Overview of Soneium

What is Soneium?

Soneium is a next-generation blockchain ecosystem developed by Sony Group Corporation and Startale. Its goal is to combine Web3 technology with everyday internet services, driving the global adoption of blockchain. Built on Ethereum’s Layer 2, it uses the Optimism OP Stack architecture, offering developers an open, scalable, and user-friendly platform.

By combining Startale’s experience in Web3 development with Sony’s global reach in entertainment, finance, and electronics, Soneium aims to solve technical and regulatory issues in blockchain while providing developers with powerful tools and resources to create and launch innovative projects worldwide.

In addition, Soneium has boosted its infrastructure through partnerships with Chainlink and Astar Network, helping to grow blockchain applications globally. Soneium offers detailed technical documentation, third-party tools, and dedicated support channels to developers. Backed by Sony’s influence and extensive distribution networks, Soneium is poised to become the go-to platform for future Web3 developers.

Source: Soneium

Vision

Soneium envisions a future with an open internet that breaks down boundaries. Anyone can become a creator, no matter where they are or what background they come from. Soneium aims to build an internet that goes beyond cultural differences and brings together diverse values, helping users overcome social, economic, and geographic barriers, and allowing their ideas to flourish. Through Soneium’s community and technology, the goal is to bring this public blockchain to the mainstream, enabling everyone to use Web3 technology to create their own stories and build a world full of creativity together.

Beyond being just a blockchain platform, Soneium is designed for widespread adoption. Leveraging Sony’s global presence and Startale’s blockchain expertise, Soneium simplifies blockchain entry by offering intuitive tools and APIs that make developing decentralized applications (dApps) easy, thus lowering the barrier to entry.

Background

Soneium is a blockchain ecosystem jointly created by Sony Group and Startale Labs, a Web3 innovation company based in Singapore.

Sony entered the Web3 space in 2018, exploring blockchain for managing intellectual property, including music and video content tracking. In 2021, with the rise of NFTs, Sony Music Entertainment partnered with Theta Labs to enhance fan engagement in the music industry. Further, it strengthened its presence in Web3 and the metaverse by investing in blockchain companies like Animoca Brands. In 2024, Sony and Startale teamed up to launch Soneium, a blockchain ecosystem designed to empower creators and promote the large-scale adoption of decentralized technologies.

Sony’s collaboration with Startale dates back to 2023, when Sony invested in Startale, which also founded Astar Network. Today, Soneium is a platform jointly advanced by both companies, aimed at bridging Web3 technology with real-world applications. Over the next few years, Soneium plans to integrate Sony’s businesses—like Sony Music and Sony Pictures—into blockchain technology, driving innovation in entertainment, finance, and beyond.

Sony’s venture into blockchain, backed by its extensive experience in entertainment and technology, underscores its ambition in Web3. The development of Soneium is part of Sony’s broader Web3 strategy, with innovations in the metaverse and “Superfungible Tokens” laying the groundwork for the platform’s future. Soneium is set to become a key part of Sony’s digital strategy, integrating blockchain into its existing products like PlayStation and Sony Music.

Soneium Ecosystem

Overview

The Soneium ecosystem has experienced rapid growth within just two weeks of its launch, with more than 60 projects announced as either in development or already integrated. Leveraging Sony’s global reach and vision of bringing blockchain to mainstream users, along with support from the Spark initiative, Soneium has attracted numerous creators and developers, advancing the widespread application of decentralized technologies.

The collaborative projects span multiple sectors, including DeFi, NFT, GameFi, cross-chain bridges, infrastructure, RWA (Real-World Assets), and SocialFi, highlighting Sony’s extensive involvement in the Web3 space. Below are some key projects from these fields.

Source: X

Yay!

Yay! is a fast-growing social app that combines features from platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and Line, intending to allow users to express themselves authentically. Its standout feature is building communities based on shared interests, where users can post updates, engage in voice chats, and join interest-based communities to connect with like-minded people easily.

Key Features

• Timeline: Users can post thoughts and updates, with content displayed chronologically, similar to Twitter’s tweet feed.
• Group Calls: Supports real-time voice chats with multiple participants, making group discussions easier.
• Interest Communities: Users can join communities based on various interests, such as gaming, chatting, or movies, to foster social interaction.

Since its launch in 2020, Yay! has gained significant traction in Japan, with over 9 million registered users. The company behind Yay!, Nanameue, previously released the popular social app Himabu, which attracted over 6 million users. Yay! targets students, young adults, and adults to help them find a sense of belonging.

In terms of funding, Yay! secured approximately $11 million in Series B financing in 2022, with key investors coming from Japanese venture capital firms, boosting its reputation in Japan’s crypto scene.

In summary, with its continuous feature innovation and exploration of Web3, Yay! not only provides users with a diverse social experience but also shows great potential as it transitions towards SocialFi, positioning itself as a future leader in the social app space.

Source: Yay!

Heal3

Heal3 is an innovative health-oriented GameFi project designed to promote healthy habits like exercise, sleep, and diet through gamification. The app turns these everyday activities into interactive games, allowing users to improve their health while having fun. The “HEALTHREE” app incorporates the key elements of exercise, sleep, and diet, encouraging users to improve their well-being by participating in games and challenges.

