Progress
Ecosystem
Aleph Zero ends Q3 with seven new projects in DeFi, NFTs, gaming, projects closer to launch stages
Oct 20, 2023
Earlier this year, we announced the launch of the Aleph Zero Ecosystem Funding Program (or EFP, for short). Designed to be a holistic support initiative, the program seeks to act as a way for unique and useful projects to jumpstart their journey in the Aleph Zero Ecosystem. The program provides support in the form of grants, operational and fundraising structuring workshops, assistance with front-end development, UX design, branding and marketing and more, cybersecurity audits from Kudelski Security, Amazon Web Service (AWS) credits via the AWS Activate program and access to our network of partners, venture capitalists and investors.
The program has been running smoothly ever since. We’ve had a huge influx of applications and have meticulously been evaluating and reviewing each one for their merits. As a principle, we’re only looking for projects which we believe are capable of meeting their goals and milestones, and those with use-cases or value propositions that will increase the adoption of the Aleph Zero network. And we’re glad to say that we have found, accepted and onboarded many such projects.
Here’s some insight from our Ecosystem Lead, Magdalena Oleksy on their progress thus far:
“We’re delighted with the EFP grantees’ progress. Many projects are nearing their launch stages (mainnet or testnet), while others are in the audit phase or diligently wrapping up their products. Several startups are actively raising funds or have successfully closed their pre-seed or seed rounds. Equally important, the builders are collaborating and have formed a tightly-knit community. This demonstrates that the support we’re offering the teams is highly effective and aligns perfectly with our intended goals.”
Aleph Zero’s Ecosystem Investments Manager, Piotr Saczuk, also notes a particular interest in our EFP projects from the investment community:
“Since its (the EFP) inception, we’ve awarded grants to or invested in close to 40 projects. In this relatively brief span, a significant number of these projects have matured to the seed stage, actively seeking venture capital financing. What’s particularly encouraging is the evident interest from the investment community. Instead of our founders solely reaching out for capital, we’ve observed a proactive interest from investors, particularly in Asia. It’s a strong signaling of both trust and optimism in our ecosystem[‘s] potential.”
We’ve been slightly behind on our ecosystem announcements in the last couple months or so, so below we’ll be outlining some newly onboarded projects that have not yet been announced!
Nightly
Aleph Zero has joined NEAR, Solana, Aptos and SUI in being supported on the non-custodial wallet solution Nightly!
The Nightly team has received support from the Aleph Zero Ecosystem Funding Program (EFP) to go forward with the integration. Nightly is a multi-chain wallet solution compatible with NEAR, Solana, Aptos, SUI and (now) Aleph Zero. The software is available on desktops as a browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, Brave and Edge) and on mobile (iOS and Android).
The functionality of the wallet includes token swaps, staking, transfers via QR codes, and the display of owned NFTs.
Additionally, Nightly has some extra features to enhance security and user experience:
Nightly Connect:
A user-friendly tool (simiar to Wallet Connect for EVM/Solana) that connects wallets with apps through deep-links or QR codes. Nightly Connect makes it easy for users to connect applications in just a few simple steps.
OAuth:
A function which allows you to log into your wallet using your Google Account.
App Tab:
Choose a chain and see all the dApps on it that you can use via the wallet. Nightly will of course be creating a dedicated App Tab for Aleph Zero.
You can download Nightly wallet here.
Explora Online
The Explora Online team has joined the Ecosystem Funding Program (EFP) to develop a multiplayer exploration game on Aleph Zero! Set in the Age of Discovery on a planet called Zerth, players will be able to join a guild and undertake quests. The primary objectives of the game are to unlock territories, claim land, earn gold, and discover new artifacts around the world.
What’s special about this multiplayer experience is that it will feature an in-built NFT marketplace and account management system, enabling players to interact with the Aleph Zero network from within the game. As such, players will be able to convert authenticated in-game assets such as avatars, ships, discoveries, and other inventory items into NFTs (and vice versa) and sell them on the open market.
The game
The game itself is intended to be immersive and fun for players, and will incentivise players to work towards three main in-game (non-transferable) stats – gold, stars and power.
Gold is the main currency of the game which will be used in all player-to-player transactions, in-game transactions, quests and other interactions (upgrading ships, purchasing power points and burying treasure, for example).
Stars are even more vital than gold. A form of stamina, stars allow players to move freely around the world and perform actions in the game. They can initially be earned by playing, however this earning is capped. Once the cap is reached, players must purchase them or earn them through staking, quests, new discoveries or from the tavern games.
Power is the final in-game, non-transferable currency. Representing manpower/force, power points dictate players’ ability to attack towns, villages and other ships, as well as their ability to defend their own properties. Power can be obtained by upgrading ships, using gold or winning tavern games.
Keep up to date with the progress of the game by monitoring their X and Discord.
Quidli
The crypto-based micro incentives platform and Ecosystem Funding Program (EFP) grantee, Quidli, has added support for AZERO! This means that users can now send AZERO directly from Slack or Discord by using simple commands.
AZERO integration within Quidli makes for an addition to the utility of AZERO. It can now be used to send tips in the communities, broadening the use of the network’s native coin with this simple yet engaging and fun use case.
