The history of internet development in the past few decades has followed a pattern of infrastructure development, followed by a period of stagnation, and then a re-empowerment of more applications. During the rapid development of applications, there is a greater demand for infrastructure.
Data has become the new “oil resource” in the AI arms race among tech giants during the AI wave. However, issues regarding data privacy, ownership, and profits have been overlooked by users. In the wave of internet development in the past few decades, users have been the producers of data but not the real beneficiaries. Even large tech companies have been frequently accused of using data to discriminate against users.
In the decentralized Web3 wave, data sovereignty and profit rights are gradually becoming possible. Users can also earn profits through tokens. This is the core business that CARV is working on. CARV is a modular data layer built for AI and Web3 games. With large amounts of data in the AI and gaming fields, the valuable data obtained after the circulation through various layers, such as the application layer, ID layer, storage layer, computation training layer, and verification layer, is what the industry needs.
In the previous cycle, pioneers like Gala and recent achievements in Aethir’s node selling have allowed early participants to earn significant profits. In light of this, Foresight News interviewed CARV founder Victor to gain a deep understanding of the team, product, nodes, and future plans.
I. The Birth of CARV: Coincidence or Necessity
CARV founder Victor, who studied at Harvard Business School in the United States and has experience in entrepreneurship and investment in the Web2 field, eventually decided to start a new project in the field of Web3 after exploring multiple options. This project focuses on the modular data layer of gaming and AI.
CARV is a homonym of the word “Carve” in English, implying “sculpting.” Gamers constantly train and carve their own data, which also represents CARV’s spirit of “carving” in building products. Another aspect of the meaning is from the application layer, where achievements are aggregated, and records are carved on the blockchain.
Foresight News: Many people have just heard of CARV. Can you introduce yourself and your experience in the crypto field, including the team?
I started my entrepreneurship journey in 2015 and built a company that was eventually acquired by a Fortune 500 company within two years. I mainly worked in the technology field and also worked at McKinsey. Later, I entered the venture capital field, focusing on different areas, including AI, consumer goods, hard technology, and analysis in the crypto field. That’s how I met our current CTO. Later, when I was at Harvard Business School, I connected with our founding team.
Our CTO has been working in the crypto field since graduating from a US graduate school in 2017. He developed a blockchain video streaming product and worked on the Cosmos chain. Later, he sold his company to Bittorrent and joined Coinbase, responsible for private keys and L2 matters. Our head of growth and operations previously worked at Tencent and other companies, mainly in the gaming industry, including game operations and distribution.
Foresight News: Is CARV’s focus on the modular data layer for gaming and AI a deliberate choice or a result of trial and error?
We had a general direction at the beginning and explored it extensively before finally deciding on this direction.
We found that there were many problems in the Web2 field. For example, personal data has always been controlled by centralized data owners, and individuals have never been able to obtain data sovereignty. Another problem is that there are many profits generated during the data usage process, but individual users who provide data cannot benefit from these profits.
Based on this, many problems arise. For example, regulations like GDPR in Europe and CCPA in the United States aim to protect users’ personal data privacy, but they make it more difficult for data consumers, such as gaming companies, to obtain accurate user data for targeted advertising and market analysis. We found that there are problems on both sides. On the one hand, individuals lack data sovereignty and their privacy is not protected, and they cannot share the profits generated from their data. On the other hand, it is difficult for brands, companies, and data users to obtain high-quality user data in a legitimate way.
Therefore, we saw a great opportunity to bridge the gap between the two sides, allowing data to generate more value. On the one hand, we aim to protect users’ data privacy and allow them to share the value generated during the data usage process, enabling personal data self-control and monetization. On the other hand, we aim to help data users obtain high-quality user data in a legal and compliant manner to create value.
We found that the gaming industry and AI field are the most potential areas to generate data value. The gaming industry has accumulated a large amount of data, and for gaming companies, obtaining users’ personal data is crucial for precise advertising and market analysis. We initially focused on the gaming sector and developed our flagship product, CARV Play, which is a gaming platform with approximately 2.5 million registered users. Another area we explored is the increasing demand for personal data in AI training. So we locked in these two sectors, gaming and AI, and will explore more in the future.
