Our project is BASED KPOP/Fandom, the first product is BASED KPOP ID - where fans could show their fandom attributes and socialize in the community.

For full analysis, please see our demo video!!

The demo video includes our product concepts and industrial observation, not only a UI showcase.

It's a 10-minute video that encapsulates our 10 years of insights as KPOP fans and artists into the KPOP fan community.

Time Stamps In The Video

00:00
Why is KPOP/Fandom suitable for BASE ecosystem

01:14
Who are we and our vision: By fans, for fans, we GET BASED globally.

02:10
The challenge we're facing - bring KPOP & derivative works onchain & use fashion items to solve the social anxiety of introverted fans

03:52
Targeted Fan Consumers, PMF and use case

Solid IRL social cases in KPOP concerts - friendly for the introverts

Good design matters, design represents identity - Design is the passport to get KPOP community onchain

Future of product - the KPOP POPMART(like Labubu) on BASE

08:16
UI and function showcase

11:10
Previous Market Feedback before this
AIGC KPOP dance generator for fans

Main Challenges in the Status Quo

1. On creator community & tokenizing fan-art

KPOP fandom is one of the most vibrant creator communities &suitable onchain targeted audience. There is the potential to unite fans globally and to tokenize their fan-art creation.

In the Status Quo, we see fans DIY their work on paper, but it doesn’t reflect the style consistently and can’t be turned into on-chain collectibles, which is a pity.

Reasoning
Within the fandoms, you'll find tons of creators making fan edits, artists drawing fan art, beatmakers flipping tracks in their bedrooms, and even crafty folks making unofficial merch that outshines the official ones.

This is more than entertainment; it's like a mental comfort zone. It is our spiritual refuge for countless souls.

Additionally, in our research, we also interviewed KPOP fans in the West, such as the UK, who envy the beautiful cards from Asia. They find it hard to buy merchandise in their country and spend a lot on overseas shipping. Onchain could solve this.

Impact
In 2023, the estimated overseas sales of K-pop amounted to 1.24 trillion won ($893 million), exceeding 1 trillion won for the first time, according to the government-run organization's report on Wednesday. Compared to 2023, K-pop's overseas sales increased by 34.3 percent, or 315.9 billion won in 2024. (https://www.koreaherald.com/article/3439905)

The KPOP fandom possesses significant purchasing power while being vibrant and creative. We want to be pioneers in bringing KPOP and fandom to BASE.

2. on the trend of KPOP fans socializing through fashion items (especially popular in Asian cities like Tokyo/Seoul/, etc)

In the fandoms, the primary way to socialize with people by using accessories, decorations, and stylish icons as a radar and filter to attract like-minded people.

However, it is currently limited to offline interactions like concerts in specific cities, and we want to promote it among international fans on BASE.

Reasoning
KPOP group we chase becomes our personality starter pack. Fans want to be seen through what we buy, what we cherish, and who we fall for.

We want to express ourselves, show our MBTIs, zodiac signs, and our biased idols. The fashion items carry our personality, and help us quickly identify who will be potential friends.

What’s even more exciting than chasing the idol, is bringing people with the same stan together. We share our lives, joys, and struggles, supporting each other through tough times. These amazing stories happened to us, and we want them to happen to more people.

Example
NewJeans had the Powerpuff girl & Takashi Murakami's iconic design, and if you hang their images on the bag, people could identify if you are a bunnies (NewJeans' fandom)

3. **At least half of the fans are introverts, helping introverts with profound emotional richness to be seen by the world and make friends globally
   **
   We want to meet new friends in a "shy", "not-disturbing" and "stylish" way.

These fashion items are extremely important to help them open up conversations with strangers.

Reasoning
KPOP fans are a very unique group. The understanding of what they need (different from the general public) is the key to building a solid project.

Many talented K-pop fans struggle to express themselves verbally. They are not as eloquent as some entrepreneurs we know.

When they feel bullied, marginalized, or not popular in real life, KPOP is the shelter, where lonely find family in fandoms, where misfits in IRL become queens and kings in our imaginative world.

1. Web2 fans' acceptance towards crypto and AI are affected by scandals and stereotypes

I must say that during our user interviews and product prep, we faced some challenges. Fans are interested in similar product consumption models, but stereotypes about crypto and AI pose difficulties.

For instance, past rug pulls in crypto have created negative impressions, and fans in Japan and South Korea are particularly sensitive to incidents like the Nth Room case, criminals using AI & idol images for porn. This led to a negative view in some people's minds and needs time to wash away.

