcement/jason-rosenthal/">blog</a> post. “We also know that founders often need guidance from someone who’s personally navigated many of the abstract, harder-to-define, but nevertheless critical obstacles that inevitably arise in any startup.”



Rosenthal was CEO of social network creator platform Ning from 2008 to 2012 before becoming the chief executive at Lytro — a software company ultimately acquired by Google.&nbsp;



He has spent the last five years running most of Google’s consumer-facing subscription services.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other notable hires</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Former federal prosecutor <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-loomis-rimon/">Laurel Loomis Rimon</a> joined law firm Jenner &amp; Block, where she is set to co-chair its fintech and crypto assets practice</li>



<li>Tokenization company True I/O added <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-turner-01308018/">Karl Turner</a>, Crypto.com’s vice president of North America, to its board of advisers.&nbsp;</li>



<li>Web3 gaming company Pixelcraft Studios appointed <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-slama-1756a912/">Jason Slama</a> — a former game lead at digital card game Gwent — as its new game director.</li>
</ul>



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Latest in Crypto Hiring: Former DraftKings Exec Shifts to Web3 Horse Racing

<div id="highlights-block_62704a8e9d83b" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>DraftKings seeks to continue delving deeper into the NFT space by “aligning with Web3-centric partners”</li>
 <li>The company launched its first in-house NFT collection in March ahead of the NCAA’s college basketball tournament</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



DraftKings has teamed up with NFT company <a href="https://metabilia.io" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Metabilia</a> as it looks to continue capturing what the company considers to be rising demand for digital sports collectibles.&nbsp;



The sports betting company is set to release NFTs featuring some of the youngest Major League Baseball stars as part of the collaboration. The collection includes NFTs of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Shane Bieber, Wander Franco, Joe Musgrove and Fernando Tatís Jr.&nbsp;



Called NFT Membership collectibles, owners will be rewarded with various event-based NFTs throughout the season, which will correspond to milestones or accomplishments for the respective athletes.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="300" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-20874" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=150 150w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=257 257w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=261 261w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=219 219w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=80 80w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=50 50w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vlad-Platinum-1-300x300.jpg?w=609 609w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure></div>



“DraftKings will continue to push its footprint within the NFT industry by continuously aligning with Web3-centric partners to produce curated content that resonates with our DraftKings users,” a spokesperson told Blockworks.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“[We will focus] on providing unique experiences and collectibles in the sports and entertainment space and a frictionless way for our users to interact with those.”</blockquote>



DraftKings Marketplace, which the company launched last August, will be the exclusive distributor of Metabilia NFTs. The marketplace was already the exclusive distributor of sports-related NFT content from Autograph, a company co-founded by Tom Brady.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Metabilia has multi-year partnerships with franchises in the NFL and NBA and has direct deals with more than 40 athletes.



&#8220;At Metabilia, we are focused on delivering NFT collectible programs that deliver high-quality benefits for the long term, and our Membership NFT programs allow fans to show their support for a young athlete and be a part of his or her journey,” Metabilia CEO Joseph De Perio said in a statement.



DraftKings Marketplace has incorporated many iconic sports stars on its platform, including Derek Jeter’s first-ever NFTs ahead of his Hall of Fame induction last year.



The company <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/draftkings-links-nfts-to-legacy-products-in-web3-push/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched its first in-house NFT collection</a> in March ahead of the NCAA’s college basketball tournament.



The <a href="https://marketplace.draftkings.com/lp/2022-college-hoops-nft-collection" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022 College Hoops Collection</a> was the first within a planned Primetime NFT Series that will drop around other major sporting events, Beth Beiriger, DraftKings’ senior vice president of marketplace operations, told Blockworks at the time.



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DraftKings Continues NFT Push With Metabilia Partnership

<div id="highlights-block_6230791f4bdeb" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Sports will be a main driver for blockchain adoption, and digital collectibles are an important part of that process, DraftKings exec says</li>
 <li>The company is paying close attention to the blockchain gaming space as play-to-earn models gain momentum</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



DraftKings is launching its first NFT collection developed in-house, Blockworks has learned, as the company expects sports to be a mainstream driver for blockchain adoption.



