Musa Hakim Jr., 23, loves working as a materials engineer at Swagelok in Solon, but working with his Lazy Moose clients gets him up in the morning.
"This was my first chance to really create and own something," Hakim said about his startup.
Editor’s note: This story is part of Cleveland Inno’s Under 25 program, a platform to recognize rising innovators under the age of 25 who are making big moves with their companies across Northeast Ohio.
Hakim and his co-founders walk people through the process of creating non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs.
NFTs are digital assets (such as images, videos or songs) that are logged and authenticated on a blockchain so their owners can buy and sell them.
Though natural to Hakim — who started streaming games and videos at age 6 — these digital assets still are a mystery to many people, he said.
Hakim heard about NFTs two years ago during his final months at Case Western Reserve University prior to graduating with a degree in materials science engineering.
Soon after graduation, he built a cryptocurrency wallet for his father, who was dabbling in the blockchain-enabled currency.
Afterward, Hakim, who also is director of Web3/IT for FutureLand — the annual conference celebrating diversity in tech, arts and culture in Northeast Ohio — spent about three weeks thinking, "Do I want to have a say in what happens in this space in the future?"
There are a lot of ways in which people can use NFTs in addition to monetizing collectibles, Hakim said.
For instance, NFTs have evolved over the last year as keys that access exclusive social clubs and networks, according to CoinDesk.com.
"We ask the question, 'How can we apply this technology to your problems to create solutions?'" Hakim said.
Lazy Moose, which had about 10 clients in its first year, is "still a stealth entity right now," said Hakim, who has big plans for the business.
"Originally, I wanted to do five years here and then move and build the company elsewhere," he said.
But he since has decided to keep Lazy Moose in Cleveland.
"I won't be the hometown success story in any other city but here," he said.
