In a pivotal move for Fort Worth-based DeFy Tickets, Mike Rogers has stepped in as the new vice president of business development. This blockchain-centric ticketing platform, known for its association with the global leader in NFT ticketing, GET Protocol, is eyeing the future of entertainment ticketing.
Alec Jhangiani, co-founder of DeFy Tickets, says Rogers’ vision is crucial for the company’s current competitive stance and its evolution over the next decade. Jhangiani said Rogers has all the characteristics the company was looking for: “Deep experience in ticketing, a belief in the promise of Web3 ticketing, and an entrepreneurial mindset.”
This executive shift is part of DeFy’s larger strategy to foster partnerships within the U.S. entertainment sphere, particularly among performers, promoters, and venues.
DeFy said Rogers has worked for nearly 20 years alongside the largest independent ticketing platforms in the world including Dice, Eventbrite, and Ticketfly.
A blockchain-based ticket first
DeFy said that it had a successful beta launch over the past year and has proven to be a best-in-class ticketing experience for thousands of ticket-buyers, free from scalping and fraud, while increasing monetization opportunities for event organizers and artists.
DeFy was founded by the same team behind Fortress Presents, a Fort Worth-based live-event production company responsible for the award-winning boutique music festival Fortress Festival and the 7,000-capacity outdoor music venue Wild Acre Live.
The team has pioneered the use of blockchain-based tickets for concerts by hip-hop heavyweights like Lupe Fiasco and Gucci Mane.
Combining NFTs, blockchain, and event tickets
DeFy’s current leadership team includes Co-Founder Jhangiani and Ramtin Nikzad of Fortress Presents, Fortress Festival, and Fortress Creative who together lead the organization day-to-day and along with all marketing efforts for DeFy; Leif Obsakken, who previously worked as a senior client success specialist at Ticketfly and Eventbrite, is leading ticketing operations and support; Zach Pharr, formerly director of Business Development at FrontGate Tickets, helps to formulate the company’s overall growth strategy; and Evan McLaughlin, a New York-based, financial risk, data scientist, and business analyst acts as the organization’s CTO.
DeFy said it utilizes GET Protocol, considered the world’s foremost technology for blockchain-based ticketing, to issue digital smart tickets that can be kept, bought, and sold as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) on the Polygon Blockchain and offer event organizers the unique ability to control primary and secondary markets.
The startup said as a user-friendly, seamlessly integrated ticketing solution for fans, it offers a more secure and interactive ticketing solution for every fan, each of whom needs no interest in or prior knowledge of NFTs or blockchain to attend an event or buy tickets.
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