WalletChat – How it all started
It all started with an itch, a slight niggle in the back of the minds of its founders. In a rapidly digitizing world, where every transaction, interaction, and moment was becoming increasingly interconnected, why was there no straightforward way to communicate within the blossoming realm of crypto? We have all these addresses and ENS names, but no way to just get in contact with people.
The question was simple yet profound: “Why can’t I just message a random person on OpenSea to negotiate on their NFT?”
This quest for a solution emerged from the personal frustrations of the founders. The blockchain universe was sprawling, teeming with creators, traders, and enthusiasts. Yet, there seemed to be a gaping void when it came to straightforward, wallet-to-wallet communication. This was especially resonant in an age where buying and selling unique digital assets had become more than just transactions; they were conversations, negotiations, and stories waiting to be told.
During an early hackathon in 2022, this idea transformed from a mere question into a tangible project. Those two weeks saw the birth of a minimum viable product (MVP) for WalletChat. The initial version was basic, designed to test the waters and gauge the response of potential users. But the reactions were nothing short of electrifying.
Every demonstration, every prototype showcase led to the same reaction: “Wow, this is cool!” Such feedback became the fuel propelling the team forward. The validation from peers and potential users alike was undeniable. What had started as a side project in a hackathon had struck a chord and was resonating within the web3 community.
The MVP’s success led to the realization that this wasn’t just a fleeting fad or a niche need. It was a gaping opportunity. The project rapidly expanded, drawing in more talent and forming key partnerships. The trajectory was clear – from a fun experiment to a fully realized vision backed by a passionate team.
The product
WalletChat is revolutionizing communication in the world of Web3. At its heart, it simplifies connecting and chatting. Instead of relying on traditional methods like phone numbers, emails or Telegram chats, all you need is your digital wallet. Whether you’re familiar with someone’s wallet address, their ENS, or their SPACE.ID, initiating a conversation becomes effortless.
Dapp creators will find it especially enticing since they can seamlessly incorporate WalletChat into their projects, offering users the convenience of chatting without ever leaving the app. The easy integration into any wallet or other dapp makes it even more attractive to users because they can now reach people regardless of what wallet they have or which applications they’re actively using. This level of integration means users can discuss, negotiate, or just socialize without leaving their favorite platforms.
When it comes to security, WalletChat doesn’t compromise. Every direct message is enveloped in end-to-end encryption, ensuring that conversations remain confidential between participants. This commitment to privacy stands tall, especially in a realm as sensitive as the blockchain.
Another intriguing feature of WalletChat is its ability to recognize the NFTs in one’s wallet. Hold a specific NFT, and you might find yourself added to a group chat revolving around it. It’s not just about discussing digital assets; it’s about forging connections with those who share your passions.
For developers who choose to weave WalletChat into their dapps, there’s an added advantage of increased user engagement. Dapps with WalletChat integrated see up to a 3x increase in user engagement.
If you’re an active crypto user, chances are you’ve already used WalletChat through any of their integrations with popular crypto wallets and platforms that stretch over 20+ different blockchains.
Moralis and WalletChat – Pushing innovation
In the early stages of WalletChat’s development, the team faced a crucial crossroad. The ambitious vision of creating the Web3 communication hub required advanced infrastructure, especially when it came to fetching and handling NFT ownership and metadata in real-time. They needed an efficient and reliable solution, one that could grow with them as they scaled.
This challenge is not uncommon in the rapidly evolving blockchain space. Many companies, even with the best of intentions and innovative ideas, often find themselves held back by the intricate process of setting up all the data pipeline and blockchain indexers from scratch. Whether it’s indexing data, maintaining consistent API structures, or simply ensuring reliable uptime, these tasks can bog down a team’s focus and resources.
Eventually they found Moralis. Known for simplifying the complexities of dapp development by providing cutting edge crypto data, Moralis offered an array of tools and services that addressed WalletChat’s needs. But beyond just the technical offerings, it was the alignment in vision and ethos that caught WalletChat’s attention. Moralis wasn’t just a service provider; they understood the groundbreaking potential of Web3 and the role WalletChat aimed to play in this new world.
The partnership saw WalletChat tapping into Moralis’ robust infrastructure. Tasks that would have traditionally taken thousands of engineering hours, from setting up the nodes to keeping up with new token and metadata standards were now reduced down to a few API calls. This meant that WalletChat could divert their energies where it mattered most: refining their product and enhancing the user experience.
WalletChat primarily uses Moralis for NFT data, which powers their NFT enabled group chats. With Moralis’ market leading NFT API, WalletChat can easily see which address holds which NFTs and then grant them access to the right group chats. We call this token gating and it’s a great use case for NFTs.
Without the use of Moralis’ NFT API, you would need to query each individual NFT smart contract individually to check its balances or use a self hosted indexing solution that would suck up a lot of development time and infrastructure costs.
However, the capabilities of Moralis’ powerful APIs goes beyond just NFT ownership and metadata. Not only can you get all kinds of other indexed blockchain data, like ERC20 token data through the Token API, or complete wallet balances and history through the Wallet API, but you can also listen to changes in these data points through our realtime Streams API.
If you’re interested in market data you can also use Moralis to fetch token prices through our Price API, fetch top collections and top coins through our Market Data API, or even get in-depth token alpha metrics like token buyers, liquidity and security scores through our Insights API.
The results from this partnership speaks for themselves. WalletChat’s developers could iterate faster, launching features that resonated with their audience, all while knowing that the heavy lifting on the backend was taken care of. Moralis’ reliable APIs, combined with the proactive support from the customer success team, ensured that WalletChat always stayed ahead of the curve.
In the words of Kevin, WalletChat’s Co-Founder & CTO,
“WalletChat has tried many third-party API services, both paid and free, but Moralis APIs have been the most stable and reliable.”
Today, the collaboration between Moralis and WalletChat stands as a testament to what’s achievable when cutting-edge technology meets innovative vision. For WalletChat, the journey with Moralis was more than just about building a product; it was about building the future of Web3 communication.
How to get started with WalletChat
You can try out WalletChat on their website or through many of their wallet integrations. They recently released their Ledger Live integration, enabling you to chat inside Ledger Live.
You should also follow WalletChat on Twitter and join their Discord.
