POW with JBond

Jbond is an NFT Collector and the founder of BAYCkada, the Filipino community for Bored Ape and Mutant Ape in the Philippines.

 What were you doing before Web3?

Hi! My name is Jbond. I’m the founder of BAYCkada, the Filipino Bored Ape and Mutant Ape community. I’m also an NFT collector and a proud member of the Bored Ape Yacht Club for 2 years already. On top of that, I’m also involved with Web3 Companies building on top of Bored Ape IPs such as Storyverse, Ape Beverages, and Bored and Hungry.

I was a Business Development and Partnerships Manager in Globe Telecom. I was handling the Sports category and maintaining Globe’s strategic partnerships with Brands like NBA, Fox Networks Group, and ONE Championship.

 How did you get into Web3?

I’m a big NBA and sports fan. My previous work in Globe also involved NBA. This is why I gave NBA Top Shot a try back in March 2021 when a friend (@oneinaneillion on Twitter) told me about it. Prior to NBA Top Shot I didn’t own any cryptocurrencies or any NFTs.

 What was your first crypto or NFT project?

NBA Top Shot

 How would you explain what you do to someone outside of Web3?

I’m a digital fine arts collector, a community builder, and an IP builder.

As a digital fine arts collector, I have a collection of some of the top NFT art out there like Cryptopunks, the first PFPs on chain, and Chromie Squiggle, the genesis generative art project from Art Blocks.

As a community builder, I maintain BAYCkada and its extension community, BRGY. YUGA, community of Yuga Labs NFT holders. I’m also a renowned figure in web3 Twitter with 52K+ followers.

As an IP builder, I’m part of web3 companies that work on building on top of Bored Ape & NFT IPs, namely Storyverse, Ape Beverages, and Bored and Hungry.

 Which creator or thought leader do you enjoy learning from?

There’s a few people that come to mind. I enjoy insights from Zeneca and OGDFarmer. I also enjoy thoughts from notable NFT Founders like Luca Netz, Frank Degods, & Zagabond. Harry Forj is also my go-to for month-on-month Yuga and BAYC ecosystem IP reports.

 What is the biggest highlight of your career so far?

I’m pleased to say that I’ve had a lot of highlights in my web3 career: founding BAYCkada, licensing my apes with global brands, being part of trailblazing web3 companies, being recognized as one of the most influential accounts on web3 Twitter globally, successfully held and collected Bored Apes & Cryptopunk, etc. The list can go on.

However, most of these highlights wouldn’t have happened if I haven’t been a member of BAYC since May 2021. And because of that, I would say that my biggest web3 highlight is successfully buying a couple of Bored Apes at ~0.4 ETH each back in May 2021 and having the conviction to not only hold on to it, not only to believe that it will be something revolutionary but also have the foresight to build on top of the Bored Ape IP. If I weren’t a Bored Ape, most of the things I said above wouldn’t have happened and because of that, I’m very grateful to BAYC for changing my life.

 What tech or crypto trend are you watching this year?

AI is a big trend to watch this year. Another trend to watch is Web3 gaming, and of course, the progression of web3 adoption. I can see more people starting to be their own bank through crypto wallets as more financial institutions face problems.

 What advice would you give someone starting out in Web3?

Be a sponge. Learn from those who are in web3 via Twitter posts, Spotify podcasts, Youtube videos, etc.

And make sure to really try to grow your network in the space. Your network is your net worth.

 If you could do a TED talk on any topic, what would it be?

Decentralized IP and how it’s shaking the traditional IP business

 What is the one thing you would bring if you were stuck on a deserted Island?

My cold wallet. Just kidding. I’ll probably need a supply of clean and potable water. I’ll likely need to bring one case of Ape Water cans to help me survive for a few days while I figure out where to get food and how to find anyone who can save me from the island.

POW stands for “Proof of Work.” It is a new feature article series in The Mega Maxi to highlight the savviest builders in the Web3 space.