The partnership announcement between @StartaleGroup and @PrivacyBoost happened about a month ago, but I want to revisit it and break it down in more detail. This is a massive update that deserves separate attention. While most L2 networks focus purely on speed, the Soneium ecosystem and Startaleās infrastructure are quietly laying the foundation for native privacy-something real-world businesses absolutely need before mass Web3 adoption can happen.
ā«ļø What everyday users get in the Startale App:
This will be a completely optional feature (Opt-in Privacy). Anyone can decide for themselves when they need privacy and when they donāt. Activating Privacy Boost will allow you to:
ā ShieldĀ - Users deposit assets into the privacy pool, converting them into private onchain notes that conceal balances from public view.
ā Private TransferĀ - Users transfer assets within the pool without revealing amounts, balances, or counterparties.
ā Private Card SpendingĀ - Privacy-preserving flows designed to work with Startale's upcoming crypto card, so users can spend without exposing their full onchain activity.
Startale is preparing to launch its own crypto card. The integration of Privacy Boost means your everyday real-world payments-whether in shops, cafes, or digital services-will be protected. No one on the public blockchain will be able to track your shopping history based on card data.
ā«ļø What this means for developers:
For developers building apps and games on Soneium (and the broader OP Stack), this solution comes as a ready-made tool (Drop-in SDK). This means devs donāt need to build complex cryptography from scratch-they can integrate data privacy into their smart contracts and games with just a few lines of code.
ā«ļø Why this matters: A simple real-world example:
Imagine a popular crypto influencer, blogger, or project founder whose public wallet address is known to thousands. Right now, their every move, purchase, or transfer is tracked by bots and followers. If they need to pay for private medical services, buy a high-value gift, or simply move capital without triggering market panic, they can toggle on the privacy feature, complete the action, and keep their financial privacy intact.
ā«ļø Why this wonāt become a tool for cybercriminals:
Unlike classic crypto mixers that simply blend hacker funds, Privacy Boost is built on the principles of Selective Auditability, encrypted smart contracts, and TEEs (Trusted Execution Environments). Transactions remain completely invisible to competitors and random onlookers. However, the architecture complies with international regulatory standards, such as Europeās MiCA or the US BSA. If European or other official financial institutions issue a legal request to verify transactions, the user can provide specific viewing keys. This unlocks the history of those exact operations for an audit, proving the clean source of funds without exposing private data to the entire internet.
This infrastructure upgrade will soon hit the Startale App interface. Itās a major shift away from the "transparent fishbowl" concept where everyone sees each other's balances, moving instead toward a normal standard of banking privacy tailored for Web3.
Full article: https://t.co/DEEAdUOsBO
Wake up, crypto whales!š³
Don't forget that you can earn a massive ~9.4% APY on your stables right now in the @StartaleGroup app.
ā No lock-up
ā Withdraw anytime
ā Claim rewards anytime
The best games you can play on @soneium right now!
ā @zombieidle - An addictive idle tower defense game where you protect your base from zombie waves.
ā @capncompany - A massive multiplayer pirate adventure where you command ships, engage in epic naval battles, and fight for loot.
ā @SurvivFun - A thrilling 2D Battle Royale where you drop into the arena, scavenge for weapons, survive the shrinking safe zone, and fight to be the last one standing.
ā @PlayCryptalia - An epic strategy RPG featuring intense tactical battles and deep roguelike gameplay.
ā @lasmetaio - An AI-enhanced VR poker metaverse built for the ultimate social gaming experience.
ā @2p2eio - Multi-chain Prediction & Gaming platform(gambling).
ā @clash_horse - A competitive horse racing game focused on racing, predicting outcomes, and customizing your horses(gambling).
ā @Axoltsescape - An exciting endless runner adventure where you dodge obstacles and collect rewards as a cute axolotl.
Meet Sota Watanabe (@WatanabeSota ), the founder and CEO of @StartaleGroup
ā½ Born in 1995 in Japan.
ā½ Studied economics at Keio University, then headed to San Francisco (2018). There, he interned at the Web3 startup Chronicled. Sota saw firsthand how Silicon Valley giants operate, immersed himself in the philosophy of decentralization, and realized: blockchain is the future. He made it his mission to bring these technologies back to Japan.
ā½ In 2019 he returned to Japan and founded his first company Stake Technologies which begins development of its own blockchain. Initially this blockchain was called Plasm Network, but later it was renamed to Astar Network(@AstarNetwork).
ā½ Astar quickly became the largest public blockchain in Japan. The project received strong financial support and grants (including from Gavin Wood's team). At the peak of the bull market, in early 2022, the price of the ASTR token reached its all-time high ($0.421), FDV reached over $3.6 billion.
ā½ In 2022 (at the age of 26) Sota gets into the prestigious list Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.
ā½ The Japan Blockchain Association (JBA) recognizes Astar as "Product of the Year", and Sota Watanabe himself as "Person of the Year" based on the results of 2022.
ā½ Besides that, he becomes a key figure at the state level - an official advisor to the Government of Japan on Web3 development. Cooperating with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Sota initiated a large-scale revision of outdated laws and tax policy, in order to open the path for millions of Web2 users into the decentralized world. Main mission: Bring the world onchain.
ā½ In 2023, Startale was created and the era of "Web3 for Billions"
Despite the success of Astar, Sota saw a major problem: crypto was used by only 3% of the entire population of the planet (at that time). His global goal became the philosophy "Web3 For Billions" (Web3 for billions of users). He realized, that for mass adoption a separate company is needed, which will become a "bridge" between Web3 and traditional global corporations (because corporations cannot sign contracts simply with a decentralized network).
