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Sergito Silva — aka Sergito — was an unofficial ambassador for the Meebits collection of 20,000 3D voxel NFTs. Despite coming from Larva Labs, the founders of CryptoPunks and Autoglyphs, the collection was arguably undervalued.
Fast forward to now and the ex-Goldman Sachs employee is at the center of the Meebs universe as CEO after acquiring the collection from Yuga Labs in February.
The journey into NFTs for Sergito started in February 2021 after he stumbled on an article about a guy named gmoney who’d just purchased an Ape CryptoPunk for $150,000 in the largest Punk sale at the time.
“That caught my attention. I was like, what is this? This is crazy. Why are people spending money on jpegs? Out of curiosity, I downloaded Discord and I joined the Punk’s group. 72 hours later, I was completely NFT-pilled,” says Sergito.
“I found the community incredibly exciting to chat with, super friendly and helpful. I bought my Punk on February 13 of 2021 and I never looked back.”
Sergito recalls thatbeing a Punk owners opened doors in the digital collectibles space in the same way his Goldman Sachs business card did in the real world.
“When I put the Punk as my PFP in places like Discord and Twitter (X), people just started paying attention to me, they were asking me questions, they started treating me very differently. It reminded me of being 23 years old at my first job with Goldman Sachs in the Latin America sales team,” Sergito says.
He says the Goldman Sachs brand gave him instant credibility with pension fund managers and investment managers who were much more experienced, “but because I had the Goldman Sachs business card, they paid attention to me and so I had a seat at the table.”
“Having the Punk on my profile picture reminded me a lot of that and it really was the ‘Aha moment’. I delisted my Punk. I thought this was a form of signaling something to an enormous amount of connected internet users worldwide. The concept of digital asset ownership and the ability to own something over the internet was extremely powerful.”
Buying the bottom of crypto during the COVID crash
Sergito, who graduated in the middle of the Global Financial Crisis in 2009, had a decade of experience by 2020 as COVID-19 shook the world. Sensing a pattern, Sergito decided to go long on crypto amid the chaos that was occurring around him.
This was a bold move as many in crypto thought everything would be wiped out amid lockdowns and the possibility of a worldwide depression: Bitcoin plummeted 50% in a single day, while the total crypto market cap lost over 50% during that time frame in mid-March 2020. As a frequent international traveler who saw the way the wind was blowing, he’d previously exited the market early.
“I shorted it and it crashed. It was a good week for me,” says Sergito.
“But I also realized they’re not going to let the market and the economy just go to zero, so let me buy something that has a lot of beta to that… I had seen Bitcoin rally a lot and also crash but never go to zero, so it just made sense.”
“It was my first time buying crypto and my timing was just particularly lucky. It was that week when Bitcoin went to around $3,000 and Ethereum went to like $110.”
The love affair with the Meebits
Sergito’s relationship to Meebits wasn’t exactly love at first sight. He missed the original minting entirely because he was preoccupied with the birth of his second niece.
His fascination began about a month later while chatting in the Punks Discord with the well-known collector Von Mises, who mentioned the broad range of traits within the Meebits collection, something that Sergito hadn’t noticed.
“He asked if I’d seen all the Meebit trades? Obviously, I had followed the whole hype around the mint and all the stuff that happened with the Dissected Meebit and all the big sales. I had a couple left from the ones that I got airdropped as a Punk holder. VonMises encouraged me to scroll the Meebs traits.”
“I came across a full suit trait with a tie, which really reminded me of being in Wall Street, and it was the first time that I really felt like I connected with a PFP that looked like me.”
Sergito’s love for Meebits continued to grow stronger, given the creators of Meebits were Matt and John from Larva Labs, who sit on Mount Rushmore of NFT creators. Segito could see the careful craftsmanship and meticulous effort Larva Labs had put into creating the avatars.
“This voxel collection just had so many details and you could just tell it was high quality. I became an advocate for it and the approach Larva Labs had taken to the collection,” Sergito says.
“I looked at the history of many things, technology, crypto itself; there’s some early high-quality stuff that over time really shines. I mean, Punks, you know, were under 1 ETH for about 3.5 years of their existence. For me, Meebits always made sense and no shade on other collections, and I hold a lot of other collections, but just the quality that went into Meebits, it’s undeniable.”
The acquisition of Meebits from Yuga Labs
On Feb. 15, it was announced that the Meebit Company (MeebCo) with Sergito as CEO would be acquiring the Meebits from Yuga Labs, who in turn acquired it along with CryptoPunks from Larva Labs in 2022.
Sergito got a call in mid-December from Yuga and said he was truly honored to be thought of with the Meebits.
“One thing they [Yuga] made clear from the beginning is that they were looking for somebody or a team that really cared about them. It wasn’t just a matter of offloading an asset,” Sergito says.
The announcement was overwhelmingly positively received, with many believing a dedicated steward of the Meebs makes more sense than Yuga Labs trying to juggle it among the already extensive amount of collections they have under their umbrella.
The deal to acquire Meebits involves three parties: MeebCo, 1confirmation under Nick Tomaino and Yuga Labs, which still has a small stake. MeebCo, however, controls the Meebits brand, the IP, the news and the treasury.
Four-pillar strategy to Meebits development
The Meebits team has developed a new four-pillar strategy to enhance the development of Meebits and its ecosystem.
Art & Provenance
“Obviously we want to embrace Matt and John and Larva Labs,” he says. “That’s why we did the podcast where Matt and John went into depth as to how the attributes were created. The algorithms that they work with to create all the different traits and so on. It’s their works of art.”
“We want to empower community members, both holders and non-holders to really help us. To illustrate how Meebits play a role in the history of digital art.
