

As an easy-to-use iOS and Android platform, YouMinter is opening the NFT world to the next millions of users. We break unnecessary entry barriers into Web3 by allowing any level of user from any part of the world to experience NFTs in three easy steps — download, sign up, and create!

As part of our initiative to create a unique experience that sets YouMinter apart from the industry’s noise, we launched the Genesis Sale on 19th January and will run until 30th January 2023. In the meantime, let’s bring you up to speed with what is going on.

### Genesis Sale Details

The Genesis Sale is our first event of Q1 2023, and as the name spells it out, it marks the beginning of a new NFT world where users co-own their engagement platform and have equal voices on decisions that matter. The biggest item of the Genesis Sale is the CameraBox, the user’s key to unlocking all NFT features on YouMinter.

We brought the event before the upcoming Mainnet launch on 31st January to create a uniform experience for all users. Anyone can participate in the Genesis sale, and we will tell you how to do that shortly. In that spirit, we are thrilled to announce that the giveaway phase of the Genesis has just concluded, and we have the winners of the 50 NFT CameraBoxes. Check out our [Twitter](https://twitter.com/youminter?t=Fub8Ld2GezI6VsbMk-eALA&s=09) handle to see how it went down.

![](https://awesomenear-spaces.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com/staging/articles/youminter-genesis-sale-details-and-what-we-have-for-you-this-year/0*cWtnxpZmGq8xjP0A)

### What Can You Do with Genesis NFT Cameras?

NFT Cameras will power all NFT-related activities within the YouMinter app. These are special tools that allow you to create and share NFT posts, as well as convert non-NFT posts into NFTs. All NFT Cameras are unique, but their rarity levels differ with the collection and several attributes. Users can always upgrade these attributes to add more value to their NFT Cameras.

While you can acquire the standard non-NFT Camera inside the app or mint it, the tools in the Genesis collection can only be acquired in the ongoing event, making them rarer and even more expensive in secondary marketplaces. Nonetheless, monetization is just a side benefit. The key benefits of owning the NFT Cameras inside the Genesis CameraBox include having the following:

*   Early access to the YouMinter platform after the official launch on Mainnet and all NFT features, including creating, receiving, and sending NFTs and upcoming upgrades;
*   Benefits in Earning System, which means more profitable conditions in Reward System for holders of Genesis NFT Cameras;
*   Common or Uncommon Cameras. It should be noted that you can find the Uncommon NFT Camera only from CameraBox;
*   CameraBoxes for a fixed price. It is during the Genesis Sale that CameraBoxes can be purchased at a fixed price on marketplaces.

### How and Where to Get a CameraBox

The only way to acquire an NFT CameraBox in the Genesis Sale is by buying it at a fixed price or auction bid. Those looking forward to buying directly can visit [**Paras**](https://paras.id/collection/youminter_camerabox.near) or [**Mintbase**](https://www.mintbase.io/contract/youminter_camerabox.near/nfts/only-listed/0) NFT marketplaces. For bidders, [**Boca Chica’s auction**](https://auction.bocachica.io/) is the place to find your key to the boundless NFT world.

Here are the rounded-up steps for acquiring your CameraBox:

*   Follow the ongoing Genesis Sale on Paras, Mintbase, or Boca Chica;
*   Browse the Genesis Collection and collect as many pieces as you want;
*   Connect your NEAR wallet to log in;
*   Choose Buy or Place a bid, depending on the preferred acquisition mode;
*   Approve the purchase in your NEAR wallet;
*   Get the CameraBox in your NEAR wallet;
*   Log in with your NEAR wallet to YouMinter and launch your Genesis NFT once we go live on Mainnet.

It’s worth noting that all these marketplaces are our partners within the bigger NEAR ecosystem umbrella, and we share the same goal and vision of taking the NFT experience to the mainstream arena. That said, most features in the marketplaces can be best experienced if you’re connecting within the NEAR chain and ecosystem.

### About YouMinter

YouMinter is a Web3 social network in an easy-to-use iOS and Android app with an NFT feed, followers, and likes that opens up the world of NFT to everyone and is owned by its users. By taking advantage of YouMinter, users can build their communities, follow bloggers and artists, and communicate with all of them in one single place and with the power of NFTs. Moreover, the more your community grows, the more project’s share you get. We call it Ownership Economy.

[Website](https://youminter.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/youminter) | [Discord](http://discord.gg/xXm2Db88n5) | [Telegram](https://t.me/youminter) | [Medium](https://youminter.medium.com/)



* * *

[YouMinter Genesis Sale Details and What We Have for You This Year](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/the-genesis-sale-details-and-what-we-have-for-you-this-year-1a0d91653f93) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As an easy-to-use iOS and Android platform, YouMinter is opening the NFT world to the next millions of users. We break unnecessary entry barriers into Web3 by allowing any level of user from any part of the world to experience NFTs in three easy s...

YouMinter Genesis Sale Details and What We Have for You This Year



The world of DeFi is chaotic and demands energy, focus, and skills from users that want to participate in it. In this environment, finding the right platform for starting your DeFi journey can be a real game changer, and UNO.Farm aims to make DeFi not only more accessible and safer, but also effortless by implementing a novel approach to asset management. UNO.Farm developed an automated cross-chain management of assets so users can invest in the best performing pools and simply sit back while UNO.Farm’s algorithm manages your assets.

#### **Bringing the Best Opportunities Under one Roof**

Keeping up with the world of DeFi can be hard. Users not only need to track their investments across different applications and ecosystems, but also to find the best analytical tools to identify their next move. In order to facilitate this, UNO.Farm built the most comprehensive and easy-to-use platform for managing and discovering new investment opportunities. By bringing together the best farming, lending, and liquidity opportunities under one roof, UNO.Farm provides you with just the right tools to embark on your DeFi journey with peace of mind.

#### **How Does UNO.Farm Work?**

Identifying farm opportunities is a difficult task that requires a lot of time and attention, making the barrier to entry difficult for new users to overcome. UNO.Farm tries to lower entry barriers to DeFi by providing the following set of resources that help users orient themselves and discover new opportunities to efficiently manage their assets.

#### **Data Aggregation**

UNO.Farm aggregates the best farming, lending, and liquidity-providing opportunities in one place effectively allowing users to cut the time spent on manual search.

#### **Careful Selection**

For the past three years the UNO.Farm’s team has been running Mycelium lab, a crypto development company that helped create over thirty crypto and DeFi custom products. Its experienced team will be responsible for selecting reliable products with a solid track record curating a healthy DeFi environment.

#### **Automated Liquidity Management**

Farming involves lending or staking cryptocurrency in exchange for interest and other rewards. It requires a lot of manual work and this might often result in easily preventable mistakes. UNO.Farm bypasses these issues by offering an automated, cross-chain, intelligent solution that continuously analyzes hundreds of carefully selected pools across the entire DeFi ecosystem and moves each user’s liquidity into the most efficient ones.

#### **Personal Profit Analysis**

Users can get a convenient and detailed analysis of all their DeFi investments in one place.

#### **Cross-Chain**

UNO.Farm automatically bridges the liquidity across the chains to access the best pools.

#### **User Friendly UI & UX**

UNO.Farm provides a very intuitive interface that allows users to get started in just a few minutes. Once users have selected their pool they can go ahead to deposit their assets and in no time their funds will be allocated to the best DeFi protocols. Keeping track of their portfolio is equally simple and at any point in time their funds can be redeemed.

#### **UNO.Farm x Aurora**

With UNO.Farm, the Aurora ecosystem is opening the gates of DeFi wide open by making investing in DeFi effortless and secure for anyone. Get your DeFi journey started!

[Website](https://app.uno.farm/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/uno_farm)

#### About Aurora

Aurora is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based on the layer 1 proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides a solution for developers to deploy their apps on an Ethereum-compatible, high-speed, scalable, and future-proof platform with low transaction costs for their users.

**Join the Aurora community:** [Website](https://aurora.dev/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/auroraisnear) | [Telegram](https://t.me/auroraisnear) | [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/dEFJBz8HQV) | [Medium](https://auroraisnear.medium.com/) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5inYyvUO10iL65hBPFtpvg)



The world of DeFi is chaotic and demands energy, focus, and skills from users that want to participate in it. In this environment, finding the right platform for starting your DeFi journey can be a real game changer, and UNO.Farm aims to make DeFi...

UNO.Farm: Your DeFi Journey Made Easy



Aurora’s partnership with Etherscan has been a successful one. As the most popular block explorer for Ethereum, Etherscan introduced a familiar set of tools to the Aurora ecosystem facilitating project deployments. However, as Aurora continues to grow and innovate, it needs to develop its own tailor-made robust tooling to fulfill its vision.

Aurora’s mission is to facilitate the adoption of Web3 technology and unlock its potential for any user and business. To achieve this, Aurora needs to provide scalable, convenient and turnkey blockchain infrastructure, able to accommodate a wide range of needs in the most efficient and sustainable way. Relying on vendor-provided core infrastructure components creates potential risks and functional limitations. Hence, the development of our own block explorer becomes imperative.

With the launch of the new Aurora block explorer, innovative use cases will become possible that will open up the gates of Web3 to a wider range of businesses. While the Aurora Labs team works on the new Aurora block explorer — whose launch is expected to take place in the coming months — users will in the meantime be able to rely on our Blockscout-based interim solution to perform their usual tasks, located at [https://explorer.aurora.dev.](https://explorer.aurora.dev.)

#### About Aurora

Aurora is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based on the layer 1 proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides a solution for developers to deploy their apps on an Ethereum-compatible, high-speed, scalable, and future-proof platform with low transaction costs for their users.

