Seb, CEO of Sophon, on The Secret for Mass Adoption, High-quality Sticky Apps, AI Agents, and Sophon’s Curation Model | Ep. 422
Sebastien A., CEO of Sophon, joined the Cryptonews Spotlight Podcast to discuss how crypto will achieve mass adoption, why high-quality applications matter, the role of AI agents, and how Sophon’s curation model is reshaping Web3.
With a background at Matter Labs (ZKsync) and as VP of Paper Ventures, Sebastien has a clear vision for making blockchain user-friendly and integrated into everyday internet experiences.
Why the Crypto Market is Down—and What Comes Next
“Trump is trying to force the Fed to cut rates, and the tariffs will do that. Later in 2025 and 2026 should be a good year.”
Sebastien believes that macro factors like U.S. interest rate policy and economic cycles are playing a major role in crypto’s downturn but expects a strong recovery in the coming years.
Mass Adoption Brings Better Internet Products—Not Just Crypto Education
“Mass adoption won’t happen by convincing people to use crypto—it will happen when people use better internet products, powered by the benefits of having an onchain backend.”
Sebastien argues that users don’t need to understand blockchain to benefit from it. Instead, crypto should power experiences that people already love—gaming, social networks, and prediction markets—while offering enhanced ownership and engagement.
Fixing Crypto UX: Seamless Logins, Gasless Transactions, and Intuitive Design
“The current crypto UX is broken. We need frictionless onboarding, one-click logins, and no gas fees to make Web3 usable.”
Sebastien highlights how poor user experience prevents mainstream adoption, and Sophon is solving this by integrating seamless authentication and eliminating unnecessary complexities.
Moving Beyond Meme Coins: The Financialization of Culture
“We’re moving beyond meme coins to sustainable, value-driven ecosystems that reward engagement, not speculation.”
Sophon’s model focuses on creating applications that retain users long-term, rather than chasing speculative trading trends.
Sophon’s Curation Model: Prioritizing High-Quality, Sticky Apps
“Instead of flooding the market with anything that can be built onchain, we focus on applications that people actually want to use every day.”
Unlike general-purpose blockchains that allow any project to launch, Sophon curates high-quality applications that integrate deeply into user habits and engagement loops.
The Social Oracle: Building Onchain Verifiable Data
“We’re creating the first social oracle—verifiable social data onchain that enables better targeting, rewards, and user engagement.”
The Sophon Data Hub allows users to share private, verifiable data from platforms like Spotify, Ticketmaster, and gaming services, creating a new standard for Web3 social identity.
AI Agents and the Future of Onchain Intelligence
“The Sophon Intelligence Agency is funding $5 million in onchain AI agents—real, functional AI that interacts with users, not just wrappers.”
Unlike previous AI hype cycles that mostly produced AI wrappers, Sophon is funding development for real AI-driven applications, including AI-powered trading, prediction markets, and social engagement tools.
Bringing Gaming and Social Platforms Onchain
“One of our partners is a mobile game with 350 million downloads and 2 million monthly active users—this is what real Web3 adoption looks like.”
Sophon is working with established gaming and social platforms to integrate crypto features without disrupting existing user experiences.
The Next Wave of Play-to-Earn Gaming
“Play-to-earn works when it’s designed right. You can’t build an economy from scratch—it needs to integrate with games people already love.”
Sebastien explains that successful Web3 gaming won’t come from speculative models, but rather from gradually integrating crypto-powered ownership into proven game mechanics.
Data Monetization: Why Users Will Get Paid for Their Digital Footprint
“Users generate data every day—why shouldn’t they earn from it? The Sophon Data Hub lets them monetize their digital footprint while maintaining privacy.”
By allowing users to control and monetize their own data, Sophon creates new incentive models for engagement and loyalty.
The Future of AI in Web3
“AI agents will interact with onchain data in ways we can’t even predict yet. That’s why we’re building the infrastructure now.”
Sophon is preparing for a future where AI interacts with blockchain seamlessly, powering autonomous transactions, market analysis, and predictive engagement models.
What’s Next for Sophon?
“We’re gearing up for TGE soon, working on decentralizing our sequencer, and rolling out the full Sophon OS in Q2.”
With major launches planned, including token distribution and ecosystem expansion, Sophon is positioning itself as the blockchain for seamless consumer experiences.