The first thing Elroy Cheo looks at on his cellphone in the mornings is not Instagram or Facebook. The Web3 enthusiast has long abandoned social media platforms, instead seeking out the latest updates on this brave new digital world.
“I go to crypto Twitter, private Telegram groups, Discord and Reddit because I want to stay on top of whatever is happening in this space,” says Cheo, who first became involved in Web3 in 2015 when he worked on a project that used blockchain ledgers to solve a music copyright licensing problem.
Since then, Cheo, whose family is behind edible oil business Mewah International, has been digging deeper into the crypto and blockchain realms, investing in projects and developing connections and networks.
This year, in partnership with good friend and fellow entrepreneur Kiat Lim, the son of local billionaire Peter Lim, the duo launched ARC. The region’s first private digital community focuses on collaborations among innovators, creatives and thought leaders.
Creating an NFT collection and community that will become a cultural juggernaut in Asia
As the architect of the community, Cheo’s role is to lead the design of the ARC experience from its community interactions and content to its user interface and technology backbone.
One of their key goals is to co-create an NFT collection and community that will become a cultural juggernaut in Asia — similar to how Cryptopunks or Bored Ape Yacht Club dominate the Western digital art landscape.
“We know there is a gap in the market in Asia where Asians are among the biggest token and NFT holders in the world, but there isn’t a common shared experience. All the good events are being held in the Western hemisphere while we are sleeping,” he observes. “When we ask ourselves why, the reason is very clear: there are not enough good projects in Asia. ARC wants to solve this.”