Amongst the excitement of the Hong Kong Web3 Festival, which took place on April 5 and 6, BNB Chain staged an intimate event to mark the ninth season of its Most Valuable Builder (MVB) Accelerator Program.
There, 16 early-stage startups, which had been chosen for this highly sought-after Season 9, assembled for an intimate two-day off-site event, an unprecedented collaboration among BNB Chain, YZi Labs, and CMC Labs.
What is the Most Valuable Builder (MVB)?
Created specially for builders, MVB brings together some of the most innovative minds in Web3, providing early-stage creators with mentorship, infrastructure, and guidance to help catalyze tomorrow's blockchain innovations.
The Head of Business Development of BNB Chain, Sarah, highlights that this season highlights the true builders committed to bringing their Web3 ideas to life, giving rise to innovation that will bring in the next billion users.
A carefully created program
This conference puts focus on enabling developers who are forging the path for Web3. The program was carefully created, with a broad scope of topics including trading strategies, securing listings, as well as developing teams and culture. Next, we will look in more depth at highlights.
Special Guest Q&A with CZ and Vitalik
One of the highlights of MVB Season 9 off-site was when CZ, the founder of Binance, and Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, attended as special guests.
In Season 9 of MVB, focus turned to actual use cases for blockchain technology. Having both CZ and Vitalik in the same location amounted to an irresistible demonstration of cross-chain synergies and shared vision for web3 adoption. For all 16 projects in MVB 9, to learn directly from such pioneers in their respective domains was an experience in itself.
Q&A session
In their fireside Q&A, CZ and Vitalik had an animated discussion regarding how Web3 will unfold, their own sheer excitement regarding developing verticals such as AI clear to see. Numerous projects in Season 9 of MVB are working towards these innovations vigorously. They emphasized steering long-term, enduring innovations together with developing public goods and decentralized infrastructure capable of effectively scaling.
Merging crypto with AI
They had a conversation regarding how cryptocurrency would be interwoven with AI to create opportunities for changes in society. CZ gave his positive outlook on AI utilization in algorithmic trading, and specifically, how it would be applied in MEV optimization and liquidity pattern detection. He also presented his vision of AI being the next-gen user interface for trading, one which would natively integrate ChatGPT-style natural language execution with an on-chain intent architecture.
DAO, AI, and kind-hearted humor
Asked whether decentralized science is possible, CZ merely joked that everybody deserves to have a good night's sleep, but behind his jest lay an actual openness to hearing innovative thinking.
Vitalik directed his interest to the areas of DAO governance and privacy-preserving AI. He reiterated that AI-powered simulations could facilitate collaboration in decentralized organizations, all while avoiding the issues commonly faced by DAO-type governance systems.
Working together
The discussion stayed with them, and as MVB 9 began with an extremely motivated group of builders, their impact set the tone for the program: breaking down barriers, working in harmony, and creating authentic change through blockchain.
Donations
CZ also discussed donating $10 million to Vitalik's open-source vaccination program, demonstrating blockchain's potential for global effect.
Off to a great start!
Their meeting left an indelible impression. With MVB 9 emerging in the backdrop of an exceptionally motivated batch of builders, their arrival defined the very core of what the program represents: breaking barriers, working together in creation, and making meaningful change through blockchain.
Building Teams & Culture with Yi He, Co-Founder of Binance
One such virtual keynote session with Yi He, Binance Co-Founder, provided the attendees with an exceptional chance to listen to one of Binance's genius creators themselves. Based on her experience in developing one of the largest blockchain organizations, Yi spoke insightfully, particularly stressing the need to build teams and have a solid culture in place.
She discussed developing a stronger culture, teaching lessons in leadership, and growing high-performing teams with a shared vision. For early-stage founders, it represented an exceptional chance to learn from a leader who had built a mission-focused company that would continue to shape the Web3 community.
Exploring the BNB Chain Ecosystem
Sarah Song, BNB Chain's Head of Business Development, provided an overarching view of the BNB Chain ecosystem while explaining the holistic role of the MVB program within the overall framework. She highlighted BNB Chain's unwavering dedication to supporting companies from the very beginning of ideation through to their growth, highlighting the strong infrastructure in place to enable founders' success, including a range of tools, grants, and valuable go-to-market resources.
Introduction to YZi Labs
Ella Zhang, CEO of YZi Labs, presented her vision for the company's future, her description of its central values, and how it will empower entrepreneurs of tomorrow. She detailed YZi Labs' work to assist those who are breaking ground in developing frontiers in fields of AI, Web3, and Biotech.
A believer in innovation fueled by higher levels of purpose, Ella shed light on how YZi Labs incubates ventures from their earliest stages to a point of robust expansion, using research-backed financing, rigorous technical due diligence, and innovative acceleration techniques.
