As we close out the year, I want to reflect on our fantastic progress at Wayru. It has been an incredible journey, and I am so grateful to have such a dedicated team and supportive community by my side.
So let’s see what 2022 looked like for Wayru.
In February of this year, we deployed our first pilot in Monte Sinai, a low-income community in Ecuador. This was a significant milestone for us and allowed us to test our technology and gather valuable feedback from the community.
In March, we finished the Algorand Miami Accelerator, a fantastic opportunity to learn from industry experts and network with other entrepreneurs.
April was a big month for us as we launched our NFT collection, AirBlocks. These unique and rare digital assets have been a hit with collectors and have become an integral part of our ecosystem.
We closed our seed round in May and launched our first WiFi app prototype. This was a significant step forward as it allowed us to test our technology in the real world and gather valuable user feedback.
June was a busy month as we opened our Whitelist for Pre-Sale and began recruiting engineers to join our team. We brought on talented professionals in blockchain, mobile app development, and back-end engineering.
August saw the start of our Pre-Sale for Genesis and Hotspot Pools, a significant milestone for us. This allowed us to fund the deployment of our networks and get one step closer to launching MainNet.
In October, we deployed our networks and launched our new TestNet. We also began shipping our Genesis devices to node operators and location partners.
November was exciting as we participated in LaBitconf and Decipher and installed 10 location partners. These partnerships have been crucial in helping us expand our reach and bring connectivity to more communities.
December saw the launch of our referral program and the installation of 20 more location partners.
As the year ends, I reflect on what we accomplished at Wayru and look ahead to what’s coming up in the future.
First and foremost, I’m thrilled to announce that we closed a deal with WOCCU to connect 100 location partners in Quito. We plan to deploy all 100 hotspots by the end of January 2023. This partnership aims to onboard as many small businesses and entrepreneurs as possible to become location partners, allowing them to share WiFi with their clients and earn rewards for their efforts.
The UN/UNHCR has also selected us to build a network in a vulnerable community in Guayaquil. This partnership will provide connectivity to the people living in the area for a whole year while also empowering the community with education and workshops to take advantage of the tools provided by the project.
In addition to these partnerships, we are working on an exclusive AirBlocks platform, a place for AirBlockers to chill and participate in activities, including a marketplace for the entire collection of AirBlocks, raffles, staking options, and more. We expect the club to be available in the next 45–60 days.
We’re also making progress on our mobile apps, which are currently undergoing testing and waiting on app store approval. We’ll have some test versions on Google Play early next week, with final versions expected to be out by mid-February for WiFi access, allowing users to find nearby hotspots and watch ads on demand to earn WiFi credits and access the network. And mid-March for Node Operators app, which will enable new Operators to onboard their devices and constantly check their Hotspot performance.
As for our private sale, we had initially planned to start it before the end of the year, but given the state of the market, we’ve decided to focus on generating revenue from network usage before approaching investors.
Our Public Sale will occur in Q2 2023, with reduced tokens available to focus on rewarding the community for their participation, which is what we stand for, collaboration. MainNet will follow, approximately 2 to 3 weeks after the Public Sale, allowing people to claim rewards and stake their Wayru Tokens ($WRU) or Pool Tokens ($WPT).
Pool token holders, we couldn’t have made it this far without you. Early Pool Token holders, you have a special place in my heart for believing in my idea when it was only in my head. Thanks to your support, it has started to take shape and become a reality. I am deeply thankful.
I want to thank our Node Operators for their continued support and participation in the Wayru network. The truth is that only some people are Blockchain savvy, so we have created something called Location Partners, which is aimed at businesses that want to offer WiFi to their clients but may need to become more familiar with crypto. We offer to set up a device for these partners for free and share rewards with them for their contribution of electricity, bandwidth, and traffic to the network. It’s important to note that Node Operators are not part of any of the pools we deploy and instead earn rewards based on the performance of their devices. On the other hand, Pool Token holders earn rewards for the performance of the networks we deploy, which include public WiFi zones, fixed internet clients, and Location Partners.
We have also talked with possible Network Operators, usually other ISPs. We want to onboard them to the Wayru movement and create a new WiFi network using their existing infrastructure to earn rewards and rewards to expand our network coverage. These networks are also not included in Hotspot Pools and are fully managed and operated by separate entities, who receive most of the rewards.
We will release a document early next week detailing the rewards available to our community, including referrals and rewards for early Node Operators. This document will be available for anyone to review and understand how we will distribute the rewards on the TestNet and other activities leading up to the MainNet launch. I want to assure everyone that all members of our community, no matter their level of involvement, will be rewarded when MainNet arrives.
We understand that only some have a Genesis device, so we are working on compatibility with more devices in the future. In mid to late Q1 2023, we will release a list of compatible devices and will continue to update it based on community feedback and voting sessions on the platform.
We also want to bring more value to the Wayru ecosystem by allowing members of other chains to invest in Wayru using bridges and wrapped assets. We have discussed this with our advisors, including Michael Cotton, and are considering building bridges with Polygon, Avalanche, and other EVM-compatible chains. It’s important to note that while we may be adding these other chains to the mix, everything will still run on Algorand, and all transactions, security, and speed will continue to be a part of the Wayru network.
I also want to thank the talented team of individuals who have joined Wayru this past year to help me achieve my dream of creating a more connected world, making it also their dream.
In closing, I express my gratitude to all members of the Wayru community for supporting my vision of a more connected and sustainable future. I want to emphasize our community’s importance and its role in our success. We’ll continue to focus on building and strengthening our community through various initiatives, including our ambassador program, social media presence, and community events.
As we look ahead to the new year, I’m excited about all the progress we’ve made and the opportunities that lie ahead for Wayru. Thank you for your continued support and here’s to a successful and exciting year ahead.
Sincerely,
Charvel Chedraui
CEO @ Wayru.io
