@turrizt, Certainly, we will be awaiting input and feedback from both the community and the grant committee.
I have a query, is it possible for me to revise the proposed budget and milestones as needed?
1 Like
As a member of the Moonbeam community, Iâm really excited to see proposals like this coming through. Itâs great to see projects focused on improving supply chain management and increasing transparency. I definitely think that the Autify Network has the potential to process a huge number of transactions, which will definitely help to grow the Moonbeam ecosystem.
That being said, I do think that the budget for this proposal is a bit high. While I understand that there are a lot of costs associated with developing a project like this, I think it would be great if the Autify team could find ways to decrease the budget a bit.
That way, we can support more projects and spread the grant money around a bit more. Overall, though, Iâm really excited to see where this project goes and how it contributes to the growth of the Moonbeam community.
2 Likes
Hi Nabarun,
I would like to thank you for submitting this grant application but the grant committee uncovered serious concerns in three separate areas while researching your project; and as things currently stand; we unfortunately cannot support including it in the Community Snapshot vote.
These three broad areas are: your genuine interest in Moonbeam, the early stage of your protocol and understanding what it actually does/ will do, and lastly the origin and quality of your responses to our community.
Interest in the Moonbeam ecosystem:
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What is your actual multi-chain deployment strategy and what role does Moonbeam play in this? We read any information we could find about the project, both on your website, social media feeds and documentation, and Moonbeam is not mentioned anywhere in any of your press releases, twitter posts, articles, presentations, or litepaper - all of this documentation still references NEAR; which you say you have now pivoted away from due to âlimited resources and tooling options available on the platformâ
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I also would like more information about your grant from NEAR and why you decided to leave NEAR after receiving a grant. Fundamentally - what guarantee does the Moonbeam community have that history will not repeat and 8 months down the road you are applying to yet another chain for funding? In your proposal, you mentioned that realized you had tooling gaps on NEAR after you received their grant and subsequent funding round, what assurances can you provide that the same will not happen here; especially since you are asking the Moonbeam community to fund generic product development and market research which is not Moonbeam specific? How much of that original 1.9M in funding from NEAR currently remains?
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Did the NEAR foundation/Loop Ventures attach any goals/milestones to the grant; and if so - what is the status of those milestones?
Lack of clarity about the solution
There is little to no information about the actual implementation in your proposal. The only information you provide publicly is a 25 page slide-deck, which has exactly 5 slides on how the underlying system will work. Even these slides are extremely vague:
In absence of any other information, Iâm left with a ton of questions:
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What is especially concerning is that this grant is asking for funding to answer business critical questions like âconduct user research, product market fit and user persona researchâ and âTo map potential brands, manufacturers, designers, and artisans in luxury, sustainable luxury in apparel, footwear, bags, and other accessoriesâ . If you received 1.9M from NEAR and its backers 8 months ago (which, by the way, is recent); why were these critical questions not answered right up front? How can this proposal be furthering activity on Moonbeam when you have not even validated whether your projectâs overall approach and market fit is even feasible?
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You are asking for 20% of the funds to be dedicated to âimprove our customer onboarding process, with a focus on delivering a seamless and personalized experience to our clients.â This is extremely vague, can you expand on this?
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Can you explain in detail how your solution will âtrack the environmental and social impact of their supply chains, including carbon emissions, water usage, and labor standardsâ. Solving this at a global level, and finding reliable off-chain oracle data is a daunting task. What data will be used as a source here? How will the accuracy of that data be verified? What recourse does a supplier have if the data is wrong? What geographic regions will you be targeting first and can you provide evidence you can obtain this data? This is an absolute foundational block of any on-chain global supply chain solution.
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A key component of your solution is the concept of a âDigital Twin of [a] Physical Productâ. I assume this is an NFT - can you expand on how you ensure the NFT and physical object remain linked?
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A big part of the branding and marketing on your product is AI (âIntegrating AI and Computer Vision for item trackingâ). Can you expand on how this will work?
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Who is your initial target audience & market for this? Can you share the names/brands of companies youâve talked to that would sign up for your solution?
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Your lightpaper cites 6 potential sources of revenue:
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Blockchain as a service (BAAS) monthly subscription
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API access for eCommerce Platforms and marketplaces
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Sales of custom NCF/RFID tags
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Custom development fee, setup, integration for brands
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Data Marketplace fee to access autify verified vendors and customers
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Transaction fees on B2B cross border payment
What projections can you share about these sources of revenue and what validation have you done that in the long run, they will lead to a sustainable business model?
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Concern about the origin and quality of your responses
You had the following exchange with one of our community members on this very thread:
What caught my attention in this exchange is the mismatch in tenses between the first two bullets - âwe have conducted market researchâ (past tense) vs âOnce we have a good understanding of the industryâ (future tense). I then realized that the structure of your response looked very familiar.
It took me several tries, but I eventually figured out exactly what you fed into ChatGPG:
This prompted us to take a closer look at the rest of your grant application. We put several portions of it that were overly generic through AI detection; and several portions gave as high as an 86% probability of not having been written by a human.
Itâs one thing to rely on AI to maybe help with some research here and there. Having an AI actually write forum responses for you on critical questions like âhow are you planning to have a project of this scale and complexity succeedâ while asking for such a large grant is not something we can support.
Updates to Proposals
Please note that you have until March 19th 2023 11:59PM UTC to make changes to your proposal. A list of changes based on community feedback should be added to the âUpdatesâ section of the proposal and any changes should be reflected in the text of the proposal itself.
12 Likes
Correct me if iâm wrong here fellow Moonbeam community members,
But this project want us to give them 800K USD, so they can pay staff and build out a B2B app logistics application. I.e. not a product any of us will actually get to use.
When Iâm sure BeamSwap/StellaSwap will be used by most of us and they really need the money for the liquidity + the incentives will be returned to the community.
I donât understand why we would give this project 800K, when we get 0 equity / upside in their project and it is focused on B2B clients + not DeFi.
The whole post talks only about them, it doesnât refer to any net positives for our specific community / GLMR economy. They literally quote their budgets in USD, i.e. theyâll just be selling the GLMR into the market.
Respectfully, I cannot support a proposal that is a net negative to the communities collective treasury holdings.
We only have so many GLMR and if a B2B logistics company can get 800K USD out of us, with zero upside to the community. Then we really need to reconsider how we are handling our business.
Regards,
Oyster 
5 Likes
Donât worry @TheOyster, after @sicco-moonbeamâs follow up there wonât be another response from this team. Itâs shocking that they were able to receive such a substantial grant from the NEAR community with all of their empty fluff. Even more shocking was their clear as day ChatGPT copy/paste response. Yikes.
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@majin_moonwell, You are completely wrong. Our team members are located in the APAC time zone, which can result in different response times than yours.
To clarify, our company was awarded a milestone-based grant of $100K from NEAR. We secure additional funding from venture capitalists after undergoing an extensive pitching process that lasted 2-3 months. During this time, we spent hundreds of hours perfecting our pitch and went through multiple rounds of scrutiny. The VCs conducted thorough due diligence on our product, company, team, and legal structure before committing to investing.
We all are real people building a real company. I have extensive experience in both corporate and startup environments, having spent over 10 years working before launching my first startup in 2014. I have graduated from the prestigious Microsoft Ventures accelerator, Techstars and Spark10 Accelerator and raised over $5.5 million in VC funding from prominent investors such as Microsoft Ventures, SiliconRoad Ventures, and Shopclues.
We are proud to have a team of experienced professionals working with us, including team members and advisors who each have 10-20 years of experience in their respective fields. Our team brings a diverse range of expertise to the table, with backgrounds in areas such as engineering, marketing, and finance.
