Aptos exec sees Web 2.5 platforms earning ‘tons’ of revenue

While many crypto ecosystems focus on decentralization as the core tenet of Web3, Aptos is seeing success with hybrid platforms that blend Web2 and Web3 technologies, commonly referred to as “Web2.5.”

In an interview at the Token20249 event in Dubai, Aptos’ head of ecosystem, Ash Pampati, told Cointelegraph that they see Web2.5 platforms earn “tons of revenue” within Aptos. He noted that consumer-focused applications in particular are thriving on the network.

Web2.5 is a term used to describe a combination of Web2 and Web3 technologies. The term describes platforms or applications that blend centralized Web2 experiences with decentralized Web3 elements. 

These applications often avoid full decentralization, drawing criticism for not fully embracing the Web3 vision.

Consumer-focused Web2.5 platforms generate revenue on Aptos

Pampati told Cointelegraph that one of the trends he sees within the Aptos ecosystem is that founders want to build “great consumer experiences.” 

The executive said that the Aptos network was built to support projects with almost a Web2-like scale. Because of its Meta origins, he said Aptos has a developer stack focusing on abstracting friction away from Web3. 

Pampati described this as more of a Web2 user experience “without sacrificing Web3 principles.” The executive said platforms that followed such models found success within the ecosystem:

“We see a lot of great consumer Web 2.5 platforms emerging. So, those that are focused on distribution and those that are focused on fan loyalty are also generating tons of revenue because they’ve created great products.”

Pampati said that the trend is mainly influenced by their developer stack and what the Aptos platform offers, which focuses on broad consumer applications. 

Related: From digital identity to outer space: Projects push crypto use cases

The challenge of attracting the next million users

While Web2.5 applications address some of the user experience problems for crypto and Web3, Pampati said that one of the challenges in the space remains the onboarding of non-crypto natives to the industry. 

“I think the biggest challenge is trying to predict the next catalyst that pulls forward the next million, 10 million users into crypto. I think there’s a lot of tendency to go and refight old wars,” Pampati told Cointelegraph. 

He said founders tend to move back into concepts like memecoins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). However, he believes that finding the next catalyst that will spur broader mainstream adoption requires creating something new. 

Pampati added that collaborating and motivating founders to “see through the corners and not just try to recreate what’s already been created before” also remains a challenge. The executive said that founders should be prepared for when the next catalyst happens.