What is Quidli?
Quidli is a micro incentives and tipping platform which is making it easier for users, organizations and communities to send and receive digital assets. Currently, there is support for sending assets directly from Slack, Discord and through their platform.
How to send tips via Quidli
Before being able to send tips directly from Slack or Discord, you will need to:
- Create an account on Quidli and verify your email address
- Deposit AZERO into your account
- Ensure that Quidli has been added to the server or workspace you are in
Voila, you are good to go! To send AZERO, you can use the /give command. Only the sender and recipient will be able to see the amount of AZERO sent – this value remains private to the rest of the users in the server or workspace. Please note that the minimum withdrawal from Quidli is $20 USD worth of coins.
If you want to try using Quidli, head to their website!
Starlay Finance
Starlay Finance is a protocol which allows users to deposit and borrow assets on Astar Network. At its peak, it reached over $500 million USD in TVL. The team behind Starlay has become a grantee of the Aleph Zero Ecosystem Funding Program and as such will be launching the application on the Aleph Zero network!
How does it work?
Starlay Finance works by providing an on-chain solution to meet the requirements of lenders and borrowers. Lenders or “depositors” can provide liquidity by locking up their coins and tokens in the protocol’s smart contract. As such, they receive interest or “yield”. Borrowers can use additional assets by offering their own assets as collateral and covering a set interest rate.
The protocol is governed by a forum where members can initiate topics and participate in discussions and vote for certain decisions.– check it out and start the conversation!
Built with ink!
Starlay Finance is built with ink! which makes it naturally compatible with Aleph Zero. With its extensive documentation and open-source code, it adheres to the open character of the ink! ecosystem and becomes a great learning example for other projects building on Aleph Zero.
The core team behind Aleph Zero is excited to welcome Starlay Finance into the ecosystem and we cannot wait to see it live in the multi-chain setting.
Where can I find relevant information and resources about Starlay?
The first and best places to check would be Starlay’s website and of course, their documentation.
Make sure to check our their social platforms as well:
Apes Across Worlds
Just Ape Studios—the team behind Just Ape—have received support from the Ecosystem Funding Program to launch Apes Across Worlds on Aleph Zero!
What will Apes Across Worlds be?
Initially, Apes Across worlds will be a collection of 220 1 of 1 digital collectibles on the Aleph Zero network. Simultaneously, Just Apes Studios is building an open-source governance platform named ApeVote. Aside from launching these two initial products on the network, the team will also be operating a validator node to secure the Aleph Zero network.
The team plans to expand into DeFi with the project in future.
How to sign up for the Ape List
The whitelist (or “Ape List”) for Apes Across Worlds is currently open! To register, please follow the below steps:
- Head to the Apes Across Worlds application page
- Connect a compatible Solana wallet
- Connect your X account
- Answer some basic questions about yourself
That’s all there is to it! You have now applied to the Ape List. Best of luck to our community members with their applications.
CoinSender
The newest grantee of the EFP is a platform which allows parties to distribute digital assets to employees, airdrop recipients, participants in staking pools and more.
The use case
There are a variety of scenarios in which a party might desire to send tokens or coins to a large number of people. Such scenarios have already taken place multiple times on the Aleph Zero network, the latest example being the distribution of tickets to Aleph Zero’s The Button in the form of an airdrop. Another example is the distribution of a validator’s commission earnings to nominators of that validator, a practice which node operators may engage in as a way to “give back” to their nominators.
Currently, such a transaction requires that parties either:
- Manually send each transaction to each individual recipient
- Code a custom solution which will distribute the assets
What CoinSender aims to achieve is to provide a service that enables such large-scale transactions in a simple, user-friendly manner.
Where can I read about CoinSender?
For general information about the project, its features and its partners, please head to the homepage. For more targeted information, you can check out the FAQ.
Kintsu
Kintsu is a new liquid staking protocol that recently announced their support via the EFP! Kintsu aims to enable liquid staking for the Aleph Zero ecosystem, introducing $sAZERO to the network.
But why?
You might be wondering “What is liquid staking?” or “Why would I use Kintsu?”. Let us outline the use-case.
Currently, on the Aleph Zero network, staked coins are locked. This means that they cannot be used in DeFi protocols. Liquid staking allows users to lock up their coins in staking, and in exchange receive sAZERO, which corresponds to and can be exchanged for AZERO in a 1:1 ratio. sAZERO can then be “put to work” in DeFi. Thus, users can increase their rewards without investing additional assets.
Stay up to date with Kintsu
There are currently three ways that you can keep up to date with Kintsu’s progress:
Eyes on the launch dates!
As we move into Q4 of 2023, we enter another exciting period for the Aleph Zero ecosystem. Alongside the projects which have already launched on the mainnet, some EFP grantees are planning to go live next quarter. These projects are as follows:
Laying the foundations for a vibrant, self-sufficient ecosystem
The past quarter or so has been a very busy period for Aleph Zero as a whole, but especially on the ecosystem side. In retrospect, the Ecosystem Funding Program has already been a prolific initiative in its relatively short six-month existence, producing an array of quality use-cases for the network. We can’t wait until all of these phenomenal projects are live on the mainnet!
