AppCoins

For now, the AppCoins project will focus on the Android market, which has the majority app market share. The adoption of AppCoins in this market will benefit from Aptoide’s support. Aptoide is one of the largest Android App Stores, with over 4 billion downloads, 200 million users and direct engagement with over 12,000 developers including Gameloft and Zeptolab. Aptoide has a network of over 70 corporate partners, including OEMs and Telecom companies such as Xiaomi, Oppo, Meizu and Vivo. The company predicts 95 million MAU by the 24th month, based on Aptoide's MAU, the bootstrap strategy completion and on the efforts of the App Store for engaging 4 to 6 app stores. That amount of users can be provided only by interacting with big 3-4 players like Aptoid.

AppCoins is an open and distributed protocol for app stores based on the Ethereum blockchain and smart contracts. Through AppCoins we can integrate app stores, users, developers, advertisers and OEMs. This system is app store agnostic, existing across different mobile platforms (Android & iOS). In this system, the different app stores act as oracles of the smart contracts which are associated with each of the platform’s core transactions (see whitepaper for details). This system creates a trust layer for the economy, rendering many middlemen obsolete. AppCoins can become the universal language of the app economy. Release of the first beta version of Aptoide with AppCoins support scheduled in Q2 2018.

The app economy has three main problems: 1. Advertising is inefficient. It relies on many adtech middlemen, increasing the cost of user acquisition for app developers, reducing transparency and generating fraud in transactions. 2. App monetization and in-app purchases (IAP) are still not massified and are costly. IAPs rely on payment methods and flows that are not accessible to many users, especially in emerging markets where the transactions costs are high, with significant margins being taken by payment processors and other fintech middlemen. 3. The app approval process is not transparent. App approval is a complex process that is currently being handled by centralized stores with complex quality assurance flows and relying on non-transparent app distribution policies. AppCoins is the solution. It is an open and distributed protocol for app stores based on the Ethereum blockchain, using the ERC20 standard. It proposes to move the following three critical flows to the blockchain: advertising, in-app billing and app approvals. By redesigning the transactions inside app stores, it creates efficiencies by disintermediation and redistributes the value released in a way that creates incentives for AppCoins supported stores.

The token value at the crowdsale will be of US$0.10, the soft cap US$2.5M and the hard cap will be US$15.3M. The funds received from the AppCoins crowdsale will be applied in: (a) development of the solution - 58%; (b) marketing towards its dissemination and adoption - 15%; (c) strategy and operation - 23%; and (d) legal costs - 4%. The AppCoin token price fluctuates considering its estimated market cap (achieved using Metcalfe’s law and the forecast of adoption) and the token supply in circulation. It is projected that after two years, it will have a market valuation almost 19 times bigger than the price of crowdsale after two years, and 2 784 times bigger after 5 years . According to the financial model provided in the WP, project is going to reach break-even within 6 months. Notably, that the calculated financial forecast don’t depend on the amount of funds raised. As for parent Aptoide, the company raised $5 million since inception. The deal led by e.ventures on January 5, 2016. Malaysia Venture Capital Management, Gobi Ventures, Golden Gate Ventures and Portugal Capital Ventures also participated in the transaction.

AppCoins supported by Aptoide Team. The team consists of 85 people who work in three company offices - Lisbon, Singapore and Shenzhen - and have experience working in international projects.