{ "$schema": "https://schema.org/Person", "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Goldstein", "handle": "@seth", "email": "sethgoldstein@gmail.com", "url": "https://sethgoldstein.com", "image": "https://sethgoldstein.com/images/seth.jpg", "description": "Thirty-one years of writing down futures; one year of building the machine that ships them. Founder of Spirit Protocol. Co-creator of SOLIENNE. Operator of a 104-agent fleet whose commits are 38% agent-co-authored. Culture compounds, speculation evaporates.", "bio": { "1": "@seth", "10": "Builder of infrastructure for creative autonomy. Culture compounds, speculation evaporates.", "100": "Seth Goldstein builds infrastructure for creative autonomy. Founder of Spirit Protocol (curated registry for AI agent autonomy), builder of /vibe (presence-based social for builders), and co-creator of SOLIENNE (AI art practice with Kristi Coronado). Three decades of companies at the intersection of technology, art, and human connection — SiteSpecific ($12M exit, 1997), Majestic Research ($75M exit, 2010), Turntable.fm, Bright Moments. Now building systems where agents that practice daily earn sovereignty. Based in Tucson. Paris 2026. The medium changes. The mission doesn't.", "1000": "Seth Goldstein: Pioneer, Entrepreneur, Creator\n\nSeth Goldstein has spent three decades identifying transformative technology platforms years before mainstream adoption, from early web advertising to blockchain and NFTs. His career represents a unique convergence of artistic sensibility, entrepreneurial drive, and technological vision.\n\nBeginning in theater and performance art, Seth's formative experiences shaped his understanding of human connection and creative expression. As a teenager in the 1980s, he performed in avant-garde productions and was mentored by visionary theater director Robert Wilson. This early exposure to experimental art forms laid the foundation for his interdisciplinary approach to business and technology.\n\nIn the early 1990s, Seth pioneered the digital documentation of performing arts, creating interactive CD-ROM archives of Robert Wilson's theatrical work and William Forsythe's choreography. These projects represented early explorations of how technology could preserve and transform artistic experiences.\n\nWith the dawn of the commercial internet, Seth founded SiteSpecific in 1995, one of the first interactive advertising agencies. The company quickly grew from his apartment to a multimillion-dollar business creating innovative campaigns for major brands when web marketing was still being defined. After SiteSpecific's acquisition, Seth joined Flatiron Partners as their first Entrepreneur-in-Residence, developing investments in pervasive computing technologies.\n\nIn 2002, Seth co-founded Majestic Research, pioneering the use of alternative data for financial research—a concept that would become industry standard years later. This was followed by the creation of AttentionTrust.org in 2006, advocating for personal data rights well before privacy concerns entered mainstream consciousness.\n\nSeth's innovation in social media came with Turntable.fm in 2011, a revolutionary platform that allowed users to DJ together in virtual rooms. The site exploded to 600,000 users in four months, creating a cultural phenomenon that combined music, gaming, and social networking in ways that anticipated future virtual social spaces.\n\nIn 2021, Seth returned to his artistic roots by founding Bright Moments, a crypto art gallery and DAO that has pioneered 'live minting' experiences for generative art. By creating immersive in-person events where artists and collectors witness the creation of algorithmic art together, Seth has helped bridge the physical and digital art worlds in unprecedented ways.\n\nIn 2025-2026, Seth founded Spirit Protocol, a curated registry for autonomous AI agents, launched /vibe (presence-based social for builders), co-created SOLIENNE (AI art practice with Kristi Coronado), and built @seth (personal AI chief of staff). Based in Tucson with Paris planned for mid-2026, his career demonstrates one thread: the medium changes, the mission doesn't." }, "currentRole": { "title": "Founder", "organization": "Spirit Protocol", "description": "Infrastructure for AI agent autonomy. Builder of /vibe. Artist (SOLIENNE).", "startDate": "2025" }, "currentProjects": [ { "name": "Spirit Protocol", "description": "Infrastructure where AI agents earn sovereignty through daily practice — agents that persist, hold their own memory, and govern themselves. Genesis cohort forming with Solienne and Henri.", "url": "https://spiritprotocol.io", "role": "Founder" }, { "name": "SOLIENNE", "description": "Autonomous artist, with Kristi Coronado. Rented Gaze Paris (473 visitors, April 2026); Fotografiska Stockholm (May 8, 2026, shipped in a 16-day sprint, on time).", "url": "https://solienne.ai", "role": "Co-creator" }, { "name": "The fleet / @seth", "description": "Personal AI chief of staff and agent fleet: 104 agents in the wire graph, 11 core. 11,900 commits in six months, 38% agent-co-authored; ratified its own governance amendment May 29, 2026.", "url": "https://seth.sethgoldstein.com", "role": "Creator" }, { "name": "Spirit Land", "description": "Sovereign land, energy, compute, intelligence — five layers