From: thepipeline_xyz
Dusted is a platform building “token-centric chats with tooling” [00:06:30]. It aims to address the challenges users face in navigating and engaging with crypto communities on existing platforms [00:06:43]. Dusted was one of 25 teams presenting at the second Monad Madness competition in Bangkok, which featured $1 million in prizes [00:00:43].
The Problem: Fragmented and Centralized Crypto Communities
Current social platforms like Twitter, Discord, and Telegram present significant pain points for crypto users seeking to engage with communities [00:06:43]. Users often have to navigate multiple platforms to find relevant discussions [00:06:47]. Once found, many chats are inactive, lack valuable communication, or are fragmented due to events like new tokens spawning on platforms like pump.fun [00:06:50].
This fragmentation is largely attributed to:
- Centralized Control: Platforms are centrally run [00:07:05].
- Vulnerability to Scams: They allow “grifters” and are prone to botting [00:07:08].
- Lack of Crypto-Native Features: They are “not built for crypto” specifically [00:07:10].
Dusted’s Solution
Dusted offers a solution by automatically creating chat rooms for every tokenized asset a user holds, directly linked to their wallet [00:07:14]. This includes NFTs, runes, ordinals, and even meme coins [00:07:25]. For example, if a user trades a token on pump.fun, a corresponding chat room for that token immediately appears on Dusted once the token is in their wallet [00:07:31]. This “seamlessly” connects holders [00:07:43].
Key Features
Dusted integrates several features designed to enhance user experience within these token-centric chats:
- Verified Holdings: Each member’s profile displays a percentage representing their “verified Holdings” of a given token [00:07:49]. This aims to remove “grifters” by adding credibility to a user’s opinion [00:07:56].
- Token Tipping: Users can reward people for their contributions, whether it’s sharing tweets, “alpha” (valuable information), or simply showing appreciation [00:08:00].
- Trench Leaders: Elected individuals act as moderators with capabilities like implementing chat cool downs or selecting a “message of the day,” which is committed by the contributing community [00:08:08].
- Chat Treasuries: Each chat room has a built-in treasury where token holders can donate and vote on how funds are used [00:08:23]. This could be for activities related to meme coins, Deck Screener socials, or even a “yacht party” [00:08:32]. Transactions are initially wireless, with potential for scaling [00:08:36].
- Trending Page: This feature offers a different perspective on perceived token value, moving beyond traditional financial charts [00:08:40]. It focuses on “Community insights” like the number of new messages or new members joining, allowing users to gauge community activity and determine a token’s longevity [00:08:55].
Vision and Market Opportunity
While Dusted starts with meme coins due to their inherent connection to communities and high velocity [01:09:12], this is just “step one” in their plan [01:10:12]. The tokenized world is projected to be a $15 trillion market by 2027 [01:23:25]. Dusted aims to serve “every token type,” including RWA assets, prediction markets, and even tokenized event tickets [01:28:28]. For example, at an NFL game with tokenized tickets, Dusted could enable chat among attendees and facilitate tipping for dares or bets [01:31:31]. The vision is for Dusted to serve “wherever the tokenized world goes” [01:41:40].
Revenue Model
Dusted plans to generate revenue through several options:
- In-app Trading: Allows users to buy tokens directly from within the chat community or the trending page, focusing on “ease of access” rather than sophisticated trading [01:09:55].
- Customizable Experiences: Offers custom emoji, sticker packs, or profile customization for a fee [01:10:08].
- Sponsored Trending Page Listings: Communities can pay to have their tokens sponsored on the trending page to gain more holders [01:10:15].
Growth and Traction
Dusted leverages crypto’s reliance on incentives, planning competitive leaderboards and gamification of features like chat treasuries to foster inter-community “wars” [01:10:26]. The team emphasizes the network power of communities, noting the small “degree of separation between holders” [01:10:46]. They have an advisor, Slat, who was the SEO admin of S&P 6900, a well-known token, which provides a direct path to onboarding other communities [01:10:50].
Despite being “quite speculative,” Dusted has already achieved significant traction:
- 287,000 waitlist sign-ups within one month of its first tweet [01:11:13].
The team is prepared for mobile development, viewing it as the “obvious end road” for crypto. An advisor who is an engineer at the Apple Store provides guidance for this [01:13:20]. The current version is already a Progressive Web App (PWA) [01:13:37].
Dusted plans to link existing social media channels like Discord within the app, not aiming to “take over” official community functions but rather to offer a complementary, token-gated experience [01:12:41]. The founders believe the current market meta, driven by the rapid growth of meme coins and the daily launch of thousands of new tokens (e.g., 20K per day on pump.fun), has created a strong need for their platform, which was not as prevalent in previous cycles [01:14:30]. They see a growing need to connect with holders and find out “who’s holding what you’re holding” [01:14:56].