Founder · Entrepreneur · Web3 Pioneer
Founder, Pixel Vault · GFunk
I built Pixel Vault from less than $20,000 into a $100M Web3 media company — architecting the biggest brand collaboration in Web3 history with Adidas and Bored Ape Yacht Club, closing partnerships with DraftKings, the NFLPA, UFC, MLB, Dana White, and Endeavor, and speaking on the main stage at VeeCon alongside Arianna Huffington, Daymond John, and Drew Barrymore. Now focused on what's next at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and entertainment.
"I like how organically it happened. It was always about exploring this new space, new opportunity, new method of expressing oneself. Watching the narrative change and shaping a project together has been an accurate reflection of our collective beliefs and what we all see for the future of this sort of decentralized metaverse."
Sean Gearin (GFunk) — Founder, Pixel Vault · Quoted alongside Bored Ape Yacht Club Co-Founders & gmoney in Adidas's official press release
Background
Before Web3, I spent years inside entertainment and media — at Warner Bros., in financial services at Chase, and across growth and strategy roles in virtual production and digital media. I earned a Duke MBA and a Loyola JD, though I was always more interested in building than practicing.
In 2021, I saw something forming at the intersection of storytelling, community ownership, and blockchain that felt genuinely new. I founded Pixel Vault with less than $20,000 and a conviction that digital-native IP built with communities — not for them — was the future of media.
Within twelve months we had raised $100M from Velvet Sea Ventures and 01 Advisors, signed by WME, executed what became the most-discussed brand collaboration in Web3 history with Adidas and Bored Ape Yacht Club, and established partnerships spanning DraftKings, the NFLPA, Dana White, Endeavor, MLB, and UFC.
I spoke on the main stage at VeeCon 2022 and as a featured speaker at VeeCon 2023 — Gary Vaynerchuk's flagship conference — alongside Arianna Huffington, Daymond John, Drew Barrymore, and the CMO of JPMorgan Chase.
Crown Achievement
In December 2021, I architected the collaboration between Adidas Originals, Bored Ape Yacht Club, PUNKS Comic, and gmoney — a drop that generated $24M in a single afternoon across 138 countries and became the most-covered brand activation in Web3 history.
"This massive learning journey for us at adidas, working with the communities that surround gmoney, Pixel Vault and the Bored Apes Yacht Club… I think we can learn something about that."
Tareq Nazlawy — Senior Director Digital, Adidas · Adidas Official Press RoomAdidas named Pixel Vault as a core collaborator in their official press release alongside BAYC founders Gordon Goner and Gargamel — the three parties chosen to represent Web3 to Adidas's global audience. The campaign generated more media mentions than any previous Adidas brand collaboration, and drove the highest Share of Search in the brand's history. It was covered by The Verge, Variety, Yahoo Finance, Benzinga, and dozens of other outlets, and studied as a case study by RightMetric and marketing analysts worldwide.
Joint Venture — May 2022
Dana White — UFC President · Recorded at the UFC Octagon · May 2022 · Announced at VeeCon Main Stage
Partnerships & Milestones
Velvet Sea Ventures and 01 Advisors led a $100M round in Pixel Vault — covered by TechCrunch in February 2022. At the time, one of the largest raises in Web3-native media.
A formal three-party press release with DraftKings (Nasdaq: DKNG) and the NFLPA for the Reignmakers Football collaboration. DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish called Pixel Vault "one of the most innovative brands in Web3."
William Morris Endeavor signed Pixel Vault in October 2021 — covered by Variety — bringing Hollywood's most powerful talent agency into the Web3 IP space alongside us.
Sports partnerships spanning Major League Baseball, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and DraftKings — covered by Benzinga and announced at VeeCon's main stage.
In August 2023, Pixel Vault strategically acquired Wolf Game — one of Web3's most respected game ecosystems — to expand the Pixel Vault universe. Covered by NFT Now.
Main stage speaker at VeeCon 2022 and featured speaker at VeeCon 2023 alongside Arianna Huffington, Daymond John, Drew Barrymore, the CEO of LVMH North America, and the CMO of JPMorgan Chase.
Coverage
Recorded at the UFC octagon, Dana White personally announced a three-way joint venture between Pixel Vault, Endeavor, and his family — after his son and nephew spent a year researching the space and identifying Pixel Vault as their chosen partner.
Watch above ↑Kevin Rose — founder of Digg, early Google Ventures partner, and one of tech's most respected long-form interviewers — sits down with Sean to explore the founding story, motivations, and vision behind Pixel Vault.
Listen below ↓Speaking
In Conversation
Kevin Rose — founder of Digg, early-stage partner at Google Ventures, and one of Silicon Valley's most respected long-form voices — sat down with Sean for an in-depth conversation on the founding of Pixel Vault, the motivations behind the company, and the vision for Web3-native media and storytelling.
Founder of Digg (acquired for ~$500M) · Early partner at Google Ventures · Host of the Foundation podcast · One of Fortune's most influential people in tech. Rose platforms founders he believes in — his interview is a credential in itself.
I'm exploring new opportunities at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and brand strategy. If you'd like to connect, reach out on LinkedIn.