Makersplace
DefunctFounded 2018 · 16 employees on LinkedIn · 6 known investors
MakersPlace was an NFT marketplace for digital art that operated from 2018 until it wound down in 2025.
Also known as MakersPlace
Founders & leadership
Makersplace was founded in 2018 by Daniel Chu.
Investors · 6
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026MakersPlace operated an online marketplace for digital artwork issued as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), letting creators mint, sell and auction digital works and letting collectors buy and trade them. NFTs are blockchain-based cryptographic assets used to certify ownership of digital items, which allows a digital artwork to retain provenance and value even though the underlying file can be copied. The platform launched in 2018 and offered creation, discovery and trading functions as well as curated exhibitions and events.
The company was closely associated with the 2021 NFT boom. In February 2021 it partnered with auction house Christie's on the sale of Beeple's "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" for $69.3 million; the piece was minted and sourced through MakersPlace. Later drops included a 2022 holographic NFT auction of Leonardo da Vinci's "La Bella Principessa" with The Holoverse and an auction marking 25 years of the music group The Crystal Method.
MakersPlace announced in January 2025 that it would close after six years, citing market conditions and difficulty securing further investment. It disabled new account creation, token imports and minting, kept existing artworks purchasable, planned an upgraded asset transfer tool for February 2025 with a final transfer deadline in June 2025, committed to severance for employees and said it would return unused funds to investors. NFTs minted on Ethereum remained accessible through secondary marketplaces.
Business model
MakersPlace ran a marketplace intermediating between digital artists and collectors, supporting minting, primary sales/auctions and secondary trading of NFT artworks, including custodial wallets for users. The sources do not specify fee structures.
Traction
The company said 2021 was one of its highest-growth years, with a tenfold increase in the number of collectors on the platform and more than 100 million transactions reported as of August 2021.
Latest developments
MakersPlace announced its wind-down in January 2025, with a final user asset transfer deadline of June 2025. Coverage published in April 2026 about the closure of rival marketplace Foundation refers to MakersPlace as having shut down amid declining NFT activity.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
MakersPlace was one of the better-known art-focused NFT marketplaces of the 2021 boom, alongside platforms such as OpenSea, Rarible, Mintable, Foundation and Nifty Gateway. Its visibility peaked with the Christie's Beeple sale. Following the post-2021 decline in NFT trading volumes, it was among a group of marketplaces that shut down or pivoted; OpenSea remained the dominant venue by volume.
Technology
The platform issued digital artworks as non-fungible tokens on blockchain infrastructure, with NFTs minted on Ethereum remaining accessible via secondary marketplaces after the platform's shutdown. It also offered custodial wallets and, during the wind-down, a tool for transferring assets to external wallets.
Go-to-market
Digital artists and creators seeking to mint and sell tokenized artwork, and NFT collectors, including efforts to reach a mainstream collector audience.
Geography
The sources do not state the company's headquarters; the marketplace served artists and collectors online.
History
Founded/launched in 2018 as a digital art NFT platform, MakersPlace grew rapidly during the 2021 NFT boom, raised a $30 million Series A in August 2021, hosted high-profile drops in 2022, and announced its shutdown in January 2025 after six years of operation.
Risks & controversies
The company attributed its closure to ongoing NFT market challenges and an inability to secure further investment. Sector-wide headwinds cited in the sources include sharply lower trading volumes after 2021-2022, declining investor interest, market saturation and regulatory pressure on NFT projects in the United States.
Compiled by commissioned research from 5 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsMakersPlace announced its closure after six years of operation, citing ongoing market conditions and challenges securing further investment. New account creation, token imports and minting were disabled; existing artworks remained purchasable. The company said it would offer an upgraded asset transfer tool in February 2025 with a final transfer deadline in June 2025, pay severance to employees and return unused funds to investors. The announcement was communicated by content manager Brady Evan Walker.
MakersPlace hosted an auction celebrating 25 years of the music group The Crystal Method, featuring the music video 'Watch Me Now' from the album 'The Trip Out'.
MakersPlace collaborated with The Holoverse to auction a holographic NFT of Leonardo da Vinci's 'La Bella Principessa'.
The NFT digital art marketplace announced a $30 million Series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Pantera Capital, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Sony Music Entertainment, Uncork Capital, Draper Dragon Digital Assets and 9Yards Capital.
$30M source ↗
MakersPlace partnered with auction house Christie's on the sale of Beeple's NFT artwork 'Everydays: The First 5000 Days' for $69.3 million; the work was minted and sourced through MakersPlace.
$69.3M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 5
primary sources listed
- NFT digital art market MakersPlace raises $30M in Series A funding - SiliconANGLEsiliconangle.com · web
5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Makersplace do?
- MakersPlace was an NFT marketplace for digital art that operated from 2018 until it wound down in 2025.
- Who founded Makersplace?
- Makersplace was founded by Daniel Chu in 2018.
- Who are Makersplace's investors?
- Makersplace's investors include Coinbase Ventures, Draft Ventures Llc, Justin “3LAU” Blau, Pantera Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners.