In an era where blockchain technology is reshaping the financial landscape, Clave stands out as a beacon of innovation. As a fintech application built on blockchain, we have revolutionized account creation by integrating biometric authentication methods, making it a seamless and secure experience. Our journey has reached a new height with the closure of a pre-seed investment round, marking a pivotal moment in our mission to streamline blockchain interaction.

Everything Started at a Hackathon

Clave’s journey started in the ETHGlobal Scaling Ethereum Hackathon in March 2023. Our team showcased Opclave in the OP-stack category and became one of the hackathon finalists. After our researcher and founding team member Doğan announced Opclave in his X thread, Opclave received huge interest from the Web3 community — industry pioneers, many chains, projects, and the press, including The Block. After capturing widespread attention, we decided to maintain our motivation to accelerate the next billion’s onboarding to crypto and started to build our project.

Clave: A New Era in Fintech and Blockchain

At Clave, we have transformed the complex process of blockchain account creation into a simple, secure, and user-friendly experience. By utilizing the hardware security modules in the daily devices (mobile phones), we provide battle-tested hardware-level security, enabling self-custodial solutions that empower users. Our approach ensures that creating blockchain accounts using just their Face ID is not only 100% noncustodial but also introduces a new level of convenience and safety previously unseen in blockchain technology.

Our use of account abstraction is a cornerstone of Clave's innovation. This technology enables programmable accounts akin to the familiar experiences of Web2 financial apps. It allows for user-centric features like sponsored transactions, where users don't have to pay gas fees, and the flexibility to pay these fees with any token via a paymaster. Moreover, account security is enhanced with a guardian system, where users can designate friends as guardians to aid in account recovery. We will utilize our smart accounts framework to build a crypto-native fintech app, similar to its Web2 counterparts by introducing intuitive ways to send and receive money, such as through links or user-friendly nicknames.

A Milestone Investment: Significance and Impact

Our recent achievement in securing a $1.6 million pre-seed investment, led by Matter Labs, a software development, engineering, and cryptography company working on and developing software for zkSync, is a testament to our innovative approach and potential. This strategic round, supported by Lambda Class, Safe, Mirana Ventures, and notable angel investors from the Web 3 space, represents more than the funding itself; it's about leaders understanding and embracing our vision of reshaping access and user experience for blockchain payments globally with who share our vision of reshaping blockchain interactions.

Vision for the Future: Embracing Global Payments and Integrating Crypto into Everyday Life

Our mission transcends just simplifying access to blockchain; we are committed to empowering global transactions using blockchain technology. This is game-changing for small business owners and individuals in developing regions. Moreover, our planned launch of cryptocurrency-enabled debit cards is a crucial stride in blending cryptocurrency seamlessly into everyday payment habits and transactions.

Clave has transformed a visionary concept into a tangible solution with a clear product-market fit that has attracted attention from users and businesses across the globe, driving a staggering 170,000 pre-launch signups to date. In tandem with our much anticipated zkSync ERA Mainnet launch in late February, we will start a phased rollout of the product to onboard existing signups and new users over the course of a 6-week period

Clave is set to make a significant impact:

  • Clave will debut at ETHDenver, allowing attendees to engage with ETHDenver quests and explore payment solutions firsthand. This presents an invaluable chance to demonstrate Clave's transformative approach to user onboarding and payment experiences while also gathering vital user feedback.
  • Post-ETHDenver, our focus will shift toward integrating our early community members and waitlisted users. This phase continues up until zkSync activates EIP-7212, which is poised to significantly lower gas fees, with a development anticipated by April.
  • Following the implementation of EIP-7212, Clave will become widely available, offering an unparalleled Web3 and payment experience on zkSync that’s both incredibly fast and cost-effective.

The upcoming launch, coupled with our presence at prominent blockchain events, marks a new chapter for Clave and the blockchain community at large. Our participation at ETHDenver is more than just a showcase of Clave's cutting-edge features; it's a strategic move to position our brand at the forefront of the fintech and blockchain arenas. We are thrilled to exhibit how Clave can revolutionize payment experiences in front of the 25,000 expected attendees at one of the world’s flagship crypto events.

About Clave

Clave is an easy-to-use, non-custodial smart wallet powered by Account Abstraction and the hardware-level security elements (e.g., Secure Enclave, Android Trustzone, etc.) to simplify the onchain experience for the next billions. By empowering users with a user-friendly and secure bridge to seamlessly integrate their assets into everyday life, Clave delivers a comprehensive fintech solution, ensuring a holistic financial experience for all.

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