[**Website**](https://aurora.dev/) **|** [**GitHub**](https://github.com/aurora-is-near/aurora-engine) **|** [**Twitter**](https://twitter.com/auroraisnear) **|** [**Medium**](https://auroraisnear.medium.com/) **|** [**Telegram**](https://t.me/auroraisnear) **|** [**Discord**](https://discord.gg/dEFJBz8HQV) **|** [**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5inYyvUO10iL65hBPFtpvg) **|** [**Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/auroraisnear/)

**Join the Aurora team:** [Open Positions](https://auroralabs.dev/)**Join our community:** [Community Guilds](https://aurora.dev/ecosystem?category=Community&subcategory=Regional+Communities+and+Community+media) | [Community Swag store](https://auroraonelove.com/)



* * *

[Aurora Ends Its Partnership with Etherscan](https://medium.com/aurora-platform/aurora-ends-its-partnership-with-etherscan-31b5a5659f31) was originally published in [Aurora Platform](https://medium.com/aurora-platform) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Aurora’s partnership with Etherscan has been a successful one. As the most popular block explorer for Ethereum, Etherscan introduced a familiar set of tools to the Aurora ecosystem facilitating project deployments. However, as Aurora continues to ...

Aurora Ends Its Partnership with Etherscan



In a bid to enhance the trading experience on WOO X and provide users with solid market insights, WOO Network has partnered with Kronos Trading Group (KTG), a proprietary trading firm with a team of 30 experienced traders specializing in the crypto asset markets.

KTG practices short-term discretionary trading based on price action to generate profits, applying different strategies depending on each trader’s personality and trading style. An entirely separate operating entity from market-making firm Kronos Research, traders at KTG use professional trading tools such as Quantower, Tiger Trade, and Cscalp. The team at KTG trades on leading centralized exchanges (CEX) such as Binance and WOO X.

“Our partnership means working closely with the team at WOO X as they build an even more robust trading platform, as our team shares our experience with top exchanges. KTG will also be more visible on the WOO Network website with the regular publishing of our insights such as on macroeconomic trends, crypto-related news, and particular assets that we’re watching closely,” said Marek Chajecki, founder of KTG.

“Traders are even more demanding these days, they are constantly seeking an edge to outperform the market. Seeking alpha requires a combination of skill, experience, and time-sensitive access to information and resources. KTG’s insights from trading on other top platforms will be valuable to our goal of providing WOO X traders with what they need exactly to perform well,” said Mitchell Williams from WOO Network Ecosystem.

#### **Weekly trading outlook — Powered by KTG**

On a regular basis, the team at KTG will collab with WOO Network on a series of posts via WOO Network’s official [Twitter](https://twitter.com/WOOnetwork) handle, with the hashtag #TradingOutlook.

By tapping on the collective expertise and insights provided by KTG, WOO Network can provide traders with deep market knowledge to further sharpen their trading edge. In order to not miss out on any of these insights, follow [WOO Network](https://twitter.com/WOOnetwork) and [KTG](https://twitter.com/KTGglobal) on Twitter, and stay tuned for updates every week!

Or perhaps you are an experienced trader looking for the perfect environment to take your trades to the next level? KTG aims to help traders to learn, grow and empower them to succeed. Learn more about joining KTG [here](https://ktg.global/).

#### Stay tuned for all of WOO Network’s exciting developments!

*   Socials: [cuda.io/woonetwork](http://cuda.io/woonetwork)
*   Website: [https://woo.org](https://woo.network/)
*   Telegram Announcements: [https://t.me/woonetworkann](https://t.me/woonetworkann)
*   Medium: [https://medium.com/woonetwork](https://medium.com/woonetwork)

_The content above is neither a recommendation for investment and trading strategies nor does it constitute an offer, solicitation, or recommendation of any product or service. The content is for informational sharing purposes only. Anyone who makes or changes the investment decision based on the content shall undertake the result or loss by himself/herself._

_The content of this document has been translated into different languages and shared throughout different platforms. In case of any discrepancy or inconsistency between different posts caused by mistranslations, the English version on our official website shall prevail._



* * *

[WOO Network partners with KTG to maximize traders’ performance](https://medium.com/woonetwork/woo-network-partners-with-ktg-to-maximize-traders-performance-5b05f408b65f) was originally published in [WOO Network](https://medium.com/woonetwork) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In a bid to enhance the trading experience on WOO X and provide users with solid market insights, WOO Network has partnered with Kronos Trading Group (KTG), a proprietary trading firm with a team of 30 experienced traders specializing in the crypt...

WOO Network partners with KTG to maximize traders’ performance



In 2022 the [Aurora v2 Validator](https://aurora.dev/blog/near-proof-of-stake-2-0) was set up and launched with the objective of helping Aurora provide an accessible and smooth user experience. In the first year of its operation, 5 million $AURORA were allocated for the Aurora Validator, after a [proposal](https://forum.aurora.dev/t/aurora-validator-v-2-0-setup/100) was accepted by [Aurora DAO](https://aurora.dev/dao). A [new proposal](https://forum.aurora.dev/t/approved-allocate-an-additional-operational-budget/1854) to allocate an additional operational budget has been put forward and recently [approved](https://forum.aurora.dev/t/approved-aurora-validator-2023-2024-setup/1912).

The new parameters envisaged by the proposal are the following:

*   Set up the validator fee to 99% to incentivize delegators of the Validator amidst adverse market conditions;
*   Set up the farm of 20M $AURORA;
*   Establish the length of the farm to 1 year.

The above parameters will allow delegators to get a 19.9%-14.6% range of APY with total stake size in between 11–15M $NEAR, respectively, considering the current price of tokens involved.

Currently, Aurora Labs has been assigned by Aurora DAO as the main service provider and has therefore been the major recipient of the Aurora Validator’s rewards. While in the future this might change, for the coming year, Aurora Labs will continue to run the necessary operations for maintaining and enhancing Aurora.

We want to emphasize that the Aurora Validator allows Aurora to offer an accessible and convenient user experience by subsidizing the [RainbowBridge](https://ethereum.bridgetonear.org/), the [EVM runtime](https://doc.aurora.dev/), [Aurora+](https://aurora.plus/) free transactions and by supporting the development of the Aurora Protocol. We strongly believe that basic functionalities should be accessible for anyone and the Aurora Validator helps us guarantee that Aurora continues to be not just a viable option but a great and affordable option for any user.

You can now easily stake with the [Aurora Validator](https://wallet.near.org/staking/aurora.pool.near), get reasonable rewards, and help Aurora DAO bring you the most convenient blockchain experience!

#### About Aurora

Aurora is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based on the layer 1 proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides a solution for developers to deploy their apps on an Ethereum-compatible, high-speed, scalable, and future-proof platform with low transaction costs for their users.

**Join Aurora community:** [Website](https://aurora.dev/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/auroraisnear) | [Telegram](https://t.me/auroraisnear) | [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/dEFJBz8HQV) | [Medium](https://auroraisnear.medium.com/) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5inYyvUO10iL65hBPFtpvg)



* * *

[Aurora Relaunches its Validator](https://medium.com/aurora-platform/aurora-relaunches-its-validator-537b402f909c) was originally published in [Aurora Platform](https://medium.com/aurora-platform) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In 2022 the [Aurora v2 Validator](https://aurora.dev/blog/near-proof-of-stake-2-0) was set up and launched with the objective of helping Aurora provide an accessible and smooth user experience. In the first year of its operation, 5 million $AURORA...

Aurora Relaunches its Validator



**Introducing a platform to unite the projects, investors, and talent building on the Open Web**

NEARWEEK is excited to introduce our brand-new platform: HEROES. HEROES aims to unite the wide range of projects in the Web3 ecosystem with skilled developers and investors, providing a seamless experience for collaboration, innovation and engagement.

**HEROES LIVE  
**With HEROES LIVE, NEARWEEK has put together a live show for emerging projects to showcase their products and gain visibility within the community. The live space will feature pitches from the best start-ups and projects building on NEAR Protocol.

In the show, each project has the opportunity to present their product and answer questions from a panel of industry experts and angel investors, resulting in a unique dynamic setting for projects to showcase and gain valuable feedback from the community.

Essentially, NEARWEEK will let you explain to the world what type of product you’re building and why it’s awesome.Tune in soon and discover the latest and greatest NEAR-based projects under development!

The first episode is set to go live at the end of January 2023 and it will be streamed via our Youtube and Twitter.

**Why HEROES LIVE?**  
In the ever-growing noise of web3, it can be extremely difficult for talented projects to be noticed. Continuous growth, and success, relies on a fine balance between exposure, development, knowledge, and financial backing. From our experience building on NEAR, we found that in order to develop your project in the most optimal way, you need guidance, community, network and funding from the right stakeholders.

At NEARWEEK, we’re building HEROES to facilitate this. We’ve created an entertaining and visually appealing format for pitching and presenting ideas. We hope that this connects the various creators and projects building on NEAR and matches them with potential investors.

> _“In our daily work we often encounter projects with great potential. Unfortunately, these same projects are often missing key pieces in order to get the right exposure and funding to spearhead development.”_

> _\- P3ter, Co-founder of NEARWEEK_

**Want to have your project featured on HEROES LIVE?  
**Are you currently looking for exposure, funding, connections or advice on how to accelerate development of your NEAR project? Your project might be the perfect candidate for our upcoming pitch show HEROES Live!

