INNOVATING WITH AR

Tracy Greenan

Tracy Greenan is the CEO & Founder of AURELIA + ICARUS, a premium phygital accessories label for men and women based in New York and a ‘Ones to Watch’ brand winner. She is also the Founder of CAVIAR, an early-stage AR tech venture revolutionizing communication for Fortune 500 companies.

RAINE: What drives you/motivates you to be part of the Web3 movement?

TRACY GREENAN: It’s really important as a business leader to be constantly innovating and evolving; to be brave, be bold, challenge and LEAD. Those who don’t will get left behind.

RAINE: How did you get into web3?

GREENAN: I was asked by a phygital Paris-based fashion label called Alterrage to do a Clubhouse talk with them and a Vienna-based digital accessories platform called Jevels about a year ago. I had heard about digital fashion and wanted to get involved, but got distracted with everyday business and it wasn’t until I was invited to do this talk that I decided to look into it more and get involved.

Last year I attended DCentral Miami and made a lot of contacts in web3. I didn’t have a clue how to approach them at first. I felt like the nerdy kid wanting to be a part of the cool kids group in high school and desperately wanted to be a part of it, but wasn’t sure how they would react to me! But it turned out great! I got out of my comfort zone and put on my big girl pants and approached them. I made a lot of good contacts and collaborations from meeting key people at this in-person event!

RAINE: What do you see as the future of web3?

GREENAN: The space is evolving and growing at a speed the world cannot keep up with, making timely predictions difficult.

What I do know is that visually it will become more sophisticated and diverse. Artificial Intelligence, AI, will have a larger say in the development of visuals and ideas.

Avatars will outgrow their ubiquitous cutsey image and become diverse, creative and real.

On the flip-side, I do feel cybersecurity will be the biggest threat in this space and will continue to grow. An example of this would be the transference of confidential documents in business meetings.

Illegal activities will also find homes here and keeping children safe in these worlds should be a top priority. The metaverse will also be brought into real life. Prepare to see what is digital/online merging into the real world.

RAINE: What are you building or helping to build in web3?

GREENAN: My new venture, CAVIAR, is bringing Fortune 500 companies into web3 through our own proprietary augmented reality filters. We are building in a space where onein three Americans use regularly (not social media) and that is a six billion dollar global market. Reach out to us on hello@GetCaviar.io to learn more!

RAINE: What challenges do you see in the metaverse and web3 going forward?

GREENAN: Finding that fine balance between regulation and freedom. It is a slippery slope.

RAINE: What’s your perspective on how web3 has evolved?

GREENAN: We must acknowledge we are in a trial and error, experimental stage. We must be patient and realize profitability will not be immediate and must think and strategize long term.

There is much educating to do, especially from the average consumer who is still unaware of the benefits of web3. Brands must constantly amend their metaverse strategy as the space is changing and shifting in ways we cannot predict.

RAINE: What words of wisdom would you have for women and minorities interested in getting involved in web3?

I love this question–thank you for asking! As a bi-racial child, growing up in a cold, small isolated town in the middle of nowhere, with very few people of color, I had an insatiable desire to connect with other people from all parts of the world, to discover the unknown, to experience new things, new cultures and most importantly I wanted to connect with people who understood me, who looked like me, who wanted the same interesting things I wanted. I wanted to belong, to be a part of something truly unique and special. I wanted to feel included.

The metaverse is that portal to connect and feel immersed according to one’s desires and interests. You can find your people there, your tribe. You can connect and interact with people from all around the world, at any time. It’s a great place to observe, learn and be inspired.

"We definitely need to get more black and brown people in web3. The space has plenty of room for diversification and to bring the unique experiences that people of color can bring to the table! I’m delighted to see groups out there starting to germinate! Let’s do this!

I am super proud to be a woman of color in web3 and I urge all minorities to reach out, support each other, collaborate and celebrate what makes us different!

RAINE: What helpful resources can you share for someone interested in entering web3?

GREENAN:I tend to read web3 from a business perspective so I recommend and read the Financial Times. It is a broad based liberal business newspaper, but always has good, timely articles on web3. CNBC is good for tech too, their TechCheck show has the boldest ideas and most influential names in the tech industry. There are all the recommended books out there on metaverse and web3, which I’ve read, but I find reading daily business news articles more timely as the space is moving so fast. The Technology Edit by Vogue Business is equally as good.

RAINE: What potential innovations are you most excited about?

GREENAN: I’m excited to see where AI will take us. I would like to see less of it used in facial recognition by police which is unfairly used against black and brown people (particularly in the UK and China) and more of it used to create constructive and inspiring art and design.