SocialFi is a web3 industry attempt at solving the problem of monetizing digital content—the genuine issue affecting millions of talented creators worldwide.

From the perspective of daily users, it might be hard to see creators struggling. However, despite producing quality content daily, the overwhelming majority do not make any money at all. Many SocialFi projects have been launched in the last couple of years, aiming to solve this very monetization part by rewarding every digital interaction for both creators and users. Unfortunately, most seem to have missed the mark by leaning too heavily on aspects of decentralization rather than offering real-world solutions to existing problems. 

The origins of mass interest in this space occurred during the pandemic lockdowns. With the idea of pursuing a passion-based career becoming more mainstream, the future of social monetization was catapulted into a new growth phase. This was also a time when the crypto industry saw a mass influx of retail investors, with industry narratives steering towards building pragmatic, real-world solutions. This led to significant advancement in the SocialFi movement, and plenty has been achieved since then in terms of on-chain innovation, tokenized community governance, integration of NFTs, and other DeFi products that authentically bridge issues around creator monetization and user rewards. 

Yet, as a sector claiming to be the future of the trillion-dollar creator and freelancer economy, the modest market cap of SocialFi tokens is over $2 billion. This indicates that the sector has a long way to go in establishing itself into a global financial ecosystem. Contrast this with DeFi’s market cap (around $70 billion) or even of NFTs (around $62 billion), and it’s clear that SocialFi has a long road ahead. 

Thankfully, there are signs that SocialFi platforms and the utility tokens that power them have a bright future. This is seen in the significant volume of new users willing to join a newly launched SocialFi platform. Sure, many of these users are only there for the free rewards, but that’s the current norm for web3, whether they like it or not.

The benefits of SocialFi

To benefit from such early user traction, builders in SocialFi must be real with themselves when designing a product. The reality is that very few creators care about (or will even benefit from) decentralized content ownership or on-chain proof of IP rights. Although this is a USP widely marketed in web3, it only benefits the top 1% of celebrity creators in the world. 

What about the masses? What USP will win their attention and loyalty? The answer to this holds the solution for how SocialFi platforms can finally win market share from Big Tech’s platforms, and central to this is building hybrid ecosystems. This means fusing blockchain features (such as tokenization) with non-blockchain architecture, providing an intuitive and seamless user experience for the masses. 

While DeFi and blockchain technologies have a variety of clear benefits and value, mass adoption won’t happen if web2 users are required to get past the web3 wall of creating a digital wallet, store a 20-word seed phrase, and interact with an unfamiliar user experience. If creating an account is harder than starting an Instagram account, you’ve already lost 95% of all potential users. From a user experience standpoint, people cannot be held back by the intimidating web3 gates. 

Appealing to the masses

The winners in this space will focus on the narrative that appeals to the masses, building a community of real creators, empowering them with web3 education, and implementing real-world token utility into a seamless user experience. That’s the formula for SocialFi’s success. 

Without a doubt, the SocialFi community is tackling these challenges, and 2024 remains a crucial year for projects in this space. The current wave of innovation is the most exciting one, as projects roll out user-centric features that focus on user experience and build upon the value that traditional platforms have already created for the creator community. Tokens matter, but as a secondary driver of growth, and should only exist as a medium to enhance the user experience. This realization will shape the sector moving forward.

Dave Catudal

Dave Catudal, co-founder of Lyvely, is an accomplished entrepreneur in tech and wellness with an extensive background in product innovation and e-commerce. Credited with founding several successful wellness ventures, Dave is building the future of SocialFi at Lyvely, integrating various aspects of web3 to deliver transparent monetization and engagement tools for the creator and freelance economy. Dave previously founded one of the GCC region’s fastest-growing D2C health supplement brands. He also holds a patent for his best-selling fitness machine and online program in the US.

When starting a business, a great idea is worthless if no one is available or willing to invest the funds to make it bloom. In the hi-tech world, where creativity and competition mold our future via non-stop innovation, venture capital and private equity firms are the oxygen this fast-paced industry runs on. 

While a good idea may get you in the door, securing essential funding requires demonstrating capable leadership, a reasonable product-market fit, and a concise business strategy. That being said, fundraising in “traditional” tech is fairly structured and predictable with a higher tolerance for the patient, long-term approach. 

Crypto and web3 projects, on the other hand, view and conduct fundraising differently. Historically, some crypto and blockchain projects have attracted traditional Silicon Valley VCs like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital to invest directly in exchange for equity or tokens. Many of these top VC firms have established subsidiary funds focused specifically on promising crypto and blockchain projects. 

However, VC investment tends to rise and fall in correlation with Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader crypto market. For example, VC investment in crypto hit an all-time high of nearly $12 billion in Q1 of 2022, following Bitcoin’s previous record-high price of $69,000 in November 2021. In fact, total VC funds raised in 2023 failed to eclipse 2022’s Q1, as the down market sent VCs running. 

Crypto’s bear market, defined by exchange collapses, hacks, and scams, coincided with the meteoric rise of AI. This further diverted VC attention away from web3 developments, even as the industry matured and started attracting more attention from traditional institutions. 

The blockchain industry has mostly been receptive to tech VC investment despite their stringent centralized operations and reluctance to invest during volatile periods. Due to crypto’s inherent volatility, inconsistent VC participation, lessons learned from the shady ICO era of 2017, and the industry’s hyper-competitive nature, IDO platforms emerged as an alternative funding route for early-stage projects. 

Launchpads became popular during the previous bull run as they provided a decentralized outlet for crypto communities to access a wide array of projects, letting them decide which ones are worthy of an investment. Driven by retail investors and growing crypto communities, launchpads like DAO Maker and Polkastarter supplied projects with valuable resources because they reflected the industry’s values while providing tools for projects and investors—including institutional players. 

As the industry weathered rough market conditions, causing token prices to freefall and projects to shut down, IDO platforms evolved with crypto. Multichain launchpads like ChainGPT and Seedify are now becoming the standard, enabling more projects to take part. 

Since regulatory scrutiny has thrown the industry a curveball, many launchpads have taken crucial steps to ensure they comply with any regional laws, including processes to protect investors. Launchpads are also transcending, simply providing a platform to help projects sell tokens. They are playing a more hands-on role with the projects they onboard, resembling incubators and accelerators common in mainstream tech. 

For example, Gems, a newly established launchpad, connects projects with its exclusive network of influential investors for post-launch support to accelerate growth. The platform boasts 4,000 investment “Leaders,” who gain exclusive access to thoroughly vetted projects while enabling a growing user community to also invest in high-potential startups. By carefully balancing the needs of investors and projects, Gems raised a combined $198 million for its first three project launches.   

Crypto developments are occurring at rapid rates, reshaping the industry before our eyes. Avenues for funding in this dynamic industry will likely continue to evolve as the industry matures, absorbs more users, and further penetrates traditional finance. Regardless, IDO launchpads will remain an invaluable infrastructure component, adapting innovative approaches to serving the industry while fostering communities and facilitating growth.