Please, fill out the form below and we will review your request:

[HEROES Live — Project Submission Form](https://4efdmh2cgdi.typeform.com/HEROES-LIVE)

Further information regarding the launch of HEROES Live will be announced very soon — be sure to follow NEARWEEK and our weekly newsletter to stay updated!

**About NEARWEEK  
**NEARWEEK is one of the first decentralised news sources within the NEAR ecosystem. Via the production of quality content, news, and promotional support, NEARWEEK unleashes the full potential of its media outlets to act as the social epicentre of the NEAR ecosystem.

[Website](http://nearweek.com/) | [Twitter](http://twitter.com/nearweek) | [Newsletter](https://subscribe.nearweek.com/)



* * *

[NEARWEEK LAUNCHES HEROES](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/nearweek-launches-heroes-189bc0a261d8) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

**Introducing a platform to unite the projects, investors, and talent building on the Open Web**

NEARWEEK LAUNCHES HEROES



Mainstream adoption of Web3 could conceivably be possible with the convergence of NFTs and blockchain. [YouMinter](https://youminter.com/) is a Web3 social app that empowers the next generation of social media users to truly own and monetize their content. With intuitive interaction features, users on YouMinter can build Web3 micro-communities and share their NFT creations with a vibrant global audience.

In the race to onboard the next millions of users into Web3, YouMinter is launching its blockchain-based social network on Mainnet on January 31st 2023.

#### YouMinter Mainnet Release: What It Means for the Community, and the Events Preceding It

“Mainnet release is a crucial kick-off for YouMinter. The journey hasn’t been easy, having spent some time on the testnet. We were also delayed by Apple’s ambiguous policies for deploying NFT-related applications on App Store. Still, now we are happy that it will finally be happening,” says YouMinter CEO, Karym.

YouMinter’s official release on Mainnet will be preceded by the Genesis NFT Sale on [**Paras**](https://paras.id/collection/youminter_camerabox.near), [**Mintbase**](https://www.mintbase.io/contract/youminter_camerabox.near/nfts/only-listed/0) and [**BocaChica**](https://auction.bocachica.io/) that starts on 19th January 2023. Users will stand a chance to unlock the power of Genesis NFT and take their experience on YouMinter to the next level with NFT Cameras of different rarity level.

#### What is the Genesis Sale, NFT CameraBoxes, and How to Get One?

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*nN3Hgnax99Kxp4fph2CHxg.jpeg)

The upcoming Genesis Sale on [**Paras**](https://paras.id/collection/youminter_camerabox.near), [**Mintbase**](https://www.mintbase.io/contract/youminter_camerabox.near/nfts/only-listed/0) and [**BocaChica**](https://auction.bocachica.io/) will enable users to unlock the full potential of the Web3 social app. During the Sale, we will be releasing a total of 500 Genesis CameraBoxes. Our Genesis CameraBox allows users to obtain a limited-edition NFT Camera that is usable in-app like all other Cameras. However, Genesis holders will have advantage of being the first who can create NFTs in YouMinter app and get more benefits in terms of all platform’s features.

The advantages of Genesis NFTs are hidden in them and lie in the limited supply of these NFT Cameras, the special marking, and the opportunity to purchase them only now at Genesis Sale.

The idea behind Genesis NFTs is to give YouMinter’s early adopters a unique tool inside the app that would help them to get more benefits while growing their community.

To get your Genesis NFT you should follow these simple steps:

*   Follow the Genesis Sale on 19th of January that will take place on [**Paras**](https://paras.id/collection/youminter_camerabox.near), [**Mintbase**](https://www.mintbase.io/contract/youminter_camerabox.near/nfts/only-listed/0) and [**BocaChica**](https://auction.bocachica.io/);
*   Login using your Near wallet;
*   Purchase as many YouMinter’s Genesis NFT as you wish;
*   Once the YouMinter app is live on Mainnet, create an account there using your Near wallet, where your Genesis NFTs are stored.

The price of Genesis NFTs will be revealed right before the sale, so stay tuned to YouMinter’s socials.

#### Why Youminter Builds on NEAR

YouMinter is built on the NEAR — blockchain solution tailored for Web3 masses. All platforms and decentralized applications (DApps) on the NEAR ecosystem take pride in communities and enable users to have control of their assets. DAO governance, autonomous democracy in its glory, is also a fundamental mission of the NEAR ecosystem. Moreover, thanks to NEAR’s greater security, scalability, and standards & tools to attract more developers, NEAR becomes a great technology that allows such projects as YouMinter to onboard a new generation of users to Web3.

#### Wrapping It Up

Web3 has a distinctive core feature — decentralization — with immense potential to inspire a paradigm shift for digital applications and interactions. YouMinter Web3 Social app is among the promising players who will usher in millions of people into Web3 via NFTs. Follow YouMinter’s [**Twitter**](https://twitter.com/youminter) to stay updated, and download YouMinter app on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.youminter.com) or [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1591036487) to begin your NFT journey.

#### About YouMinter

YouMinter is a Web3 social network in an easy-to-use iOS and Android app with an NFT feed, followers, and likes that opens up the world of NFT to everyone and is owned by its users. By taking advantage of YouMinter, users can build their communities, follow bloggers and artists, and communicate with all of them in one single place and with the power of NFTs. Moreover, the more your community grows, the more project’s share you get. We call it Ownership Economy.

[Website](https://youminter.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/youminter) | [Discord](http://discord.gg/xXm2Db88n5) | [Telegram](https://t.me/youminter) | [Medium](https://youminter.medium.com/)



* * *

[Announcing the YouMinter NFT Sale and Upcoming Mainnet Launch](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/announcing-the-youminter-nft-sale-and-upcoming-mainnet-launch-9d0a5ae3a9cf) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Mainstream adoption of Web3 could conceivably be possible with the convergence of NFTs and blockchain. [YouMinter](https://youminter.com/) is a Web3 social app that empowers the next generation of social media users to truly own and monetize their...

Announcing the YouMinter NFT Sale and Upcoming Mainnet Launch



_Web3 is a young and evolving ecosystem. New decentralized applications are opening the doors to unique experiences in every sector, and now; the time has come to inaugurate a new era for Web3-native communication on Aurora with the onset of Mailchain._

#### **A New Standard For Web3 Communication**

Currently, Web3 users do not have an easy way of sending and receiving messages from their blockchain identities, or wallets. Most communication happens through instant messaging, social media, and community servers. This makes keeping track of valuable, relevant information, such as NFT mints, DeFi positions, and DAO votes across these channels an overwhelming endeavor. With Mailchain, a new Web3-communication protocol, Aurora users can keep all their communication in one place, receive emails natively, wallet-to-wallet, and with as many blockchain identities as they desire.

#### **What Are The Benefits?**

Mailchain enables users to receive messages from dapps, DAOs, and other users. For dapp to user communication, the use cases include getting notified about a new launch, NFT collection, event, governance vote or security issue. DAO members can easily communicate using their native identity (i.e. their address or .aurora name), and recipients can be sure they are communicating with a verified address.

The protocol and inbox are live today, supporting Aurora names and addresses. For developers, a [javascript SDK](https://docs.mailchain.com/developer/installation) is available to easily integrate sending messages from applications.

#### **How Does It Work?**

Mailchain implements a traditional webmail design that functions just like a traditional email, but for Web3. Users can send end-to-end encrypted mail using a Mailchain account or any personal blockchain addresses for no charge or gas fees. It provides the ability to add multiple wallets to one inbox and creates one private home for Web3 activity.

Anyone who is familiar with the traditional e-mail service will immediately feel at home using Mailchain. All actions, including “Compose” and “Send,” are intuitive. Adding wallets, such as MetaMask, to a @mailchain address, is straightforward and secure, as Mailchain never asks for private keys. Once added, users can send and receive rich text messages, including gifs, from their wallets. On top of that, end-to-end encryption is abstracted away, so Mailchain feels first and foremost convenient, with all communication threads in one place.

#### **Mailchain Team**

Mailchain’s co-founders, Tim Boeckmann ([Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/boeckmann/)) and Rob De Feo ([Github](https://github.com/robdefeo)), started exploring messaging and communications in blockchain ecosystems in 2018, where they saw an opportunity to evolve how people communicate online. In 2019, they built the first Mailchain open-source project, which was largely community supported. By late 2021, Mailchain had evolved. Tim and Rob introduced an entirely new model for communication that can scale to support humanity’s messaging needs.

The Mailchain team consists of technical and community builders committed to the mission. They put Mailchain’s culture at the heart of everything the company does. They develop with purpose and give back to the community, prioritizing principles for positive social change.

#### **About Mailchain**

Mailchain is a new Web3-communication protocol that allows users to keep all their communication in one place, receive emails natively, wallet-to-wallet, and with as many blockchain identities as they desire.

**Join Mailchain community:** [Website](https://mailchain.com) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Mailchain_xyz) | [White Paper](https://go.mailchain.com/whitepaper) | [Tutorials](https://docs.mailchain.com/developer/tutorials/send-via-api)

#### About Aurora

Aurora is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based on the layer 1 proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides a solution for developers to deploy their apps on an Ethereum-compatible, high-speed, scalable, and future-proof platform with low transaction costs for their users.

**Join Aurora community:** [Website](https://aurora.dev/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/auroraisnear) | [Telegram](https://t.me/auroraisnear) | [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/dEFJBz8HQV) | [Medium](https://auroraisnear.medium.com/) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5inYyvUO10iL65hBPFtpvg)



* * *

[Mailchain–The Future of Web3 Communication Landing at Aurora](https://medium.com/aurora-platform/mailchain-the-future-of-web3-communication-landing-at-aurora-83666880af7) was originally published in [Aurora Platform](https://medium.com/aurora-platform) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

_Web3 is a young and evolving ecosystem. New decentralized applications are opening the doors to unique experiences in every sector, and now; the time has come to inaugurate a new era for Web3-native communication on Aurora with the onset of Mailc...