Our current startup, Autify Network, has been focused on developing the same products and solutions for over a year now. During this time, we have successfully conducted pilots with the government of Telangana and other brands. Our companyâs achievements have been recognized by top-tier media outlets such as Forbes, YourStory Media, AP News, Digital Journal, as well as over 400 other publications. We are proud to have graduated from programs such as ZilHive, Stellar Community Fund, Celo Camp, and Hatch Web3 Accelerator, which have provided us with valuable resources and insights to further enhance our products and services.
It only takes a simple Google search to find more information about myself, our team, and our startup, Autify Network. As a Seed-stage startup, we are always looking for ways to accelerate our growth and improve our communication. Thatâs why we are utilizing AI tools to refine our content and streamline our processes. We believe that by leveraging the latest technology, we can better focus on important works than writing content.
I saw that you joined the community just a few weeks ago [Feb 24] like me. What are your credentials?
2 Likes
OMG hahaha chat gpt really 
@TheOyster, It seems that you may have misunderstood our product completely. We are not a logistic application. Here are some examples of our productâs potential use cases that will be relevant to the general public either in the near future or at some point down the line.
We all use products such as groceries, medicine, clothing, shoes, electronics, and more. How can you ensure that these products are genuine and that customers have complete transparency into their origin, manufacturer, and location? Our system will provide real-time tracking of all players involved in the product journey from field to end consumer. By simply scanning a QR or NFC code, customers can easily access all relevant details about the product.
DeFi is still a relatively new and emerging technology, and its usage is primarily concentrated among those with a higher level of technical knowledge and interest in cryptocurrencies. It appears that some members of the community may not fully grasp the potential and wide-ranging impact of our offerings, and the significant advantages they can bring to the Moonbeam ecosystem.
Also, we have decided to lower our budget to 50% of the original request, establish initial traction, showcase it to the ecosystem, and subsequently apply for larger grants.
1 Like
@CryptoKichta, Microsoft has recently launched Microsoft 365 Copilot (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more), indicating that the use of AI is becoming increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, both now and in the near future.
GitHub data shows that Copilot promises to unlock productivity for everyone. Among developers who use GitHub Copilot, 88% say they are more productive, 74% say that they can focus on more satisfying work, and 77% say it helps them spend less time searching for information or examples.
1 Like
I believe it is totally okay to use ChatGPT as a reference. At the end of the day, I just wanted to understand the overview of the product Autify Network is building
3 Likes
when you manage the movement of goods / services over time and space that is literally called âthe logistics industryâ. You are building a logistics management software whether you want to accept that or not.
Good sir, please do not piss on my leg and tell me itâs raining. As my 'momma ainât raise no fool"
I have made my points which you have failed to address. I will be voting against this proposal with my GLMR coins.
Regards,
Oyster
2 Likes
We are done sir stop taking people for idiots thank you.
hey, dear community, please letâs not keep attacking each other here. @Nabarun please pay attention to Sikkoâs comment and concentrate on it
5 Likes
Using chatGPT is okay as long as you know what you are doing. Either you use the latest technology, or you fall behind and cry âcheatingâ.
Anyway, I think @Nabarun is building something, he has VCs backing him & some good partners. So, either we are not understanding the product and the vision. I will suggest @Nabarun focus on making changes to the above proposal and clearly explain your vision.
Best of Luck
2 Likes
@sicco-moonbeam, Thank you so much for asking all the important questions. Please find the below answers.
At the moment, we have no plans to adopt a multi-chain approach and, we are in the process of transitioning to Moonbeam Network as our primary blockchain. This move is intended to enhance our product development efforts and better serve our users.
Because we still havenât migrated to Moonbeam Network yet. We will update all our documents as soon as the migration is completed.
We were granted $100K by the NEAR foundation in a milestone-based program, and we have successfully completed all the milestones required to receive the funding. We want to clarify that we still have a very good relationship with the NEAR team.
