Metaplex, a company that allows creators and brands to build their own non-fungible token (NFT) storefronts on the Solana blockchain, has appointed Adam Jefferies to the role of CEO of its new Metaplex Studio, the company announced Wednesday.
The studio is tasked with onboarding many more artists and makers onto Metaplex, and the firm said Jefferies will be responsible for leading its strategic vision of creating functional and accessible NFT protocols on the Solana blockchain.
Jefferies joins Metaplex after a decade working for Citadel, Google and Amazon in various user interface and development roles.
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“We’re barely touching the surface of the NFT space right,” Jefferies told CoinDesk in an interview. “The future of the industry will be built around bridging digital and physical experiences, on the Solana blockchain especially.”
Jefferies predicts NFTs will expand beyond just the current realm of art and collectibles, and eventually include sectors such as healthcare records and home title ownership.
Jefferies is joined by a new board of advisors that include Audius; Coinshares’ Chief Strategy Officer Meltem Demirors; Cultur3 Capital co-founders Alex Yamashita, Mark Streeter and Rolf Hoefer; Phantom’s Chief Product Officer Chris Kalani; and Dylan Macalinao, Co-Founder of Saber Labs.
Metaplex says it’s handled $385 million worth of NFT transactions since June, led by popular Solana projects Degen Ape Academy and Aurory. The company attributes much of its success to the low transactions and minting fees that Solana is known for, which typically total less than $4 per transaction.