Mailchain–The Future of Web3 Communication Landing at Aurora



**Rising DAO is launching the first portrait, _Artists From A New Planet,_ from its upcoming collection exploring different ways culture can integrate with blockchain technology.**

**January 16th, 2023 — San Francisco, California/Lagos, Nigeria** — [Rising DAO](https://twitter.com/RisingDAO_NFTs), a content innovation DAO on the NEAR Protocol announces its first written project today, **Portrait of the Artists**, exploring the lives of artists and creatives innovating on the NEAR Protocol. The piece will be an NFT and will be launched on January 23rd, 2023.

The first ‘Portrait #1 — Lagos, Nigeria — Artists of A New Planet’ profiles the extraordinary activity, creativity and action seen in artists, community activists and at-risk-communities in Lagos, Nigeria. The design of this portrait is by Lagos-based David Okeke Ifeanyichukwu. Each portrait in the series will be marketed as an NFT and has been been created for printing so that it can be shown in-person.

The project is both creative and analytical. At its heart it tells the story of the life and creative journey of artists, their communities and how their lives are changing on the blockchain. [Sarah Kornfeld](http://www.sarahkornfeld.net/), the author of the piece, has engaged [the community](https://gov.near.org/t/open-call-rising-dao-open-call-for-african-artists-and-daos-portrait-of-the-artists-nft-series/29741) within Africa throughout 2022 for artist manifestos and examples of innovation in culture and technology through media projects on the blockchain.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*5wGpUavCNdL-rHcusXTMaw.jpeg)

The community in Africa is just the tip of the iceberg for how artists will actualize the blockchain to grow their work and sustainability. Africa is leapfrogging the rest of the world by utilizing its experience with microfunding, building trust within communities and growing its own economy.

‘We were delighted to meet members of Rising DAO in a Twitter space!’, explains Dedeukwu Shryne, musician, co-founder of C1 Guild, profiled in Portrait #1.

‘It’s very Web3 to meet people you might never encounter otherwise in Twitter Spaces. We connected over our shared excitement and belief that NEAR Protocol is giving us is a new way to frame our value and empower people through NFTs and art making. This profile shows the meaningful and positive impact we are making in Lagos. The art it profiles, and the people in it, are all a part of the solution. We love this piece and think that Rising DAO profiling creative innovation is a crucial step for the ecosystem.’

The NFT **_Artists From A New Planet_** will launch January 23rd, 2023 on [Mintbase Marketplace](https://www.mintbase.io) (as well as on additional marketplaces yet to be announced.) If you’re interested in the developments surrounding art and community, be check out the portrait upon its release!

_Enquiries:_ [_@grace\_undiluted_](https://twitter.com/Grace_undiluted?s=20&t=dYA54Q7OgZTcNCvjdvRV3w) _or ohadomablessed@gmail.com_

**About Rising DAO**

Rising DAO is a Content Innovation DAO. Its aim is to research, write and amplify the unique stories of artists/creators and creative technologists on the blockchain in a way that is deep, engaging and innovates content in Web3. Through research, Rising DAO identifies key themes and trends, enabling the production of innovative content in the form of media (documentaries) and writing, while providing strategic counsel to projects and entertainment DAOs as the arts evolve.

**About NEARWEEK**

NEARWEEK is one of the first decentralised news sources within the NEAR ecosystem. Via the production of quality content, news, and promotional support, NEARWEEK unleashes the full potential of its media outlets to act as the social epicentre of the NEAR ecosystem.

[Website](http://nearweek.com/) **|** [Twitter](http://twitter.com/nearweek) **|** [Newsletter](https://subscribe.nearweek.com/)



* * *

[RISING DAO PREMIERES ‘PORTRAIT OF THE ARTISTS’ NFT SERIES ON NEAR PROTOCOL](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/rising-dao-premieres-portrait-of-the-artists-nft-series-on-near-protocol-6616eb789d34) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

**Rising DAO is launching the first portrait, _Artists From A New Planet,_ from its upcoming collection exploring different ways culture can integrate with blockchain technology.**

RISING DAO PREMIERES ‘PORTRAIT OF THE ARTISTS’ NFT SERIES ON NEAR PROTOCOL



#### What is Kenshi?

[Kenshi](https://kenshi.io/) is a full-stack application development platform targeting blockchains. Kenshi enables fast product development and reduces time to market. Whether developers want to index and query blockchain data or deliver data to the blockchain, Kenshi has them covered by enabling two-way communication.

Kenshi’s vision is to lift the limitations faced by developers each day and allow them to build more innovative blockchain applications with real-world use cases. Whether they are making complex applications or smart contracts interacting with machines and IoT devices outside the blockchain, they provide the necessary help you bring their ideas to light.

#### The Kenshi Deep Index

The [Kenshi Deep Index](https://kenshi.io/docs/services/deep-index) service allows indexing and querying blockchain data using GraphQL or MQL. The Kenshi Deep Index data cluster geographically distributes your data to guarantee high availability and fast region-independent access times.

Kenshi also provides R-API (webhooks) and the Kenshi IoT platform as a part of the Kenshi Deep Index service. Kenshi R-API is a push notification service for the blockchain that delivers events directly to your application endpoint, so you don’t have to keep querying for them.

Kenshi IoT SDKs allow using the Kenshi Deep Index services on embedded devices. Builders can use the Kenshi IoT service to develop smart city projects, smart devices, or any other embedded electronics project requiring real-time blockchain data access.

Some of the use cases of the Kenshi Deep Index service are:

*   Query events efficiently without iterating over each block on the blockchain
*   Keep track of moved assets or other trackable quantities
*   Notify users of received tokens and NFTs or when a specific event happens
*   Connect events to automation tools such as IFTTT, Zapier, Make.com, and others
*   Create serverless data flows and redirect blockchain events to AWS Lambda, Vercel, Cloudflare Workers, and others
*   Receive data from the blockchain on IoT devices such as ESP32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and others

#### The Kenshi Oracle Network

The [Kenshi Oracle Network](https://kenshi.io/docs/services/oracle-network) allows the development, deployment, and operation of custom oracles on various blockchains. With the Kenshi Oracle Network, developers can use the technology of their choice to create custom oracles, allowing them to focus on their business use case instead of solving common oracle development problems.

The Kenshi Oracle Network takes care of event sourcing, task queues, security, caching, scaling, nonce management, error management, data delivery, and retries so builders can spend more time on their business logic. Kenshi Oracle Network Blueprints allow developers to bootstrap a custom oracle or deploy a dedicated version of an existing one.

Kenshi provides Blueprints for a price feed oracle, a proof of balance oracle, a weather station oracle, and a VRF oracle. Kenshi also provides a simple oracle Blueprint as a starting point for developing more extensive, complex oracles.

Some of the use cases of the Kenshi Oracle Network are:

*   Keep track of the ownership of blockchain assets across L1 and L2 chains
*   Track business data such as received payments, commodities, shipments, and others
*   Connect your smart contract to real-world data like weather, sports, and others
*   Get randomness for blockchain games, dynamic NFTs, and others
*   Run heavy in-game computations off the chain
*   Call any API and return its results to the blockchain

#### Why Aurora ?

Aurora is amongst the best EVM blockchains. It is a smart contract on NEAR and benefits from all the features of the NEAR protocol. Aurora is fast and scalable, making it an excellent match for the Kenshi high-performance services. It is also a carbon-neutral blockchain with low transaction costs, making it a perfect choice for decentralized applications.

#### About Kenshi

Kenshi is a tech company interested in blockchain technology and distributed systems, as well as a token on the BNB Chain. While the vast majority of tokens on the market rely merely on the market hype to derive their value, Kenshi does it by bringing actual projects into life.

[Website](https://kenshi.io/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/KenshiTech) | [Medium](https://blog.kenshi.io/) | [GitHub](https://github.com/KenshiTech) | [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/KenshiTech) | [Telegram](https://t.me/KenshiTech)

#### About Aurora

Aurora is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based on the layer 1 proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides a solution for developers to deploy their apps on an Ethereum-compatible, high-speed, scalable, and future-proof platform with low transaction costs for their users.

[**Website**](https://aurora.dev/) **|** [**GitHub**](https://github.com/aurora-is-near/aurora-engine) **|** [**Twitter**](https://twitter.com/auroraisnear) **|** [**Medium**](https://auroraisnear.medium.com/) **|** [**Telegram**](https://t.me/auroraisnear) **|** [**Discord**](https://discord.gg/dEFJBz8HQV) **|** [**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5inYyvUO10iL65hBPFtpvg) **|** [**Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/auroraisnear/)

**Join the Aurora team:** [Open Positions](https://auroralabs.dev/)**Join our community:** [Community Guilds](https://aurora.dev/ecosystem?category=Community&subcategory=Regional+Communities+and+Community+media) | [Community Swag store](https://auroraonelove.com/)



* * *

[Kenshi Launches its Deep Index & Oracle Network on Aurora](https://medium.com/aurora-platform/kenshi-launches-its-deep-index-oracle-network-on-aurora-cf70d97a59b0) was originally published in [Aurora Platform](https://medium.com/aurora-platform) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

[Kenshi](https://kenshi.io/) is a full-stack application development platform targeting blockchains. Kenshi enables fast product development and reduces time to market. Whether developers want to index and query blockchain data or deliver data to ...