II. The Modular Data Layer for Gaming + AI is Not Just Talk, But Real Work
In areas with high attention, there are always many projects that ride the wave. CARV, from the beginning, aimed to build in the gaming and AI sectors, which are two major hot topics, based on real insights to create serious products. Currently, the cross-platform authentication system and Web3 game distribution and social platform, CARV Play, have been online and operational for 2 years, providing real validation and generating profits. CARV AI Agent – CARA Bot, based on the TON ecosystem, and more products are also being developed and deployed.
Foresight News: How do you view the development of the gaming and AI sectors in the crypto field?
Web3 gaming is a phased process. Many games are questioned because they lack strong gameplay. As a game, it needs to be fun first, and then it can create other profits. However, many games in the Web3 field are primarily focused on the strong financial attributes of Web3, which sometimes results in a reversal of priorities. This has led to varying quality among projects. However, this year, especially after the start of the bull market, we have seen some upcoming games with high-quality gameplay, even in comparison to traditional Web2 games.
For gaming and AI, I can also anticipate that in the next cycle, which could be a few months to a year or even a full cycle, we may see a very good application that truly brings Web3 to Web2.
We follow the development history of the internet over the past few decades, which is basically infrastructure development for a period of time, followed by a silent period, and then empowering more applications. CARV started with an application layer and a bottom-layer infrastructure, working together to roll the flywheel.
Foresight News: What is the current development status of CARV’s products?
Currently, we are focusing on building a modular data layer and exploring the organic combination with AI. This includes the following aspects:
Modular Data Layer: We have established a complete set of data protocols that give users full data sovereignty. Users can authorize, store, validate, and confirm their own identities, player profiles, and game data through the protocols while earning data revenue. Currently, we are mainly selling CARV’s validation nodes to enrich and atomize our verification layer through user-owned nodes and proxy nodes.
Integration with AI: We have launched CARV AI Agent – CARA Bot, built on the TON ecosystem. Driven by GPT models, CARA Bot serves as CARV’s encyclopedia and intelligent assistant, helping users with any questions related to CARV. Next, based on users’ personalized data, we will provide intelligent recommendations, D2E tasks, and explore advertising. We are seeking further strategic cooperation with well-known AI companies to generate more value from AI X Data.
CARV Protocol is a modular cross-chain data layer that includes components such as authentication, storage, processing, and monetization. Following the recently approved ERC-7231 standard in the Ethereum community, CARV ID aggregates web2 and Web3 identities of over 1 million users, enabling data self-sovereignty. CARV Link, an oracle service, handles on-chain data authentication, which is then stored in CARV’s decentralized hybrid Ethereum storage system. Data is processed before being published to multiple blockchains to simplify cross-chain management and ensure security and efficient monetization in Web3.
CARV Play is a cross-platform authentication system and the largest Web3 game distribution and social platform. In the past quarter, it has had over 500,000 daily active wallets and ranks among the top three ecosystems in terms of activity on chains such as Linea, opBNB, zkSync, and Ronin. It provides an enhanced gaming experience for 2.5 million players, allowing them to share data, build credentials, play games, and earn rewards. About 30% of existing Web3 games have been launched on this platform, from MARBLEX and Shrapnel to Off the Grid, Pixelmon, and Pixels.
Foresight News: Who do you see as your direct competitors in terms of companies or projects? What makes you different?
In the Web2 field, as a data infrastructure layer, CARV Protocol can be compared to companies like AppLovin (market value of $27 billion) and Liveramp (market value of $2.3 billion). However, CARV’s differentiation lies in truly giving data ownership and monetization rights to users. Any income generated from user data will be shared with the data creators.
Furthermore, we have created a unified user ID standard (ERC-7231) that connects Web2 and Web3, enabling seamless data portability instead of isolated solutions. This brings a powerful flywheel effect for users and businesses in industries such as gaming and AI.
In terms of our gaming application, CARV Play, it can be compared to companies like Taptap (market value of $850 million), a community-driven mobile game discovery and distribution platform. Our key difference lies in achieving true cross-platform achievements and portable identities, even across consoles, mobile, and PC games. Achievements are also proven on the blockchain, unlocking credential-based game matching and incentivized community voting.