Itâs not uncommon for early-stage startups to pivot multiple times before reaching their product milestones. We have refined our roadmap, product, brand position, tech stack and the team over the last few months, taking into account valuable feedback from our customers. As a result of this process, we can guarantee that we will not pivot in the near future, as we are confident in our current direction for at least the next few years.
Developing a successful product requires a holistic approach that takes into account a wide range of factors. While technology is undoubtedly important, it is equally crucial to conduct market research and engage in other forms of development. We created several proofs-of-concept (POCs) and minimum viable products (MVPs) on the NEAR protocol. However, due to limited resources and tooling options available, we encountered significant obstacles. Consequently, we decided to pivot and fully focused on EVM-compatible chains.
To clarify, our company was awarded a milestone-based grant of $100K only from the NEAR foundation. The remaining funding came from venture capitalists after undergoing an extensive pitching process, and went through multiple rounds of scrutiny. The VCs conducted thorough due diligence on our product, company, team, and legal structure before committing to investing. We still have 5+ months of runway left.
our company was awarded a milestone-based grant of $100K only from the NEAR foundation, which we received after completing all required milestones. Our funding round was led by Loop Ventures, a venture capital firm, and did not involve any grant funding.
Supply chain processes typically involve numerous stakeholders, such as brands, vendors, suppliers, manufacturers etc., which means that there are multiple personas to consider. We conducted primary user research and persona research a long time ago and are now considering conducting additional user and persona research for other user groups. In addition, we are focusing on multiple industries, including fashion, luxury, automotive, and cosmetics.
Web3 interfaces can be confusing and difficult to navigate, which can lead to poor user adoption. This challenge is compounded by the fact that many suppliers, vendors, and manufacturers in the supply chain rely solely on mobile phones, as they may not have access to desktops or laptops. As a result, we are dedicating significant effort to designing a user-friendly interface that is optimized for mobile devices, email-based login, responsive dashboards, and other mobile-specific elements to enhance the user experience.
But we think that 20% of the funds are not justified and need an adjustment.
We are aiming to solve the sustainability business problem by using
- Information transparency.
- Document validations or authenticity.
Information is securely and openly recorded each time a garment changes hands, from the source or cotton grower to the brand manufacturer to the retailer. Details about the procedures, the volume of products produced by growers, etc.
Many certificates must be obtained in a sustainable fashion ecosystem, from cotton growers to manufacturers, to demonstrate that the procedures, standards, and practices are being followed. For instance, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) for organic cotton and âFair Trade Internationalâ for fair trade and ethical firms.
These credentials, known as transfer certificates, are linked with each batch-lot transaction and are stored in blocks. These certifications can be verified with the issuer agencies in the interim.
The source of certified produce is required in the organic textile sector. A farmer or producer, for instance, is only permitted to enter or transfer the quantity of organic cotton to the manufacturer in the supply chain in accordance with the quantity of organic cotton he/she produces. Cotton that is synthetic can be recognised.
Similar information can be used to demonstrate sustainability, such as the status of orders and certificates related to them. Information on trustworthy vendors, contract terms, etc.
The textile industryâs information is dispersed and unclear. Data entry will be hybrid, meaning that some data will be manually entered and some data will be entered with the help of APIs. Suppliers must regularly be validated and audited in order to ensure the accuracy of the data.
Another strategy is to use rewards and penalties to motivate the stakeholders to enter the data accurately.
Well, We talked about how intricate and disorganised the textile supply chain is. To establish a business ecosystem that is mutually beneficial, this sector requires a significant supply chain revolution.
While it will take some time, all supply chain participants must work together to create the ideal ecosystem. collaborating closely with suppliers to educate, inspire, and reward them for leveraging data. Finding further solutions to this challenge can be accomplished with more trials and tests. As I previously stated, there is no one-size-fits-all answer; rather, it depends on the culture, the business ecosystem, and the motivation of the individual to accomplish this.
Our targeted prospects are primarily from South East Asia and the Middle East, with 50% of them living in India. In order to obtain quick access, validations, and learning, we are now focusing on small and medium businesses. Global in scope, our ultimate customer fosters an ecosystem for small, medium, and large businesses.
