Hello Hedera Enthusiasts!! It’s hard to believe it’s been over two years since I first joined this vibrant community. My journey in the Hedera ecosystem has been highly rewarding. The cornerstone of this network is not just Hedera’s cutting-edge technology, but the amazing people that make up the entire Hedera community.
Today, I’m excited to share some big news with all of you. After years of being deeply involved in the Hedera ecosystem, helping build multiple companies, running working groups, and submitting HIPs, I am transitioning to a full-time role at Swirlds Labs as the Sr. Product Manager focused on tokenization and consensus.
A Look Back
I’ve been a part of the HBAR NFT community since September 2021, when I co-founded HGraph Punks and started exploring the Hedera technology and NFTs. My curiosity and the needs of the NFT community directed my focus to creating some of the first minting tools for the NFT ecosystem and establishing Turtle Moon to be an innovative NFT services company. Building some of the first token-gated DAOs, launching NFT projects into the Hedera ecosystem, and even hosting the network-wide charity auction are some of Turtle Moon’s major achievements. While building out Turtle Moon, I ran into data access issues of the public Rest API and eventually co-founded Hgraph.io, the first graphQL API for Hedera.
Over the years, I have shown my passion for pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this ecosystem with Hedera’s technology. I have worked closely with the Swirlds Labs team over the years, and am very grateful for this rare opportunity to join the team and help build the Hedera tokenization and consensus technology in an official capacity.
The Road Ahead
In my new role at Swirlds Labs, my primary focus will be to drive the technology forward and help shape the roadmap for tokenization and consensus services with the Hedera Council, Swirlds Labs, and the Hedera community. I am deeply committed to ensuring that our ecosystem remains at the forefront of innovation and continues to thrive as the market’s continual tide changes over the years.
Continued Commitment
While this new role is a significant shift, I want to assure the community that my heart remains firmly rooted here. In my free time, I will continue to build upon HGraph Punks and Turtle Moon, exploring the frontiers of what’s possible for tokenization on Hedera.
As for my relationship with Hgraph.io, I will transition into an advisory role for the API services. My co-founder, Tyler McDonald, now actively manages the consulting aspect of Hgraph.io, ensuring it’s in capable hands. I have complete faith in Tyler’s leadership and am excited to see where he takes the company.
Closing Thoughts
This community has been my home, inspiration, and the driving force behind every project I’ve undertaken in the last two years. As I embark on this new chapter, I carry our shared journey’s lessons, experiences, and memories. Here’s to the future, to innovation, and the continued success and growth of the Hedera ecosystem.
Cheers,
Ty Smith (AKA Patches)