In the Web3 field, some companies only touch on certain aspects, such as gaming platforms (Portal, Forge, GALA, Treasure) or decentralized data (Grass, Masa Network, Ocean Protocol). However, CARV combines the comprehensive application layer of gaming, TON ecosystem’s AI agents, and our underlying protocol infrastructure. We have 2.5 million registered users and over 790 integrated gaming and AI company partners.
The key is our industry expertise, which allows us to cultivate high-quality and refined data specifically for game studios after IDFA.As a professional translator, here is the translated version of the news article:
Title: CARV Utilizes Node Sales to Share Profits and Accelerate Decentralization
More and more projects have been using point-based rewards and airdrops to engage users, but the market has grown tired of these endless point activities. So, besides points, are there other ways for projects to share profits with users and accelerate decentralization? CARV has found a solution by selling nodes. Nodes not only enhance the gaming experience for players but also promote game discovery and profitability.
In the token economy of CARV, 50% of the total supply is evenly distributed to the community and node operators. This is not commonly seen in crypto projects where VC shares dominate.
Foresight News: Many projects have faced controversy with airdrops and points. How does CARV view this issue? How is the allocation to the community determined?
This is a complex issue, and we can look at it from different perspectives. Without tokens, points can solve the cold start problem of a project. However, when there are tokens involved, there are higher demands from the community for its own benefits and earnings. Points, like innovation, emerge in projects that haven’t launched their tokens yet.
In the CARV ecosystem, both the community and node operators are essential and we are grateful for the contributions of early community members. In CARV’s token economics, 25% is allocated to the community, 25% is allocated to node operators, and the node sale will not affect the rights of early community contributors, including airdrops.
Foresight News: Let’s talk about nodes. Most readers have only bought coins, so what are CARV nodes? What are their functions? Why consider selling nodes?
Validator nodes are lightweight nodes managed by the community. They play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the protocol, thereby enhancing the credibility and security of the protocol. Currently, these nodes mainly check TEE proofs on the chain to ensure the reliability of the verification results and the privacy of user data.
CARV nodes have always been part of our roadmap because we believe their integration is crucial for amplifying the dynamics between players and games. CARV nodes adopt a verifiable mechanism to ensure secure data processing and drive the CARV protocol towards a permissionless, decentralized, and more secure ecosystem. This means there will be more high-quality games joining, simplifying the game onboarding process, and enhancing game discovery and player community engagement.
For players, a more decentralized and secure network provides greater opportunities for monetization and participation. Community-driven approaches not only enhance the gaming experience but also promote game discovery and profitability. In the future, this decentralized network will expand to provide additional services such as storage, oracles, and game L2 solutions. These initiatives aim not only to create profits but also to give back to the ecosystem and ultimately benefit players.
Running CARV nodes has three main benefits:
1. Reward opportunities: Node validators receive a significant portion of network rewards, with 25% of CARV tokens allocated to them.
2. Decentralization: Contribute to a truly decentralized data economy that respects user autonomy and privacy.
3. Influence: Have a voice in the CARV community to help shape network development and governance.
Foresight News: How can ordinary individuals seize node opportunities?
In the previous bull market cycle, we saw early node users like Gala reaping substantial rewards. Will history repeat itself in this bull market cycle? This is a question that many investors have. Apart from this, what are the core advantages and competencies of CARV? The answer includes technology, incentive measures, and the ecosystem.
Foresight News: We have seen similar node sales from Gala, XAI, and Aethir in the past. What sets CARV apart and what are its advantages?
Overall, CARV has several aspects that set it apart. In terms of technology, CARV has completed the entire flow of data, including authentication, storage, verification, and processing. We have modularized the design, which greatly facilitates collaboration with other projects.
The node sale combines the advantages of DPoS (Delegated Proof of Stake) and PoA (Proof of Authority), which can bring sufficient decentralization to the CARV network. This decentralized node network can be well integrated with the modular data layer established by CARV. Currently, the node network primarily serves the data processing layer established by CARV, ensuring compliance and privacy protection. In the future, the node network will also serve the data storage layer to better support CARV’s on-chain data availability (DA) solutions. CARV will further serve the identity authentication layer through the node network and introduce decentralized oracles for games and AI.
