Technology pioneer Prerna Gupta discusses launching an NFT music platform and connecting with desi roots
Gone are the days when musicians struggled to claim credit for their art in a world full of plagiarism disputes and significant similarities. The advent of music NFTs has ensured that artists can maintain rightful ownership of their work or even sell and set up royalties, without any exploitation. At the forefront of this music revolution is Prerna Gupta, the dynamic entrepreneur who took Silicon Valley by storm by founding exciting tech and entertainment ventures like the storytelling app Hooked.
Interestingly, Gupta, who launches Mysterious, the music NFT platform, was born to Indian-American immigrants in the conservative town of Shawnee, Oklahoma. We caught up with Prerna to chart her fascinating journey and discuss how Mysterious will be helping talented South Asian artists bring their art to a global audience. Read more…
Tell us about some childhood memories of growing up in Shawnee, OK, and how you went from tasting early success as Miss Asia Oklahoma to studying economics at Stanford.
My fondest childhood memories are learning Hindi film songs and performing them on stage at Diwali functions. We had a small but vibrant Indian community in Oklahoma and I loved getting in touch with my roots while studying Indian art. Learning to sing and dance in front of a diverse audience, and eventually winning the title of Miss Asia Oklahoma, helped give me the confidence to pursue entrepreneurship.
When I came to Stanford, I realized that one day I might be able to combine my passion for technology and art by starting my own business. Studying economics and computer science at Stanford gave me the skills I needed to become a businesswoman in Silicon Valley. I launched my first startup right after graduation, with a mission to use technology to influence culture, and I’ve never looked back!
Does being born to successful Indian-American immigrants give you a unique perspective on life? How do your core values influence who you are today?
Watching my parents navigate immigrant life, especially in the small, conservative town of Shawnee, Oklahoma in the 80s and 90s, taught me the most important lessons about entrepreneurship: persevere, work hard, believe in yourself, commit to growth and self-improvement, be open to others who are different from you, and above all, stay calm and focused through all of life’s ups and downs.
During your travels from Costa Rica to Sri Lanka, India and the Alps; Could you share a memory of an event that changed your outlook on life?
When we traveled around Sri Lanka, we stayed for six weeks at a charming guest house on a beautiful surf beach in Arugam Bay. The guest house was run by a Sri Lankan-Dutch woman and her two sons who were in their twenties and had recently graduated from the University of Melbourne. Instead of taking high-paying desk jobs in Melbourne, they had chosen to return to this small backpacker town to start a hipster cafe in the guest house. Their dream was to bring the experience of drinking world-class coffee to Arugam Bay. They were just about to open the cafe when we arrived.
I had the honor of sipping their first cup of coffee the day they opened for business. Over the course of six weeks, I watched the cafe grow into a vibrant drinking hole for backpackers from around the world, as the two young men made their dream a reality. They certainly weren’t rich, but they had started a successful business that brought joy into people’s lives. It was an important reminder to always have the courage to follow your dreams and not let the fear of failure get in your way.
To this day, the best coffee I’ve ever had was a perfectly brewed cup poured over in Arugam Bay.
In your view, what are some of the roadblocks South Asian artists face when trying to break into mainstream content? And do you think empowering new artists via NFTs on Mysterious will bring diverse art to the mass audience?
I believe that the world is ready for Indian art on a mass scale – our culture is so rich and deep and we have something unique to offer humanity. Yet the ad optimization algorithms of web2 platforms like Instagram and TikTok have built a culture where only a handful of creators who amass billions of followers reap all the rewards. That means the only type of content that is financially viable is lowest common denominator content that appeals to mass audiences. It has led to a monoculture – where only a few voices, a few faces – are what everyone hears and sees. Take a look at any of your social feeds today – Instagram, Twitter, TikTok – and you’ll notice that you just keep seeing the same handful of people over and over, posting the same kind of anodyne content again and again.
NFTs will turn this model on its head, by elevating creators from diverse backgrounds, with unusual voices and aesthetics, and empowering them to build tight-knit communities of true fans who value their art enough to pay for it. Web3 will be a paradigm shift in culture and will give rise to a new social medium that celebrates diversity and highlights unique art. NFTs will give the world’s most talented South Asian artists the opportunity to bring their art to a global audience.
What is really mysterious?
Mysterious is an NFT-powered social media app, focused on cultivating meaningful conversation in micro-communities. We believe that our social interactions should bring us joy, by celebrating the beauty and mysteries of life. The Mysterious mobile app is “token gated”, meaning you must hold a Mysterious NFT in your digital wallet to access the app. Your NFT is your ticket to a specific community in the app. The app was inspired by the speakeasy culture, before the internet and cell phones, when musicians and fans used to gather in underground clubs to share music and inspire each other in intimate group settings.
We’ve designed a new social mechanic in the app to facilitate deeper conversations in authentic communities. Our mission is to fix the broken web2 social media landscape and usher in a new era of virtual socialization that is healthy and nourishing for our souls. We are initially launching with one community – Mysterious Founding Artists and the people who buy their music video NFT. Over time, we will expand to a number of communities that represent a diversity of passions and interests.
What is a typical day like for you these days?
It’s a constant juggling act between working with my product and engineering teams to develop our app, calling investors and business partners, answering emails and Slack messages, doing podcasts and press interviews, writing my own articles and books, feeding my two young children, managing my household and finding time for self-care with healthy meals, exercise, music and meditation. It seems there is never enough time in the day to get everything done! But I focus on what is most important every day and do the best I can.
What can we expect from Alam Khan and Avani Rai’s NFT Drops on Mysterious at the end of the month?
Inspired by the elements and the state of the planet, Alam Khan’s “Akash” is a sonic journey into an elemental loop-based landscape. Set to powerful images by visionary photographer and filmmaker Avani Rai, the duo create a sparkling vision of light, shadow and the cyclical nature of existence. For me personally, it is an incredibly moving piece of art that encapsulates, in 60 seconds, the deep and vast beauty of India. Alam and Avani are the future of Indian art and “Akash”, their first NFT drop, will blow you away.
Tell us about exciting new facets like intimate music gatherings, fireplaces with musicians and secret drops that fans can experience when they buy an artist’s music video NFT.
Your Mysterious NFT is the key to a thriving, exclusive community of world-renowned experimental artists and their closest fans. The community will gather both online and offline to engage in deep, meaningful conversations about life’s greatest mysteries, listen to music together and help create the art of the future.
Knowing what you know now, having founded so many exciting companies in technology and entertainment; Is there anything you would have done differently when you first started?
The most important lesson I’ve learned in nearly two decades of entrepreneurship is how to build a “minimum viable product”. A product is never perfect when it is first launched. It’s better to release an imperfect version of your product today and start getting user feedback so you can see what actually resonates and iterate until you find product-market fit. If you wait until the product is perfect, the opportunity has passed you by. As they say, “send early, send often”.
The best advice you got from your parents that really stuck with you?
The greatest lesson my parents have given me is the importance of maintaining peace within oneself, learning to be still even when the world around us erupts into chaos, to take both good and bad times calmly, to never allow oneself to feel elated in the midst of success or too deflated when faced with failure. This lesson has served me well throughout my career, and I still strive to achieve this ideal every day of my life.
If you had a magic wand, what are the 3 things you would change in the world?
I would reverse global warming, eradicate poverty and flip a switch in every human being that makes them choose love over war.
Did you ever end up trading in your black Sonata for a Tesla?
Haha no! The dusty old Sonata is still going strong.
Also Read: Colors of Courage: Masterchef Vikas Khanna on Overcoming Disability and His Glorious Childhood in Amritsar