Currently, Heal3 has raised $2 million in funding, demonstrating strong market potential and confidence from investors. Users can earn the token $GHT by completing health-related activities in the app or participating in official events.

Source: App Store

SoneFi

SoneFi is the first native, all-in-one trading platform on Soneium. It offers features like AMM (automated market maker), perpetual contracts, one-click trading, staking, and one-click token issuance, providing users with a secure, convenient, and profitable environment for trading digital assets.

SoneFi’s AMM allows users to easily swap tokens without intermediaries, supporting deep liquidity and decentralized trading for various digital assets. Users can trade perpetual contracts with up to 50x leverage, using cross-margin collateral to increase capital efficiency and manage their portfolios effectively. Additionally, the platform’s one-click trading feature simplifies the process, eliminating the need for frequent wallet signatures and enhancing the user experience.

SoneFi has implemented multiple security measures to safeguard users’ funds, such as ensuring that trading funds are only returned to users’ wallet accounts and limiting the number of transactions that can be performed without reauthorization, boosting security. The platform also encourages users to stake tokens and earn passive income through a dual-token growth flywheel mechanism, supporting platform liquidity and growth.

SoneFi’s point system allows users to earn points by trading, providing liquidity, and referring new users. These points can be exchanged for the platform’s native tokens. This system incentivizes active participation and helps build a loyal user base.

With these features combined, SoneFi aims to become the leading DEX (decentralized exchange) on Soneium, driving user engagement and ensuring the platform’s successful development.

Source: SoneFi

Alchemy

Overview

Alchemy is a blockchain infrastructure company founded in 2017. It is dedicated to providing efficient blockchain development platforms for developers worldwide. Its mission is to create a future with a multi-chain ecosystem by building developer tools and infrastructure that allow developers to build applications across various blockchains more easily.

Often compared to AWS (Amazon Web Services) in the crypto industry, Alchemy aims to become the infrastructure backbone of the Web3 world. Its founder, Nikil, envisions a Web3 ecosystem made up of various blockchain-based applications, and Alchemy’s tools and services help developers focus on building applications without worrying about the underlying blockchain technology.

Alchemy has raised over $300 million in funding, operates in 197 countries, serves millions of users, and supported over $45 billion in Web3 transactions in 2021. Its main clients include Opensea, Shopify, and others.

Partnership with Soneium

Soneium seeks to offer a scalable and user-friendly blockchain platform to drive broader adoption of blockchain technology. The platform focuses on providing developers and creators with powerful tools and support to build and scale decentralized applications (dApps).

As one of Soneium’s key partners, Alchemy provides services such as:

• Supernode: Offering highly reliable, infinitely scalable, and data-accurate node APIs and battle-tested Web3 infrastructure for Soneium applications.
• Developer Tools: Providing alerts, sandboxes, logs, and a user-friendly dashboard to simplify development processes.
• Learning Resources: Developers can learn the skills necessary for developing on Soneium through Alchemy’s documentation and Alchemy University.

Soneium’s vision is to create a borderless, open internet that fosters endless innovation. Combining Sony’s global reach in entertainment, gaming, finance, and electronics with Startale’s blockchain expertise, Soneium aims to simplify the user experience and offer developers a robust platform.

In addition, Soneium has established partnerships with Astar Network, Optimism, Chainlink, Circle, and The Graph to support the growth of its blockchain ecosystem.

Source: X

Conclusion

Future Plans

Soneium is focused on improving user accessibility and creating a decentralized environment for entertainment, gaming, and finance industries. Soneium has launched its Minato testnet, enabling developers to build fast, low-cost, Ethereum-compatible applications. This allows developers to test their applications and gather feedback from the community before launching on the mainnet. Additionally, the Soneium Spark incubation program aims to build a community of creators and developers, supporting innovative projects’ commercialization and long-term success. This program offers expert mentorship, infrastructure, strategic partnerships, and investments of up to $100,000 to connect startups with large enterprises and help bring Web3 technology to the mainstream.

Looking forward, Sony plans to leverage its large user base to introduce more people to blockchain technology while protecting creators’ rights and exploring ways to reinvest profits to support creators. Sony also plans to expand its blockchain offerings by exploring new services in line with its existing business models in gaming, music, and more and will collaborate with partners such as Alchemy and Chainlink to develop innovative solutions.

Source: Coingecko

Final Thoughts

Soneium, a next-generation blockchain ecosystem co-developed by Sony and Startale, is dedicated to bridging Web3 technology with real-world applications and driving the widespread adoption of blockchain. Supported by Sony’s extensive resources in gaming and music, and built on Ethereum Layer 2 technology, Soneium offers an easy-to-use platform that also integrates resources from industries like entertainment and finance, lowering the entry barriers for users interested in blockchain.

Looking ahead, the Minato testnet will enable developers to create efficient, low-cost applications, while the Spark incubation program will support creators and innovative projects, helping to make Web3 more mainstream. As Sony continues to expand its blockchain services and collaborates with various partners, Soneium is poised to play a pivotal role in advancing decentralized technologies and achieving the vision of an open internet. This platform provides developers with powerful tools and support while offering users more opportunities to explore and engage with the Web3 space.