Credit card giant Visa has launched a program that lets you create NFTs to help bring small businesses into the digital economy.
The idea behind a small business is shifting from traditional “brick-and-mortar mom-and-pop shops” to other kinds of businesses that can include anything digital, like ecommerce companies.
Even if you don’t have any formal education in business or industry, as long as you’re passionate about what you do and have the drive to put in the hours, you can start a small business with few resources.
Visa launches NFT program
This year, Visa is launching the first-ever one-year immersion program, creating a cohort of creators around the world to explore how they can use NFTs like artists, musicians, fashion designers and filmmakers.
“There’s no ‘hard cap’ on the number of creators for the first cohort” he said and everyone will have access to Visa clients and a wider mentor network.
The old-fashioned way of selling physical goods includes a lot of logistics, which can make it difficult for small businesses to compete and scale.
“NFTs allow someone who’s creative, who’s an artist, who’s talented, to produce a good entirely in a digital way,” Sheffield said.
Major League Baseball player and current artist Micah Johnson was one of the first participants in the Visa program. They revealed this back in October, but did not disclose that he was one of the select participants.
Johnson had heard his nephew ask, “Can astronauts be Black?” and has spent years coming up with the character of Aku NFTs.
His 10-part collection consists of black male astronauts. One is posing in a helmet covered with spaghetti and meatballs, while the others wear sleek white helmets. Aku helmets range in price from $1,790 to $37,000; visit their website for more information.
Visa isn’t new to crypto. Last year, it made headlines for buying a popular CryptoPunk NFT. Sheffield has said that the purchase wouldn’t be the company’s only one, either.
Aside from holding tokens, Visa has also assembled a crypto team. In late 2021 they launched a crypto consulting section of the company. This team helps clients consider the possibility of diving into cryptocurrencies.
