Sophon Canvas: $4M to Build the Consumer-Centric Crypto Ecosystem
Apply to Sophon Canvas: A $4M incubator program funding consumer crypto apps, zkTLS, AI, and creators. Get funding, technical support, and distribution on our platform.
Sophon's mission has always been clear: to facilitate the adoption of consumer applications powered by crypto that everyday users will love – while monetizing and rewarding the data we all naturally produce.
Today, we're taking a major step toward fulfilling that mission by launching Sophon Canvas: a $4M initiative to support builders, creators, and individual talent working to help crypto break out of its echo chamber and into the hands of everyday users.
The #1 Ecosystem for Consumer-Centric Crypto Applications
The future of consumer crypto isn't being built on general-purpose blockchains – it's happening on platforms specifically designed to make blockchain invisible but indispensable.
Canvas is our launchpad for builders creating better consumer experiences – powered by blockchain, not defined by it.
We back ambitious teams creating apps through which millions get crypto's benefits without its complexity, and the creators and talent who help take these apps to market. Whether in gaming, social, ai, sports, fashion, or new categories entirely, you'll receive the funding, technical support, and distribution needed to succeed.
What We're Funding
Sophon Canvas is focused on four specific categories that align with our vision for consumer-centric crypto:
1. Crypto-Powered Consumer Apps Going 0-1
We're looking for applications that solve real problems for users without requiring them to understand blockchain technology. The best Canvas projects will:
- Deliver user experiences that feel as familiar and frictionless as the best Web2 apps
- Use blockchain rails for capabilities that weren't possible before (ownership, incentives, data portability)
- Have clear paths to user acquisition and retention beyond crypto-native audiences
- Leverage Sophon's product suite to remove traditional blockchain friction. Read more about said suite here: Sophon Home, Sophon Account, Sophon+, Social Oracle
2. Projects Building on Sophon's Social Oracle
Our zkTLS-powered Social Oracle is the critical infrastructure layer that solves the cold-start problem plaguing most Web3 applications. We're especially interested in projects that:
- Use zkTLS to verify and bring Web2 user data, achievements, or reputation onchain without compromising privacy
- Create personalized experiences based on verified user history from existing platforms
- Build network effects by unlocking valuable Web2 data in secure, privacy-preserving ways
- Leverage the Sophon Data Hub to target and acquire users based on verified activities
3. Artists and Creators Monetizing Their Work
Culture and creativity are at the heart of consumer experiences. We're supporting artists who want to express themselves and monetize their work directly through Sophon:
- Create NFT collections that focus on utility and community beyond simple speculation
- Build creative tools that empower other artists in the ecosystem
- Develop content that helps take Sophon-based applications to mainstream audiences
4. AI x Crypto Applications
AI is transforming digital experiences, and we're backing teams building at this intersection through our Sophon Intelligence Agency (SIA) sub-program. We're looking for projects that integrate AI agents into consumer applications (gaming, social, trading) to create better user experiences. Learn more about the SIA, and the teams we’ve helped to go to market, at ai.sophon.xyz
You're likely a fit if you:
- Really get consumer products and what makes them stick
- Prioritize product excellence over marketing hype
- Are in touch with building network effects & virality
- Have experience with web2 or web3 consumer products
- Want to help define the Sophon ecosystem
The First Strokes On Our Canvas
Every masterpiece begins with initial brushstrokes that hint at what's to come. We’re already incubating three stellar projects that exemplify what we're looking for:
Hedge Empire | Financial simulation meets idle gaming
Hedge Empire turns Wall Street into the ultimate strategy game. Step into the shoes of a hedge fund founder and build your financial empire through smart hiring, strategic office expansion, and increasingly sophisticated trading algorithms.
It's SimCity meets high finance, where your strategic choices compound over time to build a trading powerhouse.
Angelic Kingdom | Fully onchain idle RPG with no grind fatigue
Angelic Kingdom is rethinking what an RPG can be. This fully onchain idle game uses Soul Bound Tokens (SBTs) to create permanent character progression that serves both hardcore strategists and casual players.
The game balances multiple paths to success: skill-based questing and loot flipping for grinders, vault multipliers and market control for strategic players. The goal isn't just to carry forward Web3 gaming's best ideas, but to solve its biggest problem – delivering retention and progression without the fatigue that kills most games.
Flywheel | Making word-of-mouth marketing as measurable as paid ads
Word-of-mouth drives most purchases, but it's impossible to track or scale like traditional advertising. Flywheel changes that by building the performance layer for organic recommendations, powered by zkTLS technology.
