AppWorks #31 Demo Day Recap｜Web3 Track We had 28 teams on stage this round, and the Web3 track ended up pointing to a pretty clear through-line. Everything’s moving on-chain. Not in a hypey way, more in a “this is probably what financial infrastructure looks like in a few years” way. Our four Web3 teams captured that shift pretty neatly: @hataglobal (MY): a regulated exchange anchoring Malaysia’s crypto market. @Juic3Labs (TW): battery assets as RWA. @SingularDAO (HK): tokenized pre-IPO equity with actual distribution paths. @Auki (HK): a crypto-powered data layer for robots. --- For next batch, we’re looking for teams building across this entire on-chain banking stack. If you’re working on anything along these lines: - stablecoin payments or wallets (consumer or B2B) - crypto / virtual cards - cross-border payout systems - treasury or liquidity management - expense automation, AR/AP (on-chain or hybrid) - RWA issuance or secondary markets - custody, MPC, permissioning - regtech, KYB/KYC, risk - liquidity infra, on/off-ramps, market-making primitives Applications for AppWorks Accelerator #32 are open. Join the largest founder community in GSEA. 👉 Apply here: lnkd.in/fnFAQ8G

🚀 AppWorks Demo Day #31: Web3 & DePin Builders Shipping Real-World Utility Today in Singapore, AppWorks hosted Demo Day #31, where 16 startups from AI, IoT, Web3, and DePin took the stage — with a standout group pushing on-chain infrastructure from narrative into real-world adoption. Here are the Web3 & DePin teams redefining how value moves in and out of Southeast Asia: 🔗 On-Chain Finance & Assets @hataglobal (MY) – A regulated MYR & USD digital asset exchange with 200K+ users, building compliant rails that connect Southeast Asia to the global crypto economy. @SingularDAO (HK) – Opening up access to private equity with fractionalized exposure to a USD 200M+ pipeline that includes names like SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anduril — all structured on-chain. 🌐 Real-World Web & DePin @Auki (HK) – Building the “real-world web” that anchors AI copilots to physical locations across 1,000+ sites, enabling spatial computing and persistent, shared AR experiences. Juic3 Labs (TW) – Deploying distributed battery networks that stabilize future energy grids, turning energy storage into programmable, on-chain infrastructure. Together, these teams show what the next phase of Web3 looks like in SEA: regulated exchanges, institutional-grade access, and real-world networks, all with users, revenue, and clear market pull. 🌱 Beyond Web3: 16 Startups on Stage in SG While we’re spotlighting our Web3 & DePin founders here, Demo Day #31 in Singapore featured 16 teams in total, spanning AI, IoT, fintech, mobility, travel, and authentication — all building the rails for Southeast Asia’s next tech cycle. 💬 Why It Matters AppWorks now supports 653 startups and 2,086 founders, collectively valued at US$37.7B. Demo Day #31 underscores how on-chain infrastructure in SEA is no longer speculative — it’s becoming part of the region’s core financial, physical, and digital stack. If you’re building in On-Chain Banking, applications for AW#32 are open >> lnkd.in/gzcs3Qj

How do you actually bring corporate banking on-chain? This week at our "On-chain Corporate Banking Workshop," we had folks from major banks in Taiwan (Cathay, Fubon, O-Bank, and Far Eastern) in the same room with blockchain teams like @hifihq , @StraitsX , @CantonNetwork , and @gnosishq. The conversation wasn't the usual "will blockchain disrupt finance?" stuff. Instead, we were tackling real, practical questions: "How do you connect a corporate virtual USD account to an on-chain wallet? " "How can the travel industry use stablecoins for cross-border settlement? " "How do you integrate multi-sig wallets into an ERP system? " "how do you get the benefits of on-chain operations while still protecting privacy?" Seeing this happen was pretty powerful. The merge between traditional finance and blockchain isn't a future thing—it's happening right now. We walked away seeing a ton of opportunities worth exploring. Special thanks to our speakers @Tian_wei, @sharonlourdes, @Mo_Bps, and Beatriz for your insightful sharing! On-chain banking is a major theme for us at AppWorks. If you're building enterprise-grade on-chain solutions, we'd love to chat!

