The Client
Popset is a social app where artists, photographers, and creators alike can mint, share, and collect non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with other enthusiasts on a secure, on-chain platform.
"We had an idea for Popset but without a technical co-founder we lacked the skills necessary to get our project off the ground. Thankfully, we found Stratosphere, and it quickly became apparent to us that they were exactly the type of technical partner that we needed to bring our mobile app to life. Stratosphere served as a steady guide throughout the development process and ultimately delivered a better app to us than we could have initially conceived. We are incredibly grateful to the entire Stratosphere team and could not recommend them more highly."
- Alexander Hodes, C0-Founder
The Problem
Traditional Web2 social media creators are often dependent on advertising partnerships to achieve financial success. This model benefits well-established creators but can be challenging for emerging ones who may not yet have the necessary reach and advertiser connections. Additionally, relying on advertising partnerships raises concerns about the authenticity and ownership of the content shared on the platform, and can often alienate the creator's audience.
The Solution
Co-founders Alex and Sergio aim to transform the system of content sharing and monetization through an innovative, on-chain social platform. Bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3, Popset incorporates familiar features from traditional social media platforms, allowing users to easily join, create, and share content. What sets Popset apart from legacy platforms is its ability to mint posts on-chain, as well as collect and own other creator’s posts. Collection fees can be enabled on posts, allowing creators to earn directly from their audience each time they collect, without relying on sponsored posts to monetize their content. This approach not only helps decentralize monetization but also enhances the value of the content, leading to more empowered creators and a more engaged audience.
The Services
Supported Platforms
Mobile App
Minting
In order to pave the way for a new wave of Web3 users, Popset needed to be accessible to users unfamiliar with the technologies of Web3. Other minting apps require users to manage their own wallet and sign transactions. For the average Web2 user, these can be difficult obstacles to navigate.
In order to simplify wallet and minting processes, we utilize Crossmint: A 3rd party service that handles wallet creation, management, and minting on the backend. This allows users to sign up without needing an existing wallet and easily mint posts on-chain, so they can quickly get back to exploring the app.
Monetization
Due to the current App Store regulations around in-app purchases and NFTs, we needed to devise a creative approach to monetize Popset and cover gas fees, all while keeping crypto transactions separate from the app.
We decided to go with the Solana blockchain platform, as it offers lower transaction fees, which allows Popset to provide free, daily minting to users. If users run out of free minting credits, they can purchase additional credits using in-app purchases. This goes toward covering the gas fees for minting a post, while Popset also earns a small fee from the credit purchases.
Creators seeking to monetize their content can opt to use the paid post feature. Collectors can buy these paid posts directly from creators through in-app purchases. Payments to creators are settled in fiat currency, while NFTs are automatically airdropped into the collector’s wallet on the backend without the need for the user to manage their own crypto wallet.
Unlike a monetization system reliant on advertising, this approach grants creators more freedom and control over their content, fostering a more supportive and meaningful connection between them and their audience.
Collect & Connect
Users can follow friends, like and comment on posts, collect someone else’s post, and build a curated collection of on-chain posts within their Popset profile. Collecting a post means having a piece of ownership over another user’s content, forming a permanent link between the two users. Whereas traditional social apps only offer likes, comments, and shares as forms of engagement, collecting is a new and much more meaningful way to show a creator a deeper level of support and connection.
Earn XP & Rank on the Leaderboard
To encourage users to create, collect, and participate, we built a simple XP system so each time a user creates or collects a post, they automatically earn XP. Furthermore, they can view their rank among friends and other users within the Popset leaderboard.
Creator Portal
We built a platform for verified creators to track engagement, earnings, and top collectors on Popset. The Creator Portal web app lets creators analyze earnings from individual posts and collectors, helping them optimize content and deepen audience connections.
Interface Component Library
