starbeam.one is a passion project turned bootstrapped startup that enables artists to sell their art via Resalable Digital Licenses (RDLs) which are purchased, collected, and resold by collectors.
It was created by Michael DeMond who wanted to be a comic book artist in high school but ended up being a software developer for over 20 years, and is now making up for lost time. ✨
Here's how starbeam.one works
For Artists:
Step 1: Sign up using a publicly-verifiable social network account such as Twitter/X, Reddit, or DeviantArt.
Step 2: Issue and list Resalable Digital License(s) to your art for sale.
Step 3: Withdraw proceeds from your sales using Coinbase or PayPal Payouts.
The FAQ/Quickstart for artists is here.
For Collectors:
Step 1: Purchase Flares – 1 Flare always equals $1USD – via PayPal, Stripe, or Coinbase Commerce.
Step 2: Purchase and resell licenses on the marketplace.
Step 3: Withdraw your proceeds from your resales using Coinbase or PayPal Payouts.
Some questions for the founder
What did you use to build the project?
The current solution is written 100% in .NET, featuring at present over 158,000 lines of C#, 45,000 lines of Razor (presentation), and only 150 lines of custom JavaScript. This is after nearly four years of effort. We are hosted in Azure and are currently sponsored by Microsoft for Startups, who is paying the bills for the Azure hosting.
Have you built similar projects before?
Nothing like this. This is by far and away the coolest and most personally successful endeavor I have ever accomplished, and we haven't gotten to the good stuff yet. :)
What inspired you to create this project?
I returned back home to the state of Michigan in 2014 after ~15 years of being in the Seattle area. I was a software consultant for most of this time and was completely burned out from the experience. Upon my return, I went through old belongings and reconnected with my high school dream of becoming a comic book artist. I then learned of NFTs in 2018-19 and set out to build my own ETH marketplace. However, before long, I felt like the space was completely saturated with other offerings, so I pivoted toward something different and perhaps a bit bold: building a resalable digital ownership art marketplace without using a blockchain altogether. And voilà, starbeam.one was born. 🚀
Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
You don't need a blockchain to sell your art. In fact, you will find that it complicates your efforts, as you need to convince your friends+family – and, more importantly, their friends+family – to adopt it. Many people do not like the risk of "becoming their own bank." Some do not mind this responsibility, of course, but what about the rest of us? This is what starbeam.one was built to explore.
For more information, check out https://starbeam.one or contact Mike-E-angelo on Twitter. The team is also available on Discord.
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