Ecosystem
EFP: Looking back on the wins, moving forward with a venture focus
Nov 29, 2024
AI Summary
Aleph Zero’s Ecosystem Funding Program (EFP) has helped successfully launch over 70 projects across a diverse set of web3 sectors. Let’s take a look at the program so far and dive into its future venture focus.
Over 70 projects onboarded with an 85% success rate
During the past two years, over 70 projects were onboarded into Aleph Zero’s EFP.
The teams received milestone-based grants to develop their projects further and come up with brand-new product ideas.
85% of grant projects have successfully delivered useful and secure solutions that contribute to the overall adoption of Aleph Zero. You don’t see such high rates in the challenging Web3 start-up realm too often! The spectrum of use cases supported by the EFP has also been extremely wide.
Here’s a comprehensive list:
- DeFi: Common, Invariant, Abax, InkWhale, Earn Network
- Games: Pepe the Game, Upcade, MotoDEX, DRKVRS, Tubbly
- On-chain identity: AZERO.ID, idOS, Reclaim protocol, Gatenox
- Payments: IDRISS, Harbour, CoinSender, HolyHeld, Quidli
- DAOs: SYNCRA
- NFTs: ArtZero, DropSpace, Rarible
- On-chain media: Panjea
- Liquid staking: Ike
- Wallet integrations: Nightly Wallet, SubWallet, Nova Wallet, Talisman, Signet, Ledger, Tangem, Polkasafe (Polkadot Multisig)
- Ink Tooling: Scout, Formal Land, Smart Beaver, ink!athon
- Launchpads: AngelBlock
- Decentralized computing: Acurast
- Ramps: OnRamper, C14, Transak, Harbour, AlchemyPay
- Infra: Subsquid, DIA, (Subquery), OnFinality, MyContainer
- Analytics/dashboards: DappRadar, Token Terminal, TokenGuard, Ascan, Azero Scan, AZERO.LIVE
- Web3 education: HackZ
A closer look at some successful EFP projects
Upcade: Upcade brings blockchain into gaming through in-game asset ownership, tokenized rewards, and community-driven development. Their Skill-to-Earn model lets gamers bet on their skills to win and earn, while new partnerships expand their tokenized gaming ecosystem.
Tubbly: Tubbly is a walk-to-earn game that rewards users with tokens for physical activity, encouraging users to take care of their fitness and health. The game leverages Aleph Zero’s infrastructure to provide secure and efficient rewards distribution and already has over 25,000 users.
Harbour: Harbour bridges traditional banking with blockchain through its fast and cost-effective on/off-ramp solution called Magic Ramp. Powered together with Aleph Zero, Magic Ramp does bank-to-blockchain transfers in 10 seconds flat, beating all standards of convenience.
IDRISS: With IDRISS, you can now get tips in AZERO. Users can send and receive crypto on X via Aleph Zero and other networks. IDRISS recently rebranded, relaunched their app suite, and expanded partnerships to boost accessibility across platforms and ecosystems.
Ike: Ike is a Liquid Staking Protocol (LSP) on Aleph Zero that enables users to earn staking rewards while keeping their assets liquid via sAO tokens, first incorporated in the EFP as Kintsu. Ike integrates DeFi and gaming applications and promotes decentralization through DAO governance.
Pieces Market: Pieces Market is a luxury marketplace for tokenized real-world assets such as collectibles and artworks. They are actively building on Aleph Zero’s EVM-compatible Layer-2, merging blockchain privacy and efficiency into their user-friendly trading platform.
Aleph Zero EFP’s Venture-Focused Future
As the Aleph Zero network continues to evolve, so does the Ecosystem Funding Program (EFP). We’re proud of the incredible projects that have already launched within our ecosystem—each one has contributed to building the foundation of Aleph Zero’s growth.
Now, we’re building on that momentum–the future of the EFP lies in privacy, innovation, and impact.
Leading the privacy narrative: ZK Wave Initiative
Our renewed focus on privacy-based solutions is anchored in the ZK Wave initiative, prioritizing projects that leverage zkOS—the fastest interchain privacy hub. This commitment to privacy is already bearing fruit, with two new zkOS-powered projects confirmed and several promising candidates under active discussion. These will pave the way for Aleph Zero to become the blockchain of choice for privacy-first applications.
A Sharpened Venture-Focused Approach
The EFP will be an exciting transition to a more venture-focused model, zeroing in on privacy-centric innovations. By streamlining evaluations and placing increased emphasis on go-to-market strategies, we can enable projects not only to develop state-of-the-art technologies but also deliver products that attract and engage a growing user base. This focus will actually drive real adoption and put Aleph Zero in a leading position for blockchain privacy.
The Mission Remains Clear
At its core, the EFP’s mission hasn’t changed: to support developer-driven initiatives that enhance the capabilities and adoption of the Aleph Zero network. By championing projects that address real-world challenges with privacy-preserving solutions, we’re setting the stage for meaningful innovation and long-term growth.
The future of Aleph Zero is brighter than ever—and we’re just getting started.
Check out all the Aleph Zero ecosystem projects already building on Aleph Zero.
