Former MLB player turned artist, Micah Johnson, is the creator of Aku. After hearing a young boy ask his mom if astronauts could be black, Johnson was inspired to create "Aku" a 3D animated character depicting a boy with an oversized astronaut helmet. That same year, Johnson's art piece: titled: ‘sä-v(ə-)rən-tē took Johnson from retired athlete to creator of the “2020 NFT of the Year" according to Digital Asset Entertainment (DEA).
Although Micah spent 7 years as a professional baseball player, he now seeks to use his art and the world of Aku to empower and inspire people to dream without limits. Named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential People in NFTs” by Fortune and named one of the Most Innovative Companies of 2022 by Fast Company, Micah's foresight to recognize the power of Web3 communities has taken him from athlete and physical artist into a pioneering figure building a story world alongside the community with characters that can have a positive impact on kids.
In 2021, Micah Johnson brought Aku to life with a Miami Art Week Exhibit titled: Aku World - a 30,000 square foot space complete with curated exhibits, immersive experiences and exclusive collaborative pieces with some of the biggest names in pop-culture.
In August of 2022, Aku was featured on the Cover of Time Magazine and in July 2023, Micah Johnson partnered with Starbucks to launch, "Aku Adventure," as part of Starbucks' Web3 Odyssey program. Additional partnerships have included Micah being recognized as a VISA sponsored creator, Aku being featured at Disney's D23 Expo, and collaborating with Beats by Dre.
Furthermore, this summer he joined forces with various national foundations to provide 5,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to children across the country.
