The Open Platform sets sights on web3 Superapps with Telegram Wallet integration

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sep. 8, 2023, Chainwire

First Stage Labs is rebranding as The Open Platform (TOP) today, on Sep. 8, aligning the name and mission of the company with those of its blockchain partner, TON Foundation. 

The business will be restructured as part of the rebranding, which includes merging with the team behind Wallet, the crypto app integrated into Telegram Messenger.

TOP aims to simplify blockchain services and promote web3 adoption, empowering people with ownership and building new economies.

Wallet evolved from being a Telegram bot to a full-fledged app and platform that simplifies managing digital assets to the level of sending a message. It serves as the foundation to make this vision a reality. 

The team has been working tirelessly to develop exciting new products, with a service for merchants in Telegram launching in July. 

An invite-only developer beta for TON Space, Wallet’s upcoming self-custodial wallet product, was launched in August. 

Over 1,000 developers have joined the beta since its announcement and a public release is expected later this month.

“Today, with a clear vision, a strong team, established partnerships, and secured resources, we are ready to bring Wallet and the entire TON ecosystem to the world. We anticipate that Wallet will propel global crypto adoption to an unprecedented level,” says Andrew Rogozov, CEO of TOP and Wallet. “The Open Platform is well funded, with First Stage Labs having secured significant investment upon its creation from our partners. We believe that the synergy of The Open Network’s blockchain and the Telegram Messenger will be an unparalleled catalyst for the next growth phase of the web3 ecosystem”. 

TOP Labs, the venture-building division of The Open Platform, will continue the strategy of its predecessor, First Stage Labs. 

TOP Labs’s existing portfolio includes several TON-based startups, such as the non-custodial wallet, Tonkeeper; Open Builders community management tools; and the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, Getgems. 

Andrey Klebanov, managing partner of TOP Labs, said:

“The rebranding also vividly illustrates our growth approach – fostering an open platform paradigm that creates a flywheel for everyone building on top of our products and utilizing Toncoin as a native asset.”

Andrew Rogozov, CEO of TOP and Wallet companies, was the ex-CEO of VK.com, the largest social network in Eastern Europe. Andrew led the company for seven years, from 2014 to 2021, and scaled it from 50 employees to a team of almost 1,200. The company’s revenue increased 8x during his tenure, keeping the leadership in user engagement in a competitive market. In January 2022, Andrew resigned from VK, joined the TON Foundation as a founding member, and founded First Stage Labs. In 2023, FS Labs merged with Wallet inside Telegram. They rebranded and restructured, creating the newly formed company The Open Platform.

Andrey Klebanov, managing partner of TOP Labs, has over a decade of experience in investing and venture building. He is a Techstars alumnus and an OnDeck fellow, passionate about developing the next generation of web3 projects. Previously managing partner of First Stage Labs, Andrey has been responsible for securing multi-million dollar deals for numerous businesses across multiple sectors, helping to scale the brightest ideas and bring the best products to market. Eager to involve himself in projects’ beginnings and their culmination, Andrey has a demonstrable background in delivering success for web3 startups.

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