Metaverse-Focused Blockchain Lamina1 Promotes Rebecca Barkin to CEO

Metaverse-focused layer 1 blockchain protocol Lamina1 has promoted President Rebecca Barkin to be its CEO effective immediately, according to a company blog post.

As CEO, Barkin will oversee all business operations for Lamina1, including “partnerships, fundraising efforts, developer relations and the execution of the company’s product roadmap,” the company wrote.

Barkin joined Lamina1 in August as the company’s president, a title she will also continue to hold.

Lamina1, the brainchild of science-fiction author Neal Stephenson and global blockchain expert Peter Vessenes, was first teased in June as the foundation for an open metaverse.

The team launched the Lamina1 Ecosystem Fund (L1EF) late last year to broaden Web3 builders’ access to investors by equipping builders with tools to raise capital for their open metaverse initiatives. The fund launched on AngelList in December and offers rolling funds, which distribute capital to projects through quarterly subscriptions.

In an investor letter penned in December, Vessenes said Lamina1 plans to invest in "games, fashion, music, art, NFT projects, emergent AI, DeFi, GameFi, DeSoc, virtual machines, layer 2 protocols, identity, data storage, data availability, privacy, payments, DAOs, marketplaces, bridges, applications and immersive experiences."

Stephenson will continue to serve as chairman of Lamina1 while Vessenes will continue in the role of executive chairman, the company wrote. The company plans to release its testnet to its community in the coming months.

Barkin has built an impressive career leading strategies for companies focused on computer vision, AI and VR companies. She previously served as vice president of content strategy and partner solutions at the immersive venue Madison Square Garden Sphere. Before that, she worked as a vice president at augmented reality company Magic Leap, as well as the head of strategic marketing at computer vision & AI company Nod Labs.

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"As we prepare to release Testnet to our community and sharpen our focus on delivering a protocol that is efficient, performant and easy to use, I’m honored and thrilled to step up to the challenge," she said in a statement.