In this exclusive interview, Leo Li, Chief Growth Officer of CARV, discusses the company's groundbreaking approach to data sovereignty, its success with TON-based games, and its vision for a user-owned internet.

Ishan Pandey: Hi Leo, welcome to our 'Behind the Startup' series. Can you take us through your journey to becoming CGO of CARV and how you got involved with the TON ecosystem?

Leo Li: Thank you for having me, Ishan! My journey to CARV has been quite the ride. I cut my teeth in the gaming industry, working with giants like EA, Garena, and Tencent, and helping to launch games like Arena of Valor, FIFA Mobile and Apex Legends Mobile.

Then I saw the potential of blockchain gaming and the power of data, and CARV caught my eye. This team is doing something revolutionary – building a data layer that lets gamers truly own and profit from their data. Additionally, with new standards proposed by us like ERC-7231, we are uniting gamer tags and identities under one banner. It's not just talk – we've already onboarded over 900 gaming and AI companies and registered 9.5M players.

Our interest in TON stems from its unique position as Telegram's official web3 infrastructure. With the chat platform's billion-user base, it's a goldmine for blockchain adoption and shows what's possible when a massive audience embraces crypto benefits and rewarding games. The success of TON-based games like Notcoin, Hamster Kombat, and BANANA (powered by CARV) shows the draw of incentive-driven gameplay at scale.

CARV's involvement with the TON ecosystem puts us at the forefront of merging traditional and blockchain gaming. We're not just observing this revolution - we're driving it.

Ishan Pandey: BANANA has seen remarkable growth, reaching 8 million users in just four weeks. What do you think were the key factors driving this rapid adoption?

Leo Li: Yes, we're incredibly excited to see BANANA – the first TON game to partner with CARV – perform so well, so quickly. The idle game reaching 8 million users in less than a month makes it one of the most successful TON-based mini games, and we put this meteoric rise down to a few factors.

First, it's simple and fun. Second, engagement is rewarded, and players have seen other games like Notcoin bring their in-game tokens to real-world exchanges. Third, BANANA leverages the CARV ecosystem, including CARV Protocol, CARV Play, and the CARV App. This ecosystem, combined with strategic advertising and promotion by market leaders, has effectively attracted seed users. From there, BANANA drives organic growth through referral mechanisms and sharing events with over 90% of its current user base coming from organic growth.

The result is a game that's equal parts entertaining, rewarding, and addicting. Played with and against friends, collecting and comparing bananas, is an easy concept for people to get behind – especially when there's something in it for them. We're blown away by the community's embrace and celebrate not just the numbers but the fact that BANANA is pioneering a new standard for data empowerment in the gaming world.

Ishan Pandey: How does CARV's modular data layer enhance the gaming experience in BANANA and other TON games? What challenges did you face in implementing this technology?

Leo Li: Thanks, this is a great question. The CARV Protocol facilitates seamless data exchange and value distribution across web2 and web3 platforms, which means players can aggregate, manage, and utilize their digital identities and in-game achievements more effectively. This data-centric approach not only enables a more personalized gaming experience but also opens up new opportunities for players to monetize their data, earn rewards, and engage more deeply with the game ecosystems.

Implementing this technology for games was not without challenges. One of the primary hurdles was ensuring data privacy and security while allowing for the seamless integration of data across multiple platforms. We had to develop robust encryption and verification mechanisms to protect user data and maintain trust. Additionally, creating a modular architecture that could be easily adapted to various games, including BANANA and other TON games, required meticulous planning and testing to ensure scalability and compatibility.

Another challenge was educating game developers and players about the benefits of decentralized data management and incentivizing them to adopt this new model. Overcoming these challenges was essential to achieving our mission of revolutionizing data usage in gaming, and we're proud to see how it has started to transform player experiences.

The results speak for themselves. BANANA's success – with over 73 million completed in-game tasks and 1.8 million linked accounts – demonstrates that our modular data layer can support high-engagement, rapidly growing games. And we're just getting started. As we continue to refine our technology, I believe we'll see even more innovative and engaging experiences emerge on TON.

