At the age of 30, businessman Nathan Ocampo has come full circle. He has had his share of life’s ups and downs—sweet victories that came from sheer determination, resourcefulness, and hard work were matched by bitter failures brought by the inevitable circumstances and his nature to be too trusting of people.
Ocampo’s modest childhood pushed him to learn the basic entrepreneurial skills, selling pastillas to classmates just to earn extra baon. Being second of three children of hardworking, middle-income parents, he emerged as a successful entrepreneur shortly after graduating from college.
At the age of 22, he got employed by a franchising company. It served as a life-changing immersion into his passion for business. He eventually earned substantial amounts as commission from signing up franchisees—an opportunity that opened the door for his assured success.
In 2017, he put up his own franchising business and succeeded in making his own franchise empire. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit the industry in 2020, not sparing his portfolio of franchise businesses. Worse, a business partner scammed him at the same time, almost leaving him on the brink of total bankruptcy.
An investment paying off
Fortunately, Ocampo had invested in Axie Infinity before he almost lost everything. “Halos mawalan ako ng pag-asa pero laking gulat ko nang malaman ko na lumago ang aking investment dito (I almost lost hope until I was surprised to learn that my investment grew),” he recalled.
In just a year and a half, his investment into Axie Infinity has grown to a significant seven-digit figure — more than enough to save his franchising businesses and turn the tide.
Ocampo is keeping and managing a team of Axie Infinity scholars, or dedicated and passionate players who raise and train ‘digital pets’ (more like the real-world versions of tamagochi and Pokemon). As a manager, he keeps a bootcamp, where the scholars have in-house training, and he shoulders each of the players’ expenses. In return, the manager earns an agreed-upon commission from the digital pets’ earnings.
Currently, Ocampo manages around a hundred players and keeps a bootcamp that houses about 10 of the scholars at a time. “Parang pamilya na kami ng team, parang mentor din nila ako sa buhay (We’re like a family in the team and I serve as their life mentor),” he said.
Business + Passion
Axie Infinity is a combination of business and passion. It fosters players to hone their self-control, patience, and skills in mobile gaming. On the business side, the platform is like a real stock market—rewards earned are converted into digital coins or SLPs (Smooth Love Potions, tokens used in Axie that serve as payment), which in turn can be converted into cryptocurrency that can be transferred as funds into bank accounts. The value of SLPs vary just like how share prices fluctuate in the business trading market.
“That’s where the monetary side of Axie Infinity sets in. A lot of investors into the game have been turning into instant millionaires doing what they like the most—playing games and supporting fellow players,” revealed another Axie Infinity investor.
For Ocampo, Axie Infinity now serves as another passion project for personal and professional reasons. “Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa Axie Infinity sa pagsagip sa akin. At masaya ako na nakakapagbigay din ng oportunidad sa mga players lalo na yung mga nawalan ng kita sa panahon ng pandemya (I owe it to Axie Infinity for saving me. I am also glad to provide opportunities to players especially those who lost their jobs during this pandemic).