Token2049, held against the stunning backdrop of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, became the epicenter for connecting with Web3 visionaries and innovators who are shaping the way we interact with technology, finance, and art. As Tellr’s founder and CEO, I was thrilled to attend this event and connect with global leaders through a shared passion for innovative technology.
At this vibrant convergence of minds and ideas, we discovered a number of groundbreaking projects and insights that are propelling us into an exciting new era. From blockchain-powered art investment platforms to Web3 mobile apps, from revolutionary Web3 games to security pioneers, Token2049 offered a glimpse into a world where the possibilities are as limitless as the blockchain itself.
Join us on this journey as we delve deep into the stories behind these projects, the people driving the Web3 revolution, and the fascinating conversations that unfolded on this stage of innovation.
Building Community Through Conversation
Let’s delve into the invaluable conversations we had with the brilliant minds behind some of the most innovative Web3 projects at Token2049. Through these dialogues, we gained unique insights into their projects’ foundations, their grand visions for the Web3 landscape, and the challenges they navigate in this dynamic space. These interactions allowed us to peer into the inner workings of projects that are not only shaping the future of technology but also redefining how we interact with the digital world.
Artfi – Fractionalized Art Ownership Using NFTs
We had the opportunity to link with Paul, the CMO of Artfi at their impressive booth. Artfi is opening the door to fine art investment for individuals and businesses that might not have had access in the past. By using NFTs to represent ownership, this project takes multi-million dollar pieces of art and fractionalizes them into 10,000 piece collections for investors to own. This paradigm shift in art investing is powered by blockchain and represents a future where more people can benefit from fine-art investments.
Paul spoke on how Artfi is pushing for accessibility of this high performing asset class and education/awareness around blockchain technology. This comes with benefits for holders whose asset value increases alongside the value of the art. When Artfi earns revenue through displays of the artwork at events or museums, so do the NFT holders. If Artfi and holders agree to sell a piece of physical art, then the NFT holders gain the profit. A very powerful concept that is sure to push the art industry into new territory.
Avacus App – An All in One Web3 Mobile App
Having launched in 2017, this application is founded by Wataru Matsuda of Japan, aiming to create a method from web3 spaces to live their life fully using cryptocurrency. The Avacus application facilitates communication, community building, social interaction all inside of one super application. Users can enjoy communication, trading, and more from the dApp, which is available in the iOS and Android store. Similar to apps like Line or Whats App, Avacus makes it possible to trade fungible and non-fungible tokens. With around 10,000 users across the globe, their app has seen some adoption in Japan, Vietnam, and beyond.
Pixelmon – Web3 Games Realized
Next up, we met with Ross, a community manager at Pixelmon. Their now legendary NFT collection launched this Web3 game into the zeitgeist of blockchain culture thanks to the memes but the project is proving to go well beyond this hype. Ross spoke about two of their games currently in development, the arena game and hunting grounds game. The former was available to play and test at the conference, and the latter is still in development. Pixelmon is exploring Web3 due to the trajectory this technology represents. Allowing users to not only play with their game assets, but own them. Flipping the script for users to benefit beyond traditional models of gaming. Ross spoke to some of the challenges that they face as builders in a market that is volatile, but that won’t slow them down. Keep an eye on this Web3 game, sure to make an impact.
Certik – Securing the Web3 World
The next booth we visited is well known by most in the space…Certik. This security leader has become widely known for their leadership in the realm of smart contract audits. Our conversation with John, their business development manager in the AIPAC region, reinforced the reputation that Certik has around Web3 security. Established since 2018, their security solutions go beyond smart contract audits into peg tests, KYCs, and advisory services. John spoke to some of the challenges that Certik faces with awareness and education in the space. From a content marketing perspective, their workshops, blogs, and resources aim to convey the critical importance of security in Web3. As their presence across EVM compatible ecosystems accelerates, we will be sure to hear more from Certik in the coming months and years ahead.