Ishan Pandey: The concept of data sovereignty is central to CARV's mission. How do you see this changing the relationship between gamers and their in-game data?

Leo Li: Well, we know this is something gamers want. For far too long, gamers have been disconnected from their data, with different achievements and information siloed across corporations. Giving the power back to players and bringing them in on the decisions and money made from their data marks a fundamental shift.

It's a simple proposition – your in-game achievements, your playing style, and your preferences should belong to you. But traditionally, players have had zero control. We're flipping that script. With CARV's approach to data sovereignty, gamers move from consumers to stakeholders.

We hope the emergence of a user-owned internet puts gamers back in control, transforming the player-developer relationship into a true partnership. It's about fostering a fairer, more transparent gaming world where player contributions are recognized and rewarded. And from what we're seeing, gamers are more than ready for this change.

Ishan Pandey: TON games have taken off significantly this year. How do you see this trend evolving, and what role do you think CARV will play in shaping the future of gaming on TON?

Leo Li: This trend isn't just evolving – it's an evolution. With Telegram's 900M monthly active users and only 6M monthly active TON wallets, we're looking at massive untapped potential.

Telegram's recent moves – introducing Stars for in-app purchases and integrating wallet functionality – are quietly ushering web3 into hundreds of millions of pockets worldwide. This goes beyond games to create new forms of engagement and value creation.

CARV's commitment to fostering the growth of the TON ecosystem remains strong. By leveraging our expertise in data management, player engagement, and community building, CARV can help streamline the onboarding of new games onto the TON network. Through its white-glove services, CARV can offer strategic guidance, technical support, and marketing solutions tailored to the unique needs of TON-based games.

Additionally, CARV's focus on empowering data ownership and monetization aligns perfectly with the core values of blockchain gaming, making it a key enabler in creating fair, transparent, and player-centric ecosystems. As more developers and players embrace the benefits of blockchain, CARV will be instrumental in setting industry standards and driving the growth of gaming on TON. Watch this space.

Ishan Pandey: There is a plan for CARV to create an accelerator program to facilitate games developers and studios. Can you share any insights into what types of games you're considering and how they might leverage CARV's data layer?

Leo Li: We're looking at all sorts of games, from quick mobile games you can play on the go, to more complex games where lots of people play together. The key is that in each game, players will own their stuff thanks to our protocol – their characters, items, or achievements. They might even be able to use these things in different games.

We also want to help other developers make games using our technology too. Our goal is to create an ecosystem where players have more control over their data and can benefit from it.

To do this, we need lots of great games and lots of players. The intention is to create a flywheel effect – more games attract more players, which attracts more developers, and so on. This is how we'll build a gaming world where players have more power and more opportunities underpinned by our data-forward infrastructure.

Ishan Pandey: Looking ahead, what new developments or features can we expect from CARV in the near future? How do you see it evolving over the next 3-5 years?

Leo Li: Sure, in the near term, we're doubling down on our CARV Protocol, CARV Play, CARV Ads Network and more data and AI driven products to empower gaming, AI and more industries with data value. We're focused on getting more projects to use our technology and more users to benefit from it.

Looking at the next 3-5 years, our vision is clear: we're building the foundation for a user-owned internet, starting with gaming. This means empowering players with real control over their data while using AI to create personalized, engaging experiences. It's a delicate balance, but we're making great strides.

The success of BANANA and the support from industry are just the beginning. We've secured $50M in total funding from top investors like Tribe Capital, Temasek Vertex, HashKey Capital, Animoca Brands, and ConsenSys, along with major gaming studios and ecosystems such as MARBLEX (Netmarble) and the Sandbox. This backing validates our vision and gives us the resources to push boundaries. We're pioneering a future where user empowerment and data ownership are the norm in gaming and AI. Stay tuned – with our technology, community, and partners, the best is yet to come.

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