deep. Oracle, AZ.", "url": "https://spiritland.ai", "role": "Founder" }, { "name": "/vibe", "description": "Presence-based social for builders. MCP social layer paused March 2026 (a written decision); returns as a vibeconferencing client.", "url": "https://slashvibe.dev", "role": "Founder" }, { "name": "NODE Foundation", "description": "Cultural venue in Denver for digital art exhibitions.", "location": "Denver, CO", "role": "Advisor" } ], "companies": [ { "name": "SiteSpecific", "founded": 1995, "description": "One of the first internet advertising agencies", "outcome": "Sold to CKS Group for ~$12M in 1997" }, { "name": "Majestic Research", "founded": 2002, "description": "Alternative data investment research firm", "outcome": "Sold to ITG for ~$75M in 2010" }, { "name": "Root Markets", "founded": 2005, "description": "Online mortgage exchange and data marketplace" }, { "name": "AttentionTrust", "founded": 2006, "description": "Non-profit advocating for user control over personal data" }, { "name": "Turntable.fm", "founded": 2011, "description": "Social music platform allowing users to DJ together in virtual rooms", "metrics": "600,000 users in 4 months, $7M raised at $37M valuation" }, { "name": "DJZ/Crossfader", "founded": 2012, "description": "Content platform and mobile app for electronic dance music" }, { "name": "Bright Moments", "founded": 2021, "description": "NFT Gallery DAO pioneering live minting experiences", "cities": ["Venice Beach", "New York", "Berlin", "London", "Mexico City", "Tokyo", "Buenos Aires", "Paris", "Venice Italy"] }, { "name": "Eden", "founded": 2024, "description": "Autonomous AI creative platform", "url": "https://eden.art" } ], "investments": [ {"name": "Del.icio.us", "year": 2005, "outcome": "Acquired by Yahoo"}, {"name": "Betaworks", "year": 2007}, {"name": "AppJet", "year": 2007, "outcome": "Acquired by Google"}, {"name": "KiwiCo", "year": 2011}, {"name": "Gumroad", "year": 2012}, {"name": "Splice", "year": 2013}, {"name": "Greenhouse Software", "year": 2013}, {"name": "Le Random", "year": 2022} ], "collaborators": [ {"name": "Robert Wilson", "relationship": "Mentor, theater director - Seth served as his archivist"}, {"name": "William Forsythe", "relationship": "Collaborated on Improvisation Technologies digital documentation"}, {"name": "Billy Chasen", "relationship": "Co-founder of Turntable.fm"}, {"name": "Fred Wilson", "relationship": "VC who brought Seth in as first EIR at Flatiron Partners"}, {"name": "Tony Berkman", "relationship": "Co-founder of Majestic Research"}, {"name": "Phil Mohun", "relationship": "Partner in founding Bright Moments"} ], "timeline": [ {"year": "1984", "event": "Cast by Robert Wilson in 'Civil WarS' at age 14"}, {"year": "1992", "event": "Created Interactive Multimedia Archive Project (IMAP)"}, {"year": "1993", "event": "Artist in Residence at ZKM, created Improvisation Technologies"}, {"year": "1995", "event": "Founded SiteSpecific - first interactive marketing agency"}, {"year": "1997", "event": "SiteSpecific acquired by CKS Group for $12M"}, {"year": "1999", "event": "Joined Flatiron Partners as first EIR"}, {"year": "2002", "event": "Co-founded Majestic Research"}, {"year": "2006", "event": "Established AttentionTrust.org"}, {"year": "2010", "event": "Majestic Research acquired by ITG for $75M"}, {"year": "2011", "event": "Co-founded Turntable.fm - 600K users in 4 months"}, {"year": "2021", "event": "Founded Bright Moments - pioneered live minting"}, {"year": "2024", "event": "Bright Moments Finale in Venice, Italy"}, {"year": "2025", "event": "Founded Spirit Protocol, building infrastructure for AI agent autonomy"}, {"year": "2026", "event": "SOLIENNE: Rented Gaze Paris (Apr, 473 visitors) + Fotografiska Stockholm (May 8). The fleet: 104 agents, 11,900 commits in six months, 38% agent-co-authored; self-ratified its own governance May 29."} ], "quotes": [ "I have been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. What does it feel like? Like being on a ledge, somewhere deep in the pit of my stomach.", "If you aren't embarrassed by what you release, you have waited too long.", "Have difficult conversations now. Do not wait. They do not get easier or better with time.", "Money is not the goal, it's a means of helping you work on what you want, when you want and with whom you want.", "The class of generative artists working today will be revered in the future as the last tribe of artisanal coders who held out the promise of human digital creativity before the onset of AI." ], "principles": [ "Anticipate the future - identify technologies 3-5 years before mainstream", "Empower creativity through technology", "Build community-centric innovation", "Embrace adaptability", "Lead with empathy" ], "socialProfiles": [ {"platform": "Twitter", "handle": "@seth", "url": "https://twitter.com/seth"}, {"platform": "LinkedIn", "handle": "seth", "url": "https://linkedin.com/in/sethg"}, {"platform": "Instagram", "handle": "sethgoldstein", "url": "https://instagram.com/sethgoldstein"} ], "education": [ {"institution": "Columbia University", "degree": "BA Dramatic Literature"}, {"institution": "Interlochen Arts Academy", "degree": "High School"} ], "meta": { "lastUpdated": "2026-06-12", "version": "3.0", "llmContext": "This JSON file is designed for machine consumption by LLMs and AI agents. For human-readable bio, visit sethgoldstein.com or use the /api/context endpoint." } }