WHO is db clay? And WHY do we exist? Hmm. These are all good questions—questions we ask every day. You see, in the olden days the answer was simple—db clay was a wallet company. But today, while wallets certainly remain core to our founding DNA, our aperture is widening with every breath. We’ve changed. You might say db clay has taken on a new form. We’ve morphed into a creative research lab focused on big topics like the future of identity.

A Creative Research Lab?

Rather than singularly positioning ourselves as a Wallet Company or a Fashion Label or a Tech Startup or an Art House, we are framing db clay as a Creative Research Lab. A creative environment where we’re conducting experiments, prototyping new experiences, and investigating possibility—advancing our learning, understanding, and empathy along the way. After all, our endeavor is to “do our part in reimagining a new wallet experience for a new world”—a challenge that won’t be solved overnight!

It’s in the Name.

As an ongoing thought experiment, db clay will likely assume different identities over time, in different contexts. This is by design. Heck, it’s in the name. When we named the company 20+ years ago, “clay” represented evolution/shaping/changing. Previously the company was called Ductbills—because we started out by making Duct Tape Wallets (Billfolds)—but we knew that label wasn’t a big enough tent for our vision. Ductbills was then shortened to “db” and magically, db clay was born.

Today, db clay is ________.

An identity company?
A new wallet experience?
A product design company?
A storytelling studio?
A creative commerce platform?
A life operating system?
A fashion/tech ecosystem?
A utility tool?
A digital twin?
A book?
A software startup?
An art/science project?
A purveyor of fine objects?
A playground for ideas?
Perhaps all or none of the above?

Our research continues…

Areas of Exploration.

The universe is a vast expanse and we are but a tiny dot. With the wallet as our grounding force—our highest order bit—we are able to channel our energy into adjacencies that align with a) Our personal/creative areas of interest, b) Our perceived trajectory of global shifts, and c) Areas that embody db clay’s core purpose to “create curiosity.” Here’s a few spaces we’re actively exploring, including but not limited to:

The future of IDENTITY (i.e. biological/biometrics, psychological, technological, spiritual).
Bridging the gap between PHYSICAL/DIGITAL products (i.e. digital wallets/twins, virtual fashion, collectibles).
All things ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (i.e. personal AI assistants, content innovation, personalization at scale).
WEB 2.5/3/5 (i.e. blockchain, crypto/tokens, personal data ownership, community-governed DAO’s).
The Creator Economy… the list goes on.

Our Business Model.

Rest assured, it’s not all aimlessly wandering and pie-in-the-sky dreaming up in here. While our research efforts produce strategic insights, we are beginning to mold our business model too. Frankly, how are we going to make “money” to fund our wildest dreams? While we’re not interested in growth hacking or endlessly raising capital, we are a for-profit business. At a high-level, our revenue model looks something like this:

Wallets¹ (i.e. Online Sales, Wholesale, Partnerships)
Films² (i.e. Creative Services, Content Production)
Technology³ (i.e. Digital Product, Licensing IP)

We’ve been working quietly to gather our thoughts as we bootstrap. To begin delivering on the master plan, we are actively developing a new line of physical products. We are prototyping digital user experiences. We are conducting qualitative research. We are creative consulting (hire us?!). We are producing a documentary film. We are writing a White Paper. But most importantly, we are having fun. After all, db clay was never meant to be a static, boring object.

Thanks For Listening.

Admittedly, I have a bit of insecurity in sharing these thoughts openly. Some might say, pick a lane and focus. Some might say, just give it up and move on. Some might say, what if you fail again? While that may be the case, I simply can’t deny the feeling. I have an insatiable appetite for creative expression, for exploring the unknown, and for finishing what I started. Only time will tell—

Wish me luck 😆

Beyond Wallets: The Evolution of db clay