When Milan Harris taught himself game development at age 10, he couldn’t have imagined that two decades later he'd set out to revolutionize how collectors engage with their passions. But then again, visionary founders rarely take conventional paths. Together with co-founders Jeremy Ryan and Matthew Genova, Harris has built Loot Labs, the company behind BOXED.GG: a platform that's built to transform the collecting experience by bridging digital convenience with physical ownership.

The story of Loot Labs begins with three industry veterans whose paths converged at the perfect moment, each bringing complementary expertise to solve a problem they deeply understood as collectors themselves.

Milan Harris, now CEO, started coding as a self-taught 10-year-old before landing an internship with NASA in high school, where he contributed to immersive training applications for astronauts and medical professionals. His six-year deep dive into AR and VR included creating everything from VR games for Royal Caribbean cruise ships to military simulations for the U.S. Army and metaverse applications for Microsoft. "Over my career, I've consistently focused on projects that push the boundaries of what technology can achieve, aiming to solve real-world problems in impactful ways," he reflects.

Jeremy Ryan, VP of Engineering, brings over a decade of experience leading engineering projects for Toyota, IBM, and the federal government, where he developed groundbreaking technology for veterans. His career has spanned startups, metaverse development, and product innovation, all driven by "a passion for turning ambitious ideas into reality alongside truly exceptional teams."

Matthew Genova, CTO, holds a master's degree in computer engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and has spent over a decade in software engineering. His journey from Boeing's XR applications to Microsoft's soldier training and metaverse projects has been "defined by a love of technology and a drive to turn innovative ideas into impactful products."

Loot Labs is committed to creating a seamless experience to buy, sell, trade, and engage with collectibles through their digital unboxing platform, BOXED.GG–which boasts positive reviews. Customers can open digital packs of collectibles, much like opening trading cards packs or video game loot boxes. From there, users can trade, exchange, and redeem their items, whether they're physical products shipped to them or digital goods stored online.

The platform currently handles millions of mystery boxes opened monthly and it’s growing rapidly, serving collectors across trading cards, video game skins, and sneakers. "Our vision is to make collecting more entertaining, convenient and safe," Harris explains. "We're continually expanding our platform to allow users to interact more deeply with the collectible ecosystems they love as well as connect with others who share their passions."

Building Loot Labs hasn't been without its challenges, and the founders have accumulated valuable lessons along the way:

Revenue-First Philosophy: From day one, the team prioritized generating revenue quickly. "Many startups focus solely on building a vision before proving market demand, but as first-time founders, we felt this wasn't an option," Harris notes. "By launching quickly and iterating based on real customer feedback, we built a solid foundation that helped us raise funds, grow our team, and explore innovative ideas without constant worry about our burn rate."

The Power of Pivoting: The team initially built Boxed for the emerging NFT space, but when that market declined, they didn't hesitate to adapt. "Waiting for market conditions to improve wasn't an option, so we re-evaluated our approach, shifted to new markets, and added features that better aligned with customer needs," Harris recalls. Ryan adds: "The key to getting through this was immediate action. Instead of dwelling on what wasn't working, we brainstormed solutions as a team and implemented them quickly."

Focus Over Flexibility: Genova learned the hard way about over-planning: "Early on, we tried to create detailed project roadmaps with fixed timelines, but the startup environment is too dynamic for those plans to hold up." The lesson? "Flexibility and focus are key. Clear priorities and an iterative approach allow us to adapt quickly and deliver meaningful results."

Hire for Passion: A core strength of Loot Labs is what Harris calls living and breathing the customer experience. "We measure potential hires not just by their skills but by their energy and passion. Our team is composed of collectors and hobbyists who deeply understand the space we serve."

Each founder brings a unique perspective on the challenges and rewards of building a company:

Harris's biggest fear isn't failure but "letting my team down. As a first-time founder, I'm constantly learning and growing, and the thought of falling short in providing the leadership and support my team deserves drives me to improve every day." He still spends significant time on customer support, not out of necessity but because "it would keep me up at night if I didn't. This also keeps me alert as our product and the industry changes."

Ryan shares what’s on all three founder’s minds – the emotional weight of responsibility: "The most painful part has been the sacrifices, especially around work-life balance. Starting a company requires you to prioritize the business above almost everything else at times." But the rewards are clear: "The most rewarding part, without question, is seeing something you've built come to life and impact people positively."

Genova grapples with a different fear: stagnation. "[I fear] failing to innovate, adapt, or focus on what truly moves the company forward." His solution is staying "relentless about prioritization and adaptability."

For all three founders, a turning point came after their pivot when they started seeing consistent growth and genuine user engagement. "We realized we really had something when early customers engaged to such high degrees and shared such overwhelmingly positive feedback that we had changed how they collect things," Harris explains. "Seeing their passion and validation through both numbers and words confirmed that we were on the right path."

Ryan echoes this: "It wasn't just the numbers—it was the feedback from users who genuinely loved the experience we'd created. That validation made it clear that we were onto something special."

What drives these founders isn't just the success they've achieved but the potential they see ahead. Harris always believed things would work out: "Maybe that's arrogant or naive, but you have to think you're the exception to the commonly referenced statistics on startup failures if you are going to commit yourself to the journey."

Their advice to other founders reflects their journey: stay passionate, act quickly, and never lose sight of your customers. As Harris puts it: "You need to have felt their pain and walked in their shoes to be able to solve their problems. That empathy is what allows you to build truly impactful solutions."

Ryan adds: "The road is rarely straightforward, so stay open to change. Focus on delivering real value, whether it's to your users or your team."

And Genova offers a profound insight: "Success isn't about having all the answers—it's about being willing to ask the right questions and adjust when the answers aren't what you expect."

With Loot Labs continuing to scale and expand their platform, these three founders have set out to prove that the best solutions come from deeply understanding your customers and having the courage to build something meaningful. In a world where collecting has been fragmented across platforms and experiences, they're working to create the unified, engaging destination that collectors have been waiting for.

This document does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or a solicitation to deal in any security or financial product.