We are in contact with several auditing and certificate-issuing organisations to issue the certificate effortlessly in terms of validating and demonstrating sustainability. We are still very early on this and need to do a lot more research.
The tightly coupled integration of physical and digital products will be possible with the help of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the supply chain process.
A physical product will be created, and a corresponding NFT will be minted as its digital twin. Metadata, including product details, manufacturing information, and ownership history, will be stored within the NFT.
RFID tags, sensors, or QR codes, will be attached or embedded in the physical product. These devices facilitate real-time tracking, monitoring, and data collection throughout the supply chain process. The IoT devices will communicate with the blockchain network and update the NFTâs metadata accordingly.
As the product will move downstream through the supply chain, from manufacturing to distribution, and finally to the end consumer, IoT devices will capture data on the productâs location, environmental conditions, handling, and other relevant information. This data will be securely transmitted to the blockchain, where it is appended to the NFTâs metadata.
When the physical product will change hands, a corresponding ownership transfer of the NFT occurs. This ensures that the digital proof of ownership always reflects the current owner of the physical product.
As the product will go through the stages in the supply chain, the status of the NFT is updated to reflect its current state. This can include information on production, quality control, shipping, customs clearance, and final delivery.
We will start the development of AI & Computer vision modules in phase two and working with Origyn Foundation.
Our initial focus is onboarding small and medium-sized B2B fashion and luxury companies and startups from India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and Europe. To date, we have piloted our platform with the government of India and onboarding leading fashion brands such as Aditya Birla Fashion, among others. We will be unable to disclose all the names publicly due to non-disclosure agreements.
Current Revenue Sources (Q1-Q3 2023)
- Pricing: Freemium Model with Pay as you scale approach for the Traceability Service (SAAS Model).
- The price would include all the internal blockchain-related costs, digital twin creation costs and all the infra and operational costs.
Future Revenue Sources (Phase 2 TBA)
- Revenue from the API platform that would be available on e-commerce and other digital platforms to obtain product authenticity.
- Subscriptions to the Supply Chain Management System (SAAS Model).
- Custom product development for big enterprises and organisations.
- Aggregator platform for verified suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and logistic providers, in order to connect them to brand owners.
- Cross-border payments between B2B network participants.
We are aiming to generate a $20 Million ARR over the span of the next 2 years.
Questioning our credibility would be unfair. We have been developing the same products for over a year and have established lots of credibility in the market. Our relationship with the government and graduation from programs such as ZilHive, Stellar Community Fund, Celo Camp, and Hatch Web3 Accelerator can be easily verified from media platforms, social media, and online search results.
I have extensive experience in both corporate and startup environments, having spent over 10 years working before launching my first startup in 2014. I have graduated from the prestigious Microsoft Ventures accelerator, Techstars and Spark10 Accelerator and raised over $5.5 million in VC funding for my previous startups from prominent investors such as Microsoft Ventures, SiliconRoad Ventures, Shopclues and others.
Our team comprises experienced entrepreneurs, blockchain engineers, and operational and marketing experts with over 15 years of combined experience, having worked with well-established companies like Microsoft, Google, IBM, Infosys & Polygon
Our companyâs achievements have been recognized by top-tier media outlets such as Forbes , YourStory Media, AP News, Digital Journal, as well as over 400 other publications. We secure funding from venture capitalists after undergoing extensive due diligence on our product, company, team, and legal structure.
The data presented is completely inaccurate. Our grant proposal was created entirely by humans, and not generated by an AI tool.
As a seed-stage startup, our focus is on accelerating growth and improving communication while tackling a complex issue that affects companies and individuals worldwide. Although we are still in the early stages and have much to learn, we believe that utilizing cutting-edge technology like AI will allow us to prioritize essential tasks over content creation.
We will update our proposal by tomorrow EOD based on the community feedback.
