Web3 Leader Spotlight: Matthew Younatan
This week, we had the opportunity to catch up with Matthew Younatan, Software Engineer at Wildxyz, an NFT-based experiential art platform that brings together creative pioneers and amplifies their creativity through mentorship, programming, storytelling, technical support and community.
As a previous employee/builder at Biconomy & Roblox, Matthew is a passionate coder that loves to build innovative online experiences. Nothing makes Matthew happier than discovering new technologies and implementing new ideas. He has a passion for Web3 development, NFTs, game development, generative artworks, system programming, quantum computing and image processing.
Follow Matthew on X at @matyounatan.
What's your Web3 story? How did you get into the industry?
The sheer volume of crypto during the 2021 bull run captivated my attention. When NFTs were breaking into the mainstream, I decided to learn more about and build my own NFTs. The engineer inside of me wasn’t satisfied using no-code-tools such as OpenSea and Rarible, so I taught myself Solidity and Web3 development. I dove head first into the deep end by joining hackathons to expedite the learning process. While on this path, I participated in EthGlobal’s HackMoney online hackathon where I met the CEO of Biconomy, a Web3 startup. Shortly after the hackathon, I joined Biconomy as a Blockchain Engineer specializing in NFTs, kickstarting my career in Web3.
What's the best and hardest part of being an NFT developer?
There are so many positives that it’s hard to pick one! Working on a totally new asset class with everyone from talented engineers to world-renowned artists is exciting to say the least. That being said, the best part about being a NFT developer can also sometimes be the hardest. Web3 moves fast, and with that come new ideas, new development practices and most of all new exploits. As an engineer you are forced to keep learning or else you will fall behind the curve. I can not think of any other industry that innovates as quickly as Web3 and for me, that periodic innovation motivates me to keep learning.
Where do you see the most value of NFTs in the short-term (3yrs) and over the long-term (10yrs+)?
In the short term, NFTs have a clear value on digital art and accessing worldwide markets as a brand-new decentralized asset class. Long term, I can see the technology behind NFTs and blockchains in general become obfuscated from the everyday user. We already see this trend emerging around topics like Account Abstraction and developers are hopping on board en-mass. NFTs are no different. In 10+ years, traditional tech companies will adopt blockchains and NFTs or fall behind ones that do. That is just how technology evolves.
Any advice for aspiring NFT developers entering the space this year?
Just start. Do not be intimidated by the buzzwords. Join hackathons, get into a developer community, and start asking questions. Build open-source projects, verify your smart contracts, and show off your work! There is plenty of documentation out there these days for you to pick up and start building your own NFTs. Every new engineering topic is complex the first time you look at it. The inspiration to keep learning will follow.
