«Next-generation marketplaces will become social,» Dan Mazurin, Apollo42 CEO and co-founder
Hey-hey everybody, it’s Kate, MyNearWallet community manager. Recently we’ve decided to start the community series — short but impactful interviews on exciting topics with the most active MyNearWallet community members, partners, and NEAR experts.
This interview with Apollo42 CEO and co-founder Dan Mazurin opens up this community project. Apart from Dan’s personal history with NEAR and Apollo42, we’ve talked a lot about the future of NFT marketplaces. Get through this text! As an expert in the sphere, Dan has a lot of meaningful things to share.
K: Ok, let’s go! When did you first hear about $NEAR? How did you get into it?
D: I heard about NEAR back in the summer of 2020 and was fascinated by what these guys have built. It was no surprise to me when it started going viral in the crypto community as many L1s had and still have lots of problems like high gas fees, no EVM compatibility, poor decentralization, and insufficient network security development. Though I knew about it previously, Apollo42 as a project got into NEAR in December 2021 after I met with Sasha Hudzilin (a Humanguild member and a host of the “Next Creators” Podcast) who told me about how beautiful the infrastructure really is. I got even more fascinated and knew that this chain is the best one to launch a product like Apollo42.
K: What did you like the most about NEAR back then?
D: The community and people who built there. I’ve been in crypto since 2017, got into many communities on other chains and I’ve never seen so many great products being launched by people who truly believe in the infrastructure they are working on. This is special. When you see so many NFT collections launching absolutely amazing Dapps on NEAR such us wallets (as Kaizo Fighters or Near Tinker Union did with Dojo and Meteor) or DeFi exchanges (as Classy Kangaroos did with Jump DeFi), you understand that you’re a part of a community of true builders who care about providing value to their users. That is exactly what will make NEAR one of the biggest chains in the world sooner or later.
K: Ok, now I see why you chose NEAR as a blockchain. But how did you come up with the idea for Apollo42 to create on it?
D: Well, me and the team, we’ve noticed an interesting pattern. Most of the NFT marketplaces right now are just platforms where you can only buy/sell NFTs. In most cases, there are no other beneficial functionalities for users that can make their experience more fun and engaging. With that in mind, Apollo42 was formed. We believe that next-generation marketplaces will become social, meaning that you can properly communicate with other traders, collectors, and creators, have fun and build your own network right on the marketplace.
K: WOW, that’s an interesting point about social marketplaces! Why do you think they’ll have to add social features to their platforms in the future?
D: There is a reason. All these marketplaces gather a huge quantity of communities that need to socialize in a decentralized way. Right now, every NFT creator, collector, or trader has to go to Twitter or Discord to get to know other people and promote themselves. This should be and will be changed. Implementation of social features is an essential part of web3 development that we will see in the future. Why do we use all these centralized social media platforms when we could communicate in a decentralized way, without giving away our personal data? That’s the question.
K: So, decentralization is another key milestone to reach for future marketplaces?
D: Of course! Right now, Apollo42 is the only marketplace on NEAR to implement NFT listings in a decentralized way, so every project can list its collection and allow people to trade it. On other marketplaces, you have to apply with Google or Airtable forms to get listed. This is not the way of doing things in Apollo42. If we believe in a decentralized future, we have to give absolutely everyone an opportunity to use our products and create on our platforms.
K: Fair enough! So, could you tell me a little about your team who’s working on this ambitious project?
D: Right now, we have a team of 11 people. Whether it’s a social media manager, dev, or a designer — all of them are absolutely talented people and extremely passionate about what we build. I would especially highlight our CTO Anton Dosta, Founding advisor Alex Agureev and CSO Sergio Argento who have been working at Apollo42 since day one.
K: Sounds really nice, like, all of you are really enjoying your work. Like a dream job for many people… How would you describe the Apollo42 community then?
Frankly speaking, it is one of the best communities I’ve ever seen. Nice, kind, and ambitious people who love NEAR and NFTs. We are honored to have so many talented NFT creators and collectors.
K: Got you! I have the last question here: what is the main Apollo42 value?
D: I believe it’s all about innovation. We are extremely passionate about building innovative products that make people’s crypto and NFT experiences more enjoyable and useful.