Starting with eCommerce, they help brands turn customers into measurable advocates by tracking and rewarding Instagram story posts with real attribution. The results speak for themselves: 1,000+ brands using their Shopify app and 100,000+ verified customer story shares that actually convert.
Sophon NFTs | Curated collections from industry-leading artists
Sophon is launching its genesis NFT cohort featuring leading Web2 and Web3 artists, starting with two flagship collections:
Nameless Our flagship PFP collection set in a post-apocalyptic future where survivors create masks from cultural fragments. Each Nameless represents a unique hybrid being broadcasting back to 2025 to change their timeline.
Remilux
Remilux is a 2,000-piece identity collection built on Sophon, channeling luxury culture through a masculine, premium lens. Each NFT serves as your key to exclusive aura-based staking rewards, token airdrops, and access to the platform's most refined aesthetic experiences.
Superchief Gallery Cohort
A curated series from artists who've created work for The Simpsons, Nike, Jordan, and Disney, with personal pieces selling for millions. Superchief Gallery brings their pioneering digital art curation – they opened the world's first NFT gallery in NYC – to help select the most compelling artists in the space.
These initial projects demonstrate exactly what Canvas is designed to support: teams that understand consumer behavior, prioritize product excellence, and leverage Sophon's unique infrastructure to deliver experiences that simply weren't possible before.
Why Build on Sophon?
Sophon isn't just another blockchain – it's a complete operating system for consumer applications with unique advantages:
Invisible but Indispensable Technology
- Gasless experience: When users don't need to fund a wallet first, conversion rates skyrocket. Our paymaster infrastructure lets you sponsor transaction fees, so users can jump right into your experience without typical crypto hurdles.
- Native account abstraction (Sophon Accounts): Let users sign in with familiar methods like email or Apple, never worry about gas, and interact onchain without knowing they're ‘using crypto.’
The Most Powerful Data Layer in Crypto
Our zkTLS-powered Social Oracle is a game-changer for consumer applications:
- Securely import verified Web2 data and reputation without exposing private information
- Target users based on their verified activities across platforms
- Create experiences that recognize and reward users for their existing achievements
- Solve the cold-start problem by tapping into established user behaviors
Distribution Built In
Tap into our distribution layer for crypto-powered applications (Sophon Home) with an integrated loyalty program (Sophon+). Users find new experiences tailored to their interests and earn exclusive rewards for their engagement.
- Benefit from cross-promotion with other Canvas projects
- Access Sophon's marketing resources and partner network
Hands-On Support That Actually Matters
Unlike traditional grant programs that simply distribute funds, Canvas provides:
- Direct access to Sophon's technical team to accelerate development
- Tokenomics advisory from experts who have designed successful models
- Marketing and GTM support from a team that's built products with millions of users
- Introductions to investors for follow-on funding
Premium Partner Support
Octane Security | AI-powered smart contract security
Every Canvas team receives a comprehensive Octane AI security review before launch. Their AI models, trained on thousands of real attack patterns, catch critical vulnerabilities that traditional audits often miss – protecting both your users and your reputation from day one.
Aethir | AI compute credits for Canvas teams
Canvas teams building AI agents get access to sponsored compute from a $1M credit pool. With 3,000+ NVIDIA H100 GPUs and 43,000+ additional top-tier GPUs, Aethir's decentralized network removes the infrastructure headache so you can focus on building great user experiences.
This Isn't for Everyone
We're selectively funding the right projects, not everything. Sophon Canvas is designed for teams and individuals who:
- Prioritize creating exceptional consumer experiences over crypto ideology
- Focus on solving real problems for mainstream users
- Have the technical capability to execute quickly
- Understand what drives user acquisition and retention outside crypto
How to Apply
Builders
- Complete our brief application: Simple form requesting team background, GitHub links, product overview, and how your product aligns with Sophon.
- Initial review: Promising applications advance to a quick screening call.
- Final decision: Canvas committee approvals receive funding and resources immediately.
Join Us in Building the Future of Consumer Crypto
The next wave of crypto adoption won't come from better technology alone – it will come from better applications that make that technology invisible while delivering benefits users actually care about.
With Sophon Canvas, we're backing the builders, creators, and talent who understand this truth and are ready to bring it to life.
We Are The Canvas. Sophon Becomes What You Create.
Only trust official announcements. Stay vigilant. Always verify you're interacting with an official Sophon account, domain, or team member at verify.sophon.xyz
Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, financial or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any digital assets and the use of finance-related terminology are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute any recommendation for any action or an offer to buy or sell securities or any other financial instruments. This content may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to purchase or sell any digital asset referenced herein. The content speaks only as of the date indicated.