Latest news with #Peaq
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How To Nail Your Token Launch: A Marketing Playbook For Web3 Startups
Alex Topchishvili is a marketing executive at CoinList, a leading crypto launch platform in the world. Launching a digital token is a high-stakes moment that requires tight coordination across marketing, community, legal, ops and product departments. You may be a B2B software business, but if you are launching a token, you are now also a B2C startup with a retail audience. Despite the billions raised in this space, I've seen too many teams fumble their launch marketing playbook. You get one shot to launch your token, so don't screw it up. Based on my experience helping over 40 projects (Solana, Flow, Peaq, WalletConnect, Ondo, etc.) launch tokens, here's a high level marketing playbook to guide your token launch. You can use this advice for any digital asset launch you may be planning. In this piece, I'll use the word "token" to refer to a digital asset built on a blockchain. 1. Establish product-market fit before launching a token. Most Web3 startups have a core product and a token—do not confuse the two. Your product likely fixes a problem, adds value to the user and would probably be used without a token. Your token, on the other hand, is a tool for user acquisition. If your product doesn't require a token to function, focus on achieving product-market fit (PMF) first. Launching a token too early can distort user behavior and lock in flawed assumptions in the product. Incentives might drive short-term growth, but they won't fix a product that doesn't resonate. I've seen it countless times: A token launch brings a wave of users, but without PMF, engagement falls off a cliff when the incentives dry up. Launching a token before finding PMF is like pouring gas on an engine that doesn't run. Tokens work best when layered on top of a product that already delivers value. 2. Craft a story people actually understand. Your business has two distinct target audiences: people who use your product and people that will buy your token. To connect with them, drop the jargon and start with the basics: Why does your business matter, and to whom does it matter? What is the message you want your audience to receive, and how do you plan to distribute that message? If you're a technical founder struggling with messaging, hire someone who isn't. Your launch depends on it. A compelling story also opens doors with press. Secure media coverage before your token launch: funding rounds, token sales, product launches and major wins deserve exclusives with big names in the media space, like CoinDesk or The Block. For smaller updates, use newswires or lean on investors and partners to amplify the message. If needed, hire a performance-based PR firm, not a bloated retainer shop. 3. Supercharge user acquisition. User acquisition, especially in the token space, is extremely difficult for two reasons. One, there are very few new users. Two, most projects have no clue how to acquire users, track engagement or measure where growth comes from. Ask about LTV or CAC, and you'll usually get blank stares. Don't try to be massive at the start—a smaller number of evangelists are more important to the success of your project than numerous detached users. With Web 2.0 growth channels failing, incentivized reward campaigns (testnets, quests, point programs) have become the de facto ad units. But these only work if they're targeted and optimized to your priorities. Consider the following: • Consumer app? Go after retail users. • Dev platform? Focus on developers and validators. • DeFi app? Target active traders. Don't lean too heavily on platforms like Galaxy, Layer3 or Zealy early on. They're great for scaling, but not for seeding your community. Early growth is your job and cannot be outsourced. When you do run these quest campaigns, incentivize real engagement: staking, swapping, lending and active governance, not meaningless vanity metrics like social follows. Exchanges and investors will look at your numbers, but they won't be duped by vanity metrics. Don't do it. 4. Activate influencers. Meet users where they are. In my industry, due to the lack of mainstream ad channels, that means KOLs (key opinion leaders). As launch nears, tap trusted influencers to build hype and reach native audiences. Start with educational content to build credibility, then shift to conversion-focused messaging as momentum builds. During the launch, activate top-tier KOLs across regions and languages, including English, Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and Spanish. Not all KOLs are created equal. Influence is generally a function of reach (follower count) multiplied by credibility. The best influencers will rarely be willing to burn their influence for money. They promote what boosts their own reputation and helps followers make money. Make sure your KOLs have real traffic, not bots. Red flags to watch out for include a large number of followers but low impressions and engagement on tweets, activity spikes followed by silence, repetitive tweet replies and no mutual followers. Use tools like Kaito or Cookie3 to check credibility. And remember, KOLs matter just as much at TGE (token generation event) as they do during a token sale, when creating buy pressure on your token becomes critical. 5. Ramp up BD and partnership efforts. Integrating with other crypto projects is a massive growth channel to activate pre-token launch. In many ways, it is easier to secure partnerships with other projects, exchanges and market makers before you have a live token. Once you have a token with transparent metrics and revenue, it's never enough. Team up with projects that have a similar group of users or target market so you can take advantage of their community and momentum. Whether it's a DeFi or DePIN integration, a gaming guild alliance or a co-marketing push with another L1/L2, partnerships can create a lot of buzz. Say yes to the joint Twitter Space, social media push or event. Get the most juice out of every collaboration. A poorly executed token launch can kill your product and user acquisition. A well-executed launch, on the other hand, can supercharge both of those things. Treat your token launch like the high-stakes moment it is, and you may be rewarded. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5 DePIN Projects Rebuilding Infrastructure in 2025
