Introducing the Visa Creator Program, a one-year immersion program geared towards digital creators working in art, music, fashion and film looking to accelerate their small business through NFTs. The goal of the program is to explore how Visa can contribute to this growing segment of SMBs in the Creator Economy and help further our commitment – "to uplift everyone, everywhere, and be the best way to pay and be paid". Congratulations to our five #VisaCreators – we are excited to collaborate with all of you as we explore NFT possibilities.
Introducing the groundbreaking innovators in Visa’s first Visa Creator Program cohort.
Alfonso de Orte spent the last 35 years as a medical physicist, founding a company that works on radiological protection issues. Outside of his day job, he considers himself a multimedia artist who enjoys photography, watercolor, pencil drawing, urban sketching, and digital art. Alfonso aspires to teach the older-adult community about NFTs and Web3.
Gus Sarkodee is an editorial and portrait photographer whose work explores color balance, harmony, and cultural nuances, from the viewpoint of an open-minded Ghanaian. He aims to utilize rich color palettes that represent emotion and expression in people and places he photographs.
Kaz Cai is an avid filmmaker with roots in post-production. Her shorts and screenplays were featured and competed in 30+ festivals. These have included the Warsaw and Toronto International Film Festivals and Japan’s SapporoShortFest, where she was nominated for a Filmmaker’s Award. Expanding her journey, Kaz has been learning Unreal Engine as the industry begins moving to a new era for filmmaking via virtual production processes.
Lacie Thorne merged her passions for fashion and sustainability by founding Phigitals, a Web3 fashion resale platform that tethers individual items to NFTs on the blockchain, automatically triggering royalty commissions through the ownership lineage. Lacie is currently an Executive MBA Candidate at Yale University with a focus on Sustainability and holds a degree in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design.
Violeta Valcheva is a filmmaker, writer, and creative producer. Her current focus is on Web3 and NFTs, establishing the creator economy through her projects and community building. Violeta’s body of work varies from aesthetic solos to group concepts, from film to AR installations and Web3 storytelling. Her projects are often inspired by true stories, exploring themes such as multiple identities, mental health, and interpersonal bonds.
Selected creators will join a cohort-driven program designed to build and deepen their fluency in crypto commerce and traditional payments. The program is focused on supporting creators in five key areas:
The creator economy is a fast-growing segment made up of sellers, developers, artists, social and gaming content creators. Visa is investing in digital creators and helping them unlock opportunities in the creator economy.
To better support these creators and connect with this community, Visa launched the Visa Creator Program in 2021. The one-year immersion program includes entrepreneurs working in art, music, fashion, film, and gaming. Members of the cohort will learn how to scale their businesses, monetize their creativity, and extend their impact through new and emerging technologies in Web3.
Learn more about Visa’s commitment to the digital economy, blockchain innovations like NFTs, and how we’re making them more accessible to digital creators by lowering barriers and scaling business models across the globe.