Impact first!
She underscored that YZi Labs is more concerned with impact than profitability, working closely with teams to develop solutions that are lasting, not momentary trends. YZi Labs' investment thesis in AI, Web3, and biotech, which are fields they believe will define the transformative technologies of tomorrow, emerged as another salient point of discussion.
Her Q&A session provided founders with a rich tapestry of insight into YZi Labs' guiding principles and their vision for investing in companies as more than just a means to an economic end, but for lasting, beneficial impact to both industry and society.
Finding Product-Market Fit
In an expertly conducted panel session by Sarah Song, Apro Oracle's Leo Su, and Meet48's Wayne Zhang discussed their unique journeys to product-market fit. They discussed how entrepreneurs can pivot and venture into unknown territories. For many in the audience in their startups' nascent stages, this session presented incredibly useful learnings in creating feedback loops and putting User Experience first.
Fundraising Strategies
Alex Odagiu, YZi Labs' Investment Director, offered his perspectives on early-stage fundraising, focusing on the critical things entrepreneurs need to do to prepare, pitch, and close their deals effectively. It is important to address important questions about the team, market, product, traction, business model, tokenomics, and valuation.
Founders were asked to come up with a concise and deeply documented fundraising plan, including an inspiring pitch deck, a clear strategic narrative, an ideal valuation graph, and a detailed list of target investors.
When in pitch meetings with him, he would have founders weave their passions with their companies, emphasizing the importance of their teams before asking them to discuss their products in more detail. In negotiations, he asked them to hold their ground but also be open to persuasion, allowing them to maintain momentum without risking overhyping.
Finally, he considered traditional Web3 deal terms that included equity, tokens, and hybrids, all with standard vesting provisions.
Web3 GTM and User Growth Flywheels
The session explored growth strategies specific to the Web3 environment. Amitej Gajala of KernelDAO, Tong Pow of Hologram Labs, and Zhuling Chen of Bedrock discussed how to acquire and retain early Web3 users, covering topics from community-based marketing to incentives that can work with larger user bases.
Moderated by Diana Dai of BNB Chain, the panel provided creators with insightful guidance on how to carry out a sustainable development plan for user acquisition, onboarding, and retention.
Trust Wallet: Empowering the Web3 Ecosystem
Trust Wallet's Business Development team member Scarlett Zhang gave an in-depth presentation on how the company is planning to assist users and developers in Web3. She discussed how Trust continues to expand its features to allow for increased interaction by users with Dapps in order to ultimately provide an improved experience to holders of cryptocurrency.
The Role of Trading Firms
Julie Luo of GSR and Wintermute's Moshe Shen engaged in a heated discussion regarding the central role of trading firms in the crypto markets. Their moderator, the quick-witted Alex Odagiu of YZi Labs, led their debate. They touched heavily on the complex issues of market-making and liquidity, and the crucial role trading firms play in making a healthy market.
The audience was able to grasp how the firms act as vital middlemen, funneling institutional investments into promising crypto ventures, and also mulling over how their role is changing as the markets mature.
Leveraging CoinMarketCap for GTM
Jin Choo, Head of CMC Labs, shared with the audience how to best leverage the world’s largest bitcoin data platform in their go-to-market strategies and listings. His talk focused on how companies could reach CoinMarketCap's large audience and maximize their data-driven functionalities to get noticed and expand their projects.
Networking with VCs, KOLs, and the Press
A special one-day event aimed at bringing participants into contact with power players, investors, and media personalities to create more collaboration and increase visibility.
Project 9: The Demos and Demo Day MVB 9 presented participants with the opportunity to network, interact with industry experts, and learn about the future of Web3. The 16 selected projects span fields such as AI, DeFi, DePIN, and gaming, all of which demonstrate promise to drive the future generation of blockchain innovation, including:
👉AI includes BitGPT, Datai Network, Echopy, Eurexa AI, Everlyn, JoJoWorld, Super Protocol
👉DeFi includes BitFi and LIKWID.
👉DePin: XP
👉DeSci: The Citadel Laboratories and Stadium Science.
👉Gaming and entertainment: Oneverse and TCOM Global.
👉Infrared: Pie
Demo Day
On April 24th, the projects will present their ideas on Demo Day. After the presentations, YZi Labs will choose the top-performing projects to fund.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, developer, or merely interested in blockchain, BNB Chain's all-encompassing builder assistance system is ready to spark innovation and push blockchain technology to greater heights.
Tune in for more news from BNB Chain as we continue to embrace the Web3 community in pursuit of our goal of bringing in a billion users to the Web3 space.
