As this technology continues to evolve, a new wave of innovative startups is emerging — each offering unique solutions and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the non-fungible token (NFT) space. From gaming platforms to digital art marketplaces, these companies are shaping the future of blockchain-based digital assets. In this list, we’ll explore some of the most promising NFT startups that are making waves in the industry and why they’re worth keeping an eye on.
NFT Companies to Follow
Every year, new startups pull to the forefront of their industry through exciting innovation and industry-disrupting business models. We’ve rounded up the most exciting NFT startups of 2024 that startup-lovers, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs should follow.
Disclaimer: With so many exciting startups launching and growing worldwide, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the startups that are listed below are not officially ranked and are listed in no particular order.
1. Dapper Labs
- Location: Vancouver, Canada
- Founder(s): Roham Gharegozlou, Dieter Shirley, Mik Naayem
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series D, $643 Million
- Investors Include: Cyber.Fund, Redefine Ventures, Shake and Bake
Dapper Labs uses blockchain to provide experiences and digital collectibles that are “ready for the real world.” This startup touts the fact that it has participated in several high-profile NFT projects, including NBA Top Shot, CryptoKitties, and UFC Flow.
Most recently, the company announced plans with Mixi, Inc. to launch NFT experiences for consumers across Japan on Flow, a next-generation blockchain designed for consumer-friendly applications.
2. Zora
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Jacob Horne, Dee Goens, Slava Kim
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Series C, $71.1 Million
- Investors Include: Haun Ventures, Union Square Ventures, Coinbase Ventures
Zora is an open-source protocol for buying, selling, and creating NFTs with a focus on empowering creators. It provides tools for artists to mint NFTs, set dynamic pricing models, and retain ownership over their work’s future value through built-in royalty mechanisms. Zora’s platform emphasizes decentralization and community ownership, allowing users to participate in the governance and development of the protocol.
3. Mintable
- Location: Singapore
- Founder(s): Zack Burks
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series A, $13.9 Million
- Investors Include: 840 Venture Partners, Animoca Brands, Block Infinity
Mintable allows users to mint and trade digital tokens in the company’s marketplace. Current categories include art, music, videos, collectibles, sports, and utility, with more in the works. The company recently announced a partnership with Ripple, a leading provider of enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, to encourage growth in the NFT industry and help provide equal access to opportunities in the space for creators of all disciplines and backgrounds.
4. Own the Moment NFT
- Location: Saint Petersburg, Florida
- Founder(s): TJ Laessig, Justin Herzig
- Founded In: 2021
- Funding: Accelerator, $120,000
- Investors Include: Techstars
Based in Florida, Own the Moment NFT is a platform, content provider, and community builder that provides everything needed to collect and invest in NFTs. Own the Moment’s tools help users make better NFT investments by gathering data on particular assets. Each OTM user gets an experienced partner that helps craft an NFT strategy, including discovery, education, analysis, and discussion.
5. Rarible
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Founder(s): Alexei Falin, Alexander Salnikov
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series A, $16 Million
- Investors Include: 6th Man Ventures, Alfa Catalyst, Platinum Capital VC
Rarible is an innovative, community-owned site where users can trade blockchain-secured digital items. It’s a platform for a diverse variety of creators and brands, including LIRONA, Pak, The Watcher, eBoy, Aavegotchi, Twitter, Lindsay Lohan, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Features include multiple-edition NFTs, timed auctions, royalties, messenger, personalized activity feed, and more.
6. Yield Guild Games
- Location: Manila, Philippines
- Founder(s): Gabby Dizon, Beryl Li
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series A, $36.2 Million
- Investors Include: Andreessen Horowitz, Infinity Ventures Crypto, DWF Labs
Yield Guild Games brings players together to earn money from playing NFT games. Members collectively vote on what games they want to play, what virtual assets to invest in, and how those assets will be used in the games. This “pay-to-earn gaming guild,” based in the Philippines, has an ambitious goal: to develop the largest virtual economy in the world.
7. Spores Network
- Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
- Founder(s): Duc Luu, Eric Hung Nguyen, Dr. Paven Do
- Founded In: 2021
- Funding: Early Stage VC, $2.3 Million
- Investors Include: Maven Capital, Twin Apex Capital, Focus Labs
Spores Network calls itself a curated NFT marketplace and GameFi publisher with an Asian influence and a global reach. It helps “artists, creators, and brands activate the Metaverse.” Its GameFi store will feature 10 games in the first quarter of 2022, with two new games added each month after that. Spores Network has a goal of onboarding 10,000 artists into its primary market in the first quarter of 2022.
8. Verisart
- Location: Long Beach, California
- Founder(s): Robert Norton, Bradford Schlei, Daniel Riley
- Founded In: 2015
- Funding: Series A, $2.97 Million
- Investors Include: Fabric Ventures, Baller Ventures, Galaxy Interactive
Verisart harnesses the power of the blockchain through its independent NFT minting service and patented global certification standard to help creators build their businesses. It claims to be the first company to apply blockchain to certification in the art and collectibles market. In addition, customers can use the company’s authentication service to create NFTs quickly.
9. Spatial
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Anand Agarawala, Jinha Lee
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series B, $47.2 Million
- Investors Include: KB Investment, Farhan Thawar, Boris Chan
Spatial is primarily a free online gaming platform that empowers creators to build and share games across multiple devices, including desktop, mobile, tablet, and virtual reality (VR). The company provides a creation suite that enables users to bring their gaming ideas to life and reach a broad audience without the need for extensive coding knowledge. In 2021, Spatial expanded its offerings to include NFT environments for creators and collectors.