Advising on Digital Art in Argentina
HEC United takes us on a journey to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where we meet Fanny and Malik Lakoubay, both graduates of HEC Paris (H.06) and passionates about Web3, especially digital art. After graduating, both Fanny and Malik pursued careers in the finance industry but quickly realized it wasn't challenging enough. So why not take the bold way, and launch a project around digital art? Fanny took her enthusiasm a step further by founding LAL ART, where her husband, Malik Lakoubay, operates as advisor. Here is their story.
Traveling to escape the conventional path
After graduating from HEC Paris in 2006, Fanny and Malik worked in finance. Malik primarily worked in the capital market industry with French banks and later with Bank of America, while Fanny was employed at Société Générale.
Fanny, who had also studied Art at HEC Paris, decided to take a different path, moving to New York to work in the intersection of arts and technology. It was here that she discovered the world of cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
The birth of LAL ART
In 2021, Fanny launched her startup LAL ART, “a pretty traditional art advisory practice,” she explains. Named after the initials of their three children, LAL ART was born out of a desire to break away from the conventional.
There is, indeed, nothing traditional with LAL ART since they advise people on digital art, a pretty innovative but ‘opaque’ industry. With LAL ART Fanny and Malik work directly with collectors who want to build digital arts collections, artists who need advice on pricing, positioning, marketing, etc., and museums and new artists who want to know what NFTs is all about.
Though there is not much innovation about the technology (blockchain) behind NFTs and cryptocurrencies, most people still need to better understand what digital art is.
For both Fanny and Malik, traveling was the best thing they could do. Now the couple lives in Buenos Aires where they keep sharing their advice on digital art.
Listen to their full story to find out:
- What led them to launch LAL ART
- What NFTs brings to the world of arts
- Malik’s convictions about web3
- Their piece of advice to HEC Paris students
For more inspiring stories and insights from HEC Alumni, check out the HEC United Youtube playlist.
About HEC United
HEC United is an ongoing student-led project that creates a connection between current HEC students and thousands of alumni spread across the world. A team of two students travels to various countries each year to interview alumni about their experiences during and after their time at HEC.