James Young, Co-Founder of Collab.Land — Interview Series

Collab.Land, a blockchain-based portal that connects tens of thousands of communities to secure token-granted content, is shaping up to evolve the ecosystem as we know it, and according to the team, is pulling out all of the stops to ship its full-service community management tool to an even wider audience. To learn more about the team’s plans to expand on its existing platform, we caught up with co-founder James Young.

Thanks for speaking with us, James. We’d love to hear a bit more about you — specifically, how it all started. Before Collab.Land, what did you do, and what fueled your passion for web3 technology?

James: Prior to web3, I spent time in gaming. The most notable game I helped launch was called FarmVille (this was prior to mobile, prior to in app purchases). As a dev, I was curious about the business side of online gaming so I went to work in online advertising. From there, I learned about advertising exchanges. My experience in gaming and work on exchanges “prepped” me for web3.

I was fascinated with game theory and mechanism design that smart contracts opened up so I got into research and co-wrote the white paper for MolochDAO and Token Curated Registries.

Let’s talk about your company, Collab.Land. Where did this idea stem from, and what are some of the core values that you uphold as a team in the blockchain ecosystem?

James: Collab.Land started as a reference implementation of the “no-code” platform that we were building. We had worked through the bear market at a time where there was existential questioning whether Ethereum make it (2018/2019). I had helped launch MolochDAO and MetaCartel and saw first hand how difficult it was to coordinate people. 

So Collab.Land was a response to my need of helping organize DAOs.

Our core values remain in self-sovereignty and privacy. We believe in progressive decentralization and working hard to push the technology so that we can decentralize Collab.Land.

Could you tell us a bit more about some of the services that you offer your clients, as well as how the system works, in general?

James: We help community managers. The bot can be set up with “token gated rules”. The bot can be configured to only allow people owning certain crypto assets, say an NFT, to chat.

That is Collab.Land in a nutshell. We created and popularized the concept of “token gating.”

Now, we are going “beyond the gate” and empower those that are interested in crypto but don’t know how to get started.

We believe mainstream adoption of crypto will happen through communities. We are excited to usher in a new form of organization – an online community with a treasury.

We are working hard on crypto on-boarding tools. A LOT to announce SOON.

When it comes to connected wallets, networks, and chains, your portfolio pretty much speaks for itself. Would you say that Collab.Land has a foothold in most areas of the market? Are there any that you’ve yet to implement or are hoping to onboard?

James: Yes, serve many different types of chains so we have to be chain agnostic from start. We believe in “chain abstraction”, that soon (we are helping make this happen), you won’t care what chain you are on.

We have spent a lot of time and energy on AI and “account abstraction” to make it easy for people to use crypto without having to know all the technical details.

When it comes to supporting communities, our reach is unmatched 🦾

If your blockchain and/or wallet isn't on our list, let's chat! Submit your request on our Integration Inquiry Form 👉 https://t.co/jw2X5TUojh pic.twitter.com/MHWlgdnvLY

— 🦾 Collab.Land 🤖 (@Collab_Land_) June 29, 2024

And what advice would you give to someone who’s unfamiliar with blockchain tech? Do you have any words of wisdom that could potentially help others to grasp a clearer understanding of how it works?

James: Read. First learn what “money” is (to you). Off the top of my head, I recommend reading Debt: The First 5000 Years, Cloud Money and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.

You can also follow me, see who I follow and start following the people that resonate with you. Try and see through the hype. Do not chase money or narratives – you will get burned! Create a hypothesis and theory of the world that you want, then see if crypto can be used to make that a reality.

If crypto still resonates with you after this, GO ALL IN. Now is the time!

So, how’s the remainder of the year looking for you? Do you have any projects or potential collaborations in the pipeline? If so, could you kindly share a few details on it/them?

James: WE HAVE HUGE PLANS. I wish I could say more. Biggest announcement ever when it comes to collaborations. Stay tuned for more!

I can not be more excited!

Verifying your ownership?

You’ve got options with https://t.co/kaQO2LirGJ! pic.twitter.com/OmSe4aI8AV

— 🦾 Collab.Land 🤖 (@Collab_Land_) June 28, 2024

And is there a way for potential clients or followers of Collab.Land to stay up to date with the journey? Are there any useful newsletters, events, or social channels that we should be taking note of?

James: Follow us on X! Will not disappoint!

Any final words for our readers?

James: Come for the casino, stay for the community!

Thanks for your time, James!

For more information about Collab.Land and its ongoing efforts to broaden the blockchain ecosystem, be sure to check in with the team over on their official social handle here. Alternatively, you can visit the website for additional details here.