With over two decades of experience collaborating with creative luminaries across various industries, Christiaan Eisberg, CEO of STR8FIRE, has honed his expertise in harnessing talent to drive business success. Eisberg delves into his early career life and the genesis of STR8FIRE in our exclusive interview.
Leveraging an elite creative team and game developers, STR8FIRE bridges Web3 with the exciting world of Web2 IPs, from animations to comics, games, toys, and music.
Early Inspiration
Hello Christiaan, please share some insights into your early career and your role at STR8FIRE.
For over 20 years, I have worked with the world’s most talented and inspiring creatives, ranging from fashion designers, graphic designers, and recording artists to comic writers, toy designers, and format developers. Like before, my main role at STR8FIRE is to support and nurture all this creative superpower and turn it into a stellar, profitable, and sustainable business where Web2 and Web3 converge seamlessly.
You have a diverse background in different fields. Was there a specific event or realization that inspired you to start STR8FIRE?
When I was ten, my father bought my first computer. I was mesmerized, and although I learned a bit of DOS programming, I never pursued formal studies or a professional career in the field. Then, the Internet in all its glory changed the world, and although I set up and ran an e-commerce business, I never truly seized all the opportunities it has brought us. When Web3 emerged, I recognized it as an opportunity to immerse myself fully and contribute to shaping the future, particularly within the entertainment industry.
As the CEO of STR8FIRE, what aspect of the project are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about collaborating with the Web3 community and the most talented creators to develop a slate of new, original IPs. It’s the interactive process between creators and the fans at an early stage of the creative process that makes the project special.
About STR8FIRE
In your view, what were the gaps or shortcomings in the existing play-to-earn and Non-Fungible Token (NFT) ecosystems that STR8FIRE aims to address?
Plenty of successful Web3 projects have tried and failed to enter the real world. Even with fat wallets and a thriving Web3 community, the centralized entertainment world has proven a bridge too far. Some traditional IPs have dipped their toes in the world of Web3, but don’t like to hand over ownership and control to a community they don’t understand or trust. At STR8FIRE, we connect the best of Web3: ownership and rewards through GameFi and NFTs, with the best from Web2: scaling IPs to a mainstream, global audience. The latter is the game changer, which sets us apart from others.
Tell us a bit more about the team. I assume you have a diverse team involved?
This is how we normally introduce the team: What do you get when you put a BAFTA-winning animator, a Marvel comic writer, and an IP developer for Disney in the same room with DeFi experts, seasoned Web3 game developers, and a handful of kick-ass Web3 entrepreneurs and investors? STR8FIRE!
Although our team members each have their areas of expertise, they share a passion for telling the most original stories that captivate a global audience. This forms the foundation of our portfolio of IPs. Then, our dedicated Web3 team members help translate these IPs into our Web3 community.
Please walk us through how STR8FIRE plans to leverage collaborations. They seem to be a key component of STR8FIRE’s approach.
We have two types of collaborations. First, through our IP Development Fund, we support the most talented creators and develop new IPs, as well as help further grow existing renowned IPs in Web3. Second, we offer partner Web3 projects new utilities for their existing NFT collections. When staking our $STR8X token, our NFT holders and those of partner projects can upgrade their NFTs and earn exponential yield.
Tell us more about STR8FIRE’s plan to release NFT collections, web3 mobile games, and an IP-based animated series.
It all starts with the IPs we have already built. With our IP Development Fund, we want to create more new IPs and further grow or acquire well-known IPs, which grows the fan base and generates revenue, which we will use to back-back and burn our token.
The IPs are also the driver for the development of our games. We are starting with casual, mobile games, where the players get rewarded in $STR8X, tapping into our network gaming guilds. The IPs also drive our IP-based NFT collections, with triple utility: digital collectibles, Real World perks, and, most importantly staking. During our Burning Events, our NFT holders can burn and upgrade to High APY NFTs, stake our token, and earn exponentially.
How do you see this bridging of Web2 IPs and Web3 impacting both industries and the broader landscape of entertainment and gaming?
The highly controlled world of IP development, which is dominated by streaming platforms and entertainment conglomerates, caters to the happy few. Consequently, even mainstream Hollywood creatives find it harder to reach and maintain audiences and raise capital to bring their ideas to the world stage. Web3 has the power to change this; through community participation and our IP development fund, we can create new and exciting IPs. Utilizing our $STR8X token, our games, and IP-based NFT collections help us bridge the worlds of Web2 and Web3 so our community can reap the financial benefits from the success of our IPs in the short- and long run.
Future Projections
What new features or services can users expect from STR8FIRE in the near future?
We have just launched the campaign for our Genesis NFT collection, which will be ready for mint in May, leading up to our planned TGE in June. We have started production on our first casual, mobile game, have various IP-based NFT collections in production, and are developing our staking tool with our partner Decubate. This is merely a snapshot of the features we are launching in the coming months.
What is your long-term vision for STR8FIRE, and how will it evolve in the next 5 to 10 years?
Our long-term vision is firmly built around our portfolio of IPs, some fully original, some in co-production with big, renowned IPs. We are currently working on VIRUS, a sci-fi animation we have co-developed with Bilibili, China’s largest Animation, Comics, and Gaming platform. We are expanding it into a comic, toy collection, mobile game, and NFT collection. In addition, we are working on a new format with the largest reality TV show in the world and a major recording artist.
