Pseudonymous $69M Beeple NFT Buyer MetaKovan Reveals True Identity
Vignesh Sundaresan said he wants to show Indians and people of color they could be art patrons, too.
Mar 18, 2021 at 12:45 p.m. UTC:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/5XIUTOC4W5BLTM7N7YFIV5ZKUQ.jpg)
Vignesh Sundaresan aka Beeple NFT buyer Metakovan
:format(webp)/downloads.coindesk.com/arc/failsafe/user/1x1.png)
"MetaKovan," the hitherto pseudonymous buyer of the $69.3 million Beeple non-fungible token (NFT) last week, has come out into the open.
- The investor revealed his true identity as Vignesh Sundaresan via a blog post on the Metapurser website Thursday.
- Sundaresan said, "The point [of revealing himself] was to show Indians and people of color that they, too, could be patrons, that crypto was an equalizing power between the West and the Rest, and that the global south was rising."
- MetaKovan appeared on CoinDesk TV's "First Mover" Tuesday to explain his reasons for spending $69.3 million on the Beeple NFT "Everydays" and why he chose to remain anonymous.
- Blockchain reporter Amy Castor had theorized in recent days that MetaKovan might be Sundaresan.
- According to his LinkedIn profile, Sundaresan is CEO of Singapore consulting firm Portkey Technologies and co-founder of bitcoin ATM provider Bitaccess. He is a Y-Combinator alumnus, according to his own website.
- As MetaKovan, he's also the founder of the Metapurse NFT project.
- The pseudonymous "Twobadour," who is also involved in running Metapurse, revealed his identity as Anand Venkateswaran in the same post.
DISCLOSURE
Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/CYCX7LWKRBGI5DCLKHHYJIL52E.jpg)
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/7LDC7D5IS5DBPL4N6UTVLA4SXM.jpg)
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/PJTR3KRDWJCRVE3QREM6KUOK7A.png)
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/3LWYGWIABFELHGBEOVTO3DR75M.jpg)