Key Takeaways
- Ari Meilich co-founded Big Time Studios in 2020, focusing on Web3 gaming and the Open Loot platform.
- Meilich has a background in neuroscience, having worked in research roles at Mount Sinai Hospital, Brown University, and NYU.
- He is also the co-founder of Decentraland, a virtual space on the Ethereum blockchain, and led it from 2017 to 2020.
Who Is Ari Meilich?
Ari Meilich co-founded Big Time Studios in 2020, focusing on Web3 gaming and the Open Loot platform. He also helped create Decentraland, a virtual space on the Ethereum blockchain. Meilich led Decentraland from 2017 to 2020 and still supports the project. Originally from Argentina, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the City University of New York – Hunter College.
Early Career and Research Experience
Ari Meilich began his professional journey in August 2010 as a Research Assistant for the Mood and Anxiety Program at Mount Sinai Hospital. In this role, he focused on studying mental health conditions, particularly mood and anxiety disorders. His time at Mount Sinai laid the foundation for his later work in the fields of Neuroscience and Neuroeconomics.
Research at Brown University and NYU
From June to August 2011, Meilich worked at Brown University, where he focused more on Neuroscience. This gave him a chance to study the brain and how it works in greater detail. Later in 2011, he joined New York University (NYU), where he did research in both Neuroscience and Neuroeconomics.
During this time, he helped with a Nature Neuroscience review paper, The Neuroscience of Race (2012), which looked at how neuroscience connects to social and racial issues, further building his expertise in the field.
Transition to Business and Technology
In February 2015, Meilich started working in business and technology as a Market Research Analyst at CRV. He studied market trends and how people act as consumers, learning how to use data to make smart decisions.
In January 2016, Meilich co-founded Benchrise, Inc., an IT services and consulting company in Argentina. This gave him the chance to use his research skills to solve business problems with technology. At Benchrise, he improved his abilities in managing a business and developing tech solutions.
Co-Founding Decentraland
In May 2017, Meilich made an important move in his career by co-founding Decentraland with Esteban Ordano. Decentraland is a virtual reality platform on the Ethereum blockchain where users can buy, sell, and use digital land. Meilich became the CEO and Project Lead, guiding the platform’s growth and working to build a virtual space where people can interact, create, and earn money from their content.
Decentraland’s ICO and Growth
Decentraland raised $24 million during its Initial Coin Offering (ICO) in August 2017, an important step for the project. The money helped build the platform and keep it running. A closed beta version was launched in 2019, giving early access to users. By February 2020, Decentraland was open to everyone, letting people explore and use its virtual world.
Economic Model of Decentraland
Decentraland uses two main tokens: MANA and LAND. MANA is the platform’s main currency and is used to buy virtual items like avatars, clothes, and accessories, as well as virtual land. LAND is an NFT that represents digital land in Decentraland. To get LAND, users need to burn (spend) MANA, making the economy of Decentraland unique.
Leadership Role and Advisory Position
Meilich was the CEO and Project Lead for Decentraland from the beginning until April 2020, when he switched to a part-time advisory role. While he was in charge, he helped make Decentraland a top platform for virtual land and experiences. Even though he left his full-time position, Meilich still gives important advice and support to the project as it grows. His help is important as Decentraland continues to grow and secure its place in the virtual reality and blockchain industry.
Co-Founding Big Time Studios
Ari Meilich co-founded Big Time Studios in April 2020 with game designer Thor Alexander. The company’s main goal is to help video game developers combine cryptocurrencies and NFTs into their games, enabling new ways for players to buy, sell, and trade digital items within the gaming space.
The Future of Virtual Reality and Gaming
Ari Meilich’s work at Decentraland and Big Time Studios is part of a bigger change toward using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain in entertainment. As VR technology gets better, virtual spaces like Decentraland are expected to become more engaging and interactive. Virtual economies could grow, allowing players to take part in decentralized finance (DeFi) and own assets in virtual spaces, bringing new ideas to both gaming and digital economies.
Final Thoughts
Ari Meilich has played a big role in shaping the industry of Web3 and virtual reality through Decentraland and Big Time Studios. From his background in neuroscience to his leadership in creating a decentralized virtual world, he has used his skills to help create virtual spaces where users can interact and own digital land. His work is making a big impact on the future of gaming and virtual economies, bringing new ideas to how we play games and use blockchain technology.
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