I am working to educate these fans on setting up wallets and engaging with onchain activities while highlighting the positive aspects.

Our goal is to reduce the perception of it as a 'tech product'.
We aim to create a UI that resonates with the fan community, offering a familiar and appealing interface and neglecting the negatives.

2. Time urgency & If only do one function, which one is the most needed function?

I have to say that time is a bit tight, and I want many other features, such as social squads for fans and cooler display effects.

However, after some reflection, I realized that with limited time, it’s better to focus on doing one most-needed feature well.

If we could develop one high-frequency feature that fans need the most, what would it be?

We are very passionate about the community we serve and actively participate in its activities.

Through participating in all kinds of concerts and offline meetups, we found that especially for teenagers (yeah, I spent lots of money on traveling and interviewing local fans) , expanding their social circles and getting to know their peers more effectively in a stylish and opinionated way is a key focus for young people in Asia and around the world. This is the product direction for our first phase.

3. Designer Transition to Coding Path

As someone with a background in design and creative, I wasn't initially an engineer, but I'm gradually trying to code.

However, my current coding skills are still yet to improve to fully achieve the nuanced visual effect of the UI and graphic design on Figma.

Nonetheless, I am doing my best to overcome this challenge and seek advice from fellows on Base. And the dedicated help and guidance from Base APAC Lead @nibel.base.eth & Base East Asia Lead @hyuckjae.base.eth.

The Base community is my power bank.

I am also looking for engineers who have a desire to explore and are passionate about the K-pop field. I believe that, rather than just having advanced skills, it is more important to be interested in consumption and entertainment, as well as having a desire to explore and innovate to do things that others haven't done before. This is the kind of teammate I am looking for, and I am still in the process of searching.

https://github.com/AndyTheMktBuddy/Based-KPOP-Fandom_Base-Batches-002

www.basedkpop.xyz

1. Solid IRL social cases in KPOP fandom, friendly for most fans who have social anxiety

Some extroverts may wonder, Why don't you just make a self-intro? Why is the card needed? That's a great question.

This product is highly needed, specifically within the KPOP fandom.
KPOP fans are not as eloquent as some entrepreneurs we know.

We see so many kpop fans are vibrant on the internet, but while in offline cases, such as in concerts, we are super shy.

If you've been to KPOP concerts, you'll find that at least 60% of the crowd is extremely introverted.

We have a tradition of exchanging photo cards and homemade idol merchandise, or hanging our favorite idol icons on our bags to attract other fans.

These fashion items are extremely important to help us open up conversations with strangers.

This is our unique way of expressing love in the KPOP community. We want to meet new friends in a "shy", "not-disturbing" and "stylish" way.

In the KPOP fandoms, this is the primary way to socialize with people by using accessories, decorations, and stylish icons as a radar and filter to attract like-minded people.

The fashion items carry our personality, and help introverts quickly identify who will be the potential friends.

And it leads to another question: why are most fans introverted? When you feel bullied, marginalized, or not popular in real life, KPOP is your shelter.

Many talented K-pop creators struggle to express themselves verbally. Instead, we convey our attitudes and thoughts through art in the most comfortable and liberated way.

We are also inspired by the epic work of NJZ called <Ditto> and Aespa's released NFT series with Sotheby.

2. Design Matters. Design Represents Identities

The first release of BASED KPOP ID card is priced at 7USDC each,and can be minted unlimitedly.

This card is not like ordinary ones. Its collectible value lies in its design, matching with one of the two major popular styles in the K-pop scene：Cyber Mechanical Style.

Currently, K-pop has two dominant styles.

One is the Cyber Mechanical style, led by Aespa and XG, imagining a future where AI lives alongside us.

The other style is the Millennium style led by NJZ, which takes people back to the early 2000s vibe, bringing back those original feelings as technology moves so fast.

We believe design language, like any other language, is a passport within the community.

We've got strong design skills and a deep understanding of KPOP fans, our team members are all KPOP fans who have also done creative design for well-known fashion brands.

We were not engineers at first. But we’re curious, and learning how to bring beautiful K-pop collectibles on-chain.

We'll release new cards based on the traits of different groups.
For example, this weekend, during the BASE Batches, the KPOP group Baby Monster has a concert in Singapore. We've designed a Singapore flag exclusive monster card to surprise Southeast Asian fans. And more to come

3. Future of the Project - the LINE & Friends or POP Mart (famous for LABUBU) on Base

We really want to build the POPMART on BASE, especially since LABUB is super popular right now.