Kenshi Launches its Deep Index & Oracle Network on Aurora



Octopus DAO Community Call #6 — January Reports

On January 8th, the Octopus DAO held its sixth Community Call. This call was a significant event as [Core Team Refactoring for Octopus 2.0](https://medium.com/oct-network/core-team-refactoring-for-octopus-2-0-a51ff7911832) has just been announced. The Octopus Core Team wants to thank all Octopus validators and delegators who showed up and participated.

In order to adapt to the fast-changing environment and survive the crypto winter, Core Team Refactoring for Octopus 2.0 was initiated in late December, 2022. Twelve core team members have left voluntarily, including 4 from the marketing, the development and tech support team respectively. The remaining members will continue to work toward our mission of participating in the development of the Internet of Blockchains. Octopus 2.0 will be built with IBC & NEAR as two cornerstones and more details will be announced in Q2.

#### Community Call #6

The Community Call is divided into two parts:

1.  Core Team Updates
2.  Open Discussion Q&A — We welcome fact-based discussions (and even challenges) from the Octopus community in both English and Chinese.

Below are reports from the Octopus Network Core Team, followed by Open Discussion Q&A.

#### Core Team Updates

#### Julian Sun, Co-founder, Chief Software Architect

The most important task in December is to keep the network running stably during the handover. To achieve this goal, we simplified and refactored several sub-projects, including submitting several PRs to ibc-rs and Substrate and more using appchain indexer for complex functionality. We refactored the project Substrate-IBC as a Substrate pallet and committed it upstream.

In addition, we implemented the NFT cross-chain feature for EVM appchains.

Now the Octopus DAO supports creating a proposal to modify the minimum staking requirement for delegators and validators. Any council member can create the proposal.

There are also two projects in progress. We implemented the POC of tee-relayer and NEAR-IBC. I will report more progress next month.

#### Aaron Ting, Head of Community

What we’ve seen over the last year, especially the last quarter of 2022, was that the demand for appchain tokens has dropped, which means the potential market size has been reduced. Also, we start to see that enterprises are definitely increasing interest in launching an appchain. So towards the end of last year, we’re very active in networking, through our network of advisers, ambassadors, and of course our team members. We roughly had about 20 people worldwide. And all of them are able to gain leads and to basically engage in business development, so that we can engage with more projects and more companies. So this is something that was going on. With the announcement of refactoring, we have to make changes.

A few of the marketing team members decided to leave through the Voluntary Separation Program. The Ambassador program will be put on hiatus until Octopus 2.0 is unveiled. BD activities are canceled to cut traveling expenses for the time being, but only to the extent where we’re not pursuing new leads. There are some leads that are existing, and we’re still engaged in trying to convert. New strategies will be implemented to ensure the next deployment fits the market’s needs.

I’ve been involved in community chat more and more frequently now. We welcome more suggestions and proposals or any inputs from the communities to incorporate it into the coming Octopus 2.0.

#### Vivi Lin, Head of Media

Media team has been the most stable in terms of personnel, we have the whole team staying, continuing to serve the whole Octopus ecosystem as a powerhouse with media and PR with strategies such as content marketing. We might even expand our responsibilities going forward and I will update you all in the near future.

In December, since the building did not stop, we’ve supported the Octopus team and ecosystem in all the major events with media PR and storytelling, including:

**For appchains and appchain candidates**

[Abyss World](https://www.abyssworld.games/) is the first 3A-level Web3 game incubated by [Portalverse](https://www.portalverse.net/), the cloud game protocol of Octopus network ecosystem. Abyss World revealed its official trailer for the first time. Our media team helped with promoting, storytelling and the PR strategy.

**Octopus Accelerator — the base camp for Web3 projects**

Even though we are cutting costs, we continue to support appchains and build in that direction. Octopus Accelerator 2022 winter successfully concluded in December. We wrote an in-depth article to introduce these five winning projects in both [Chinese](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5TyiKMs9L521kVTV01fT4Q) and [English](https://medium.com/oct-network/octopus-accelerator-star-prize-winners-winter-2022-997b0d150556), and we are in the process of making a very in-depth video to promote the project. So going forward, even though the incubator project is on hold, we are still going to continue our communication with the accelerator stars project and to check on them to see how they are doing and whether they need any PR and marketing strategy support.

**Octopus Network Global Influence**

Our founder Louis Liu was invited at the end of the year to participate in the Golden Tea Award Ceremony hosted by BlockChain Tea House and delivered a keynote speech on “the road to the mainstream of Web3 games”. We are compiling the speech and about to publish it and share it with the community both in English and Chinese.

Also, we hosted a Twitter Spaces with the theme of “what to expect in 2023? Web3 and crypto” and invited several industry experts from NEAR ecosystem and other investors to reflect on the past year as well as looking ahead. And after the session, we also wrote a [recap article](https://medium.com/oct-network/what-to-expect-in-2023-web3-crypto-203bca7a7b02) and published it on our medium channel.

**Octopus Network Community Call**

Our media team is also putting our efforts into organizing the community call and designing the NFTs for the participants. And those who participates in the entire session today will receive an OCT-CC#6 NFT.

#### Louis Liu, Founder

I think through the overview session and the updates from three team leaders, everyone at least roughly knows what’s going on in Octopus’ core team.

**Octopus Network Refactoring**

We stopped some core operation programs in the last month, including the Substrate training program, Accelerator program, and Ambassador program. Twelve great members left the core team through the Voluntary Separation Program and I would like to take this chance to express my appreciation for their contribution. I believe their capabilities are qualified for any Web3 or Web2 organization and I hope someday we can work together again. Mike, our co-founder and a long-time friend, is one of them. He was the technical support team’s leader and our number 4 member. He was also a board member and he actually supported my proposal at the board meeting.

**Why Refactoring?**

Even if the action may appear sudden to outsiders, I have been thinking about it for a few months because we need to adjust to the rapidly changing environment. We started Octopus mainnet on October 8th, 2022 and two months later we launched the first appchain DeBio during which the crypto market peaked, but then the bear market began and continued. Our strategy was to onboard newly borned appchains to our network. This strategy may work in the initial phase of the bull market, because at that time the newly borned Web3 projects keep emerging and they need to choose their tech stack, the ecosystem they will be building in and decide which infrastructure best fits their needs. But things are different in a bear market. Even if we expand our presence in the appchain developer community quite rapidly by business development, Substrate training and Accelerator program, we found our appchain candidates are in trouble and the space is hard for them to raise a considerable amount of money to support their operation. So I think this is not good timing because most new Web3 projects will die out in the coming year or two. Therefore, we can’t waste the resources from the Octopus community to keep onboarding appchains but lose them in a short period of time. If we do that, the resource will be wasted and Octopus will not get a second chance to ride the wave. So that is why I decided to make this refactoring. And thanks to all core team members and the board for their support.

**Things Unchanged**

Octopus will keep the commitment to all partners especially appchains. Our infrastructure is stable, the service is unchanged, and we will not abandon our appchains. And also, we will still try to onboard new appchains but the criteria will more focused on their financial status. So we need to make sure that the appchain project can self-sustain during the bear market. And the second thing that hasn’t changed is Octopus is still working on more generic and powerful interoperability based on the IBC and NEAR ecosystem. We’re still a critical piece of NEAR infrastructure offering. Based on these two Cornerstone, we’re gonna figure out the Octopus 2.0 plan with the only aim to maximize the interest of OCT token holders and the Octopus community.

#### Open Discussion Q&A

_Please note: The Octopus Network Forum is now open at_ [_forum.oct.network_](https://forum.oct.network/)_. You are welcome to register, express your views, and discuss community improvement suggestions._

#### Question 1:

_If the bear market continues for another two years or more, will Octopus’s capital reserves be able to handle it well?_

**Louis:**

We have enough capital reserves to support a two year operation or even more, but we need to take care of our financial situation, since a big chunk of the asset reserved for Octopus are $NEAR or NEAR related assets. And we don’t want to sell those valuable assets when the market panic, so we will try to keep most of these assets in our treasury and support the operation with the stablecoins. That’s why we do need to lower the operation cost. But once again, this is not the only reason we do the refactoring. We try to improve efficiency and maximize the value of OCT token which will bring benefits to our community. So that is why they need to be very cautious on the cost.

#### **Question 2:**

_What is the estimated time to finish NEAR-IBC?_

**Julian:**

We just finished the proof of concept of the NEAR-IBC and still need to implement the integration tests. So, I think we can complete the whole project in Q1.

**Louis:**

Yes, the development work will finish in Q1 according to the current plan. And we are expecting the IBC will be enabled in NEAR mainnet in Q2, and be ready to connect with any IBC enabled blockchain, including Cosmos, Polkadot and others.

#### **Question 3:**

_Currently building DAPPs on Layer1 like Solana, NEAR, BSC is quite cheaper than appchain. That’s a barrier for DAPPs wanting to build appchains on Octopus Network. So what does Octopus Network have to do with this problem?_

**Louis:**

It’s a great question. I stated in my blog that appchain is great on performance, usage cost, customizability and on-chain governance. But all these advantages come with a cost, that is appchain protocol have to pay their validators to ensure the security of this dedicated blockchain. I don’t think it is a problem from the moment we decided to do this appchain infrastructure. I think the key point is lack of proper application build on appchain.

