Meet the Founders
Stage Inc. Co-founders CEO Tim Ricker and COO Claire Seidler
We are proud to introduce our co-founders, Tim Ricker and Claire Seidler. Tim and Claire began Stage Inc. with the mission of improving the way we spend time together online. In this article, we’ll dig into their backgrounds and their roles in the development of Stageverse as a platform driving innovative social experiences in the metaverse.
Tim Ricker, Co-founder and CEO
Tim Ricker is a natural-born builder. His inspiration for new technologies spans back to his childhood years behind the computer.
“I was six when I began learning to program, and I started developing games soon after. I would share them with friends, family — anyone I could get to use what I had created.”
Soon after, the first signs of his entrepreneurial spirit also began to emerge. At 13, Tim began running 30 phone lines into his childhood home, creating one of the largest bulletin board services (a precursor to the early internet) in northern Sydney. Tim was exposed to the promise of the internet and became an enthusiast for emerging technologies, launching multiple businesses from a young age.
The idea for Tim’s next business venture arose while DJing while still a student at university.
“In the course of one night, maybe 50 people approached me to ask me the name of a particular song I had played earlier. As a DJ it happened all the time.”
Inspired by this experience, Tim started looking for audio fingerprinting technology and soon found a young company named Shazam, developing a solution for labels to collect royalties from radio stations. After working with their team to develop the consumer application, he secured the exclusive rights to commercialize the technology in the Asia-Pacific market.
“Someone could dial a number and hold their phone up to a song, and receive a text with the name minutes later. At first, people didn’t believe it. They thought it was a prank — even investors.”
His work with Shazam led him to realize the massive market for more general digital mobile content. Demand for custom ringtones, games, and subscriptions was booming. His next company, MIA, offered a general download environment for these digital products. Years later MIA had grown to tens of millions of monthly transactions across 30 of the world’s wireless carriers.
With multiple ventures under his belt, Tim embarked to create Stage Inc. He carried over not only his proven entrepreneurial experience in emerging technologies but also some of his core team. The company’s current CTO, Andy McKnight, worked with Tim for 9 years at MIA before joining to help build Stage. A few more previous partners had made the transition to join Stage, like Andy, and remain at the company to this day. In Tim’s eyes, carrying over members of a proven technology team has been a major advantage in developing Stage’s platform.
Most recently, Tim has led the charge on rapid Web3 development of the company. Today Stage is gearing up for launch of its first public Land Sale as just one of many upcoming initiatives on the platform. The launch of these features has required intensive product design, strategy and companywide coordination.
Tim is excited for the development of the broader user community on Stageverse, bringing together brands, landowners, creators and Web3 natives. He looks forward to continuing to develop Stageverse as a platform for these communities to come together and build immersive social experiences in the metaverse.
From the birth of Stage to the approaching Land Sale milestone, Tim has continuously played a hands-on role as CEO. His track record of successful execution will be decisive in Stageverse continuing to emerge as a true standout in the current metaverse landscape.
Claire Seidler, Co-founder and COO
Since founding Stage, it has been Claire’s primary goal to build a product that empowers creation and social connection. As a co-founder and current COO of Stage, Claire has played a critical role in not only building the company from the ground up, but also in steering the creative mission for the platform.
In her early career, Claire worked mainly in digital promotional marketing, creating campaigns for companies like Coca-Cola, Australian Idol, Mastercard Hulu and other blue chips, before going on to work building a digital platform in the health and wellness space. While working on this project she met co-founder Tim, and soon discovered their shared passion for emerging technology, building and product design.
Dating back to the inception of the Stage, Claire has taken ownership for the creative mission at the company. She has worked fervently to lay the foundation for a platform that empowers creators.
Like Tim, Claire has recently spent much time spearheading the Web3 development of Stage. She is excited about the long-term impacts of Web3 and how that influences how users interact with Stageverse.
“It’s exciting to think about the financial implications of Web3 and what that has to offer for creators — a new kind of economic opportunity that is emerging.”
Additionally, Claire is focused on coordinating a comprehensive roadmap for new features and capabilities rolling out in Stageverse. Her decisions are guided in large part by the development of a user-first economy on the platform.
She believes building a metaverse that empowers a broad base of designers and builders is the top priority. Ultimately she hopes individual creators will build many of the spaces that inspire others to spend time connecting within Stageverse. She expects platforms that most effectively empower creators will rise to the top of the metaverse landscape.
Previously, Stageverse had gained widespread press coverage for its successful launch of the first virtual concert on the platform, partnering with rock band Muse. Claire described an influential moment during the first concert launch:
“We noticed that two users had popped into the Muse Suite space, and they spent almost an hour in that virtual space just having a discussion and exploring the area. Data from the concert confirmed the pattern — users were spending time with others outside of the concert. It really reaffirmed our vision for Stageverse — building a platform where users can engage with each other and connect socially over shared experiences.”
Building a metaverse platform from the ground up has presented many new and exciting challenges. As COO, one major focus has been building teams within the growing company. Finding leaders for emerging departments within Stage, as well as choosing top talent to spearhead new initiatives has been a crucial part of building Stage.
“We’ve been able to bring on so many incredible individuals onto our team — all individuals who are rockstars at their job. It’s awesome to be constantly reminded of the talent we have at Stage.”
As COO Claire has worn every hat possible in the company, tackling each new challenge arising from a dynamic metaverse landscape. As Stageverse gears up for the launch of its first Land Sale, Claire has reflected on the success of the platform’s previous initiatives and continues to power Stageverse forward on the core tenants of building a creator-inspired, socially connected metaverse.
