Charles Crain – Chief Technology Officer, SuperRare Labs
Contact Overview
Name: Charles Crain
Current Role: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Company: SuperRare Labs
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
LinkedIn: [charles-crain-20a28871](http://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-crain-20a28871)
Professional Experience
Chief Technology Officer, SuperRare Labs
2018–present
Charles Crain leads the technology strategy and development for SuperRare Labs, serving as CTO since its inception. SuperRare Labs operates SuperRare, a digital art platform built on Ethereum, recognized as one of the pioneering NFT marketplaces for curated digital art. Under Crain’s technical leadership, SuperRare enables artists to mint authenticated, collectible works as NFTs, facilitating digital ownership, display, and trade.
Blockchain Engineer, BlockApps
2016–2018
Before joining SuperRare Labs, Crain was a Blockchain Engineer at BlockApps, where he specialized in the design and implementation of blockchain solutions. His work at BlockApps focused on advanced blockchain architectures and related software engineering challenges.
Technical and Academic Background
Crain’s educational foundation combines electrical engineering and computer science, with a strong emphasis on firmware design, implementation, and computer software engineering. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering and Computer Software Engineering from The University of California, Santa Barbara.
Co-Founding and Strategic Leadership
Charles Crain is a co-founder of SuperRare Labs (2018). Alongside John Crain (CEO) and Jonathan Perkins (CPO), he was instrumental in launching SuperRare, establishing its reputation as an innovator in the CryptoArt/NFT market. The core platform technology for SuperRare was developed by the same team, and also underpins Pixura Inc., another of Crain’s ventures.
Crain’s leadership is noted for empowering artists by offering a decentralized platform where users mint and sell NFTs with minimal approval processes, supporting both creative and technical innovation at scale. Under his co-leadership, SuperRare introduced key product and technical architectures, helping position the brand as a market leader in curated digital art.
Public Persona and Interests
On social channels such as X (formerly Twitter), where he uses the handle [@SuperRareChar](https://x.com/SuperRareChar), Crain describes himself as building “magic tools with the interwebs” and lists interests in surfing, music, and art—indicating a personal affinity with SuperRare’s creative and tech-focused mission. His public communications emphasize the intersection of tech, art, and blockchain innovation.
Company Background: SuperRare Labs
- Industry: Software, NFT Digital Art Marketplaces
- Headquarters: Newark, United States
- Team Size: 11–50 employees
- Core Product: SuperRare, Ethereum-based curated NFT marketplace
- Notable Co-Founders: John Crain (CEO), Jonathan Perkins (CPO), Charles Crain (CTO)
- Technology: Platform built on Ethereum, also guided development of Pixura for technical asset management
- Market Position: Recognized leader and innovator in the NFT and digital art ecosystem, notable for early and ongoing technical contributions to NFT standards and platforms
Organizational Structure
As CTO, Charles Crain sits on both the Leadership Team and the Engineering Team at SuperRare Labs, working closely with engineering managers and full-stack developers. There are 4 core members on the engineering team and a similarly sized leadership group, consistent with the agile, startup environment characteristic of innovative Web3 companies.
Key Insights
Crain’s deep technical expertise, leadership in blockchain architecture, and alignment with the broader NFT and digital art community position him as a highly influential technology executive within Web3. His engineering focus, combined with entrepreneurial experience, informs SuperRare’s approach to secure, scalable, and artist-first marketplace development. Collaboration or engagement with Charles Crain would center on technical integrations, platform innovations, and partnership opportunities that leverage the intersection of blockchain, software engineering, and creative digital art markets.