They even have a LABUBU rental service in London for 9 pounds a day because it's too hot to get one. It's part of our vision.

The city is like a concrete jungle; emotional value is the essential mental pill for everyone.

We want to bring you the most healing K-pop trendy items.

We will also launch physical items and NFC products on BASE in the future,
making it easier for fans to use them IRL and expanding this to more KPOP concerts and offline events.

1. The amazing entertainment creators of all genres are super talented in the fandoms.

Within the fandoms, you'll find

tons of creators making fan edits, artists drawing fan art, beatmakers flipping tracks in their bedrooms, and even crafty folks making unofficial merch that outshines the official ones. Fans from the UK or Australia would want to buy merches produced by East Asia.

This could definitely happen on BASE with our project.

The KPOP groups and idols we chase literally become our personality starter pack.

The cultural signs are the root of generated creation for global creators, and we use the KPOP ID as a trait to help them socialize, tip, exchange exchange assets in the future.

2. KPOP fandom communities and clubs, friendly for most fans who have social anxiety

Some extroverts may wonder, Why don't you just make a self-intro? Why is the card needed? That's a great question.

This product is highly needed, specifically within the KPOP fandom.
KPOP fans are not as eloquent as some entrepreneurs we know.

We see so many kpop fans are vibrant on the internet, but while in offline cases, such as in concerts, we are super shy.

If you've been to KPOP concerts, you'll find that at least 60% of the crowd is extremely introverted. We have a tradition of exchanging photo cards and homemade idol merchandise, or hanging our favorite idol icons on our bags to attract other fans.

These fashion items are extremely important to help us open up conversations with strangers.

This is our unique way of expressing love in the KPOP community.

We want to meet new friends in a "shy", "not-disturbing" and "stylish" way.

In the KPOP fandoms, this is the primary way to socialize with people by using accessories, decorations, and stylish icons as a radar and filter to attract like-minded people.

The fashion items carry our personality and help introverts quickly identify potential friends.

And it leads to another question: why are most fans introverted?

When you feel bullied, marginalized, or not popular in real life, KPOP is your shelter.

Many talented K-pop creators struggle to express themselves verbally. Instead, we convey our attitudes and thoughts through art in the most comfortable and liberated way.

We are also inspired by the epic work of NJZ called <Ditto> and Aespa's released NFT series with Sotheby's.

To be very honest, there are not many real competitors in this space of "KPOP/Fandom Onchain" — especially those capable of **generating sustainable profits and continuously educating users **to build genuine on-chain habits.

That’s exactly why we want to enter early and start building now.

Before joining the crypto industry, our team had been deeply rooted in the fashion and entertainment sectors, building a strong foundation and reputation. In the last market cycle, we launched one of Asia’s most successful entertainment NFTs, which gave us invaluable experience in merging pop culture with blockchain.

Our goal is to become an early rule-setter in the intersection of K-pop / fandom and on-chain culture — and we are confident that we can achieve that.

Of course, we do see potential competitors in this emerging space — such as Myshell.ai on BNB Chain, Collector_Crypt on Solana, and projects on Story Protocol working on the tokenization of BTS songs.

However, we believe our key differentiators lie in the following:

1. Authentic understanding of fan needs.

We aim to uncover the real motivations and shared pain points of K-pop fans and young people in their early 20s — especially their strong desire for social connection and self-expression**. Many fans want to meet others around the world who share the same musical taste and engage in peer-to-peer interactions like gifting, tipping, or cross-border transfers — all of which can happen seamlessly on Base.
**

2. Sustainable brand collaboration, not hype-driven launches.

While we’ll collaborate with well-known brands, we will never depend on IP token launches or short-term hype. Many projects have used celebrity names to make headlines, only to disappear after a few months. We’re building for long-term value, not short-term noise.

3. Probably one of the most uniquely diverse and experienced team.

I personally led the NFT launch strategy for one of Asia’s most renowned artists and helped luxury fashion brands execute their go-to-market strategies in East Asia.

Our team also includes experts in Japanese and Korean entertainment markets, music licensing, and fandom management. And product managers helped traditional brands successfully onchain,

**We’re not just professionals — we’re passionate fans ourselves. Some of us even serve as fan club leaders, giving us deep empathy for fan experiences and community dynamics. (not the rug and run crypto bros) **

With this combination of empathy, expertise, and industry access,
we genuinely care about the communities we serve
— the ones who can benefit the most from being on-chain but need time and education to get there.

Our mission is to onboard these fandom communities to Base,
thoughtfully and sustainably.