James Andrews
About James Andrews
James Andrews is the visionary behind Authenticated Ventures and Creator Mode Studios, a Culture Investment studio fostering transformative businesses on the Web3 intelligent & decentralized web. Partnering with Ripple X labs, Creator Mode Studios empowers innovation with creators, celebrities, founders and brands. Previously CEO of Smashd Labs, Andrews is also an angel investor and venture partner at Antler VC. In the era of Web2's inception in 2010, Andrews established Social People, a strategic digital agency acquired in 2014. Collaborating with global giants like Nike, Beats By Dre, CNN, and Lexus, they excelled in social media initiatives. His groundbreaking #BeatCancer movement, generating the first-ever Guinness World Record for social media mentions and $70,000 in cancer research funds in just 24 hours on Twitter, stands as a testament to his ingenuity. Before this, Andrews held the position of Vice President at Ketchum PR, where he pioneered their inaugural global social media practice area, catering to renowned clients including Monster.com, FedEx, GeekSquad, Nokia, and Wendy's. In 1999, he successfully built and sold SoulPurpose.com, an "industry insider" email newsletter, to Urban Box Office (UBO), a digital entertainment company central to the NYC dot-com boom. UBO's rise to $40 million in funding and hiring 320 employees in 15 months ensued. Both Soul Purpose and Andrews garnered recognition in the Wall Street Journal. The distinguished UBO executive team included former entertainment, media, and technology executives, with business icon Clarence Avant as chairman of the board. Mr. Andrews' formative years were steeped in the entertainment industry, where he wielded influence as a senior marketing executive at Columbia Records during the mid-90s. His efforts were instrumental in propelling R&B and Hip Hop luminaries such as Nas, The Fugees, Destiny’s Child, and Lauryn Hill to become household names. This journey paved the way for his later entrepreneurial endeavors. From international stages in Dubai, Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, Sao Paulo, to Norway, James Andrews engages as a keynote speaker. James Andrews embodies the fusion of entertainment and technology, heralding transformative change. Authenticated Ventures and Creator Mode exemplify his commitment to innovation. In a landscape evolving with blockchain, AI, and decentralized networks, he remains an inspirational thought leader shaping a future of limitless potential.