Rutvik Lokhande, started working at the age of 14, was one of the founding members of Nofiltr, a talent management agency fueling the creator economy In India. He was also heavily involved in the meme revolution in America, helping D2C and traditional brands scale digitally and market through them and is currently a partner at Collabtribe, an experimental marketing firm based out of Mumbai, India.
We’ve all witnessed the noise around blockchain and cryptocurrencies in the last few years and Rutvik, who’s a firm believer in the technology, has been on the ground floor, advocating for and building startups around it.
He draws a comparison between the internet two decades ago and blockchain technology today. He says, “We are at the beginning of the revolution of a new age of internet, a truly democratized and decentralized internet, enabled by blockchain. When the internet first came into play, there were no walls, no regulations and little to no interference by institutions. Few people understood it and saw how the future of the internet would take shape. It’s exactly where we are with blockchain and cryptocurrency today.”
He is passionate about building companies on the intersection of digital art and blockchain and recently sold his first company - Believrs, at the age of 21
Believrs is a platform that allows audiences to buy stocks of their favorite creators and invest in the creator's growth using cryptocurrency just like traditional investors would with a listed company on the stock market. The idea for Believrs was born when Rutvik was working on an edutainment platform for aspiring creators to help them through their digital journey back in 2020. After talking to a large number of creators, he realized that influencers had but one mode of income which is brand collaborations but brand collaborations came with brand guidelines and briefs, limiting the creator's ability to experiment with their creativity.
This is when Rutvik developed Believrs in collaboration with students from IIM and IIT to enable creators seamlessly raise money from their followers/fans and benefit from the effort they've put into creating their content and artwork. This platform provides a game changing opportunity for artists to operate with complete freedom. Imagine this - a film director can now through this platform, share his script, raise money from his audience/Believrs for the movie and further sell it to an OTT platform.
Going forward, Rutvik talks about how quickly this space is evolving while discussing NFT’s and their role in shaping the fate of digital creators. It’s funny to think how a digital print/photo is worth millions of dollars but think about it this way - The value attributed to a piece isn’t a matter of its digital or physical location but the uniqueness and originality of the artwork (just like with traditional art galleries and auction houses) which can now be traced for digital pieces of art thanks to blockchain. This is just one example of how blockchain technology is shaping the future of digital creators.
“NFTS are just the beginning of how blockchain technology has impacted the art & creative community. It has shown them a path that allows them to take ownership of their work and benefit from it without institutional interference.” says Rutvik.
Rutvik’s last big project involved consulting with and helping a blockchain enabled metaverse company (name undisclosed) raise a million dollars from industry leaders to build a metaverse for young audiences ranging from the ages of 12-21. This metaverse company aims to create a free open world for young
adults to live on the internet and with it brings infinite possibilities for audiences, creators and brands to play, engage and earn.
One of Rutvik’s lifelong dreams is to build design focused city/space for creators and entrepreneurs because he realizes how much spaces can affect an individual's cognitive functions and creativity levels. The purpose is to create a sense of community where artists can come together and be inspired.
Today, Rutvik who is just 21, is in the process of launching an angel fund called Moon Capital to help technology driven companies raise money to support projects that are built on blockchain. He wants to bridge the gap between investors in this category and match them with the right founding teams to build the future of blockchain technology in the country.
