Meet Dr. Deeban Ratneswaran, former medical doctor, now an established titan within web3 and metaverse technologies.
Dr. Deeban’s background on his path toward blockchain and venture capital has been, to say the least, unconventional. As a decorated medical Doctor in London, he spent his former years developing a diverse range of skills. This enabled him to not only advance his chosen field of medicine through research, publications, and grants but resulted in the accumulation of both reward and recognition for his work.
He recently tweeted: “Great innovation often happens at the intersection of disciplines. So don’t neglect diversity of background, knowledge, and attitudes in your organisation”—something which very much applies to him.
Deeban spent much of these earlier years learning about everything that interested him. Like many entrepreneurs, he spent large parts of his day reading but also accumulated a range of degrees and diplomas in medicine, human psychology, management, leadership, and currently a scientific PhD. Therefore, he may be best described as a ‘polymath’: “…an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems”. During this time of intense learning, the doctor became obsessed with the future of humanity and how technology would shape it. Lying central to all of this, one technology stood dominant: the blockchain.
Dr. Deeban says he “became fascinated with blockchain and its implications for financial institutions and individuals alike, identifying utility far beyond the early cryptocurrencies that were making headlines in the world of web2”.
Having accumulated a decade of cross-industry knowledge on how large institutions function, creating his own Web2 companies, and developing proficient expertise in investing, he saw how these could be applied to the blockchain world. He professes, “academia involves identifying public health issues, devising solutions, obtaining funding, building a team, scaling, research and publishing work, sometimes seeking 6-7 figure funding with limited resources to achieve successful strategies”. These very tenants apply to the development of projects in Web3. His scientific approach proved fruitful, with GD10 developing industry-leading returns for investors – all while simultaneously working as a doctor and studying for a PhD.
As the technology expanded, GD10 envisioned a greater opportunity for blockchain within the gaming industry, investing heavily in these areas. When the opportunity to amalgamate these technologies with emerging blockchain concepts such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) developed, the potential for a long-envisioned yet previously unattainable concept crystallized into view: the metaverse.
Since Facebook rebranded to “Meta” earlier this year, metaverse interest has grown exponentially, with a market capitalisation of $15 trillion, and over two-thirds of the US population somewhat familiar with the term. GD10 is now a significant player within this emerging sector, with a diversified portfolio of metaverses, co-investing with major entities such as Ubisoft and Animoca Brands.
“I came from a medical career to move full time into the metaverse and web3 build. For someone like myself to do this, I have a huge amount of confidence in what will unfold. I know wholeheartedly we are on the right track, and the innovations we fund will positively impact the world”.
Dr. Deeban has an infectious Joie de vivre for web3 and the future as we know it. He eagerly paints an exciting picture of a future that integrates digital technologies with the physical world we know. His current focus is on what he believes are two largely untapped areas within the metaverse: its role in training healthcare staff and treating medical patients; and the role of metaverses in increasing participation and fan engagement within the sports industry.
This new frontier breaks down barriers for a more equitable society and can be tapped into with a simple headset or even contact lenses. We will see new uses for our phones, our televisions, and our dining table may even double in the metaverse as a conference table. Deeban explains how “this technology is already here. With blockchain, we can integrate it safely and free from external centralised control factors, protecting user data. This change is inevitable. What is less certain is the rate at which a transformation of such magnitude will unravel”. Dr. Deeban imagines a more productive society underpinned by Web3 and the metaverse, and wants GD10 to be a major force in realising this.