“Obviously, when you have a Meebit, you can download the 3D models. As I keep saying, they’re digital sculptures created by Larva Labs and we’re going to continue pushing in that direction.”
Fun & Utility
“I would say this is like the evolution of the utility concept from 2021, the combination of robust, ambitious IP development from our side [the Meebit company] while at the same time bringing things to life that our holders and people that like Meebits can enjoy, both digital and physical, including IRL experiences.”
Tech Innovation
“Punks, Autoglyphs and Meebits were all well ahead of their time so we want to continue to explore in that direction. One example is I think Meebits are the perfect digital bodies for AI agents, both onchain and offchain. We’re going to build things that will help us continue pushing that.”
Community
“Community first. Obviously the Meebits community is feeling invigorated and empowered again, and we just love going back to 2021. If you remember those first few months of the Meebits, there was a really electric builder and creator energy. There was stuff like the Meebits DAO created and people really got together to explore what they could build.
“For us to empower creators and builders to really take it to the next level is something that’s important. That’s why it’s one of four pillars.”
NFTs are Hot Wheels for your 30s and early 40s
In the first of a new Meebits podcast, Sergito interviews Matt and John from Larva Labs in-depth about the Meebs collection including a reference to a puzzle that was solved by an NFT community member in 2022 that scored him a free pig Meebit.
John, on the podcast, recalls the hidden secret being found within the Protoglyph — the prototype for what became the Autoglyphs collection. He states it was probably the funniest moment he had had in NFTs, all culminating in the winner, Andrew Badr, scoring himself a free Meebit.
Sergio believes this type of gamification and the ability of NFTs to evoke emotion is why the crypto category is undeniable.
“Looking back, the majority of my NFT friends were all millennials. In our 30s, early 40s, who I think will admit is like going back and playing with our G.I. Joes and Hot Wheels, but in a digital way,” says Sergito.
“Forming those friend groups that we might not have as adults because obviously people now have kids or your social circle depends on people at work. It’s not really stuff that you share an affinity for, whereas with NFTs, especially when you’re a Punk, or a Bored Ape, or a Pudgy Penguin, or you’re a Meebit, that really reignites those kinds of emotions.”
Rapid fire Q&A on Meebits with Sergito
What’s your favorite type of Meebit?
The robots, definitely.
What are your favorite 3 Meebits you own?
1 – My PFP is one.
2 – I have a full camo guy so both camo shirt and pants, and that camo is fully generative. I love that about the collection and it’s just like my war mode.
3 – My full-suited elephant.
If you could own any Meebit in the collection, including one of the 40% that has never been traded, which one would it be?
The full-suited visitor.
Your favorite trait in the Meebits collection?
It is definitely a full suit.
What’s the most underrated trait in the Meebits collection in your opinion?
I’ll give you an answer as a private collector before I became CEO of the collection. I think that the blue camo is the most underrated trait.
Besides yourself, who are two to three other crazy Meebits advocates?
Honestly, the three guys on the MeebCo team.
1 – Token Juggler, he’s just an encyclopedia of Meebit traits.
2 – Baileyhas brought Meebits to life from day one and was the lead animator with Yuga. Now he’s the creative director for the Meebits.
3 – Bojangle Guy, he’s just been building community for the Meebits since day one. He’s been somebody that’s as obsessed as I am.
Are people simply sleeping on the Meebits when you look at what CryptoPunks and Autoglyphs have done?
From an IP perspective and from an art perspective, yes. I don’t want to make it a financial thing, I don’t know what that’s going to look like in the future. But yes, I think from just legacy, provenance, and artistic value, totally.
Where are the Meebs in 2030?
In everybody’s mind. They’re recognizable. People see the iconic shape and the logo and they know that it’s a Meeb.
Rapid fire Q&A – General with Sergito
What are some of your favorite NFTs if you had to name three that are in your wallet that are outside of the Meebits collection?
1 – Carpoolers by Alejandaro Cartagena. Number 9. I just love that. It brings me right back home to Mexico.
2 – I have this really cool Punk that’s an albino with a big beard and a headband, just super punk.
3 – I have a Mad Lads with a crown. It’s a Solana NFT, and I really like that community so I will say that’s my third one.
Do you have a favorite 1/1 art piece?
I have a piece titled “Tales From The Glitch” that is a very unknown 1/1 collaboration between Ric Galbraith, ACK and Claire Silver.
Ric wrote like a mini story on it. Claire made the visuals and ACK made the music, and I bought it. I don’t think people have really seen it, the file is so heavy, so it’s really hard to share on Twitter. I love that collaboration.
What’s an underappreciated NFT project or collection in your opinion, outside of the Meebits?
So many of them, but one that’s still close to my heart is the Bones by Jarritos. Jarritos is a Mexican soda brand that is big in the USA, especially with the Latino community. I think they’ve been one of the most organic Web2 brands to come to Web3.
They’re constantly rewarding their community with gifts and gift cards and I really like the art. It’s a bunch of skeletons, very Mexican style. I think it’s a great community.
Who are your top favorite followers on X for NFT content?
Tyler Did It – I think he’s great. His stats are really cool and I just like him. He’s a good personal friend.
DC Investor. It’s like the OG long-term thinker; I think he’s responsible for getting a lot of us into NFTs.
Jalil – Jack Butcher’s partner. I think he’s great because he’s a builder, he’s an artist, he’s a thinker, he’s a collector. I really like his perspective on things and the backstage look at what they’re building.
Advice on how to survive crypto for the long run?
Understand that things go up 30X because they also can drop 90% in two days. So, understand the volatility of the asset class. That goes with having a plan and just making sure that that plan allows you to not let your emotions take over, both when things are really heated and also when things are not going in the direction that you want.
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