10 Early Protocols Worth Following

In the current stage of the Web3 industry, there are many early projects with huge potential that are not yet widely known. This article selects 10 protocols that are in the early stages of development, which may become industry hotspots in the future.

1. Burve

Category: DeFi yield aggregator based on Berachain

Burve aims to maximize returns on the Berachain chain through multi-token swaps, liquidity pool leverage, and de-pegging insurance mechanisms. The project is currently in the very early stages and has not yet issued tokens, but it has already built an ecosystem around optimizing liquidity providers and risk management tools. It is expected that a liquidity mining phase may be launched in the future.

2. Multipli.fi

Category: DeFi Yield Aggregation

Multipli.fi is committed to popularizing the yields of native assets, stablecoins, and real-world tokenized assets. The project has confirmed that it will issue tokens and has designed the ORB (On-Chain Reward Bond) mechanism. Users can obtain ORB by participating in staking on the testnet and mainnet, and these rewards will be redeemed during the Token Generation Event (TGE).

3. ambient.xyz

Category: Web3+AI Infrastructure

ambient.xyz is an innovative blockchain aimed at converting AI model training into secure, reward-bearing on-chain activities. It adopts a Proof of Work (PoW) mechanism and has not yet announced an official airdrop plan or issued tokens. The project has received investment support from well-known institutions such as a16z, Delphi Ventures, and Amber Group.

4. Cline

Category: AI Developer Tools, Autonomous Programming Agents

Cline is an open-source AI programming agent that supports collaborative writing, debugging, and delivery of full-stack code. The project leans more towards open-source infrastructure rather than on-chain protocol, and there are currently no plans to issue a native token. Cline has achieved over 1.3 million installations, has a community following of over 31,000, and enjoys high popularity on GitHub with over 40,000 stars.

5. Optimex

Category: BTCFi

Optimex is a non-custodial DeFi protocol layer focused on native Bitcoin, supporting flash swaps, lending, and margin trading. Although there is currently no official airdrop plan, early application users and alpha testers may qualify for rewards in the future. The project team may be building a retrospective reward mechanism to distribute rewards based on early contributions.

6. Converge

Category: Institutional DeFi protocol, asset tokenization settlement layer

Converge is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 public chain designed to integrate traditional finance with decentralized finance, achieving compliant asset tokenization and stablecoin settlement. The project focuses on institutional adoption and compliance, using USDe and $ENA for settlement instead of issuing a native token. Converge is supported by Ethena and Securitize, with early partners including AAVE, Pendle, Morpho, and Maple Finance.

7. Hubble Protocol

Category: DeFi, Yield Strategy Fork

Hubble Protocol is described as an evolved version of Tomb Finance, reimagined on Sonic, aimed at optimizing DeFi yield strategies. The project is currently in its early stages, with no confirmation of token issuance yet, but the mention of its user guidance mechanism suggests that incentives may be launched in the future.

8. Monadic DNA

Category: Decentralized Science, Privacy-Preserving Genomics

Monadic DNA allows users to gain health and lifestyle insights from DNA without relinquishing control over their data. The project won at ETHGlobal 2024, positioning itself as an alternative for user ownership to 23andMe. Although the token plan has not been announced yet, it may adopt a typical decentralized science (DeSci) incentive model.

9. Splenium

Category: Decentralized Artificial Intelligence (DeAI)

Splenium is an AI co-pilot tool based on a chat interface that supports users in real-time cross-EVM chain NFT trading, asset management, and market tracking. Currently, it has a user base of 13,000 and is in the early growth stage. This project is expected to evolve into a personal DeFi application layer or be integrated into the existing wallet ecosystem, and it may need to construct a long-term growth flywheel through token economics or protocol layer in the future.

10. Metadrip

Category: AI Agent, DeFi User Experience Layer

Metadrip is a one-stop platform for cryptocurrency trading, staking, tracking, and token issuance through a conversational AI assistant. The project plans to issue DRIP tokens for voting governance and has designed a staking mechanism and DAO governance structure, suggesting that there may be rewards or early user incentive programs in the future. Metadrip is focused on retail investors, aiming to create an "All-in-One" DeFi assistant experience.

These early projects demonstrate the innovative potential and diversity of the Web3 industry. Although not every early project can successfully break through, they all represent new directions in the industry's development. Investors and users should closely follow the development of these projects while carefully assessing potential risks.