Cryptopia – Easing Onboarding with a Free Play to Earn Game
We had a very illuminating conversation with Sangho about how Cryptopia is pushing for accessibility of their game by removing as many points of friction as possible. Currently, entering the world of Web3 gaming can be very cumbersome for users, who have to install a wallet, purchase crypto or an NFT, and understand how to move assets around and into the dApp. Cryptopia is eliminating this by housing everything in a simple, free to use mobile app. Everything is in the game, to ease onboarding for users who might be interested in exploring this new space. A simple user-flow is augmented through the integration of a native crypto wallet in-game reduces bounce rates and makes Web3 gaming easier for new adopters. Development has been underway at Cryptopia for almost two years now, creating a serverless game that is different than many others in the space. This serverless functionality has led to the nickname “The Bitcoin of Gaming”. Having built on unity, gamers have a lot to look forward to with their game, which is currently in BETA with around 480 users.
SafePal – Protecting Digital Assets with a Hardware Wallets
Trusted by over 10 million users, SafePal is quickly becoming a leader among Hardware Wallets. As an integral element in the Web3 ecosystem, hardware wallets received a lot of attention at Token2049, especially after the recent backlash from Ledger users on their controversial seed phrase update. We spoke with Veronica, who drives business development at SafePal, a project founded in 2018 devoted to building the safest and easiest to use crypto wallet on the market. Their suite of solutions includes hardware, mobile, and browser extension wallets all in one place. Their impressive 10 million users can be found across 200+ countries, supporting more than 100 blockchains. Despite a majority of users in the US and Europe, Veronica spoke to the booming growth now being witnessed in the AIPAC region, specifically in Japan and the Philippines. What differentiates SafePal among the list of Web3 wallet competitors is their focus on a hybrid solution. While businesses like Ledger focus on hardware, and Metamask focuses on software, SafePal is driving innovation across the board and providing options to their users.
Ekoios – Making Blockchain Technologies Accessible and Affordable to Businesses of All Sizes
A quick stop at the Blockchain Gaming Alliance introduced us to the team at Ekoios, a Vietnam-based development house behind NFTify NFT Marketplace platform, Monsterra NFT Game, and Travala travel booking. Their full range of services is provided to companies worldwide. As Vietnam becomes an increasingly influential region in Web3, Tam and Helen spoke to how the younger generations are leading this charge. They’ve been building for five years, and this experience has helped them tap into multiple use cases for blockchain technology, fueling their clients across the globe. Their development of over 150 blockchain engineers are building across chains, including Ethereum, Cardano, Solana, and beyond. When looking to the future of blockchain development in AIPAC and across the globe, Ekoios is a name to be paying attention to.
Hologram – An All-in-one Platform for A.I. Characters
Was very excited to speak with Tong, the founder of Hologram, about their product offering and what they are building. As Deadfellaz holders, we at Tellr are very familiar with this application, and are actually users ourselves. Their technology enables NFT holders to create, play, and express themselves as their favorite characters. Already integrated with Deadfellaz, Pudgy Penguins, Doodles, Cool Cats and more, Hologram is tapping into Web2 streaming platforms like twitch, google meets, TikTok, and Discord for users to bring Web3 to new audiences. Now, as they continue to develop their product offerings they are harnessing the latest developments in A.I. Language and voice models allow users to embed a personality or character into their PFPs, to create content easier than ever before. If you’re a content creator or Web3 brand, Hologram is most definitely a project to be paying attention to.
Learning & Growing via Insightful Panels
Beyond the insightful conversations we had with these powerful businesses, the event had much more to offer. We attended a few choice panels that featured illuminating conversations between thought leaders on the current state of the industry and vision for the years ahead. A few discussions that left an impact on day 1…
The State of Polygon: Hosted by Sandeep Nailwal, Co-Founder of Polygon Foundation gave a great keynote on the work being done in the Polygon ecosystem and where their focus lies in the months and years ahead. Sandeep emphasized the benefits of allocating $1 billion to develop zero-knowledge (ZK) proof-powered scaling solutions for Ethereum. Nailwal discussed “Polygon 2.0” scaling efforts and the promise of recursive ZK-proof technology for creating an interoperable blockchain ecosystem. He highlighted the need for scalability and unified liquidity in Web3, which will require an aggregator or interoperability layer to combine ZK-proofs from various chains into a common layer. This recursive ZK-proof technology is expected to be deployed soon, potentially enabling cross-chain transactions in four to five seconds and enhancing liquidity across different chains.