A new kind of infrastructure is emerging—quietly, efficiently, and without fanfare. It's called DePIN, short for Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks, and it's changing how the physical world gets connected. The idea is simple: replace bloated institutions and outdated middlemen with crypto incentives and a network of independent operators. Instead of centralized telecom giants, you've got individuals running devices from garages, rooftops, and back offices. Cell towers become community-powered. Sensor grids are crowdsourced. Cloud storage is distributed across thousands of independently operated machines. This isn't about permits or subsidies—it's about participation. Stake a device, provide coverage, contribute data or bandwidth—earn tokens. No corporate hierarchy. No red tape. Just a protocol and an open invitation. DePIN flips the model. You don't need a résumé to join—just the right hardware. You don't need permission—just a signal. It's peer-to-peer, edge-run, and open-source at its core. Here are five DePIN projects actively rebuilding real-world infrastructure in 2025—decentralized, token-powered, and already operating at scale. While most blockchains are scrambling to retrofit themselves for the DePIN wave, Peaq didn't have to pivot — it was created for this. 'Peaq was built to power DePIN before this Web3 section even got its name,' says co-founder Leonard Dorlöchter. '[Peaq's] clear focus on real-world applications is its defining edge.' Peaq's vision has always centered on enabling the Machine Economy, with DePIN as one of its core pillars. That vision runs through every layer of its infrastructure. 'Everything about Peaq is meant to empower DePINs in some way,' Dorlöchter adds. 'Its fundamentals give DePINs the quick and cheap transactions they need to scale. Its Modular DePIN Functions deliver builders ready-to-use key functionalities they need to build fast.' Beyond tooling, Peaq's DePIN Grant Program backs builders with enterprise partnerships, funding, developer resources, and go-to-market support. Its community is made up of DePIN-native pioneers, eager to back serious teams with serious ambitions. 'It's the kind of synergy only possible with a blockchain built end-to-end for DePIN,' Dorlöchter emphasizes. As DePIN projects lay down cables, spin up sensors, and stake hardware in the real world, most wouldn't function without The Graph pulling the strings in the background. 'The Graph isn't just another DePIN protocol—it's the protocol that powers other protocols,' says Nick Hansen, team lead at The Graph. 'It gives these projects mission-critical access to indexed blockchain data. Without it, you're basically flying blind.' The Graph functions as the data layer for DePIN, providing decentralized access to the information these projects need to operate. Its network of Indexers ensures that data remains open, reliable, and verifiable—foundational traits for any decentralized physical system. 'By simplifying data access, The Graph helps these projects run more efficiently and transparently,' Hansen adds. 'It's what brings the decentralized vision of DePIN to life.'. From environmental sensors to mobility infrastructure, The Graph bridges blockchain data with real-world systems, making it easier for DePIN builders to create applications that actually work—at scale, and without compromise. In the crowded landscape of decentralized cloud infrastructure, Flux is carving out a broader lane. 'InFlux Technologies (Flux) stands out from other DePIN competitors because of the depth of services we provide,' says CEO Daniel Keller. 'There are numerous decentralized cloud computing networks, but how many of those only provide cloud computing?' Flux isn't limiting itself. Built on global infrastructure, it enables unlimited localized deployment scenarios and integrates decentralized AI at its core. 'We've introduced a new operating system, called Arcane, into our decentralized computing marketplace—FluxEdge—that enables private container deployment for secure application environments,' Keller explains. But the real differentiator? Strategic execution. Flux is actively onboarding Web2 giants into the Web3 world. 'We just partnered with NVIDIA and NexGen Cloud to provide top-of-the-line GPU hardware at ridiculously affordable rates,' says Keller. With a focus on privacy, partnership, and practical scaling, Flux is turning DePIN from concept to compute-ready reality. In the overcrowded world of decentralized cloud infrastructure, Flux isn't just competing—it's expanding the category. Helium has quietly become one of the most established players in the DePIN space, building a decentralized wireless network powered by everyday users who earn HNT tokens for providing coverage. 'We started as an IoT network, but we've since expanded to a mobile network—and now we support both,' said Abhay Kumar, protocol lead at Helium Labs. What sets Helium apart is how it abstracts the crypto layer from the end user. 'The hotspot owner gets paid in HNT. The carriers burn HNT. But the subscriber just pays with a credit card,' Kumar explained. That model is gaining traction. In a single weekend, over 900,000 unique phones connected to Helium hotspots. Through a new partnership, AT&T subscribers can now access Helium's network across the U.S., expanding coverage to thousands of new locations built and maintained by individuals. AT&T is also adopting Helium's real-time coverage quality metrics. 'The winners,' Kumar said, 'will be the ones who solve for demand." Helium is already answering. 'There hasn't been a new approach to mapping since Waze in 2012,' says Ariel Seidman. 'Hivemapper is like Waze—but with eyes, intelligence, and rewards.' Forget apps. This is a self-running, edge-powered mapping system built for the real world. At its core is the Bee—a purpose-built device that captures spatial AI data and processes it mid-drive. 'The Bee updates the map in near real time,' says Ariel Seidman, CEO of Hivemapper. 'Every drive is edge-processed, no heavy servers.' No server farms. No lag. Just raw data, converted into live maps as the world shifts—lane by lane, sign by sign, block by block. That real-time responsiveness feeds into Hivemapper's DePIN architecture: a decentralized network of drivers and fleets turning the world into constantly refreshed, high-res map data. Contributors don't just feed the system—they get paid for it. 'Our decentralized system removes the bottlenecks,' Seidman says. 'And by running computer vision directly on the Bee, we can power everything from autonomous vehicles to logistics platforms with constantly refreshed, high-res map intelligence.' The pitch is simple: faster maps, smarter data, no middlemen. Just hardware, vision models, and a token incentive system that actually works.
