'Disruptors Unplugged' is a high-end dialogue program focusing on disruptive technologies, launched by Starlabs Consulting.
In this issue of 'Disruptors Unplugged', Starlabs Consulting interviewed Dr. Sam Seo, Chairman of the Kaia DLT Foundation. Dr. Seo introduced Kaia's vision of 'bringing Web3 to the fingertips of millions in Asia', the upcoming Mini DApps and DApp Portal in collaboration with LINE NEXT and its empowerment for $KAIA, the latest developments in Kaia's ecosystem in DeFi, Memecoin, and more, Kaia's localization operational strategy in different global markets, and the latest news on the native stablecoin plan on the Kaia chain.
On December 12, LINE NEXT Inc., a subsidiary of LINE dedicated to developing the Web3 ecosystem, jointly announced with the Kaia Foundation that they will launch Mini DApps and DApp Portal services in the first quarter of 2025, allowing users to use them directly in the LINE messaging software.
The collaboration between the Kaia DLT Foundation (Kaia) and LINE NEXT aims to integrate its blockchain solutions into the mainnet, ensuring the seamless operation of Mini DApps and the DApp Portal. Mini DApps and the DApp Portal will be integrated into the LINE Messaging super app in January next year. As a comprehensive end-user platform, it will help users discover and engage with these outstanding Mini DApps on the LINE Messenger App. Since September, over 800 teams have applied for the Kaia Wave program, ultimately selecting 30 DApps to be among the first to launch as mini programs on LINE Messenger. The Kaia Wave program aims to discover, attract, and onboard competitive Web3 projects supported by Kaia within the LINE Messenger ecosystem.
Here are the highlights of this issue's 'Investors Unplugged' dialogue.
Key points of this article:
When the Mini DApps and DApp Portal of LINE Messenger launch, Kaia will introduce the first 30 Web3 services, which were selected from over 800 applications, some of which have already succeeded in the Telegram community.
Kaia's utility token $KAIA will play an important role in facilitating payments, incentives, and rewards within LINE Messenger's Mini DApps and DApp Portal. We will expand the utility of $KAIA by providing users with additional benefits, positioning $KAIA at the forefront.
Kaia chain recently launched the KaiaFun platform, which will open a new memecoin ecosystem on the Kaia network, introducing hundreds of unique memecoins to users.
Kaia is discussing with a major stablecoin issuer to launch a native USD stablecoin on the Kaia chain. Once successfully launched, it will facilitate seamless operation of LINE's Mini DApps and DApp Portal and further promote growth of the DeFi infrastructure.
🌃Starlabs: What makes 'Kaia + LINE NEXT' unique compared to the integration of 'TON + Telegram'?
Sam Seo: Unlike Telegram, the LINE Messaging App serves both as a messaging platform and as a super life assistant used by both crypto and non-crypto users. LINE's DApp Portal and Mini DApps will offer an unparalleled user experience (UX) based on a streamlined user interface (UI).
In Mini DApps, non-custodial digital wallets, zero-fee delegation, and instant trading combine perfectly. In addition, the DApp Portal provides discovery tools for Mini DApps and its seamless functionality, while Mini DApps are rigorously screened to offer high-quality, user-centric Web3 services. Based on these factors, we believe the Mini DApps program will achieve great success and change the way Web3 is used.
🌃Starlabs: According to Kaia's roadmap, the cooperation between Kaia and the LINE ecosystem seems less tightly bound than the connection between TON and Telegram. Do you agree with this statement?
Sam Seo: The collaboration between Kaia and LINE NEXT is conducted in an exclusive and close partnership. The teams from both companies communicate daily to enhance technical integrity, user experience, and marketing effectiveness. LINE NEXT's Web3 services and support for the blockchain will be developed and seamlessly operate on the Kaia blockchain.
🌃Starlabs: Will the Mini DApps ecosystem brought by 'Kaia + LINE NEXT' provide more utility for $KAIA?
Sam Seo: The utility token $KAIA of the Kaia blockchain will play an important role in facilitating payments, incentives, and rewards within LINE Messenger's Mini DApps and DApp Portal. We will expand the utility of $KAIA by providing users with additional benefits, positioning $KAIA at the forefront. We plan to tailor incentive policies for DApp partners that help expand the utility of $KAIA by using $KAIA in their services. For example, if a DApp buys $KAIA from the secondary market to reward its users, we can offer substantial marketing support, such as advertising on the DApp Portal homepage.
🌃Starlabs: Which services and applications in the Kaia ecosystem help convert the massive Web2 user base of Kakao Talk and LINE into active Web3 users?