How do you land Binance/OKX-level clients? Here’s the founder-tested playbook we unpacked with Chris from @SignalPlus_Web3 at our community AMA! 1. Map the buying committee Win the user (traders) first. Secure an economic sponsor (Head of Trading—ideally when the desk is up and to the right). Bring middle/back office in early for risk, ops, and integration. Multi-thread the org so momentum doesn’t stall. 2. Engineer incentives Keep the product free for day-to-day users; monetize where the volume sits (e.g., exchange-side or platform economics). This prevents roadmap capture, keeps you focused on broadly reusable features, and aligns everyone to scale. 3. Hire to the deal If a stakeholder won’t vibe with you, recruit the closer they will trust. Cultural fit > perfect domain pedigree. One “impossible” account fell only after adding a rep who matched the client’s style. This is why we host these sessions: to compress founder learning curves into actionable GTM steps. Want help mapping your buying committee and landing marquee logos? Join the waitlist—our next accelerator batch is openning soon. appworks.tw/accelerator/

Great night in KL with @tnpendle sharing his founder journey & @pendle_fi’s long-term vision. From leading through hard times to shaping Pendle as a brand with lasting value, TN inspired founders to step out, embrace challenges, and keep growing. At AppWorks, we support founders with long-term conviction. #Pendle #AppWorks #Web3Founders #KualaLumpur

Wrapped our Brunch with AppWorks Web3 Mafia in SG 🥞⚡️ Always fun running this mafia meetup at every major crypto conference—so many familiar faces and new friends. Loved the energy, Singapore. See you at the next one (details soon)!

Calling all #Web3 founders in KL! 🚀 We're hosting a Founder's Night with the @ethereumfndn Founder Success, featuring an exclusive session with AW#20 TN Lee (@tn_pendle), founder of @pendle_fi. Join us on October 6th to learn how TN navigated the market cycles and connect with fellow builders! Limited spots available. RSVP now: luma.com/AppWorksWeb3Pendle #Web3KL #FounderCommunity #Crypto #Blockchain

Big thanks to our partners @Figment_io , @BitGo , and TWEX for co-hosting Institutional Night during Taipei Blockchain Week. Grateful to all the amazing guests who joined us. Hope everyone enjoyed the evening, made valuable connections, and left with fresh perspectives on the growth of institutional adoption and digital assets in the region. Nights like this remind us why community matters so much in this space. Until next time!

We're kicking off the TGE Playbook series! If you’re building in Web3, you’ll probably face a TGE at some point. But from what we’ve seen working with founders, many aren’t entirely clear on how it works—and the flood of content online often makes it even more confusing. So we looked into some of the most successful TGE cases from 2024–2025—like Kaito, Hyperliquid, Ethena, and Huma. We also talked to several founders within AppWorks ecosystem to gather firsthand insights and hard-earned lessons. And we’ve put together a 4‑part TGE Playbook that tackles the most common (and often most painful) questions we hear from teams preparing to launch. Here’s what to expect in the series: 1. Three questions to ask yourself before planning your TGE 2. How to build awareness before your TGE 3. How to choose exchanges and market makers 4. TGE is just the beginning—what to do after going live Our first piece focuses on the three building blocks every founder needs to sort out early on: your goal, your anchor KPI, and how you’ll allocate resources. You’ll find: - Why defining your main objective (fundraise vs. awareness) early can save you from costly mistakes later - What counts as an anchor KPI—and how to pick the one that drives the flywheel (TVL, trading volume, or a Tier-1 listing?) - A breakdown of how teams typically allocate tokens and budget to avoid burning through everything on day one We won’t pretend this playbook guarantees a perfect launch—but we do hope it helps you ask the right questions early, avoid common traps, and walk into your TGE with more clarity and fewer regrets. Check out the full article on Substack, and stay tuned—we’ll be publishing the rest of the series soon! open.substack.com/pub/appwor…

During Malaysia Blockchain Week, we host a night for founders and investors together with @jelawangcapital. Over the past few cycles, we’ve seen strong founders emerge from Malaysia’s Web3 community, and the momentum is only growing. We’re here to support what’s next.😎