OP3N raises $28M to build ‘WhatsApp meets Amazon’ for web3

OP3N, a web3 AI-powered platform, raised a $28 million Series A round that values the company at $100 million, the startup shared exclusively with TechCrunch.

“I wanted to make a connection for creators, chats and commerce in one place,” Jaeson Ma, co-CEO of OP3N, said to TechCrunch. “It’s a web3 version of WhatsApp meets Amazon, or WeChat meets Alibaba.”

OP3N’s chat-based product, Superapp, aims to bridge the gap between Web 2.0 and web3 through implementing blockchain and decentralized technologies into Web 2.0-friendly interfaces. The application will have the ability to add audio, video and mixed media content to on-chain interactions so users can have a “one-stop” experience.

The platform was born out of a need for a user experience and interface similar to Web 2.0 platforms, but powered by web3 technologies, Ma said.

The platform allows artists and creators to offer fans new ways to engage through NFT-gated experiences that fans can buy at different price points, Ma shared. Customers can sign up through email and the platform will create a crypto…