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@TheOyster, You are completely wrong my friend. Logistics is a component of Supply Chain Management, which is a broader category encompassing various elements. Supply Chain Management comprises several components, and logistics is one of them.
My role is to provide clarity to the community regarding what is right and wrong. It is entirely up to you to decide how you want to utilize your GLMR coins.
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@TheOyster So sorry that you feel that way about our product. Iâm the creative lead at autify network and Iâm here on behalf of autify network.
While youâre marginally right on "when you manage the movement of goods / services over time and space that is literally called âthe logistics industryâ the supply chain industry is a little more complex that it seems.
to begin with -
The Differences Between Supply Chain Management and Logistics
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Logistics is one activity in supply chain management.
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Supply chain management covers a wide range of activities, including planning, sourcing materials, labor and facilities management, producing and delivering those goods and services.
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Logistics focuses on the efficient and cost-effective delivery of goods to the customer.
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Supply chain management targets higher operational performance that will give the business a competitive advantage.
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Logistics started with the military. Many say Alexander the Great, born 356 B.C., as a logistics master.
-The modern practice of supply chain management started in the 20th century. The Ford Motor Company production lines perfected the concept. Many credit logistician Keith Oliver as the person who coined the term in the early 1980s.
- Logistics are centered on the movement and transport of goods within a company
-SCM oversees the development of raw materials into finished goods that move from the producer to the manufacturer. Those goods get distributed to retailers or directly to consumers.
while it is totally upto you on how you spend your âGLMR coinsâ but please feel free to get in touch with me on the forum or via email to know anything more on the product side of things. Weâre always open to suggestions and are striving to improve ourselves as an early stage startup.
Have a good day!
regards,
VP
3 Likes
It is disheartening and alarming to witness members of our community attacking others, even when the latter is clearly in the right.
Is it truly necessary to have hundreds of DeFi, NFT, and Metaverse projects? What is the actual utility of these initiatives, and how many people are actively using them daily? Additionally, can these applications overcome regulatory scrutiny and remain viable in the future?
When people talk about Web3 mass adoption, they often focus on applications like DeFi, NFT marketplaces, and metaverses. However, crypto/Blockchain can provide solutions to a wide range of problems as a backend technology. For example, it can facilitate cheaper and faster cross-border payments, which is a significant use case given the trillions of dollars that are transferred across borders annually.
The mass adoption of crypto/Blockchain doesnât necessarily require it to be front and centre in every use case. In fact, in many instances, the end user may not even be aware that crypto/Blockchain is involved.
I fully support Autify Networkâs development efforts, which could pave the way for mass adoption in sectors such as retail, commerce, and supply chain management.
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@TreasuryCouncil Blockchain-based projects launched in the past few years have struggled to gain traction due to a lack of practical use cases and a focus on hype rather than real-world applications.
Even Meta is ending Instagram NFTs 10 months after launch
We should focus on developing practical and impactful use cases for blockchain rather than simply chasing the latest hype like NFT & Metaverse.
While these initiatives have certainly captured the imagination of many in the community, itâs important to ask ourselves whether they provide real value to users and society as a whole.
Sure, the concept of a decentralized financial system or owning unique digital assets might sound cool, but are they actually practical and impactful?
Are people using these applications on a daily basis, and do they solve real-world problems?
Moreover, with the explosion of these projects, we have to wonder if they are sustainable in the long run. With limited resources and attention spans, how many of these projects can really survive and make a lasting impact?
Autify Networkâs efforts to promote adoption in sectors such as retail, commerce and supply chain management are excellent examples of this approach.
An example where a similar project has been a major success:
BMâs Food Trust platform uses blockchain technology to track the origin and journey of food products, providing consumers with greater transparency and confidence in the safety and quality of their food. The platform has already attracted major players in the food industry, including Walmart and Nestle.
Hope the community will stop fighting and see the overall vision of projects that are more than Defi, NFT and Metaverse.
2 Likes