Sota Watanabe presents Soneium at Chainlink’s SmartCon

Sota Watanabe, CEO of Startale and Director of Soneium, began his SmartCon presentation by introducing himself and the project he represents. Soneium is an Ethereum Layer-2 scaling solution developed by Sony Blockchain Solutions Labs, a joint venture between Sony Group and Startale. The core objective of Soneium, and Startale as a whole, is to onboard billions of people onto the blockchain, democratizing access to Web3 technology and unlocking its potential for humanity.

The Current State of Web3 Adoption

Sota highlighted the nascent stage of Web3 adoption, citing statistics that show only 3% of the global population currently utilizes Web3 technology. He drew parallels to the internet’s early days in 1999, when adoption was similarly low. He emphasized that this limited adoption is not due to a lack of technological advancement but rather a lack of effective distribution channels, a challenge that plagued early internet adoption as well. He recounted the browser wars of the late 90s, where Internet Explorer triumphed over Netscape Navigator primarily due to Microsoft’s strategic advantage of pre-installing IE on their PCs. This dominant distribution channel, rather than superior technology, propelled IE to market dominance. Similarly, today’s browser landscape is dominated by Chrome due to its performance and the platform shift from PCs to mobile devices.

The Importance of Distribution

Sota underscored the crucial role of distribution in achieving widespread adoption, stating that “distribution is king.” He argued that the Web3 industry’s biggest hurdle is not technological innovation but reaching a broader audience. He emphasized the need to create seamless user experiences to onboard ordinary people who aren’t tech-savvy. He envisions a future where people use Web3 not because it is trendy, but because it is demonstrably faster, cheaper, more efficient, and overall better than existing alternatives. This, he believes, can be achieved by focusing on customer experience technologies like account abstraction and intent-centric design.

Soneium’s Approach: Vertical Integration and User Focus

Sota described Soneium’s strategy for achieving mass adoption. Unlike many in the industry who view Web3 horizontally, comparing individual blockchains or wallets, Soneium takes a vertical approach. They aim to build a vertically integrated product ecosystem, simplifying both the developer and user experience. This vertical integration encompasses the entire technology stack, from the blockchain layer to the application layer. This approach addresses the fragmentation and complexity that currently hinder Web3 usability.

A key component of this vertical integration is Startale Cloud, a middleware solution that includes RPC (Remote Procedure Call) services, blockchain APIs, account abstraction SDKs, and other tools to streamline Web3 development and usage. By providing these tools and services, Soneium aims to remove friction and make Web3 development more accessible to a wider range of developers.

Soneium’s Vision: An Open Internet Transcending Boundaries

Sota reiterated Soneium’s mission to realize an open internet that transcends existing boundaries. He identified several key boundaries that currently divide the Web3 space:

• Web2 vs. Web3: Bridging the gap between traditional internet users and the decentralized web.
• Tech-savvy vs. Ordinary Users: Making Web3 accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise.
• Web3 Degens vs. Regulators: Fostering a collaborative relationship between the Web3 community and regulatory bodies.
• Large Corporations vs. Startups: Creating a synergistic environment where established companies and innovative startups can thrive together.

He highlighted the unique partnership between Sony Group, a Web2 giant, and Startale, a Web3 startup, as a testament to Soneium’s commitment to breaking down these barriers. Their goal is to create a future where people use Web3 seamlessly, without even realizing they are interacting with blockchain technology. This, he believes, is achievable by focusing on delivering tangible benefits to users, such as increased efficiency, speed, and cost savings.

Soneium’s Core Values: Emotion, Creativity, and Go Mainstream

Sota emphasized Soneium’s three core values:

• Emotion: Creating an engaging and exciting Web3 experience that goes beyond mere financial incentives.
• Creativity: Empowering creators and fostering innovation within the Soneium ecosystem.
• Go Mainstream: Achieving mass adoption and making Web3 a part of everyday life.

He noted that current Web3 participation is often driven by financial speculation, which he sees as unsustainable. Soneium aims to shift the focus towards creating a fun and engaging experience that attracts a broader audience. They envision a platform where everyone is a creator, regardless of their background or skills, empowering individuals to shape the future of the internet.

The “Go Mainstream” value reflects Soneium’s ambition to move beyond the niche Web3 community and reach billions of users. Sota explained the evolving meaning of “GM” — from “Good Morning,” a symbol of the Web3 underground culture, to “Go Mainstream,” representing Soneium’s broader vision.

Soneium’s Progress and Future Plans

Sota shared Soneium’s progress, announcing the recent launch of their testnet. Within a month, the testnet saw over 3.5 million wallet addresses created, more than 500,000 daily transactions, and over 2 million smart contracts deployed. These figures demonstrate significant community engagement and validate the demand for a user-friendly Web3 platform. He emphasized the collaborative approach Soneium is taking, working closely with the community to build and expand the ecosystem.

He also highlighted the Soneium Spark incubation program, the first of its kind on Soneium. The program received over 1,700 applications within a month, and 30 projects were selected for the first batch. This program provides developer support, investments, and resources to help promising Web3 projects thrive on Soneium. He encouraged developers interested in building on Soneium to reach out and join their community.

Partnership with Chainlink

Sota highlighted the importance of working with trusted infrastructure partners like Chainlink. Chainlink’s data feeds, functions, VRF (Verifiable Random Function), and data stream services are already supported on the Soneium testnet. This integration provides developers with essential tools for building robust and reliable decentralized applications.

Astar Integration

Sota discussed the integration of Astar, a Layer-1 blockchain he founded, with Soneium. He explained that Astar’s strategy is aligned with Soneium’s vision of mass adoption. Astar plans to conduct campaigns to bring Astar tokens, worth up to $100 million, from the Astar Layer-1 to Soneium through Chainlink CCIP (Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol). This will further enhance the interoperability and liquidity within the Soneium ecosystem. The ongoing campaign showcases how existing Astar tokens can be used on Soneium and how existing ERC-20 tokens outside of Soneium can be leveraged for growth within the Soneium ecosystem.

Startale Cloud: Bridging the Gap to Mass Adoption

Sota reiterated the importance of middleware in making Web3 accessible to a wider audience. He explained that since most people can’t directly interact with the blockchain, a middleware layer is essential. Startale Cloud provides this crucial bridge, offering trusted RPC services, blockchain APIs, account abstraction SDKs, and other tools that simplify Web3 interaction for both developers and end-users.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Sota concluded his speech by reiterating Soneium’s commitment to onboarding billions of people onto the blockchain. He emphasized that to prove Web3’s transformative potential and its ability to create a positive societal impact, it must reach mass adoption, just like the internet did. He emphasized the historical significance of strong distribution channels in driving the internet’s growth and stated that Soneium is following a similar path, focusing on distribution to bring Web3 to the masses. He invited the audience to join Soneium in its mission, encouraging them to connect with the team, contribute to the ecosystem, and help shape the future of the internet. He expressed his excitement about the shared vision and the potential of Web3 to create a more open and accessible internet for everyone.

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