Back in the late 80s, Wall Street trader and entrepreneur Mike “Zappy” Zapolin, sniffed out how potentially profitable registering internet domain names could be for scaling businesses. Except, most companies he approached with this idea thought he was simply crazy. “Oh, we have brochures,” they told him. “What do we need an internet domain for?”
That’s when Zappy, who describes himself as a “futurist”, decided to buy out some of the most common domain names, including Beer.com and Diamond.com, for amounts ranging from US $80,000 to $300,000. Within a few years, he sold these for more than seven million dollars each.
His intuitive abilities propelled him to millionaire status overnight when the internet boom happened. “Forward thinking” is one way to encapsulate his personality, but “bizarre, bonkers yet somehow brilliant” works equally well.
Today, 53-year-old Zappy has come a long way from his days of internet domain fame. He has emerged as a thought leader and spiritual guide in one of the most unexpected spaces for a former Wall Street wolf. He is now a “psychedelic concierge”.
Zappy is part of a growing tribe of psychedelic advocates who are convinced that psychedelic-assisted therapy is how we’re going to combat the worsening mental health crisis that has characterised 2020. He has not only collaborated with wellness and meditation star Deepak Chopra, but also gone on consciousness transforming trips with celebrities including Fast & Furious actor Michelle Rodriguez and former NBA player Lamar Odom (who you’ve likely spotted on a Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ guilt-watching spree). His journey of serving as a psychedelic concierge to Odom in his darkest times is going to be released in an upcoming documentary.