We all know that dYdX selected appchain stack and migrated from Ethereum because they value the performance and low usage cost other than composability and the uniformity of the tech deck. So this is totally a voluntary choice. It isn’t that Cosmos convinced dYdX to build on the appchain. It is decided purely by the dYdX team and we all know that they are among the best Web3 Application teams in the whole space. So the appchain team should know what appchain tech stack fits their needs best and the cost comes with it and then make their own decision. To be honest, we always try to persuade our partners to think about it again. Why do you need an appchain? Why not build on Ethereum or NEAR directly? We will not push them blindly to our infrastructure.

#### **Question 4:**

_Why is the Octopus Network explorer not able to search all the wallet addresses from each appchain by holders?_

**Louis:**

Since there is a bridge between appchain and NEAR, a significant part of appchain tokens will be bridged to NEAR and you may also want to know the holders of the NEAR based appchain token or wrapped appchain token on NEAR protocol. On NEAR side, now you can use [NEAR BLOCKS](https://nearblocks.io/) to check it, and on appchain side, we will try to add this feature as soon as possible.

#### **Question 5:**

_Is there any new development in the business development of appchain?_

**Louis:**

One big change is that security leasing will not be the criteria we establish cooperation with appchains. We will also work with appchains in the Cosmos or Polkadot ecosystem, helping them build bridges with NEAR and between themselves. The premise is that these projects should be more established with relatively mature communities and can survive the bear market. That is to say, we will expand meaning partnerships with more appchains, rather than just focusing on newly borned appchain projects. Although they lease security from Octopus and bring us revenue, the problem is that most of them won’t be able to survive a bear market. So our strategy is to create value and make Octopus useful to other projects first, and then consider value capture of OCT tokens.

#### Community Call #7 — February 8, 2023

Octopus Network will transfer decision-making power to the Octopus DAO in a planned and structured manner through on-chain governance.

Validators and delegators who have not joined the Community Call private channel, please join as soon as possible so that you do not miss the opportunity to jointly build and govern the Octopus DAO.

#### Do not miss the next Community Call, February 8th–21:00 GMT +8

To join:

1.  Open the link: [https://discord.gg/BEQrN4Ya7C](https://discord.gg/BEQrN4Ya7C)
2.  Enter the Discord channel and follow the prompts to verify your identity with your NEAR wallet.

#### Follow Octopus Network!

*   Website: [https://oct.network/](https://oct.network/)
*   Twitter: [https://twitter.com/oct\_network](https://twitter.com/oct_network)
*   Accelerator Program: [https://accelerator.oct.network/](https://accelerator.oct.network/)
*   Medium: [https://medium.com/oct-network](https://medium.com/oct-network)
*   Discord: [https://discord.gg/6GTJBkZA9Q](https://discord.gg/6GTJBkZA9Q)
*   Telegram: [https://t.me/octopusnetwork](https://t.me/octopusnetwork)
*   Youtube: [https://youtube.com/channel/UCkMYDmXdgjCBTBggSEAy0ZQ](https://youtube.com/channel/UCkMYDmXdgjCBTBggSEAy0ZQ)
*   Github: [https://github.com/octopus-network](https://github.com/octopus-network)
*   Docs: [https://docs.oct.network/](https://docs.oct.network/)



* * *

[Octopus DAO January 2023](https://medium.com/oct-network/octopus-dao-january-2023-8608b330eeba) was originally published in [Octopus Network](https://medium.com/oct-network) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Octopus DAO Community Call #6 — January Reports

Octopus DAO January 2023



Aurora Labs is announcing the launch of a new Partner Program to support builders with mentorship, marketing, business development and more. This new program replaces Aurora Labs’ Fast Grants program to move towards a more sustainable and effective support model.

The new Partner Program is designed to provide projects with the assistance they need to build and deploy their projects on Aurora and beyond. The program is built around three pillars: funding, support, and community.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*2TvoWYTWUsnTtG4eSw0MfQ.png)

#### Connecting Projects With Funding Opportunities

One of the main objectives of the new Aurora’s Partner Program is to help projects become more independent and secure the necessary funding for the development of their products. To facilitate access to funding opportunities, the Aurora Labs team will connect projects with trusted VCs and provide feedback on projects’ ideas.

#### **Technical & Marketing Support**

With the new Aurora’s Partner Program, builders will get access to technical assistance and establish the direct line of communication with the Aurora Labs tech team, as well as a mentorship session with Aurora’s CEO Alex Shevchenko. Moreover, projects will also be able to benefit from free acceleration and incubation services provided by Aurora Labs’ partners.

Last but not least, the Aurora Labs marketing team will be available to provide support with go-to-market strategy, AMAs, PR and announcements on official Aurora & NEAR Official Channels. Our team will also help projects to establish mutually beneficial connections with other projects in the Aurora ecosystem.

#### **Community Engagement**

Aurora has established a thriving community of dedicated regional hubs and community media partners. The projects that will join our Partner Program will receive support and media coverage by our Aurora communities in form of content, AMAs, and connections with community managers, promoters, and content creators.

#### **How to Apply?**

The new [Aurora Partner Program](https://aurora.dev/partner) is already running and it is open to any project currently building on Aurora. To apply, fill out the [application form](https://airtable.com/shrPVP4VlD2hAxfaA) providing the information required and one of our team members will reach out to you in no time!

#### **Community Grants Program**

If you are a community member, content writer, influencer, or designer, and you are passionate about Aurora, check out our [community grants program](https://forum.aurora.dev/t/aurora-community-grants-program-how-to-submit-proposal-report/372) aimed at fostering engagement and spreading awareness about Aurora and the amazing projects building on its ecosystem.

#### **About Aurora**

Aurora is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based on the layer 1 proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides a solution for developers to deploy their apps on an Ethereum-compatible, high-speed, scalable, and future-proof platform with low transaction costs for their users.

[**Website**](https://aurora.dev/) **|** [**GitHub**](https://github.com/aurora-is-near/aurora-engine) **|** [**Twitter**](https://twitter.com/auroraisnear) **|** [**Medium**](https://auroraisnear.medium.com/) **|** [**Telegram**](https://t.me/auroraisnear) **|** [**Discord**](https://discord.gg/dEFJBz8HQV) **|** [**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5inYyvUO10iL65hBPFtpvg) **|** [**Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/auroraisnear/)

**Join the Aurora team:** [Open Positions](https://auroralabs.dev/)**Join our community:** [Community Guilds](https://aurora.dev/ecosystem?category=Community&subcategory=Regional+Communities+and+Community+media) | [Community Swag store](https://auroraonelove.com/)



* * *

[Introducing Aurora Labs’ New Partner Program](https://medium.com/aurora-platform/introducing-aurora-labs-new-partner-program-383494699c88) was originally published in [Aurora Platform](https://medium.com/aurora-platform) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Aurora Labs is announcing the launch of a new Partner Program to support builders with mentorship, marketing, business development and more. This new program replaces Aurora Labs’ Fast Grants program to move towards a more sustainable and effectiv...

Introducing Aurora Labs’ New Partner Program

### Getting Started on Phoenix Bonds — A Step-by-Step Guide

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*LZoztTmt9ZRAKuTdGrwaMQ.png)

[Phoenix Bonds](https://phoenix.linearprotocol.org), a novel principal-protected amplified yield product developed by [LiNEAR Protocol](https://app.linearprotocol.org/), launched on mainnet today. With an innovative bonding mechanism that enables much higher yield than traditional staking and liquid staking protocols, Phoenix Bonds aims to become the leading yield amplifier for the NEAR community. Since we received a lot of inquiries on how it works, here is a step-by-step guide to Phoenix Bonds.

If you want to participate in Phoenix Bonds and maximize your yields, head over [https://phoenix.linearprotocol.org](https://phoenix.linearprotocol.org) and start creating a bond now!

Currently, Phoenix Bonds is in the 15-day bootstrapping stage. During this period, users can only create bonds and cancel bonds. Other functions like “Claim” and “Redeem” will be released after the bootstrapping period. Before getting into the operations, let us familiarize ourselves with the interface of the app!

### **App UI Walkthrough**

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*_MHela6uxWUJiwk4)

First, visit Phoenix Bond’s home page with a web browser at [https://phoenix.linearprotocol.org](https://phoenix.linearprotocol.org). The left side of the homepage showcases the basic data: TVL is the current total locked value of Phoenix Bonds, and pNEAR APR represents the annualized rate of return by holding $pNEAR as its floor price increases (Since the claim function is not activated during the bootstrapping period, there is no $pNEAR in circulating supply, and APR is not available for display yet).

On the right hand side, you will see the “Bond” function. By pressing the button, users can bond $NEAR and accrue $pNEAR to generate a higher yield. The “Claim” function will be available on or after Jan 31. At the same time, users can also choose to “Cancel” the bond at any time after creating a bond and recover all the $NEAR deposited to the protocol. **In other words, unlike a lot of DeFi protocols, there is no loss of your principal when** **using Phoenix Bonds!**

There are 4 buttons at the bottom that display all the bonding records of the user; “Pending” represents the bond in progress; “Claimed” represents the bond that has been claimed; “Canceled “represents the bond that has been canceled.

### **Step-by-step Guide**

To create a bond, users must ensure that they have a NEAR account and that there is a sufficient amount of $NEAR tokens in the account.

