Team
Our team is made up of futurists, changemakers and technologists who are on the bleeding edge of marketing and technology, changing how consumers discover, interact and transact with their favourite brands.
Lorne Sugarman
Lorne is a seasoned CEO with over 10 years of experience in the tech and health industry. Prior to becoming a CEO, Lorne spent 15 years as the head of technology investment banking, where he developed a deep understanding of the financial side of the tech industry. In recent years, Lorne has been at the forefront of the emerging field of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and virtual worlds. With his expertise in both technology and finance, Lorne has been able to successfully navigate and lead Metaverse Group through the rapidly-evolving landscape of NFTs and web3. Outside of work, Lorne is passionate about supporting the next generation of tech leaders and frequently speaks at industry events such as NFT New York and Elevate, amongst many others. He is also very involved in the mentorship of web3 entrepreneurs and is currently mentoring the web3 stream at Creative Destruction Labs.
Mark Allen
Mark Allen is a seasoned IT veteran with over 25 years of experience in building software applications for startups in both web3 and eCommerce. His specialty is technology innovation particularly with early stage companies. As a senior engineering leader Mark has created and managed software engineering teams up to 50 people and been responsible for high availability SAAS applications.
Martin Bui
Martin Bui graduated from York University with a degree in Accounting & Finance and has since worked for both private and publicly listed companies in various industries including manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and cryptocurrency. Martin most recently spent three years at Hut 8 Mining, one of the largest digital asset mining companies in North America, leading the financial reporting and corporate finance functions. A seasoned professional, aside from knowledge of technical accounting and finance, Martin also brings necessary experience in corporate governance, capital markets, and public companies compliance requirements.
Natalie Kiguel
Natalie brings over 12 years of agency experience to Metaverse Group, with over 7 years involvement in the crypto and web3 space. Her work with category leaders like PayPal, SoulCycle, Belvedere Vodka and Amazon Web Services informs her approach to delivering work that makes an impact on key business metrics.
Matt Zanardo
Matt has led strategies for multiple Fortune 500 companies in web3 and uses his experience in saas sales and creative industries to bring in new business and onboard large teams into disruptive technologies. Matt has been in the blockchain industry since 2017 and believes that the metaverse, crypto and web3 technologies will have a large impact on the creator economy.
Jennifer Karkula
Jennifer comes from a financial service background having worked at Canada’s top banks including TD and the Bank of Montreal. Now, Jenn is pursuing her passion in web3, ecomm3, NFTs and the metaverse. She specializes in translating technical information into accessible language and promotes the importance of a business’ web3 presence. Jennifer works across the organization and with external stakeholders to elevate engagement with the market and deliver value to its clients.
Damiano R
Damiano, the former CEO of Startup Slang, brings his extensive expertise in growth strategy to the Metaverse Group following a strategic acquisition. With a record of successfully serving over 2,000 online businesses in the past five years, he has revolutionized the landscape of gaming and e-commerce through the conceptualization and creation of Design Home. This innovative platform, a first in its field, seamlessly integrates metaverse technology and in-game purchase transactions with Shopify Plus storefronts, demonstrating his trailblazing approach to digital commerce. Holding over a decade's worth of experience in brand optimization and scaling, Damiano's proficiency is a valuable addition to our team. Beyond his role at Metaverse Group, he shares his insights and experiences by traveling extensively for speaking engagements and contributing to various Web3 ventures as a sought-after Growth Consultant.
Hetal Patel
Hetal is a sales & marketing professional with over 10 years experience in relationship management and brand consulting in the traditional web2 space. Over the last few years, Hetal’s growing interest in blockchain has led her to explore all the potential use cases of the technology, specifically around NFTs and metaverse development. She is also passionate about building communities and getting more women excited about opportunities in web3. As an account manager at Metaverse Group, she helps brands execute their vision through strategy development and project management in spaces like Decentraland, Spatial and other virtual platforms.
Zamir Kakar
Zamir possesses over ten years of professional experience in project management with a specialization in engineering, web3, and emerging technologies. He has effectively led cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality projects on budget and on schedule. His up-to-date knowledge of the latest trends and advancements in web3 allows him to drive innovation and create value for clients.
Julian Boyman
Hailing from the start up world, Julian brings significant experience building and scaling two service-based technology startups, including being a founding member of his second business. With experience in Sales, Marketing, Product Development, and Creative in both the Canadian and US markets, Julian facilitates project management, client strategy, road mapping, and execution for active clients for Metaverse Group.
Carlos Reinhold
Carlos has been a 3D modeler for 25 years, during that time he has worked as a team leader building virtual web environments for large clients such as Disney, MTV, and Michael Bay. He has modeling experience in architecture, entertainment, and mechanical engineering. Carlos has been involved in Crypto since 2012 and has been building in the Metaverse since 2019.
Nathan Paitchel
Nathan has entrenched himself in blockchain technologies since early 2016 and is passionate on the inevitable evolution of tokenizing assets and metaverse economies. He comes from Digital Currency Group where he led their metaverse strategy and portfolio monetization. Originally spending nearly a decade in New York City real estate development, Nathan is keen on creative deal structure, relationship building, and strategic partnerships.
Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board brings together decades of experience across entertainment, marketing, retail, technology, crypto and finance.
Michael Gord
Michael is the COO of the Metaverse Group and is the co-founder & CEO of Global Digital Assets (GDA) Group of Companies, which are focused across capital markets verticals in the blockchain industry. He was the Managing Director of the XDB Foundation, the leading protocol focused on branded stablecoins, and the CEO of MLG Blockchain, focused on enterprise and government consulting and development. Michael has been involved in over $25 billion in digital asset financings and built the first Canadian university communities for blockchains.
Andrew Kiguel
Executive Chair of Metaverse Group and the co-founder and CEO of Tokens.com. Andrew also co-founded and is the former CEO of Hut 8 Mining, one of the largest publicly listed bitcoin miners in the world. Prior to that, Andrew spent 20 years as an investment banker with a focus on technology and real estate. Andrew is an accomplished executive with leadership experience in capital markets, corporate governance, and entrepreneurship.
Josh Doner
One of the first 100 NFT collectors in the world, Josh has been experimenting with web3 wallets, crypto and collecting NFTs since the CryptoPunks July 2017 launch. Josh has advised a number of agencies and brands on web3 and mobile advertising technologies, including Philips, Volvo, Henessey, LVMH, Make Up Forever, Nikon and others. Josh currently advises Tokens.com and Startup Slang and is a General Partner on the New Game Fund.
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Andy Nulman
Andy’s the co-founder and former CEO of Montreal's world-renowned Just For Laughs Festival, and the co-founder of mobile media pioneer Airborne Mobile, which shares parallels to the burgeoning, interactive and marketing-friendly DNA of the metaverse. A best-selling author and inspiring public speaker, Andy teaches a course to MBA students at McGill University, sits on the board of Tourisme Montreal, and was recently honored with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
Investors
Metaverse Group is owned by Tokens.com (NEO Exchange Canada: COIN)(Frankfurt Stock Exchange: 76M) (OTCQB US: SMURF), a publicly traded company that invests in Web3 assets and builds businesses linked to crypto staking, NFTs and play-to-earn gaming.
