Raised $1.2M on Solana under 8 minutes!
Co-founded an NFT venture, drove UX & branding, and sold out its 10k collection.
Overview
About six months into my Web3 journey as a Product Designer – navigating blockchains, tokens, & everything in between – an unexpected opportunity knocked. A serendipitous chat with my co-founders sparked what began as a simple idea: digital collectibles that users could collect and play with inside a blockchain-powered game.
What started as casual brainstorming quickly evolved into a full-fledged, community-driven brand. Just a few months later, we launched a collection that sold out, generating over a million dollar in sales!
Impact
Brand Building: Established a strong NFT/GameFi brand within the Solana ecosystem.
Community Fostering: United investors, influencers, players, and NFT enthusiasts.
$1.2M Raised: Reached full mint success in just 8 minutes, generating over $1.2 million in sales.
Anonymity Disclaimer
Due to strategic reasons, contributions were made under conditions of anonymity. Open to privately discussing my involvement under appropriate circumstances. Feel free to reach out for more insights.
PART 1: PRE-MINT
Goal
Our goal was ambitious: launch a unique NFT collection that would open a new realm at the intersection of NFTs and GameFi, build a loyal community, and deliver on-chain entertainment with lasting value.
Challenges & Solutions
Choosing Solana as our Blockchain: Opted for Solana due to low fees, fast transactions, and an active gaming/NFT ecosystem – perfect for creating a smooth minting experience and scalable game logic.
Developing a Robust Design System: Built a scalable design system to unify our brand across touchpoints. Enabled faster design/development, consistency, and made it easy for the team to deliver a polished UX.
Building a Distinct NFT Brand: Created a cohesive identity across all channels. Made the brand recognizable, consistent, and memorable, with nods to timeless brand principles (22 Immutable Laws of Branding FTW).
Market Timing & Insights: Launched during peak Web3 buzz. Used market cues to time our mint perfectly – maximising hype, driving urgency, and capturing immediate attention like a punchline that lands just right.
Team Building & Leadership: Building a skilled team from scratch was challenging, but by recruiting talent and creating specialised sub-teams, we brought our vision to life efficiently:
Tech Team: Managed backend, architecture & smart contracts to ensure a rock-solid foundation.
Design Team: Developed cohesive brand & product designs that aligned with our vision.
Distribution Team: Focused on fostering growth, community-building, engagement, and relationships.
PART 2: MINT DAY
Execution Strategy
Our mint day plan was tight – clear roles, real-time comms, and systems built to handle chaos! Think high-stakes heist movie, but instead of stealing, we were delivering value and ensuring a smooth mint UX for every collector.
Challenges & Solutions
Handling High Traffic & Demand: On mint day, traffic blew past projections. But our tech team handled the surge smoothly – like hosting a surprise party for 1,000 guests and having 10,000 show up.
Community Management & Engagement: We kept Twitter & Discord buzzing with live updates and support. This real-time presence built trust, calmed nerves, and kept our community hyped till sell-out.
Turning a Market Crisis into Opportunity: Just hours before our mint, news broke that a major Solana NFT project had rug-pulled investors, creating fear and negativity in the market. With our launch already announced, we couldn’t back out, so we went on the offensive: we offered the first 100 rug-pull victims a free NFT from our collection. This move quickly changed the narrative, positioning us as community-focused and committed to the Solana ecosystem. We weren’t just selling NFTs; we were selling trust, and the community saw us as allies in a volatile space. By mint time, we’d turned a risky situation into a show of solidarity, gaining trust and solidifying our reputation as a team with the community’s best interests at heart.
PART 3: POST MINT
New Beginnings
Post mint, we shifted focus to building our GameFi project on top of the NFTs – adding utility for holders, launching new collections, exploring collabs, and shipping features to strengthen community for the long term.
Challenges & Solutions
Improving Community Engagement: After the mint, we focused on keeping momentum – hosting events, teaming up with influencers, and staying active. In NFTs, skip a beat and the community fades fast.
Building a Specialised Team:
Assembling a team of devs, designers, marketers, and creators took finding people with both niche skills and a deep understanding of blockchain, NFTs, and the evolving Web3 space.
We tapped into personal networks and collaborated with orgs like SuperTeam to recruit. With patience and persistence, we built a team that fueled product growth, design, and innovation.
Conclusion
Raising $1.2M was a milestone – but more importantly, it reinforced my belief in the power of design and branding in Web3. This venture showed how a simple idea, backed by vision and execution, can scale into a thriving ecosystem that’s built on people, purpose, and lasting impact.
Thank you for reading!
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