If you don’t have one, please visit [https://senderwallet.io/](https://senderwallet.io/) or [https://wallet.near.org](https://wallet.near.org) and create your own NEAR account.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*zV2jjfbE7dnJyPEt)

First, connect your NEAR wallet by clicking the “Connect Wallet” yellow button on the right side of the home page. Then, press the “Bond” button, and a new window will pop up.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/858/0*UqECTIom7jMd2fVY)

The “Balance” at the bottom represents the $NEAR balance in the user’s wallet account. Enter the $NEAR amount you want to bond. If you want to deposit all the funds, simply click the “MAX” button on the right, and then confirm. You will then be prompted to confirm the transaction on your NEAR wallet to complete bond creation.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/854/0*Br5JhvXS_0gA5gLx)

After creating a bond, users can cancel it at any time. Scroll down to the bottom, and you will see the bond you created. Click the “Cancel Bond” button on and Confirm in the pop-up window to cancel the bond.

The curve indicates the dates and corresponding amount of claimable $pNEAR. When you hover the mouse on the curve, you will see the different dates and the respective amount of $pNEAR you can claim. When the bootstrapping period ends, users will be able to “Claim Bond”. On the same page, we will also remind users of the amount of $NEAR you are going to obtain from canceling your bond, and the total amount of $pNEAR you forgo.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*6zpKM0dBWoSuBCo-)

Simply click the “Claim bond” button and confirm on your NEAR wallet to complete the “Claim bond” process.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/805/0*jUy5UJKjMOVTumk5)

The curve chart shows the current time as well as the estimated date and time when the user breaks even. The info section below displays the bond creation time, amount of $NEAR deposited, the accumulated amount of $pNEAR, and the accrued value of $NEAR obtained.

Please note that **one bond can be claimed only once. Please remember to check the bonded amount and accrued $pNEAR carefully so you won’t claim too early, and result in loss of funds!!!**

### **Final Reminder**

The earlier you bond your $NEAR, the faster the accumulation of $pNEAR will be, and the higher yield you can earn. Currently, it takes 52–65 hours to unstake your $NEAR. If you wish to participate in Phoenix Bond, make sure you unstake your $NEAR in time and start bonding ASAP!

Start bonding on Phoenix Bonds now: [https://phoenix.linearprotocol.org](https://phoenix.linearprotocol.org)

### **About Phoenix Bonds**

Developed by [LiNEAR Protocol](https://app.linearprotocol.org/), Phoenix Bonds is a novel bonding mechanism that enables principal-protected amplified yield for end-users. Compared to the current ~10% average APY from $NEAR staking and liquid staking protocols, Phoenix Bonds can possibly amplify the yields potentially enfold or even more.

Please follow the [LiNEAR-Phoenix Bond Twitter account](https://twitter.com/LinearProtocol) to get the latest updates!



* * *

[Getting Started on Phoenix Bonds — A Step-by-step Guide](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/getting-started-on-phoenix-bonds-a-step-by-step-guide-4ce7a4b74f76) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

### Getting Started on Phoenix Bonds — A Step-by-Step Guide

Getting Started on Phoenix Bonds — A Step-by-step Guide

### Earn +100% APY with No Loss\*

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*KzHGrNqRj4fy-_gj)

The LiNEAR team will launch its newest DeFi product Phoenix Bonds, **a novel bond mechanism that enables principal-protected amplified yield for end-users** on Jan 16th 2023. Compared to the current ~10% average APY from $NEAR staking and LiNEAR liquid staking, Phoenix Bonds can possibly amplify the yields tenfold or even more.

If you want to participate in Phoenix Bonds and maximize your yields, remember to unstake your $NEAR now and start bonding on Phoenix Bonds on Jan 16th.

**How do Phoenix Bonds Work?**

Phoenix Bonds operates a treasury consisting of three parts: _Pending Bucket, Reserve Bucket and Permanent Bucket_. Users bond $NEAR to the Pending Bucket to create a bond. The bonded $NEAR is then staked in LiNEAR protocol to generate staking rewards. The yield earned by the Pending Bucket flows to the Reserve Bucket. Users accumulate balance of $pNEAR over time. $pNEAR represents the ownership of Reserve Bucket shares. The floor price of $pNEAR will continue to appreciate against $NEAR. All $NEAR in the three buckets will be deposited into LiNEAR protocol to generate staking rewards.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/872/0*O_02aohYi1Njpk03)

In Phoenix Bonds, there are three main actions:

*   **Cancel** — Users can withdraw the bonded amount of $NEAR anytime before they choose to claim $pNEAR.
*   **Claim** — Users can claim the accumulated $pNEAR, while their bonded $NEAR (now staked as $LiNEAR) enters the Reserve Bucket and the Permanent Bucket.
*   **Redeem** — Users can redeem $pNEAR proportionally for $NEAR from the Reserve Bucket any time.

Yield amplification for $pNEAR holders comes from the fact that yields from all three buckets (Pending, Reserve, Permanent) flow to the Reserve Bucket. Since $pNEAR can always be redeemed proportionally for $NEAR in the Reserve Bucket, the $pNEAR token captures extra rewards generated by $NEAR that’s outside the Reserve, creating an amplified yield.

With a steady stream of users choosing to bond $NEAR in the Pending Bucket, together with the protocol-owned $pNEAR in the Permanent Bucket that guarantees additional yields, the rate of return for holding $pNEAR is set to be higher than that of ordinary $NEAR staking. **The earlier you participate, the higher the rate of return you could potentially earn.**

**Key Benefits of Phoenix Bonds**

1.  **Principal Protection:** Users can withdraw their bonded $NEAR at any time before claiming, without loss of initial capital. Rational users will only make a Claim when the accumulated $pNEAR value is greater than their bonded $NEAR, otherwise they can continue waiting or simply cancel the Bond and get back the amount originally deposited. So you don’t have to worry about losing your principal at all.
2.  **Yield Amplification**: Assuming that the ratio of the amount of $NEAR in the Pending Bucket, Reserve Bucket, and Permanent Bucket is 8:1:1, then the APY generated by holding $pNEAR will reach 100%.
3.  **Growing Floor Price of $pNEAR:** $pNEAR represents the corresponding $NEAR share in the Reserve Bucket, which forms an ever-growing price floor for $pNEAR. Since the Reserve Bucket has a much higher rate of return than ordinary $NEAR staking, the rate at which the price floor grows will be very fast.

**Phoenix Bond Timeline**

Phoenix Bonds will enable its bond functions on **Jan 16th, 2023**, and users will be able to begin bonding $NEAR tokens. After the mainnet launch, we will enter a 15-day bootstrapping period. During the bootstrapping period, users can only cancel but not claim their bonds. After the bootstrapping period, users can start claiming their accumulated $pNEAR. All yields generated from the bootstrap period will be used to incentivize $pNEAR / wNEAR liquidity.

The earlier you bond your $NEAR, the faster the accumulation of $pNEAR will be, and the higher yield you can get. Currently, it takes 52–65 hours to unstake your $NEAR, so make sure you unstake your $NEAR in time and start bonding on Phoenix Bonds on **Jan 16th, 2023**

_\*No loss as measured in the amount of NEAR a user deploys to Phoenix Bonds. The fiat value of the NEAR could change._

**To learn more about Phoenix Bonds, please visit:** [https://docs.linearprotocol.org/phoenix-bonds](https://docs.linearprotocol.org/phoenix-bonds)

**About LiNEAR**

[LiNEAR Protocol](https://linearprotocol.org/) is the most secure liquid staking solution built on NEAR. LiNEAR unlocks liquidity of the staked NEAR by creating a staking derivative to be engaged with various DeFi protocols on NEAR and Aurora, while also enjoying over 10% APY staking rewards of the underlying base tokens. As a Cornerstone-incubated project, LiNEAR will adopt $CORN as its governance token and its native token $LiNEAR will be fully captured by the Cornerstone treasury.



* * *

[LiNEAR Protocol to Launch Phoenix Bonds, a Principal-Protected Amplified Yield Product on NEAR](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/linear-protocol-to-launch-phoenix-bonds-a-principal-protected-amplified-yield-product-on-near-5d52d008f3b6) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

LiNEAR Protocol to Launch Phoenix Bonds, a Principal-Protected Amplified Yield Product on NEAR

### DAO Snippets: Engineering Web3 — an interview with Burak Benligiray

Although Web3 is still in its infancy, it has experienced massive growth over the last few years with no sign of stopping. In 2021, the number of developers in Web3 reached an all-time high, with the most significant increase in employment in history. As such, this industry is growing at a rapid pace, with new blockchain projects being developed daily. This has opened up new career opportunities for people worldwide who can participate remotely to contribute value, even with unrelated experience.

This blog series tells the stories of individuals who took the initiative to get involved in Web3 by contributing to the [API3 DAO](https://api3.org/dao), a blockchain-governed organization open for everyone to join and participate. In today’s article, we meet [Burak Benligiray](https://bbenligiray.medium.com/), co-founder and core developer of API3. With a background as an electrical engineer and a Ph.D. in deep learning, he has successfully transitioned into Web3 with a unique story to tell.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*owIIgIfKb5hwQgQq)

Burak Benligiray, co-founder of the API3 DAO

**Marcus:  
**Hello, Burak. Thank you for having this interview with me. Can you tell us a little about your background and why you decided to become an electrical engineer?

**Burak:  
**Sure. Here in Turkey, university admissions are based on a standardized exam. While preparing for that, I planned to become a computer engineer because I like working with computers. However, I did quite well on the exam and picked electrical engineering mostly because its admissions were more competitive. I later found out that it wasn’t for me, though.

**M:  
**That was quite a spontaneous shift in direction. What kept you motivated to continue your studies?

**B:  
**The nice thing about electrical engineering is that it’s one of the main engineering fields along with mechanical, civil, and chemical engineering, allowing you to transition to interdisciplinary engineering fields later on easily. In the second half of my undergraduate education, I was able to focus on computer architecture and embedded electronics, which I enjoyed a lot more. As I finally reached post-graduate education, I could further specialize in certain areas that matched my interests, so I was doing computer science research while primarily teaching about embedded systems. I enjoy working on various things, and diversity is not a bad thing anyway.

