Shiba Inu’s WHY Combinator and New BONE Token: All You Need to Know

Shiba Inu has announced major ecosystem expansions including WHY Combinator. It is a decentralized startup accelerator, and new utilities for its BONE token.

The project revealed it has developed over 30 technological components during the bear market. These range from AI and fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) to Web3 gaming and metaverse applications. This technology stack, dubbed the “36 Chambers of Tech,” aims to make “Powered by Shib” as ubiquitous as “powered by Google” in Web3 applications.

The announcements mark Shiba Inu’s evolution from a meme token toward what it calls a “network state.” A comprehensive blockchain ecosystem with its own operating system and technology infrastructure.

WHY Combinator and technology stack

The WHY Combinator program is Shiba Inu’s entry into startup acceleration, but with a different focus. Unlike traditional accelerators that prioritize financial returns, WHY Combinator selects projects based on their answer to a fundamental question:

“Why does this product need to exist in the world?” This approach aims to build lasting value rather than short-term gains.

The program operates within Shiba Inu’s newly revealed “36 Chambers of Tech”—a” comprehensive technology stack built during the market downturn. This infrastructure includes artificial intelligence systems, fully homomorphic encryption for Shibarium (their Layer-2 network). As well as, Web3 gaming platforms, metaverse environments, and decentralized identity solutions.

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The ecosystem integrates these components through TREAT, a new token whose name stands for “Transactional Rewards for Engagement & Access Token.”

TREAT will power weekly reward distributions called “TreatDrops” to encourage user engagement across the ecosystem’s various projects, from metaverse participation to NFT ownership. The token will launch with immediate listings on several major exchanges, including Bitget, Gate.io, KuCoin, and MEXC.

BONE utility expands beyond its original role

BONE’s utility expands beyond its original role as Shibarium’s gas token, with new capabilities positioning it at the heart of Shiba Inu’s technical architecture. The most notable addition allows anyone to create Layer-3 rollups on Shibarium, similar to how Arbitrum and Optimism support multiple chains.

This rollup strategy draws from successful models in the Layer-2 ecosystem. For context, leading rollup networks have achieved substantial adoption. Arbitrum holds $17.77 billion in total value locked, Base manages $13.91 billion, and Optimism secures $7.11 billion.

BONE gains additional utility as a data availability layer, competing with specialized protocols like Celestia (TIA), which currently holds a $2.27 billion market cap.

Shiba Inu’s notable ecosystem change

The expansion of Shiba Inu’s ecosystem marks a shift in how meme-based cryptocurrencies change into full technology platforms. The team developed these capabilities without the large budgets of competitors like Sui and Cardano, focusing instead on building practical infrastructure.

The team’s strategy for exchange relationships also reveals a mature approach to market development. Rather than focusing solely on token listings, they’re building partnerships to showcase Shibarium’s technical capabilities.

This could lead to broader adoption of Shiba Inu’s technology stack by other projects and potentially even government entities, as the team hints at discussions with various organizations.

The technical architecture’s scope shows particular ambition. By offering an operating system for Web3 applications, Shiba Inu positions itself to compete not just with other cryptocurrencies, but with established Web2 infrastructure providers.