ā½ļø So in 2023 was born the company Startale.
And this step turned out to be extremely successful. Into the startup immediately began to pour money giants of traditional business:
ā«ļø In June 2023, Sony Network Communications invested the first $3.5 million.
ā«ļø In February 2024 (Series A round) the company raised another $3.5 million from @Sony, @SamsungNext and Signum Capital , receiving a company valuation of $63.5 million.
ā«ļø And in January 2026 Sony Innovation Fund added another $13 million within the framework of Extended Series A.
This cooperation with the giant reached such a level, that they founded a powerful joint venture - Sony Block Solutions Labs, where Sota Watanabe became a director.
Having such support, today Startale went far beyond one project and is developing infrastructure at once for three powerful blockchain ecosystems:
ā«ļø @AstarNetwork : Startale continues to be the main developer.
ā«ļø @soneium : Startale acts as a co-developer of this L2 blockchain (through the joint venture with Sony) with a focus on games, entertainment and consumer mass adoption.
ā«ļø Strium: A fresh breakthrough of 2026! Startale together with the financial giant SBI Holdings launched a new Layer-1 blockchain Strium. This is a network, created specifically for institutional finance, trading tokenized securities and real world assets (RWA).
Sota Watanabe's current key roles:
CEO & Founder - Startale Group
Director - Sony Block Solutions Labs (building soneium)
Founder - Astar Network
Key Partner - SBI Holdings JV (building Strium)
Web3 Advisor - Government of Japan
Highly recommend these two videos to dive deeper into his vision:
Soneium presentation: https://t.co/863G401On6
Interview with Sota: https://t.co/0Jr8puOIEI
š¤My ę¬ę to @WatanabeSota ā¤ļø
šSoneium, Soneium, Soneium...
ā½ Today I asked myself a question. On one hand, it might sound stupid, but on the other, every blockchain should be thinking about this.
ā½ It's about DEXs on any blockchain. We all know these platforms don't require absolute genius to build. There is no magic or super-advanced tech behind them. Anyone with dev experience, money, and connections can launch a DEX.
ā½ Popular trading platforms generate tens, hundreds of millions, or even billions of dollars in revenue (just look at Solana). And all this money goes to regular devs who just built a platform with ten basic features.
ā½ Why not change the rules? Let every blockchain, especially my favorite Soneium, have ONE monopolistic, official DEX/PerpDEX. The blockchain itself should own these basic services.
ā½ What would this solve? Imagine: all liquidity in one place. All the crazy trading fees go straight into the Soneium Treasury, not to random devs. Those millions can then be reinvested into creating actual games, grants for builders making something ACTUALLY useful (not just another DEX, we already have thousands), and community growth.
ā½ I know Web3 isn't about banning or blocking things. But why does Soneium invest in ecosystem DEXs like KYO? They wouldn't even be needed if there was one solid official platform. Not to mention how this fragmentation hurts regular users, as many of these "new ecosystem products" just rug/scam on day one.
ā½ Thoughts? @WatanabeSota@0xRamz@Juminstock@businessj386@StartaleGroup@Sony
šWake up, DEVs and Founders!
Want to build something of your own and truly cool, but lack funding? Itās time to act!
You can participate in the Startale Superstars Incubation. Pitch your project or idea and get a chance to share a $250,000 prize pool from @StartaleGroup.
ā¬ļø
āWhat you get if approved:
Hands-on BD supportĀ to brainstorm, execute ideas, and connect with the Startale and Soneium partner network.
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1:1 Go-to-market advisory sessionsĀ with a dedicated Startale team member, providing hands-on mentorship from industry experts and strategic guidance on tokenomics, growth, and go-to-market execution.
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Marketing exposureĀ across high-visibility channels and programs (X, Discord, and incentivised campaigns) with Startale and our partners.
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Access to SoneiumāsĀ 260+ project ecosystem, including invitations to private builder groups and community channels.
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Builder supportĀ to develop your Mini App, with hundreds of testers ready to try your app before launch.
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Infrastructure perksĀ from Startale App partners and onboarding support from Startaleās product team
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Funding and direct accessĀ to Startale and Soneiumās network of partners, investors, and ecosystem leaders.
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Premium placement on Startale App, with top projects highlighted across high-visibility sections.
ā The only requirement? Build your project on @soneium (The Best Ethereum L2)
ā°Hurry up and submit your application, the deadline is January 8th!
šLinkā”ļø https://t.co/MyYUtHnHyg
āØMerry Christmas and Happy Upcoming New Year to everyone!š
šEveryone is celebratingš», but don't forget to farm @soneium Score.
I've prepared the cheapest way for you to get +10 Score for ecosystem NFTs:
ā³ @harkan_IO +2 Score - Free
ā³ @0xAlze +2 Score - Free
ā³ @RedButton_xyz +2 Score ā 0.1$
ā³ @MetaMap_xyz +2 Score ā 0.1$
ā³ @RangoExchange +2 Score ā 0.4$
šThe Guide Hub pinned in my profile will help you complete all these quests. Good luck!
šSoneium Season 5 Score Guides
The ultimate @soneium Season 5 is out, so I created new guides for all NFTs and quests for you.
ā Link - https://t.co/QSBxGT46dV
šEnjoy!
Announcing Startale USD (USDSC), our stablecoin native to @soneium.
Stable by design.
Scaled by innovation.
Powered by @m0's universal stablecoin platform, Startale USD is the digital dollar that is designed to bring stability, scale, and liquidity to the Soneium ecosystem through our Startale App.
Read more šš»