An oasis is hidden within the heart of the San Francisco Bay area.
Perched atop the city’s newest landmark, the Salesforce Transit Center, five evergreen acres surround the future of culinary entertainment and nightlife experiences: SHO Club.
The front doors will be open to the general public. The hidden doors will unlock for a special community.
Joshua Sigel lives at the intersection of food and technology. From distribution, manufacturing, and supply chain, his journey through the food and entertainment industries culminates into the vision for SHO Club.
To bring this vision to life, Josh partnered with award-winning Chef Shotaro “Sho” Kamio.
“It feels like we’re kindred spirits,” Sigel said.
Sho and Sigel were introduced in 2018 by Marc Benioff, co-founder of Salesforce. The first time they visited Salesforce Park, they were blown away by the physical space.
“He and I spent quite a bit of time talking about what we felt the city was missing,” Sigel said.
They’re designing a world class culinary and nightlife experience. Beyond that, they’re building a cultural destination that will incorporate art, music, and fashion.
As a college student, Sigel recognized the entire social world at his school revolved around the club scene. At the same time, he noticed people were waiting in lines for up to an hour in order to get into the most popular clubs.
Meanwhile, across the street, some clubs were empty. He saw an opportunity.
That’s when Sigel built his first community. He compiled a list of 15,000 student emails and went to work.
He formed relationships with struggling club owners and established a network. He sent out his first email blast, and hundreds of people showed up to clubs that were previously sparse.
“From that point forward, I was always passionate about creating experiences. I saw people having a great time. I saw people being with their friends, and it gave me a lot of joy.”
SHO Club NFTs provide membership to a private hospitality club and exclusive access to immersive experiences.
Benefits will include 24/7 dedicated concierge, valet, and private car services. Holders will have access to priority reservations, a members only menu, and a SHO Club Members Lounge.
At the highest membership tier, holders will experience a private omakase dinner at their home, an all-expense-paid trip to Japan, and ownership-like benefits including revenue sharing and a seat on the “Fire Board” of Directors.
The Red Carpet Grand Opening Celebration is scheduled for Fall 2023. Between now and then, the project intends to deliver value to its holders by hosting live seasonal events in the upcoming Fall, Winter, and Spring.
In addition, they plan on hosting virtual cooking classes taught by Chef Sho, along with some special guests that will be announced in the coming months.
Holders can also expect other types of membership activations driven by partnerships and various pop-ups leading up to the grand opening.
The public pre-sale of the NFTs for allow list spots is scheduled for September, and the public mint will happen in October. Credit card purchases should be enabled for both.
ONE37pm sat down with Sigel and asked him, “Why NFTs?” What can this technology do in the hospitality business that wasn’t possible before?
“We’re believers in the technology,” Sigel said. “We’re not proponents of hype. We’re not about cash grabs.”
NFTs revolve around communities. The technology allows Founders to connect with their audience in new and interesting ways.
If Sigel wanted to reconnect with his first community from college, he wouldn’t be able to. Those school email addresses have been abandoned for ages.
But the blockchain is immutable. The digital identities and groups that form around NFTs can exist in perpetuity.
The SHO Club and its members will be forever tied on the public blockchain, and they will dine, dance, and delight as a community for as long as they please.
