Specify the funding category
The categories are Open Source Development, Research and Education, Community Growth, Culture and Art. In which Category is your application?
The OWN App is mobile only application/platform and for both Apple iOS and Google Android and falls under Community Growth and Culture & Art as it is a decentralized social media app with mainstream crypto adoption in between:
Community Growth
Culture & Art
Application Title
Project Title
OWN App
Applicant
Please include a link of your introduction and your team to the Forum.
Amir Kaltak, CEO | CTO & Cofounder
Katia Zaitsev, COO & Cofounder
Value Application
What will become better and why? Why is your work beneficial for the aeternity ecosystem? (Please describe the impact of your project. How will your work impact the larger aeternity ecosystem? What does a successful contribution to your project look like?)
OWN is beneficial for the aeternity ecosystem because it is designed to enable actual mainstream adoption of decentralized systems and digital assets. Because Own is a consumer product that feels like Web2, but built like Web3 - it will enable Web2 users to enter into the Web3 environment. Our goal is to be the bridge for the New Internet (decentralized future) while empowering viable projects and their utilities, like the projects in the aeternity ecosystem. Our mission is to protect data sovereignty. Our integrated OWN ID solution which brings zero proof Identity into reality via social media by protecting our Identities and our intellectual property online, can be the solution that changes policies, standards and protocols by law as a human right. OWN would support and impact the larger aeternity ecosystem by opening Own’s ecosystem and architecture to all projects and funneling its user base to all aeternity’s projects with the hope of achieving awareness and mainstream adoption. Aeternity Ecosystem can also use the Own App as a vehicle to promote all the projects in the ecosystem. A successful contribution of Own would look like if Own successfully brings awareness, web2 new users and customers, and revenue to aeternity’s projects.
Definition of Terms
What exactly are we talking about? Please describe your project.
OWN is a Unified Social Media App that ensures true ownership of everyone’s personal data, content, and following, powered by a feed that uses a next generation, unbiased viral algorithm based on true merit. OWN has 5 revenue streams, in-app fiat purchases: tipping, sponsorships, licensing, and OWN Shops. And not in-app purchases, Own’s Tokenized Creator Fund - called #CREATE Fund, featuring the #CREATE Token. It will operate as a plug-in Wallet and analytics platform that will reward creators for the engagement that they have on OWN App, other social media and gaming apps with a mission to empower and fairly compensate creators while maintaining data sovereignty over their personal data and IP. The #CREATE Token is a secondary revenue path for our users with an organic market demand token flow model.
The Core Technology Layers are:
The NetherNet / Disrupting Cloud Storage
Users Data is stored across our lightning fast decentralized cluster system with maximum security. It is a novel architecture that combines the security of private key protection with Cloud system performance.
The Viral Engine Algorithm
The VEA is the heartbeat that powers the OWN Social Feed. The VEA creates predictive models of individual content and factors in true organic interaction to then determine the merit of a particular piece of content to then multiply its visibility across the entire OWN network. That means that a content creator even without any followers yet can reach overnight popularity and high monetization, if merit is given.
Zero Proof Identity
The OWN ID system provides each user with its unique private key to access the account but also watermarks every content or comments of a user so that proof of ownership and true origin of content are established.
Status Quo
What is now?
OWN has tested its decentralized storage system with V1 in the AppStores since Nov. 2023 and we are launching V2 featuring the Social Media Feed and the Viral Engine Algorithm during fall 2024.
We have a veteran team, for example Sarah Mick our Chief Creative Officer. Sarah is the original creator of Tinder (Inventor of the swipe left right feature) and Bumble. Our growth team are the same people that grew Bumble to its 13 Billion IPO on Wall Street among many other talents that OWN has. The team has combined exits of 55B on at least CXO level of involvement. We are also partnered with influencers with a collective following of 45m, which is 30% of all US TikTok Users.
Required Work
Steps to get to the goal…
We are short before opening the public beta with an already fully built product and are in the midst of expanding our local team in Austin, Texas USA. We are very collaborative and are seeking more partnerships in the blockchain space to help others with adoption and access to our technology to further mainstream adoption of blockchain and digital assets.
Estimate
Your time estimate in hours for the Project. Please do not put prices here.!
Please list the estimated timeline by milestones and releases of your project.
All team (18 people) are full time
November 2023: Launch OWN V1 beta, testing the decentralized storage system
September 2024: V1 beta completed, establishing high performance and scalability
November 2024: V2 beta start (adding Social Feed and Viral Engine Algorithm)
January 2024: V2 Main Soft Launch (Initial Influencer Program via TikTok. Reach 50 Million people!)
January 2025: #CREATE Token Launchpad
February 2025: TGE for #CREATE Token
March 2025: V2 Main Marketing Launch (Influencer Program 100m+ Reach)
March 2025: Digital Asset Wallet rollout (at first supporting EVM + BTC)
April-May 2025: #CREATE Token integration on OWN App
Known Limitations
Will everything work as expected to solve the original problem?
The crucial part, our decentralized storage system (NetherNet) is well tested and reliable. We are in a good position to haveOWN established as an alternative to centralized big tech social platforms. There will always be problems but with our veteran team we are prepared to handle these.
Outlook
What happens after this project is completed?
Do you plan to populate your project? (For example creating a micro-web-page, social media updates, blog-posts, video-materials.)
After the project is completed via beta testing and with a successful soft launch. OWN will simultaneously be preparing for its Main Launch with massive marketing efforts during spring time. This will be just the beginning, we will be tackling Own as a “movement” into online ownership as a human right on all angles, all platforms - PR, Social Platforms, Events, Conferences and Influencer Reach. We intend to grow a massive global user base and get users onto decentralized and fair platforms, such as OWN.
Publishment
Please confirm that your research and development will be published free of any proprietary license (open-source, open-access). Please provide a link to the GitHub repository of your open source project.
We confirm that we have 3 products that will be available for integration. An SDK will be available to build on top of our tech and connect projects to our user base as a plug-in. Our Social Analytics Digital Wallet in the form of a SDK will also be available to all third parties license free of charge. Finally, the #CREATE Token will also be available for all, including its turn key ready integration technology.
We want the world to regain sovereignty over their personal or professional data, where true merit is rewarded and creators of all kinds are protected from being taken advantage of.
The GitHub will be available at a later date and is private during the current Research and Development.
Maintenance
Please confirm that your research and development code will be maintained with bug fixing and new updates free of charge for at least one year after publishing it.
Confirmed but not just for one year but in perpetuity. We will work relentlessly to ensure that our empowering technology is always up to date and future proof.