The Convergence of AI and Web3: A very timely and important panel included Jake Brukhman of CoinFund, Jamie Burke of Outlier Ventures, Illia Polosukhin of NEAR Protocol, and Alex Blania of Tools for Humanity. It’s fascinating to see where Web3 and AI converge, as these two technologies are driving many innovation narratives. From the ability to use blockchain to verify identity and humanity, to the ability to create financial strategy using AI tools, there is a lot being explored here. Panelists spoke on the contrasting trends in these spaces, where blockchain champions transparency and openness, while AI are looking at innovation from a closed perspective. As these solutions develop it will be interesting to see where synergies exist and where limitations arise due to contrasting visions from leaders.
Web3 Gaming and the Path Towards an Open Metaverse: Panelists Yat Siu of Animoca Brands, Daniel Alegre of Yuga Labs, Aleksander Leonard Larsen of Axie Infinity, and Robbie Ferguson of Immutable came together for a vibrant discussion on one of the strongest current blockchain use cases, gaming. A big focus of this panel was onboarding the world’s gamers, quite a challenge for most Web3 games currently building. “The path of least resistance is a casual game where onboarding and off boarding is based on enjoyment. The ecosystem will evolve to attract hardcore gamers. It’s now an evolutionary time.” said Daniel. This highlights the desire to appeal to all types of gamers, but the current value of providing an addictive casual gaming experience.
Alexander spoke on his beliefs that character and IP exploration is what will drive innovation in the space. “Now is the time to explore IP. People love having a main character. People have a high degree of love for their character. That’s what we’re doing and that’s where innovation occurs. That’s where I expect to see innovation”
As always, Yat Sui had a lot to add to the topic, “The next titles will create a network effect where players love it and look at other games. This is what happened with console games too. Casual leads to hardcore gamers…The magic begins once people experience the power of ownership when shifting from web2 to web3. Web3 is the anchor for bringing financial literacy to the next generation of projects”
Exclusive Side Events
Animoca Brands x Sandbox – Mocaverse: We were honored to be present at Animoca Brand’s side event in Singapore. Fresh off of a $20 million raise, the energy was palpable as Yat Siu took the stage to speak on the new project. Mocaverse is a metaverse and gaming project initiated by Animoca Brands, a prominent venture capital firm specializing in metaverse and gaming investments. Mocaverse aims to provide Web3-native tools for users to create gaming and entertainment products within the metaverse. One notable development within Mocaverse is Moca ID, a non-fungible token (NFT) collection designed to enable users to establish on-chain identities, facilitating their participation in the Mocaverse ecosystem.
Sebastien Borget of Sandbox also spoke a bit about what they have accomplished recently and what’s in store for the coming months. As the biggest brands in both web2 and web3 look to the Sandbox as a digital home for their communities, metaverse and NFT builders have a lot to be bullish on. A land sale is imminent and an increasing number of projects are entering their ecosystem. It will be exciting to see how this progresses leading into the coming years.
So many great conversations at this Animoca event. From game developers to builders focused on social networks and platforms for content creators, Animoca is certainly connecting a powerful community of builders around their brand.
Liteflow NFTVerse: As a content marketing partner at Liteflow, we were thrilled to be part of their networking event. Boasting speakers from Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, Lightlink Chain, Bastion Wallet, Bitwave, and beyond, this was clearly one of the highlights of Token2049 week. The theme here was NFTs, both in gaming ecosystems and as a tool for businesses to strengthen their business models in preparation for the proliferation of Web3 platforms and processes. Liteflow is quickly emerging as a leader in NFT infrastructure, and the community they are building is powerful. This event served as an example of what’s in store for the Liteflow ecosystem of partners and projects, something to keep an eye on in the months and years ahead.
Conclusion
As our Token2049 adventure comes to an end, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for joining us on this captivating journey. The Web3 ecosystem is a rapidly evolving landscape, and staying informed is key to unlocking its full potential.
To continue exploring the ever-expanding world of Web3, subscribe to Tellr for regular updates, deep dives into innovative projects, and thought-provoking content. Don’t miss out on the latest developments, trends, and insights from the Web3 universe.