Imprimo is a visual art platform where artists can share the story behind their work, leverage innovative tools to grow their art practice and build connections with art lovers, galleries and other art lovers from across the globe.
In an effort to fight the misattribution of artwork and provide a platform free of bots and scammers, Imprimo requires all artists to verify their IDs, ensuring they are human and that they are who they declare to be. Imprimo also leverages web3 technology, such as blockchain, to timestamp artwork provenance, creating an authoritative tamper-proof database. Imprimo’s future-proof technology is perfectly positioned to empower artists in the digital space.
Tell us about yourself?
I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. My curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills have continued to guide me toward the more entrepreneurial path.
After spending over a decade in finance, I joined an entrepreneur in a startup as Chief Revenue Officer. Together, we built and scaled three startups across multiple industries. I’ve always been passionate about the creative industries and visual arts.
When I met Roanie, she shared her vision of democratizing the art world and ensuring creators are properly attributed when their work is being used. I knew instantly that this problem was worth solving and that I was going to dedicate my life’s work to seeing this vision come to fruition.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
I’m a big believer in hard work and optimism. As humans, we underestimate our own capabilities and often focus too much on the negative side of the equation.
I would tell myself to work harder and smile more. Working hard is good for the soul. We have heard very few great ones ever say, “ I wish I didn’t give it all I had”. When I was a kid, I heard this quote from Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This stuck with me.
I deeply believe that we are powerful beyond measure and that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to.
What problem does your business solve?
Misattribution is one of the greatest challenges that the art world has faced dating back to the Renaissance. Imprimo was built to ensure the rightful creator is being properly attributed when his work is being used.
Imprimo also offers artists a platform to digitize their art practice. The platform simplifies and automates many of the administrative tasks, leaving the artist with more time to spend in their studio doing what they love.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
The inspiration behind the business came from my Co-Founder, Roanie Levy, who has been leading a creator rights management organization for over 20 years in addition to being a copyright lawyer and a Web3 pioneer and advocate.
After more than a decade of fighting for creators’ rights, Roanie saw, back in 2016, that with the advent of the internet, creators have traded analogue dollars for digital pennies. That’s the moment when she realized that unless something was done to ensure proper attribution, creators would find themselves in a more vulnerable position as Web3 and AI reach the mass market.
We have already started seeing this impact in recent years with the rise of NFTs, where many artworks were monetized by someone other than the rightful creator. Generative AI has been the topic of recent news in the art industry for its potential harm to creators’ rights.
Imprimo was built to proactively tackle these issues via a seamless experience for the artist. Artists who aren’t adept with technology can easily use Imprimo to its full capacity without feeling overwhelmed.
What is your magic sauce?
Unlike most platforms in art, Imprimo is not a marketplace but instead provides an opportunity to integrate with art marketplaces by sharing art metadata. Imprimo is built to help artists build their digital presence, document their work, enhance their exhibition experience and build new social connections.
The storytelling features help viewers delve into an engaging experience as they explore the narrative that shaped the artist and their work.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our goal is to make it easy for artists to connect with other artists, art lovers, and art professionals. Imprimo does this while eliminating repetitive administrative tasks that are creating friction across the visual arts ecosystem.
We hope to see a more connected visual art community and to ensure artists are properly attributed when their work is being used.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The visual art market is very fragmented. Reaching artists who might be located in remote areas can be challenging, yet these artists would greatly benefit from using Imprimo to grow their art practice.
Reaching the greater visual art community to share how Imprimo can help improve their lives remains one of the main challenges we are wrestling with.
How can people get involved?
For anyone who has questions about Imprimo or would like to get involved, we can be reached by email at info@imprimo.art.