SLEEK

Sleek is a Hong Kong-based Web3 social networking company founded in 2021 by Tania Tse and Chase Guo. The company officially launched in April 2023 with the mission to simplify human connection and onboard the masses to the ownership economy. Sleek initially began as ChapterX, a no-code metaverse platform, which was part of Binance Labs' Incubation Program. The founders pivoted to a Web3 social network, believing the metaverse was not yet ready for mass adoption.

Co-founder Tania Tse previously worked as a Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) investment banking associate at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. Her entry into cryptocurrency was prompted by a cat breeder who requested payment in USDC. Co-founder Chase Guo served as an Investment Director at Binance Labs, where he led investments in crypto projects. Prior to that, he was at Blackstone, covering real assets, and has been an active user of DeFi and CeFi applications since 2017. In November 2023, Sleek secured $5 million in a seed funding round at a reported $50 million valuation, with investors including Binance Labs, Shima Capital, and Spartan Group.

The company's primary business revolves around its Web3 social platform, which utilizes Social Finance (SocialFi) models to allow creators to monetize their content and social capital. The flagship product is the Sleek Card, an NFC-enabled card designed for in-person networking, primarily for Web3 professionals. Each card creates a decentralized identity and a blockchain wallet for the user, facilitating a smoother entry into the Web3 ecosystem. By tapping the card, users can exchange contact information, which is automatically captured and managed by a proprietary Telegram bot. This process builds on-chain social graphs. The company generates revenue by selling these cards, which are priced at approximately $30 and $35. Since its launch, Sleek has sold around 15,000 cards and facilitated over 300,000 connections.

Sleek's platform supports multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and BNB Chain. The company has partnered with events like Solana Hacker Houses and Coinfest to provide its networking solution. Looking forward, Sleek plans to launch an open marketplace where domain experts can tokenize their knowledge, creating another avenue for monetization.

Keywords: Web3 social network, SocialFi, decentralized identity, NFC networking card, on-chain social graph, blockchain social media, creator economy, crypto networking, Tania Tse, Chase Guo, Binance Labs, digital identity, knowledge marketplace, tokenization, social capital monetization, Web3 onboarding, contact management bot, crypto events, multi-chain platform