Dapper Labs
Company typePrivate
IndustryWeb3
Headquarters
Key people
Roham Gharegozlou (CEO, Founder), Dieter Shirley (CTO, Co-Founder), Mik Nayeem[1]
Websitedapperlabs.com

Dapper Labs is a private blockchain, NFT and digital entertainment company known for developing CryptoKitties, NBA Top Shot and the Flow blockchain.

History

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In 2018, it was announced that CryptoKitties would be spun off into its own company, Dapper Labs. Dapper Labs raised $15 million from several venture capital firms and angel investors, with the investment round being led by Venrock.[2] The success of CryptoKitties resulted in significant congestion on the Ethereum network where the game is housed, which prompted Dapper Labs to develop its own blockchain, named Flow.[3]

Dapper Labs' first NFT product was the NFT standard, ERC-721, with creation led by CTO Dieter Shirley.[4][5] Dapper Labs also developed the Dapper Wallet, allowing the purchase of NFTs with credit cards.[4]

Dapper Labs has created multiple marketplaces for major sporting leagues, selling video highlights in the form of digital collectibles via non-fungible tokens on the Flow blockchain. Most notably, the company partnered with the NBA and NBPA to create NBA Top Shot.[6][7] The company has also worked with the NFL and NFLPA (NFL All Day),[8][9] WNBA and WNBPA (WNBA Moments),[10] LaLiga,[11] and the UFC (UFC Strike).[12] Outside of sports, Dapper Labs built a marketplace for Genies[13] and worked with Dr. Seuss Enterprises on Seussibles!, a series of NFT collectibles.[14]

In 2022, Dapper Labs was recognized on CNBC's Disruptor 50 list.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dapper Labs: 2022 CBNC Disruptor 50". CNBC. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  2. ^ Takahashi, Dean (1 November 2018). "CryptoKitties creator Dapper Labs raises $15 million to build more blockchain cats". VentureBeat. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Two Years After Crashing the Ethereum Network, CryptoKitties Is Moving to New Blockchain". Daily Hodl. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Laporte, Nicole (8 March 2022). "How Dapper Labs is making Web3 safe for normies with help from the NBA, UFC, and La Liga". Fast Company. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  5. ^ "ERC-721 NON-FUNGIBLE TOKEN STANDARD". Ethereum.org.
  6. ^ Dean, Sam (16 November 2021). "Goodbye, Staples Center. Hello, Crypto.com Arena". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  7. ^ Perez, A.J. (20 May 2022). "NBA Top Shot Reaches $1B in Sales Amid NFT Market Downturn". Front Office Sports. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  8. ^ Shea, Bill (29 September 2021). "NFL, NFLPA unveil NFT deal with Dapper Labs, producer of NBA Top Shot". The Athletic. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  9. ^ Shea, Bill (18 August 2022). "'NFL All Day' is here: Can the NFL's version of NBA Top Shot work amid an NFT downturn?". The Athletic. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  10. ^ Takahashi, Dean (25 August 2021). "Dapper Labs creates NFT-based WNBA Moments on Top Shot". VentureBeat. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  11. ^ Fried, Ina (22 September 2021). "Dapper Labs raises $250M, strikes NFT deal with LaLiga". Axios. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  12. ^ Dorsey, Avon (21 January 2022). "The UFC Taps Dapper Labs for Its First Foray Into the Metaverse". Hypebeast. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  13. ^ Bambysheva, Nina (28 April 2021). "Dapper Labs Reveals Plans For Next NFT Marketplace After NBA Top Shot". Forbes. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  14. ^ Chu, Gillian (December 19, 2021). "Dr. Seuss Enterprises Releases 'Seussibles!' NFTs". Hypebeast.