NFT Powerhouse Dapper Labs Hires Ticketmaster and PayPal Alumni

The non-fungible token (NFT) firm behind CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot has added two top hires to its growing team.

Dapper Labs has tapped former Ticketmaster CIO Gui Karyo to lead the firm’s technical operations as CIO while former PayPal alum Amanda Schwartz joins as vice-president of business operations and strategy.

In his role at the U.S. ticket sales and distribution company, Karyo was responsible for leading Ticketmaster’s technology and engineering organization. Before his time at Ticketmaster, Karyo performed an eight-month stint at video game brand Atari, fleshing out its online/mobile product portfolio, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Karyo is tasked with scaling both the infrastructure and technical operations at Dapper Labs.

“This was a unique opportunity to help contribute to a vision that will not just shape a company but the future of many consumer experiences in a decentralized ecosystem,” Karyo told CoinDesk on Wednesday.

Read more: Crypto.com Hires Former Spotify Exec as Head of Growth

Meanwhile, Schwartz brings valuable experience to the firm, having worked at PayPal for almost 10 years in multiple roles including chief of staff and director of strategy and business operations, among others.

While at PayPal, she helped support PayPal’s blockchain, crypto and digital currencies business units.

At Dapper Labs, Schwartz is responsible for scaling the operations of the company through various growth strategies.

“The design space is wide open with respect to what’s possible with NFTs,” Schwartz told CoinDesk via email. “I’m thrilled to be a part of a team that is building mainstream blockchain applications, at scale.”