Team

DEAP Network is developed by Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd. (DEA), the creator of the PlayMining ecosystem. The team includes experienced entrepreneurs and finance professionals:

• Naohito Yoshida (Co-Founder & Co-CEO): Serial entrepreneur blending gaming and blockchain technologies; founded three public companies before DEA.

• Kozo Yamada (Co-Founder & Co-CEO): Tokyo University Law graduate; former TV Tokyo producer; led PlayMining NFT gaming platform since 2018.

• Ryohei Nuka (CFO): 13 years at Goldman Sachs Japan as senior controller in risk management and accounting.

• Hideaki Kurihara (CMO): Marketing and consulting experience at Hakuhodo and Dream Incubator.

• Daichi Namikawa (CTO): Worked on next-gen tech at NTT Laboratories.

Investors & Partners

While the whitepaper does not list specific investors, DEAP Network is financially supported by node license sales and DEX/CEX listings. The project leverages PlayMining’s millions of users and aims to create partnerships across health, education, and advertising sectors. Key collaborators include:

• Rakuten
• KDDI
• SBI
• TEPCO
• TV Tokyo

Project Concept

• Developed under DEA (Digital Entertainment Asset).
• Access to millions of Asian users via PlayMining.
• Node license model allows direct validator participation.
• Ethereum bridge staking integrates existing DEP investors.

Core Design Philosophy

• Quest Design: Turn societal challenges into inspiring tasks.
• Game Design: Make participation engaging and fun.
• Fieldwork Design: Transform observation and action into meaningful experiences.

How It Works

DEAP Network uses a modular architecture to securely manage data:

• Distributed Storage Layer: Large activity data stored on decentralized solutions (IPFS, Filecoin, Arweave) with hashes on the L1 chain for verification.
• L1 Chain Layer: Built on Avalanche PoS L1; smart contracts ensure data integrity, access rules, and reward distribution.
• Application Layer: Users interact via mobile/web apps that encrypt, sign, and communicate with decentralized storage. APIs and SDKs support developer integration.
• Data Ingestion Module: Converts data from wearables, smartphones, and web apps into standard formats like JSON.

Governance

DEP holders can participate in governance by staking tokens, voting on reward rates, protocol changes, and critical network updates, ensuring transparency and community involvement.

Roadmap

• Phase 0 (Preparation): Whitepaper, legal & technical research.
• Phase 1 (Prototype & Testnet): L1 chain and bridge development; node license sales; testnet launch.
• Phase 2 (Community Expansion): L1 & bridge improvements; governance trials.
• Phase 3 (Mainnet Operation): Launch mainnet and initial operations.
• Phase 4 (Additional Features): Deploy DApps (AI analytics, data marketplaces); secondary node market; enhanced security.
• Phase 5 (Sustainable Growth): Expand node license model; establish large enterprise partnerships.

DEP Token Utility

• Transaction Fees: Paid in DEP for data recording and management.
• Data Access: Businesses pay DEP for user data access.
• Node Rewards: Operators earn DEP for validation and storage.
• Staking & Security: Users stake DEP to secure the network and gain governance rights.
• Access Rights: Certain services and features require DEP tokens.

Token Information

• Name: DEAPcoin
• Symbol: DEP
• Standard: ERC-20 (Ethereum)
• Max Supply: 30,000,000,000 DEP
• Total Supply: 29.89B DEP
• Circulating Supply: 29.89B DEP

Token Distribution

• PlayMining: 66.7%
• Fundraising: 15%
• Marketing: 10.7%
• Team: 5%
• Public Sale (OKEx IEO): 2.66%

Ecosystem Participants

• Infrastructure Providers: Node operators & data providers.
• Infrastructure Users: Businesses consuming data & individuals providing it.
• Developers: Engineers building DApps and tools.
• Investors & Community: Token holders and node license owners.

Key Features

• Data Ownership: Users maintain full control of their data.
• Immutable & Secure Records: Blockchain ensures tamper-proof data.
• Versatile Use Cases: Applicable in gaming, health, education, and advertising.
• Modular Architecture: Flexible layers including storage, L1 chain, and apps.
• Play-to-Earn Integration: Connects PlayMining gaming activity to token rewards.

Official Links

• Website
• Twitter
• Telegram
• Facebook

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The post DEAPcoin (DEP) Explained: PlayMining & Web3 Game Token appeared first on Coin Engineer.

Tagger is a Web3 infrastructure project that supports a decentralized data economy focused on AI. It brings data producers, verifiers, and consumers together on the blockchain, aiming to create a secure, transparent, and reward-based system.

What Tagger Offers

Tagger promotes quality data generation for AI systems. Participants collect, label, and verify text, image, video, or audio data. In return, they earn $TAG tokens. All data is represented as NFTs and can be traded transparently on the marketplace.

The platform comprises four main components:

• Data Verification Protocol: Enables NFT-based data ownership and traceability.
• AI Copilot: An AI-supported tool that assists users during data labeling.
• Tagger Marketplace: A decentralized marketplace where data can be bought or rented.
• Task System: AI companies define data needs, and participants complete tasks to earn rewards.

Who’s behind Tagger?

Founder Trevor Xu is a software engineer with previous success developing the Marsladder EdTech platform in Australia and has achieved Olympiad-level competitions.

Development lead Reagan Wu is a postdoctoral computer vision expert from Fudan University with experience at Huawei and Volkswagen.
Marketing lead Colton Zau has managed projects on OpenSea and Coinmarketcap.

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Additionally, the Tagger team includes over eight developers who consult and teach for the National Open‑Atomic Open Source Foundation.

Investors and Initial Funding

Tagger began with its own funds and completed a private funding round in Q1 2024. An experimental campaign via four.meme rewarded users with $TAG tokens for completing data labeling tasks—106,726 tasks worth $50,000.

