Asia’s progressive innovators, creatives and thought leaders now have their very own, first-of-its-kind private digital community with an NFT membership on which to connect and collaborate. While ARC is a private platform that prioritises referrals for now, any similarities with members-only clubs end there. Unlike exclusive clubs, ARC is the only one of its kind that connects the region’s most talented and enterprising across borders on a safer, kinder virtual space, not just for networking purposes and access to unique experiences, but also to create shared value as a community – from passion projects to collaborations.
“Many of our community members are public figures, and ARC provides a safer, kinder space for them to connect without worrying about their public personas. ARC is a dynamic space where they can exchange perspectives and be their most genuine selves,” said Kiat Lim, Founder of ARC.
“Unlike exclusive clubs, ARC is all about a community that creates shared value together. We have designed the platform to encourage collaboration and the NFT membership is how members can access that shared value,” said Elroy Cheo, Co-founder of ARC.
Designed for Asia’s Dynamic and Purpose-Drive Generation to Connect and Collaborate
ARC’s members are a collection of Asia’s entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, Web3 builders, creatives and social influencers. The one thing they have in common is an insatiable drive and ambition to create together and have fun in the process.
Naturally, one of the hallmarks of ARC is the rigorous authentication of its members for social accountability. Apart from the fact that traditional socials have to be linked for all users, due diligence is carried out to ensure that members are who they say they are and contribute authentically to the community.
With a deep insight into the community’s needs, the founders have designed the platform with several features to facilitate a safe, inclusive environment that protects members’ privacy, such as the blocking of screen recordings on the app. Members are also not notified of a connection request by another member until both are interested to have a conversation.
Additionally, members can pose any question on its Wall to the wider community – from advice about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to coaching for founders, right down to personal experiences about starting up a passion project. They will have the option to do so anonymously, given the high profile of ARC’s membership.
Its audio rooms are a weekly highlight that is a natural magnet for new members. ARC members have discussed the challenges of launching new businesses amidst COVID-19; some have set up audio rooms to talk about women in leadership and self-care; still others have rallied around how to leverage their aggregate social capital to help the wider community.
The one rule ARC members must abide by: what happens on ARC stays on ARC. This ensures all conversations are held in confidence and members can freely discuss issues close to their hearts – from the latest venture to the most personal experiences. Currently, members apply to join the ARC community through word-of-mouth. The waitlist is already growing, as the founders partner with a committee of pioneer community members to review each nominee.
Launching its beta version on Apple App store just weeks earlier, ARC already boasts a stellar cast of community members – from the region’s top entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, Web3 builders and crypto experts to its thought leaders and top creatives.
“By creating a safe space for Asia’s dynamic and purpose-driven generation to connect authentically, ARC is a new collaborative destination that opens up endless possibilities,” Elroy continues.
Access to the Community’s Collaborations and the ARC Metaverse through NFTs
ARC is the first private social networking platform in the region at the moment that will roll out NFTs as proof of membership, giving its community access to one-of-a-kind experiences in both real and virtual worlds. This is all part of the founders’ focus on value creation for the community, underscoring its emphasis on collaboration.
Other benefits of NFTs include access to offline locations with partner merchants or establishments owned by ARC members, a passport to discover the ARC metaverse, as well as early access to other projects and artists’ works. As it adds on the ARC metaverse, it hopes to include a GameFi element, where members can ‘collaborate-to-earn’ on its platform.
“Access today, shared opportunities tomorrow, that’s our tokenisation strategy and what makes ARC stand out from any other networking platform,” said Kiat. “ARC’s ambition is to be a bridge across the real and virtual world today, and, in the near future, the ARC metaverse.”
The brainchild of Kiat Lim and Elroy Cheo, ARC taps into a growing demand for safer, kinder social spaces. The duo, who are best friends drawn together by shared ambition and drive, know all about creating a thriving environment for collaborations, having begun their ARC partnership three years ago.
Seeing an opportunity to create a virtual space to connect Asia’s next-generation leaders and architects of change, the founders focused on building a high-trust, community-centred environment – an ingredient they identified as critical to facilitating meaningful interaction and communication.
Drawing on their business acumen, this is the first time they are collaborating on a social-first platform based on a shared passion point: harnessing the power of technology to spark connections and collaborations.
Backed by a team of developers, content creators and community managers, the duo oversee every aspect of ARC’s development – from the platform’s user interface (UI) & experience (UX) to co-creating ARC’s ethos with the community, and personal check-ins with ARC members.
“We are building ARC for our community, together with our community, guided by shared values of integrity, kindness, a growth mindset and the embracing of differing perspectives – and let’s not forget that we want to have fun while we’re at it,” said Elroy.
For now, the app is only available for iPhone users, but its Android version is already in the testing phase, along with other new features that are focused on facilitating better connections and collaborations.
