Bware Labs on the road to decentralization: An interview with CEO Flavian Manea

With the upcoming launch of the $INFRA token on 30 May 2023, Bware Labs is disrupting the Web3 infrastructure market by taking a big step towards the decentralization of its API platform, Blast.

In an interview with Flavian Manea, the co-founder and CEO of Bware Labs, we talked about the INFRA utility, and how it will impact the Bware Labs community and the overall Web3 ecosystem.

1. What was the thought process for designing Bware Labs? Talk us through the vision and mission of the platform.

We started Bware Labs with the vision of a Web3 space where all builders have access to reliable decentralized infrastructure and highly performant blockchain development tools, and we were determined to create an ecosystem that will support all builders throughout their blockchain journey.

The company was born out of our loss of confidence in the current state of the Web3 market, which relies heavily on centralized platforms, and we decided to take action. We saw an opportunity to provide an alternative infrastructure that prioritizes decentralization, security, and accessibility, and we set out to build a decentralized platform that could serve as a backbone for the next generation of dApps without relying on a centralized authority.

2. How has the platform performed since its launch? Could you elaborate on the achievements and hurdles that have come along the journey so far?

Over the course of two years, we worked on three testnet phases and improved every step of the way, until we were confident enough to launch Blast Mainnet in February 2023. It was a big achievement for us because we were able to keep the same level of performance even after taking the path towards decentralization.

For us, Blast was like the butterfly effect – it was the first step to expand our portfolio in other directions, which led Bware Labs to become a one-stop shop with a vast range of blockchain infrastructure services. In the validator business, we currently manage close to half a billion in TVL; we also run a dev tools and ecosystem enhancements business, which includes building tools for different blockchains (faucets, snapshot services, explorers, custom indexing), as well as ecosystem improvements at the protocol level. Our latest achievement was building the delegated staking functionality for Aptos, called AIP-6 which launched this April.

It has been quite a ride since we first launched our MVP in 2021, but through our services and professionalism, we managed to secure strategic partnerships with the biggest names in the industry like Polygon, Avalanche, Aptos, MultiversX, Astar, and Moonbeam.

3. How does Blast API, the key product of Bware Labs, solve Web3 reliability and performance issues?

We have found a way to bring together decentralized infrastructure and high API performance, through a concept called Proof of Quality. What we do is allow node owners to join the Blast Protocol as Node Providers in a permissionless way, provided the registered nodes are able to match the platform’s performance and data integrity requirements.

The nodes that serve our user requests with the level of quality required and enforced by our Integrity Protocol are rewarded with our native INFRA token. Thus, earning INFRA tokens will encourage operators to run full nodes on all of the Blast-supported chains, leading to node stability, a better reallocation of unused resources (thus cutting down on energy use), and lower infrastructure costs.

4. $INFRA will go live on May 30, what utility does the $INFRA Token offer to its users, and how does it impact the overall ecosystem?

INFRA is an ERC-20 utility token with the purpose of serving as an incentive for all Blast participants, node operators, and delegators. We believe we have set the basis for a very fair and engaging incentives mechanism; therefore, INFRA will be used to encourage performance on the part of node providers since their earnings are directly proportional to their performance.

The INFRA token represents the focal point in the decentralization of Blast API, and it is intended to disrupt the current blockchain infrastructure market by delivering high-speed and reliable access to the Web3 space.

5. What community engagement activities are being planned for Bware Labs users?

We are running community campaigns on social platforms, and we have also rewarded our participants in the Blast Incentivized Houston Testnet. There will also be a series of campaigns launched together with the exchanges where we are listing, so there will be plenty of opportunities for our community to obtain INFRA tokens.

6. What lies ahead on the Bware Labs roadmap? Tell us more about it.

With the INFRA launch, we managed to achieve a major milestone in the decentralization of Blast, but the journey doesn’t stop here. Over the course of the next few months, we will be coming up with a series of enhancements to our protocol that are meant to revolutionize the entire concept of blockchain APIs, from pricing models to scaling and capabilities.

Disclaimer: This is a paid post and should not be treated as news/advice.