The Boston-based sports betting company is launching the NFT (non-fungible token) series in time for the NCAA’s college basketball tournament, which tips off Tuesday and runs through April 4. 



“Few times on the sports calendar can match the drama and spectacle of March’s college basketball tournament, which is why we chose this month-long event to initiate this new digital collectibles program,” DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish said.



The <a href="https://marketplace.draftkings.com/lp/2022-college-hoops-nft-collection" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022 College Hoops Collection</a> is the first within a planned Primetime NFT Series that will drop around other major sporting events. Beth Beiriger, DraftKings’ senior vice president of marketplace operations, told Blockworks that the company could launch future NFT collections alongside the NBA Playoffs and the Super Bowl.



The launch comes after DraftKings unveiled last August its digital collectibles marketplace, which offers curated NFT drops and supports secondary-market transactions. It announced at the time that it would be the exclusive distributor of sports-related NFT content from NFT platform Autograph.&nbsp;



Beiriger said that the new NFT series marks the first time the company is connecting digital collectibles to its legacy products. The 2022 College Hoops Collection NFT holders will be eligible to receive DraftKings site credit to place bets and enter pools, brackets and contests across its sportsbook and daily fantasy offerings.



Collectors holding all eight NFTs within the collection will receive a ninth NFT after the NCAA championship game that will give them early access to the next Primetime NFT Series drop.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“We see sports as a mainstream driver for blockchain adoption, and digital collectibles are an important part of that early onboarding process,” Beiriger told Blockworks.</blockquote>



“Between cashless concessions within stadiums, online ticketing and much more today, consumers have already been conditioned for the ongoing digitization of sports as NFTs further advance this trend,” she added.



The company is also paying close attention to the blockchain gaming space as play-to-earn models gain momentum, Beiriger said.



The company expects to debut an NFT-based fantasy game ahead of the next NFL season. An agreement with the NFL Players Association grants DraftKings licensing rights for the league’s active players.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Polygon partnership</h3>



DraftKings also announced last week that it was partnering with infrastructure platform Zero Hash to stake digital assets it holds in its treasury to support the Polygon (MATIC) blockchain network. The news builds upon the company’s <a href="https://www.draftkings.com/about/news/2021/10/polygon-and-draftkings-enter-into-a-strategic-blockchain-agreement/?wpsrc=Organic%20Search&amp;wpaffn=Google&amp;wpkw=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.draftkings.com%2Fabout%2Fnews%2F2021%2F10%2Fpolygon-and-draftkings-enter-into-a-strategic-blockchain-agreement%2F&amp;wpcn=about&amp;wpscn=news%2F2021%2F10%2Fpolygon-and-draftkings-enter-into-a-strategic-blockchain-agreement%2F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously disclosed partnership</a> with Polygon.



“As a validator, DraftKings will become an even more active participant in the Polygon ecosystem, playing a critical role in guaranteeing the integrity of the blockchain and securing the network,” Polygon Co-Founder Sandeep Nailwal said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Drafting Web3 talent</h3>



Amid the crypto initiatives and plans, the company is seeking to onboard talent within the space, job postings indicate.&nbsp;



DraftKings is seeking a senior Web3 engineer for its NFT marketplace, for example, that will help the company “build and expand our blockchain infrastructure to ensure the scalability and availability of the entire platform,” according to its website.



The company is also looking for a fraud specialist to work on investigations related to cryptocurrency, blockchain and the NFT marketplace, as well as ensure compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.&nbsp;



Though the company has made moves to directly onboard blockchain, crypto and NFT experts, such as through its acquisition of Scarcity Labs last year, it is scouring all industries for people who can help DraftKings grow.&nbsp;



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“The crypto space is still so nascent and rapidly growing that we do not want to miss out on premier talent by focusing solely on crypto natives,” Beiriger said.</blockquote>



“Just as we want to onboard customers through mainstream accessibility, we want to attract a diverse talent pool from a range of native professional backgrounds or transferable skill sets.”



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