Sam Seo: When the Mini DApps and DApp Portal of LINE Messenger launch, Kaia will introduce the first 30 Web3 services. Our screening process focuses on identifying the most entertaining and effective DApp services, some of which have already achieved success in the Telegram mini program community. The first services to launch include Web3 games, healthcare, and more; you can find more detailed information on Kaia's Medium (https://medium.com/kaiachain).
From my understanding, DApps can achieve success by providing entertainment through Web3 games. Additionally, healthcare DApps like SuperZ can enhance user health potential by encouraging and rewarding healthy habits and active lifestyles. Some applications can also significantly improve efficiency by combining AI scheduling and assistant functions. In the future, we will support the introduction of more competitive DApps that integrate blockchain and AI to provide AI agent services.
🌃Starlabs: What infrastructures and services does the Kaia ecosystem have regarding memecoins?
Sam Seo: Kaia has a strong and vibrant memecoin ecosystem. We recently launched KaiaFun—a memecoin platform similar to Pump.fun. KaiaFun will open a new memecoin ecosystem on Kaia, introducing hundreds of unique memecoins to our users. Furthermore, Kaia's DeFi infrastructure is equipped with essential financial modules to promote the development of Kaia's meme economy.
🌃Starlabs: What strategies do you have to attract more developers to join the Kaia ecosystem? Do you have a developer bounty program?
Sam Seo: Kaia Wave provides diverse practical support for user acquisition and growth opportunities, which is more crucial for the success of Web3 projects than relying on financial grants to attract developers. Therefore, since September, we have received over 800 applications and have gone through intense competitive screening.
🌃Starlabs: What measures will Kaia take in community promotion (activities, airdrops, etc.)?
Sam Seo: Kaia enhances its ecosystem and community through influential marketing campaigns and airdrop activities (such as Kaia Epoch 1, which distributes $KAIA tokens upon reaching a specified TVL milestone). Our strategic partnerships with key partners like Hashkey Group also reward and incentivize community participation to further promote our community's growth. Kaia actively hosts and participates in community activities, including Hackerhouse, monthly meetups, AMAs, town halls, and large international Web3 conferences. These initiatives successfully attract end users and developers. Furthermore, our strong developer resources and integration with super apps like LINE Messenger enable millions of users across Asia and beyond to join easily, driving the adoption of Web3 and technological innovation.
🌃Starlabs: Kaia's vision is 'bringing Web3 to the fingertips of millions in Asia'. What was the motivation behind setting this goal?
Sam Seo: Kaia is formed by the strong merger of Klaytn and Finschia, originally developed by two different IT giants, Kakao and LINE. Given the backgrounds and team genes of these two chains, we have rich expertise in creating sustainable digital products and services for end users. Kaia continues this legacy in the Web3 space, dedicated to providing convenient Web3 products. Additionally, our relationships with major IT companies in Asia are unparalleled, as these companies possess super apps and infrastructure in technology, business, and other areas, allowing us to reach the largest user base outside of China more quickly and conveniently.
🌃Starlabs: Although your vision focuses on the Asian market, Web3 itself is borderless. What global strategies do you plan to implement in the future?
Sam Seo: To further nurture the ecosystem across various markets in Asia, we have adopted a localization-first strategy because each market has different needs and preferences. For example, Vietnam is one of our focus markets with a developer-centric ecosystem. After extensive market research and discussions with local partners, we found that many developers are eager to replicate the success of Axie Infinity, even if they do not explicitly express this ambition. To support this vision, we have established a local team in Vietnam to assist developers in building on the Kaia chain and achieving their goals.
In the Philippines, the market is focused on being player-oriented, with many players dreaming of creating large gaming guilds like YGG. To this end, we prioritize collaboration with local gaming guilds to help them grow their communities and integrate into our Web3 gaming ecosystem. This localized strategy enables us to build an ecosystem that meets local needs.
🌃Starlabs: According to a recent summary of a Kaia Townhall meeting, Kaia seems to be planning to launch a stablecoin. Given the recent surge of interest in stablecoins and PayFi in the market, can you share some details about your plans in this area?
Sam Seo: We are discussing with a major stablecoin issuer to launch a native USD stablecoin on the Kaia chain. Once our discussions and negotiations conclude successfully, Kaia can provide a native stablecoin to its DeFi ecosystem while implementing a stablecoin payment mechanism in LINE Messenger's Mini DApps. This will facilitate seamless operation of LINE's Mini DApps and DApp Portal and further drive growth of our DeFi infrastructure.
