Behind every great metaverse company is a woman, or however the saying goes.
It was recently reported that Michael Jordan launched Web3 company HEIR alongside his son Jeffery earlier this year. The platform is designed for athletes and other culture creators to expand, enhance, and deepen their relationships with their supporters around the world through membership-based access to digital assets and intimate first-person drops.
It’s poised to change the way athletes interact with their supporters forever, a move that Briana Richardson is overseeing.
As HEIR’s VP of Operations, she’s at the forefront of ensuring the company’s famous founders see their vision crystallized, and it’s a pretty tall order. However, she’s up for the challenge.
“What made me want to join is really the mission of what HEIR is doing and also shared passions I have regarding sports in general,” she shared with Essence. “From a mission standpoint, I really appreciate what the founders were doing in transferring ownership and empowerment to athletes versus a lot of different creator platforms that exist today.”
As a former athlete herself, it made sense to align herself with the company from the very beginning.
“As a college athlete at Georgia Tech, I understand how important it is to prioritize your goals and ensure you’re positioning yourself to reap the financial benefits of the sport you’re pouring your mind, body and spirit into.”
And she knows a thing or two about monetizing your passion. Although she is barely into her 30s, Richardson has forged an impressive fintech career path that spans nearly a decade. After earning an MBA from Harvard, she eventually landed at democratized investment platform Robinhood to help lead product strategy–these skills she says she’s carried into her role with HEIR.
“The fintech, crypto, Web3, and blockchain world is just constantly evolving,” she said. “And the best way to kind of stay on top of that is just to have high curiosity and put yourself out there to learn as much as you can,” a key piece of advice that she’s embracing as HEIR expands its brand ethos.
According to reports, HEIR recently released a collection of NFTs designed for sports enthusiasts that are closely connected to the Jordan legacy.
HEIR’s 6 Rings NFTs are inspired by Jordan’s storied career in the league, as he won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. The startup sold 5,005 total Solana NFTs at a price of 2.3 SOL ($221) apiece.
This speaks directly to the core mission HEIR is aiming to accomplish.
“HEIR is essentially reimagining traditional creator and fan relationships, and it really empowers athletes to own the engagement and monetization of their supporters worldwide. We’re just getting started.”
