Scott Lynn is the Founder and CEO of Masterworks.io. He Founded Masterworks in 2017 after realizing that art had better risk-adjusted returns than other asset classes, but the only way to invest is if someone has millions of dollars to buy a painting, or tens of millions of dollars to build a portfolio.
In 2014, Scott founded Payability, a digital lending provider. Scott has been an active collector of contemporary art for more than fifteen years and has built an internationally-recognized collection of Abstract Expressionism that has included works by Clyfford Still, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and more. In addition to Masterworks, Mr. Lynn serves on the board of v2 ventures (Adparlor, Giant Media, Reachmobi, Amply, and Sellozo), Payability, and the Brooklyn Rail (a non-profit publication in the art industry).
Masterworks was the first company enabling investors to buy and trade shares in multi-million dollar masterpieces created by world-renowned artists. By strategically purchasing investment-grade works of art, Masterworks is democratizing the art world by making high-end art investment accessible to everyone. Since 2018, the firm has acquired 40+ assets valued at over $90 million. Its sole successful exit to date had an actualized annual return of 32% net of fees. The firm targets a 3–10 year hold but with its Secondary Market, investors have the potential to exit early.