Real Talk Case Study: Academic Labs – Pioneering EduFi on Solana
An Interview with Academic Labs
Founded in April 2023 by Terry Tan and Kingston Kwek, Academic Labs is a Singapore-based platform that stands as the 1st EduFi project built on the Solana ecosystem. Their innovative approach aims to create the world's largest skills-sharing ecosystem through gamification, AI Agents, and data interoperability.
Can you describe Academic Labs in a few sentences?
Academic Labs is the 1st EduFi project built on the Solana ecosystem. Our goal is to create the world's largest skills-sharing ecosystem. Through gamification, AI Agents, and data interoperability, we offer a limitless, transparent, and personalized platform for sharing and learning various skills.
What is the primary mission or goal of your project?
Academic Labs is built to achieve one single mission: creating the ultimate ecosystem for users to learn everything they need in the most convenient, personalized, and efficient way. This follows 3 primary missions through Web3 Technology:
- Achieve Lifelong Learning by leveraging interoperable blockchain technology to create educational platforms tailored to personal needs based on a shared user identity.
- Address inefficient production and distribution of educational resources by utilizing DAOs and community incentives to build the largest on-chain skills library.
- Create a long-lasting educational ecosystem that evolves with changing demands through DAO and community incentive mechanisms.
What are the key social or environmental impacts of your project?
We aim to achieve 3 major social impacts in both short and long terms:
- Make Education Accessible to All
- Enable younger generations to get involved in Web3, acting as a gateway for people to find their career in building the world of Web3
- Empower learners and educators to enter better career paths through Academic Labs, or through the knowledge and connections they gained via Academic Labs
How do you measure the impact of your project?
We use several key metrics to measure our success in bringing positive social impacts:
- The number and diversity of regions that we cover
- The number of course contents and their views on our platforms, as well as registered users
- The number of applications and initiatives built within or around the Academic Labs ecosystem
Can you share a story about how Academic Labs has positively impacted someone's life or a community?
Unitour in Vietnam: A Story from Our CMO, Ryan - Earlier this year, we hosted a university event in Vietnam to educate students about opportunities in Web3. Recently, I reconnected with a student who attended the event. He was highly inspired by our achievements and decided to pursue a career as a BD in a prestigious CEX. This moment truly affirms that we are making a life-changing impact on people.
To date, we've achieved:
- Launched MVP in January 2024, hitting 200,000 videos and challenges completed in just one month
- Hosted over 5 hackathons and courses at top universities worldwide, including those in the QS Top 50
- Our Project Education initiative empowers over 20 ecosystems and reaches more than 2 million people worldwide
What cool tech does Academic Labs use to power its magic?
We utilize Web3 technologies to enhance our community-incentive mechanism. This ensures we continuously update our content library and make courses and academic resources more affordable for active learners. Web3's transparency, decentralization, and data interoperability help us create a lifelong, learner-centric experience that evolves to meet new demands.
What are the standout features that make Academic Labs unique?
We are the 1st EduFi Ecosystem on Solana that empowers 4 different Educational initiatives (with more to come in 2025):
- Academic Labs Platform: A gamified learning platform for acquiring and sharing knowledge and skills.
- Wealth X Academy: A crypto training and DeFi Academy platform with different forms of education, such as interactive livestreams.
- AAX Project Education Initiative: Incubating and fostering high-quality projects to educate users via course creation, gamified design, and user incentives.
- AAX World: An offline initiative conducted with 10+ universities worldwide, empowering the DIDs and token influence offline.
At the core of our platform is our innovative approach to gamification, which transforms traditional learning into an immersive, skills-focused experience. This creates a simulated environment where learners can practice and master skills in a more engaging and effective way than conventional online education methods.
Looking ahead, our upcoming White Paper version 2.0 will reveal additional innovative features that will further enhance our educational ecosystem.
What have been the biggest twists and turns in Academic Labs' journey?
The launch of Wealth X Academy represents a major turning point in our journey. It marks our first milestone in expanding beyond a decentralized educational platform to become a comprehensive Web3 EduFi ecosystem that caters to diverse needs. Most importantly, it establishes our position as a gateway for Web2 users entering the world of Web3.
Looking ahead to the coming year, we have exciting plans in motion. Starting with the release of our White Paper version 2.0, we anticipate launching additional applications, projects, and initiatives within the Academic Labs ecosystem while expanding into new regions. Throughout the year, we expect to see tremendous growth for Academic Labs and create even more positive impacts.
Why did you choose to join Blockchain for Good Alliance?
We believe our value proposition and vision closely align with BGA. Since the beginning, BGA has facilitated significant collaborations and opportunities for us, helping us gain traction. We hope to maintain our partnership to benefit society and deliver efficient education powered by Web3 to everyone.
What advice would you give to someone starting a blockchain project for social good?
- Test and trial. No ideas start well; make sure you are always ready to iterate your ideas for improvements
- Persist in the same values and beliefs, which will ultimately drive the long-term success of a project
How can others get involved or support your mission?
- Forge partnerships to expand our reach in promoting Web3-powered education
- Collaborate on content creation to benefit our platform's learners
- Connect us with resources like universities and educational institutions
- Develop projects within or around the Academic Labs ecosystem
Academic Labs Links
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