What Is the $TAG Token and What Is It Used For?

$TAG is the native token of the Tagger ecosystem. Participants earn it by completing tasks. It’s also used to:

• Stake for task creation
• Purchase or rent datasets
• Access platform tools
• Support the platform’s economy

Token issuance relies on a Proof‑of‑Human‑Work model, and inflation is controlled using a halving mechanism.

Tagger ($TAG) Token Economics

The total supply of $TAG is 405,380,800,000 tokens, and issuance is based purely on participant contributions.

$TAG can be used for staking, dataset purchases, software subscriptions, and AI model customizations. The distribution is:

• Proof‑of‑Human‑Work (74.00%): Participants complete tasks—like data labeling and review—to earn tokens. The system uses AI-based audits and human checks to ensure fair distribution.
• Tag‑to‑Pump (21.06%): Tokens distributed via four.meme as part of an experimental DeCorp campaign involving 106,726 labeling tasks.
• Liquidity (4.93%): 20 billion $TAG paired with $50,000 of BNB to provide initial liquidity on PancakeSwap.

A halving mechanism is embedded in the reward calculations. Each halving is triggered when the number of issued tokens equals the number remaining, reducing token issuance gradually to maintain scarcity and sustainability.

Roadmap

• 2023 Q4: Project design, market research, team assembly.
• 2024 Q1: System architecture, AI Copilot design, private funding completed.
• 2024 Q2: Data authorization protocol, labeling tool, IDE development.
• 2024 Q3: Platform launch, marketplace activation, internal testing.
• 2024 Q4: Community growth, incentive programs, social media engagement.
• 2025 Q1–Q2: Launch of hardware-based data collection devices and AGI-enabled smart contracts.

Ecosystem and Long-Term Vision

Tagger aims to transform the data economy through labor-based token issuance and transparent data ownership. Long-term goals include:

• Real-time data collection via hardware devices
• Industry-specific data protocols
• Open-source developer community
• AGI-integrated agent-based data workflows

Tagger plans to integrate Web3 and AI ecosystems by supporting these developments.

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The post What is Tagger (TAG)? appeared first on Coin Engineer.

As part of the investment, Binance co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who recently took an active role in YZi Labs following its rebranding from Binance Labs, has joined Vana as an advisor, YZi Labs announced on Monday.

“This is a strategic investment closed in January 2025,” said Vana co-founder Anna Kazlauskas in a statement to The Block. “YZi Labs is the sole investor. There are no other investors in this round.”

Kazlauskas declined to provide details on the structure of the funding round or the post-investment valuation.

The investment comes shortly after Vana launched its mainnet and token in December 2024. Currently, the VANA token is trading at around $6.25, marking an 82% decline since its launch, according to The Block’s VANA price page. VANA has a market capitalization of approximately $192 million, with a fully diluted valuation of $747 million.

Beyond YZi Labs, Vana‘s previous high-profile investors include Paradigm, Coinbase Ventures, and Polychain Capital, having previously raised $25 million in funding rounds.

What is Vana?

Vana is a San Francisco-based crypto-AI startup founded in 2021 by Anna Kazlauskas and Arthur “Art” Abal. The two met at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a shared goal of accelerating AI while enabling broader user participation in new digital economies.

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Focusing on data ownership, Vana’s Layer 1 blockchain allows users to pool their data into “Data DAOs,” earn rewards, and retain ownership of AI models built from their contributions.

“Data DAOs are central to the Vana protocol’s vision of user-owned AI,” said Kazlauskas. “These entities put groups of users in direct control of their data, aggregating data around specific use cases that can then be monetized to organizations for AI model training.”

With this new funding, Vana plans to expand its DataDAO ecosystem, help launch data tokens for over 16 DataDAOs, attract more data contributors, onboard additional DataDAOs, and extend data financialization beyond crypto into industries such as finance, social media, healthcare, and mobility.

YZi Labs’ AI Focus

This marks YZi Labs‘ first AI investment since its rebranding last month. Before the rebrand, the firm had backed several crypto-AI projects, including Sahara AI and MyShell.

A YZi Labs spokesperson told The Block that the firm’s focus has now expanded beyond Web3 to include AI and biotech. While continuing to explore opportunities at the intersection of these fields, YZi Labs is also open to investing in standalone AI and biotech projects to “capture the full spectrum of innovation.”

Meanwhile, Vana is just one of several projects CZ is actively involved with. According to the spokesperson, CZ is advising multiple YZi Labs portfolio companies and remains open to collaborating with early-stage founders.

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Farcaster, which has gained traction in the Web3 world, stands out by giving users full control over their data. Unlike centralized platforms like Meta and X, Farcaster gives users direct ownership of their data. Now, Farcaster is in the news with its upcoming token launch.

Last month, Farcaster announced it had raised $150 million in funding. This investment was led by Paradigm, with participation from notable investors such as a16z crypto, Haun, and USV. The company’s valuation reached $1 billion after this investment, marking the largest investment in Web3 social media to date. Following the investment, it was reported that Farcaster was preparing to launch its own token.

Farcaster, an Ethereum-based decentralized protocol, allows developers to create new social media applications using smart contracts. Users can make posts called “casts” on the platform and pay $5 annually to store their data on-chain.

Farcaster’s token launch aims to expand the platform’s user base and increase engagement. The token will enable users to take a more active role on the platform and contribute to the platform’s ecosystem through various incentive mechanisms. Investors believe that the token launch will accelerate Farcaster’s growth.

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The post Web3 Social Media Platform Farcaster Set to Launch Its Own Crypto Token appeared first on Coin Engineer.