Alex Bellesia is the SpatialPort CEO, and co-founder. He actually remembers being the former Chief Marketing Officer for a company that specialized in VR and AR solutions to businesses. This was years before the term The Metaversewas as popular as it is today.
He smiles to begin our interview by saying, “What we call today is themetaverse “, was only, “AR, VR” ,like Yesterday.”
Now, Bellesia’s new company is aiming to be the leader of the emerging metaverse. SpatialPort is, however, a part of a metaverse Bellesia hopes SpatialPort can join, and perhaps in contrast to a newly-rebranded tech conglomerate, it’s a healthy, open, and driven by empowered users.
“I want to participate in this because it’s such a big responsibility. I’m proud to say that I tried my best and did everything I could.
*Some quotes from Mr. Bellesia were condensed and edited to make them more understandable.
SpatialPort: How COVID-19 was instrumental in its creation
Bellesia was primarily involved in helping large companies create online eCommerce shops during his time at Qbit Technologies. COVID-19 was the catalyst that made it possible for more of our daily lives to be moved online. Qbit began to receive more inquiries from different types of clients.
“Now, not only were large multinationals reaching out but also medium and small businesses. The price of eCommerce space was prohibitive. To create 3D immersive shops, it could cost anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000
SpatialPort was born. Bellesia started to explore ways to offer similar services to small businesses and individuals at a reasonable price.
“So I thought back to what Shopify did in 2006, when they created a configurator. Drag and drop. No code. That is what makes our company unique. We empower everyone to create their 3D space.
Maybe the market demand for 3D online spaces was not so obvious right before the pandemic. What is the culture conversation about NFTs or the metaverse? It is.
MTVRS development will be funded by the SP21 MTVRSMaster MFTs.
Although SpatialPort and Bellesia have many projects on the horizon, their top priority is their eCommerce metaverse platform. The NFT sale will fund its development.
SpatialPort will begin the presale for SP21 MTVRSMaster NFTs on January 24th. The 500 NFT presale will be sold at a mint price 0.5ETH. The full public sale of the remaining 9600NFTs will take place at a later date. Bellesia suggests that SpatialPort will use the NFT sales to finance SpatialPort’s “MTVRS” shopping app.
It’s very similar to ICOs. Instead of just the coin, however, we are giving a product. This was because it cost us $5 million to get to market. It is a big idea. This is a long-term endeavor.”
NFT buyers will receive a few perks in addition to their NFT. SpatialPort will grant buyers a free store where they can sell their NFTs as well as showcase their products.
A “Multiverse of Metaverses”
SpatialPort’s vision of the future is indeed a grand idea. Bellesia speaks of creating a vast virtual world. One in which brands are not limited to occupying plots of land but have their own fully-realized worlds.
“When you create a lot 3D spaces for events and E-commerce, it becomes clear how powerful 3D design can be to express brand personality. Why should Gucci’s metaverse look like Prada? Even Gucci’s metaverse may have laws of Physics that are different to those of Nike or Prada. We are envisioning this multiverse as a metaverse, rather than a metaverse. Each brand will have its own metaverse.
Given SpatialPort’s ambitious plans, I asked Bellesia about why he chose to fund SpatialPort’s platform via an NFT sale rather than a traditional VC funding model.
“The idea is tap into the market to ask people for help to make it happen. Instead of going straight to VCs. For certain, we will eventually reach VCs. This is a way to be more independent at this stage.
Bellesia views Ecommerce as a gateway into the metaverse
Bellesia has a background in eCommerce and sees good reasons to use that field for SpatialPort’s grander vision.
Virtual experiences are in high demand. SpatialPort’s Bellesia is a perfect entry point to those experiences. The bottom line is that eCommerce and virtual experiences for luxury brands can be a great start but are not the entire picture.
Bellesia is passionate about making tools for people. SpatialPort is a platform that will help individuals take part in the metaverse’s growth and the economies that it will bring.
“I thought, “Well, if we have this tool, why not give it to brands? Let’s give it all.”
Bellesia hopes SpatialPort will help to shape the future for the metaverse. It is important to be aware of the potential pitfalls that some platforms can present. Platforms that allow people to congregate in controlled spaces managed by small companies.
“Think about the impact AI has on how people think in social media. It’s not 2D. Imagine if it were VR and AR. Artificial intelligence could change the environment. We don’t want this frightening future. We want something positive.
Big corporations must be freed from control of the metaverse
Bellesia’s approach is a stark contrast to the major platforms. That’s because it’s designed. SpatialPort’s homepage has a tagline that says it all. It says, “Join us in the fight to liberate the metaverse from the control of large corporations.”
Bellesia also calls out a specific company if this is still too subtle. He made the following statement in the SP21 NFTs press release.
“Our community of artists and brands will create the best independent multiverse Alternative to Meta on the Market, thanks to the funding we anticipate generating via the sale of NFTs.”
It’s no easy task to challenge one of the biggest companies in the world. It’s a goal that Bellesia, SpatialPort and others are striving for. He believes that SpatialPort’s early development is the first step towards achieving his ultimate goal.
“I want to build something great here. How are you going to compete with Meta if you have $5 million? It would be insane. It would be insane. Even Grand Theft Auto cost $280 million. That’s what we aim for.
SpatialPort’s vision is possible only with a strong team and a supportive community.
SpatialPort has created a team capable of meeting these lofty goals, despite the fact that they may seem lofty. SpatialPort’s core team has a lot of high-profile companies listed on their resumes. Activision Blizzard and Unity Technologies are just a few of the high-profile companies that have members of SpatialPort core team.
One reason to make his team publicly available is the opportunity to draw on a wealth experience. The main reason for it was to solve one of the most pressing problems in NFT. How to ensure that a community is investing in a genuine team. Bellesia and many others have pointed out that is difficult to do when a team’s identity is unknown.
“I purposely showed the faces of the team to our website. Our reputation is at risk at that moment. It’s possible to f*** up a company with avatars and nicknames. If your whole life and career are at stake? It’s up to you to make it happen.”
Bellesia wants to build more than a metaverse. He also believes SpatialPort’s growing community gives him confidence. He sees strong communities, like many others who joined Web3 early on, as the space’s backbone.
Web2 and Web3 companies are different because of the community. It’s all about the people. They are your customers, your users, and your friends. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a small group of people who work together to achieve a common goal. It’s amazing when you have to move large projects like this.
It is exciting times.
Are you curious about “The Metaverse”? And why it is important for you to care about it? NFT Evening has a great guide for beginners on the subject.
