MakersPlace

MakersPlace was a curated NFT marketplace founded in 2018 by Dannie Chu, Yash Nelapati, and Ryoma Ito, who left Pinterest to build one of the earliest platforms for minting, buying, and selling digital art on the Ethereum blockchain. The platform pioneered several industry firsts, including fiat (credit card) purchases for NFTs, custodial wallet technology for non-crypto-native users, and the coining of the term "drop" for timed digital art releases. MakersPlace gained global recognition in March 2021 when it partnered with Beeple to bring "EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS" to Christie's, which sold for $69.3 million. In its later years, the company pivoted to a premium studio model, exhibiting curated works at art fairs in Basel, Miami, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Paris. MakersPlace ceased operations in 2025 following a sustained decline in the NFT market, though all NFTs minted on the platform remain preserved on IPFS.