How This Female Founder is Using NFT Tech for a Greater Purpose with Crass Kitty

Photo Credit: Christopher Neale

Crass Kitty (she/her) is the CEO and co-founder of Keyhole Club, an innovative NFT platform dedicated to empowering adult content creators and the fans who love them. Bridging the gap between adult content and NFT tech, Keyhole Club provides an elevated, upscale solution that directly serves the needs of sex workers in a secure, sophisticated and reliable way. Crass founded Keyhole Club with a clear goal: helping sex workers use revolutionary technology to independently and autonomously generate a living without the risk characteristic of typical adult content platforms. Combining her professional experience as both a sex worker and digital product manager with her intimate knowledge of cryptocurrency, Crass uses NFT tech for a greater purpose.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I have experience from all sides of both the sex and tech industries. I started in the adult industry as a cam girl, which eventually led me to the world of streaming and helped me realize my love for content creation and tech. From there, I was recruited by a tech company where I onboarded Twitch partners onto the company’s software product development, which then led me to my role as a product manager at Fetlife where I was tasked with building a back-end moderation system. However, after a few short months, my entire team was laid off, which put me in a position to reevaluate my priorities and decide what I wanted to do next. I was soon introduced to crypto when I joined NEAR where I worked on events, products and launched their NFT marketplace - it was a place where I was able to learn about crypto and utilize this newfound knowledge to educate my friends in the adult industry. Understanding my new passion and mission, I eventually parted ways with NEAR to start Keyhole Club, an NFT company built on the notion of helping sex workers use revolutionary technology to generate a living without the risks associated with other adult content platforms.

What inspired you to start your business?

First and foremost, I wanted to make personal reparations for some of the moderation systems I implemented at Fetlife that impacted sex workers and provide adult content creators with a safe, sophisticated and innovative platform to earn a living. Not only that, but I also wanted to provide the NFT industry with a project led by women, which can be hard to find in this industry. Because I used to be a sex worker and know how exploitative some of these platforms can be, I wanted to use this knowledge, combined with my experience in crypto and NFTs, for the greater good. Crypto is for everyone, and that includes sex workers.

Where is your business based?

Keyhole Club is based out of Portland, Oregon. 

How did you start your business?

I started Keyhole Club based on inspiration from other Profile Picture Projects, including one I still work on (Degenerate Ape Academy). I realized that gating porn behind a token, like an NFT, made so much sense. I was watching these projects blow up during "Solana Summer 2021" and wanted to take a piece of that pie to sex workers.

What were the first steps you took?

For the past two years, I've been interviewing sex workers in my spare time. I knew that I was going to build this platform, but I didn't know how or when. I used the data I had accumulated to create Keyhole Club because the timing suddenly made sense and the product came to make sense as well. It was a perfect storm of inspiration, data, and timing.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

We’ve explored a range of marketing tactics for promoting awareness of our platform, including traditional PR, networking events and social media, but Twitter Spaces has been HUGE for us - it’s been the best way for us to network and introduce ourselves to other NFT folks.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Because of the nature of our brand, we’ve experienced many challenges when it comes to censorship and shadow banning across social media platforms. Being a new brand, we are currently trying to navigate ways around this issue, however, we have noticed this is a common problem for brands within women’s health and sex tech - The New York Times released an article that discussed a new report from the Center for Intimacy Justice that found that social networks, specifically Facebook, has rejected ads from 60 companies focused on women’s sexual health, citing policies on “adult products and services.”

How do you stay focused?

I'd be lying if I said I was perfect at it, but the reality is, every time I get side-tracked or burned out, I think about the sex workers I'm able to help, and it pulls me right back. My mission in life is my guiding focus factor. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Keyhole Club bridges the gap between adult content and NFT technology, providing a platform for purchasing and minting NFTs with adult content utilities. We provide a private, safe, and secure ecosystem to directly support sex workers and adult content creators, generating continued profits for both creators and the fans who love them. We’re the first adult content NFT project led by sex workers, for sex workers. We use our NFTs and their traits to gate adult content as opposed to publishing adult content as the NFT itself (thus keeping adult content off the permanent blockchain). Keyhole Club allows adult content creators to collaborate with NFT artists and fans to generate profit upon resale, with no cap on creator income. We prioritize safety and security both for our creators and fans. Finally, we focus on one creator at a time, creating an experience that allows them to truly feel involved, engaged, and profitable.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

The most effective marketing strategy we’ve implemented to grow our business is collaborating with our content creators on social platforms, utilizing their built-in fan base and reach to connect with audiences where they naturally interact, which is on social media.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

My advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is that you're never going to be "ready." Take the plunge, even if that means just doing side market research for your idea - take the plunge when you're most afraid to do it.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app for non-work-related things is Wanderlog - it lets you plan trips with friends and is so lovely for digital itinerary planning. Otherwise, for work, Airtable is my go-to for just about everything.

For blogs, I don't have a favorite, but I am obsessed with NFT Twitter in general. Diving deep into an ecosystem and immersing myself feels amazing.

My favorite book is Nexus by Ramez Naam. It really talks about the future of humanity and post-humanism in a really interesting way. Plus, it inspired me to do my first international solo trip to Thailand a few years back.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Airtable is my favorite business tool - it is my go-to for organizing my thoughts and data. I'm even planning my wedding in it! 

Who is your business role model? Why?

There are so many people who inspire me, but Jason Hitchcock was my manager and friend while I worked at BEBO. He's now gotten into crypto, which is insane and amazing. He has this energy that is infectious, and when he pitches you on something, you can't help but picture the world he builds. I think it's my goal to be as egregious as he is - to be able to show people the potential of a future with that kind of unmatched enthusiasm and genuine joy. He's also a rocket ship - when he sets his mind somewhere, he's going there. 

How do you balance work and life?

My Google calendar is imperative. I schedule everything on there, from work to date nights, to friend time. It helps me to hold myself accountable for hanging out with people and actually having a life outside of work. If it's on the calendar, I have to do it.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I love to take bubble baths to decompress and relax!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Over the next few months, we’re gearing up for a couple NFT drops, starting with content creator Vickie Jay titled, “Lovebirds.” We’ll be launching her new collection in 2022. Fans and NFT collectors alike will have the opportunity to mint an adorable jaybird and unlock thirst-traps, ultra-sexy images and legendary gifs. Additionally, we are working with adult content creators NoFaceGirl and NoFaceGuy for Keyhole Club’s third NFT collection drop - more details to come later in the year!

How can our readers connect with you?

Readers can connect with me and Keyhole Club on Twitter at @CrassKitty and @KeyholeClub