In terms of incentives, CARV adopts a 25% emission reduction model for the first 6 months, with 28% emission in the first 6 months and 50% emission in the first year. Additionally, CARV has a unique reserve buyback contract. Users do not claim any rewards during the period, and after 6 months, they can apply for a 100% buyback.
For users who purchase and run nodes, if they are unsatisfied with the performance of our nodes after six months, they can initiate a buyback, which means we can guarantee that they won’t face significant pressure in our nodes.
We will also provide rewards during the token generation event (TGE) through testnet incentives to allow some users to recoup their investment. We have already announced that several projects will provide airdrop rewards to node operators, and there will be more actions in the future.
Foresight News: What are the specific conditions for ordinary retail investors to participate in nodes? Any advice?
On the technical side, users can choose to run nodes themselves or delegate their stake to node operators. We have designed it to be user-friendly and not as complicated as traditional block-producing and transaction-verifying nodes.
Secondly, users can participate in the simplest way, even without downloading any software. They can run nodes directly in their browsers. The specific requirements include keeping the browser running and helping us verify data on the corresponding chain.
We also hope to make it simple for users, so we only require users to validate for 6 hours a day, and as long as they complete the necessary verification within 6 hours, they will receive rewards.
For many ordinary users and gamers, they can simply leave their computers running in the browser before going to sleep and meet the daily target. Both sides can benefit from this.
We will provide different node options based on different user needs. Our advice to users is to choose the most suitable option to operate the node.
Foresight News: Can you share the recent focus of work and future roadmap?
On the technical side, our current focus is to better support nodes, including making it easier for users to run nodes and improving the overall experience of node operation and purchase. In the future, we will expand the applications of this node network as soon as possible, including data layer verification, oracle implementation, and even running our own network based on our requirements.
We have been in talks with some major projects regarding data layer collaboration. For example, we have been in contact with Avail, who has shown interest in our data storage.
Next, we will focus on oracles, which is currently a pain point for us. This includes node operation and the needs of many games, which may require a game-specific or more adaptable oracle mechanism. This will expand the use cases of the verification network.
Our bigger vision is to have our own verification network, our own processing, and then to develop our own data layer, including data availability (DA) and storage.
Regarding AI, we have already announced partnerships with Aethir and Google Cloud. Aethir is a decentralized GPU network, which is crucial for AI in terms of computing power. Google Cloud is a top-tier infrastructure provider, including CPU, network, resources, and CDN. Currently, CARV acts as an intermediate layer. From the bottom, we connect all the infrastructure and GPU capabilities. From the top, we have our own AI agent application and have integrated some functions from Fetch.ai.
We integrate all AI infrastructures from the bottom and all AI applications from the top. As the intermediate layer, CARV provides data, which, when combined with infrastructure and GPU, can create unlimited possibilities for imagination.
CARV may further include GPUs, data, and the powerful infrastructure provider Google Cloud, as well as our own applications. So, in the future, we will build a comprehensive AI ecosystem centered around CARV, which is our main focus.
In terms of users and games, one aspect is to create a more complete and seamless UI user experience, allowing users to passively earn lifetime membership income once they have an ID. They can use their mobile internet to play the games they want and participate in protocols, accumulating more complete data seamlessly. This will create greater value for other applications, and users can receive their fair share of monetization. Improving the monetization experience is something we will continuously work on.
The second aspect is the gaming and data DNA of our team. We aim to enhance the experience for different types of players, allowing them to present their gaming identities and experiences in unique ways within the CARV application. Therefore, we will continuously improve the social and content aspects.
From a PMF (Product Market Fit) or business perspective, as we have already served over 700 gaming and AI companies, we help them solve customer acquisition and model training pain points through data. We will further refine our B2B products, adopt Taptap-like monetization methods, and have greater breakthroughs for them. We will also include SDK integration to facilitate the flow of the entire revenue model.
Tags:
AI
CARV
WEB3
Infrastructure
Security
Social
Source: https://foresightnews.pro/article/detail/61149
Original article link: https://www.bitpush.news/articles/6818488