Recently, I've seen many friends wearing @sign glasses in their avatars, and with Sign's Twitter activity being particularly lively, I've developed an interest in this old project. As I learned more, I found that Sign has undergone significant iterations and upgrades from my initial understanding. Below, I will share some of the insights I've gained.
Why do we need to put trust on-chain?
In the digital age, trust is an indispensable element in both the internet and the real world. It is based on 'trust' that we have witnessed the thriving development of e-commerce, financial services, sharing economy, social media, and public services across various fields.
The establishment of trust begins with personal identity and behavior, which accumulate to form reputation, and reputation bestows a digital identity to individuals, unlocking more opportunities and possibilities.
However, traditional trust mechanisms often rely heavily on centralized authoritative institutions, which not only limit the spread of trust but also bring issues such as inefficiency, high costs, and potential single points of failure.
These problems are precisely those that can be solved through blockchain technology.
The emergence of Sign Protocol is specifically to address these issues. It transforms traditional trust mechanisms into verifiable on-chain proofs through blockchain, zero-knowledge proofs, and other technologies, greatly improving the efficiency of trust establishment and verification while enhancing transparency and security.
This narrative of 'chain transformation' of a widely adopted basic trust mechanism in the real world is most afraid of failing to achieve genuine adoption.
It is very difficult to shake a structure from its foundation. However, we can already see that Sign Protocol has made significant progress in practical applications.
According to the latest data, Sign Protocol's revenue reached $15 million in 2024, with its product TokenTable distributing tokens worth over $2 billion to 40 million addresses. Additionally, Sign Protocol has partnered with the Sierra Leone government to launch the world's first on-chain digital nomad passport (SignPass) and plans to provide permanent residency for the country's residents.
These achievements are astonishing to me. They not only prove the technical feasibility of Sign Protocol but also showcase its broad application potential in the real world.
What products has Sign Protocol launched so far?
Next, let's take a look at the products launched by Sign.
Sign protocol
https://app.sign.global
Sign Protocol is a full-chain proof protocol that helps users create, verify, and store Schemas. Users can generate proofs without file size limits, platform restrictions, gas fee limits, or permission constraints, greatly enhancing the flexibility and scalability of trust mechanisms.
Ethsign
https://sign.global/ethsign
EthSign is the first product of Sign Protocol and is the product many people encounter when they first learn about Sign. It is the Web3 version of DocuSign, supporting file uploads, distributed signatures from multiple parties, and on-chain signature results. EthSign already has over 2 million users and has processed over 800,000 contracts. For example, it is widely used for contract signing between businesses and individuals, including scenarios like technology contracts. After multiple iterations, EthSign has gradually evolved into a core part of Sign Protocol.
(I remember using Ethsign to sign a contract with our technical teacher @kasoqian_eth back then)
TokenTable
https://sign.global/tokentable
TokenTable is a token management platform primarily aimed at investors. Investors can claim unlocked tokens through TokenTable and manage token ownership and distribution. As of 2024, TokenTable has distributed tokens worth over $2 billion to more than 40 million addresses, supporting over 200 projects. Through TokenTable, project teams can distribute tokens more efficiently while ensuring transparency and security.
Sign Pass
https://app.sign.global/signpass
The collaboration between Sign and Sierra Leone starts with entry and exit visas and the Visa process. The Sign Pass system is currently the only online verifiable ID system in the country. By paying 2 ETH, one can mint a Sign Pass and a Sierra Leone passport, allowing free entry and exit from Sierra Leone, applying for a local phone number, bank account, etc., and later applying for citizenship upon meeting conditions.
Team and Funding Situation
The following information comes from @RootDataCrypto
Co-founder & CEO @realyanxin, before EthSign, wrote technical research articles and invested in Web3 infrastructure and the Ethereum ecosystem.
Co-founder @Potterlee222, co-founded EthSign while pursuing a bachelor's degree in computational and applied mathematics at the University of Southern California, and has interned at Morgan Stanley and Fundamental Labs.
Co-founder & CTO @headcpx, also serves as a blockchain lecturer at the University of Southern California.
Sign completed its first round of financing led by Hashkey in 2021, followed by a second round led by Sequoia Capital India and Mirana Ventures in 2022, with the latest round led by Yzi Labs (formerly Binance Labs). The specific investor lineup is as follows.
