Griffin, left, and Duncan Cock Foster. Photo: Victor Llorente When Duncan and Griffin Cock Foster met Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss last year, it was inevitable that they would have a lot to talk about. Both sets of siblings are twins. Both had been rowers. Both had founded companies to make money in the world of blockchain technology. In other words, both are literal, actual tech bros.
“The funny part,” Duncan added, “is [in high school] we went and saw The Social Network, and everyone was like, ‘Wow, you guys kind of look like those twins from that movie; you guys should row too.’ And that’s how we started rowing. I mean, we didn’t make it to the Olympics.” This is helpful if you already understand what a digital good is: a virtual object made of ones and zeros that you can see only when it’s rendered onscreen. Based on the same blockchain technology as cryptocurrency, nifties are a departure from that. Short for NFTs , they are unique digital objects you can buy, own, and sell. The brothers’ go-to analogy is that nifties are like “digital Air Jordans.
Moving to New York made sense for the Cock Fosters for a couple of reasons. Becoming part of Gemini, which has its headquarters in the Flatiron District, gave them instant access to the heavy-duty technology required to safeguard users’ digital assets. Equally appealing was the fact that New York is the center of the art world, because the brothers see nifties’ first mainstream application being rare digital artworks and collectibles.