The Order of the Egonauts is a serialised NFT project whose mission is to create a historical record of the blockchain and the crypto space through hand drawn illustration of the visionaries currently shaping it. The 12-month genesis project began in February 2022 when it launched their first series of 101 one-of-one NFTs paying tribute to its first “Egonaut,” Vitalik Buterin, the inventor and co-founder of Ethereum.

An illustration of Vitalik Buterin the creator of Ethereum


An illustration of Changpeng Zhao or CZ, the creator of Binance.

At the creative helm of the Egonauts project is Armenian-American artist Michelle Der Vartanian. Michelle, a graduate of Tufts University, has painstakingly created all the layers, traits, backdrops, and pop culture iconography that make up these one-of-a-kind vignettes depicting the heroes and villains of crypto.

Her most recent series, the second of the collection, featuring Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, the billionaire founder of Binance, has caught the attention of none other than CZ himself who engaged with one of the project’s Twitter posts featuring Michelle’s art, and commenting on the post with praise for the art.

It’s an incredible accomplishment for a young artist, especially being acknowledged by one of the most influential and wealthiest businessmen in the world. Furthermore, it is of particular importance, the fact that there is a talented, young Armenian-American blazing a trail and gaining recognition in one of the most innovative and transformative technological spaces in the world economy.

That is as proud a moment as any for the Armenian community and a shining example for all the young women out there chasing their dreams.