**M:  
**I agree, and there is the potential that different subjects complement one another, creating an even broader spectrum of knowledge. Eventually, you pursued your P.hD. in deep learning. Why did you choose that particular field?

**B:  
**My Master’s degree was in geometric computer vision for a human–machine interaction project I was working on as a researcher. I wanted to work on that because it complements virtual reality technologies, which I’ve always found interesting and was starting to make a comeback at the time. After I was done with that and was looking for a Ph.D. subject, it became apparent that deep learning would become massive. Ultimately, I tend to choose to work in fields that I identify to be the hottest and most competitive. Doing my Ph.D. in deep learning with limited advisory support and funding was challenging, yet I enjoyed academic life in general because of the freedom it provides.

**M:  
**Seeing that you constantly challenge yourself and keep yourself busy by diving into different fields is inspiring. How did your journey into Web3 eventually begin?

**B:  
**I have been following the field closely since 2013, but I dived deeper into it in 2018 with the intention of actually building things. Perhaps due to my engineering background, my motivation was to build something with real utility rather than some kind of financial tooling. After researching how to implement some smart contract ideas, I realized that none of them were feasible because they required API integrations that didn’t exist back then. To be able to build the projects I had in mind, there needed to be a solution to this problem. This was when I identified a problem in the blockchain field that I found worthwhile.

**M:**  
How did you proceed when you realized that API integrations for smart contracts don’t exist, hindering you from building your projects?

**B:**  
Before attempting to solve the problem, I looked for people already working on it. In the same year, 2018, I started to follow an up-and-coming project discussing similar problems: Chainlink. While doing so, I met many like-minded people, such as [Heikki](https://www.linkedin.com/in/heikki-v%C3%A4nttinen-83a86380) and [Andre](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreogle/). We built Honeycomb, an API marketplace built partly utilizing Chainlink technology, and many of the same people went on to build API3 together later on.

**M:**  
What was the motivation for building Honeycomb, and was it your first project in Web3?

**B:**  
Yes, Honeycomb was my first project in this space. We designed Honeycomb assuming Chainlink was going to provide the API integration framework and we would be able to do the operational part of business development and technical integrations with API providers. The result would have been an API marketplace from which smart contract developers would come and pick all kinds of oracle services. However, it soon became apparent that Chainlink did a significant pivot and focused their efforts on data feeds. This ended up being an existential crisis for Honeycomb because the underlying technology was no longer satisfactory, and we were only using it with the assumption that it would be continually improved in the first place.

**M:  
**I assume this was the final moment you decided to build your own oracle project.

**B:  
**Yes. Essentially, there was no other option than to take building it into our own hands. It was clear that the original architecture of Honeycomb was doomed, so we would have to build API3 first for a kind of Honeycomb to ever be feasible.

**M:**  
The timing seemed right. What was your experience like when you began building API3?

**B:**  
We attributed the crisis we faced with Honeycomb to the dark side of centralized governance, so we were convinced that API3 should be a DAO from the start. In 2019, there were barely any functional DAOs, yet there were a few examples with relative success that we could consider as a proof of concept. In addition, there were very few reference DAO implementations and barely any tooling. Our requirements were also very restrictive with the exact staking and governance functionality that would also need to be future-compatible with the upcoming Service Coverage feature. I was a little frustrated throughout the process because I wanted to build oracles, but I found myself building a DAO for quite some time.

**M:**  
You had to overcome many challenges. Is there anything you would do differently if you could build everything from scratch again?

**B:**  
After releasing a version of a protocol, we tend to encounter shortcomings while using it and then address these in the next iteration. This cycle repeats itself every six to twelve months. You cannot expect to have that hindsight when you start, however. Otherwise, we could develop everything in a short amount of time. While designing a protocol, we uncover knowledge and then use this knowledge to improve our design. It’s a necessary research process. In light of that, I would not change much if I had to start all over again. Maybe I would change some of the priorities of our products. For example, we could have completed QRNG much earlier because there wasn’t anything blocking it, and data feeds could have been prioritized a bit more. I’m happy with how everything worked out in the end, though.

**M:**  
That’s a fair assessment. What are some things you’re working on or thinking about at API3?

**B:**  
In general, I want the whitepaper to be delivered with minimal delay. This is a heavy responsibility that is rarely achieved in this space. The good thing is that many unknowns were figured out in the last six months, and it’s now just a matter of time for all the moving parts to come together. The open question is how to improve it further. While considering this, I mainly think about Service Coverage. The version discussed in the whitepaper is mostly a minimum viable product, yet there are questions to be answered for it to be utilized at scale. It’s mostly a matter of ensuring product–market fit, which is difficult in a space where recklessness is rewarded, at least for a while. Still, I think the idea of Service Coverage was ahead of its time and is the only feasible way to implement oracle security in a way that covers everything that can go wrong. The oracle space is slowly accepting that, but there’s still the question of how to execute it successfully.

**M:**  
Considering the various challenges along your path, has your initial motivation changed throughout building API3?

**B:**  
It has. We need to change our position when new information is introduced. Before we launched API3, it wasn’t clear how much recognition it would receive and the early plan needed to accommodate that. After launching API3, many people noticed and supported it, and we had to adjust our plans to realize the potential this new situation allowed. Generally, projects with a lesser potential need to deliver fast, or they will fail. If a project has more potential due to good response and runway, more time can and should be spent developing an even better concept that will have more impact. For example, I initially wanted to release aggregated data feeds by early 2021. It would have been entirely possible, yet at that point, what was expected of us was not releasing a few data feeds and getting some adoption but something greater. Consequently, we are using our resources to fulfill that rather than the more modest goals we set at the beginning.

**M:**  
That is exciting to hear, and I share the same sentiment. Would you say that your engineering background influences your work at API3?

**B:**  
Yes, being an engineer manifests itself in various ways. The holy grail of engineering is building something that does the job adequately at minimal costs. Here, the job is what the user needs the product to do and nothing else. Designing an innovative product is difficult because the user doesn’t know what they need the product to do. So we need to build products that solve our users’ problems effectively that they didn’t know they had, at minimal costs. Another thing that being an engineer brings to the table is the habit of expecting no bulletproof solutions and assuming that everything will fail at a particular point. Expecting failure and designing a solution that works regardless creates a safer and more reliable product. This is represented in Airnode, which is designed to work in a way that essentially reboots periodically. If it crashes for whatever reason, it will automatically recover soon after. This is a rather controversial approach. The more traditional solution is avoiding everything that could cause a crash. The problem with the traditional solution is that it assumes one can foresee the causes of all potential failures.

**M:**  
It’s fascinating how your mindset as an engineer affects your work as a developer. Do you have any recommendations for developers who want to get started in Web3?

**B:**  
I suggest solving the problems you encounter in Web3. At least, that’s what I did. I tried to build something and identified obstacles that prevented me from doing so. Upon that realization, I worked on removing these obstacles.

> “If you encounter a problem, other people are likely facing the same problem. Consequently, a solution built for it will be adopted by others affected by that same problem.”

**M:**  
That’s solid advice. Let’s move on to our last question. What is your long-term vision for API3?

**B:  
**I believe that a smart contract is only useful as it facilitates a real economy. It can generally be achieved by enabling agents to employ agents to perform economic activities. Obviously, the usual way of things is people employing people to do things, and we’re now seeing people having AI work for them. However, I envision the most potent of this configuration to be AI agents hiring humans for micro-gigs. Let me illustrate my idea with a simple example. If an AI wants to move an object in the real world, how would it achieve it most efficiently? Most people would suggest that the AI would command a robot to execute the task, yet having enough robots readily present to perform all potential tasks would be highly inefficient. Instead, the most efficient solution for the AI agent to move an object in the real world is to pay a human to do that job in most cases. A powerful AI capable of manipulating the real world can easily gather wealth, which creates a feedback loop. In such a setting, smart contracts could act as the trustless medium for AI agents and humans to do business. Whether tasks are completed would be checked through APIs, and humans would get paid accordingly. The more APIs we can integrate, the more kinds of gigs would become possible, eventually establishing something like a decentralized Uber for everything that caters to humans and non-humans alike. AI replacing employers would create jobs very efficiently, opening up new opportunities for most people.

**M:**  
This is a very intriguing vision of the future. I am excited about what is to come and what API3 will accomplish over the following years. We are at the end of our interview. Thank you for sharing your story with us, Burak.

**B:**  
Thank you for having me.

Web3 offers new opportunities for people worldwide to contribute, build and participate. Regardless of their background, anyone dedicated and willing to learn can find their way into this rapidly growing space to write their own story of success. In the next article of this series, we will meet [Erich Dylus](https://github.com/ErichDylus) of API3, who transitioned into Web3 with a background as an attorney.

**Join the** [**API3 Community**](https://discord.com/invite/qnRrcfnm5W) **and** [**begin your own journey**](https://medium.com/api3/join-the-api3-dao-community-4df36902baaa) **in Web3.**



* * *

[DAO Snippets: Engineering Web3 — an interview with Burak Benligiray](https://medium.com/api3/dao-snippets-engineering-web3-an-interview-with-burak-benligiray-e69d2980c137) was originally published in [API3](https://medium.com/api3) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

### DAO Snippets: Engineering Web3 — an interview with Burak Benligiray

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