The author: Inal Kardanov your partner TON Ventures.
The context: TON Ventures is talking to ~ 50 new projects a week in the ecosystem TON.
General recommendations#
- Do a sustainable business Where's the money going to go?
- Don 't do another tap-to-earn . competition is huge, first mover advantage is lost;
- Be open to pivots Don't fall in love with the idea.
Step 1 Find the problem#
The best start-up ideas have three things in common: what the founders themselves want, what they themselves can create, and what few others see as worthwhile. Paul Graham . (Y Combinator)
TON Foundation's main goals
- 500 million users . I 'm going to 2028;
- Maximum TVL is (growth of money in the ecosystem).
→ If your product doesn't help either of these goals chances are low.
Current issue
How to convert millions of Tap-to-Earn players into regular users of the blockchain?
Alternative steal the ideas
Good artists copy, great artists steal.
️ Keep in mind TON features + Telegram + geography.
Example: India
- First place by downloading Telegram;
- Used for group communication (and not personal);
- The reason: WhatsApp had a limit of 250 people in chats.
- Making a product for personal communications in India is too optimistic.
Step 2 Evaluate the market and competitors#
Screenplay
| The script . | Attractiveness |
|---|---|
| Small market, few competitors. | It 's bad . |
| Big market, no competition | It doesn't happen. (Web2 competitors are also counted) |
| Small market, potential for growth | Good (example: TMA 1% → 50% for 8 months) |
| It's a big market, there's competition, you have a unique angle. | Perfect for VC |
Example: Airbnb on Web3
→ Competitor Airbnb itselfThink about the Web2 more broadly.
TMA growth .
- A year ago: 1% of Telegram users opened mini-applications every month;
- July 2024: ~50% use TMA at least once a month;
- Growth 50 times that .8–9months.
For comparison:
- VK: ~10%;
- Facebook: ~12%;
- WeChat: ~30%.
Interesting verticals (TON Ventures)#
1. DeFi
- Directly related to TON's goal of growing TVL.
2. Social products on Telegram features
- Tokenization of interactions in channels/groups
- It's a flea market.
3. Analysis and performance marketing
- Don't do that. Another ad network. (Adsgram It 's already big .
- Up on the floor. analytics, performance, tools.
4. Financial products for Tap-to-earn users
A user made $200 in Notcoin, lives in Nigeria. It 's a simple way . Investing / saving for 5–20% of annual.
Simplify as much as possible → interesting VC.
5. The new generation of games in Telegram
- Midcor games (not hyper-causal catches)
- People are playing. For the fun of it., not just earnings;
- The game studios with rapid iteration of hypotheses.
Other sources#
- YouTube: recording the report;
- The presentation: Google Drive.