Author: John, ForesightNews

"The Democratic Republic of the Congo," many people may have first heard of this country in the "Strange Little Countries" series by Bilibili UP master Xiao John Khan.

As a third-generation Chinese rooted in Africa, James Zhang grew up in the DRC, a country intertwined with poverty and turmoil, and thus understands better than anyone the survival rules in underdeveloped regions of the world—under a youth unemployment rate that often hits double digits and daily incomes of just a few dollars, any narrative, including Web3, must shed its idealistic facade and become a sharp knife that can cut through bread.

In simple terms, African users do not care about ZK-Rollup or modular narratives; they only ask three questions: Can it be cheaper? Is the phone durable? How much can I earn?

So under the label of "Africa + smartphones," what Jambo aims to do is not simply replicate "Transsion for Web3," but rather, when other crypto phones anchor the elite market at hundreds or thousands of dollars, choose to tear open the fissures of the Third World with the $99 JamboPhone: from Africa to Southeast Asia, then to Latin America, and ultimately covering global users, leading everyone to enter Web3 with lower costs and lower barriers.

This also reminds me of a crucial point about Transsion's initial success in Africa, which was its ability to better serve the localized needs of Black users, including the clear identification of selfies—this is another practice of following the masses and surrounding the cities from the countryside.

In an exclusive interview, James Zhang repeatedly emphasized that when he first encountered crypto technology, he immediately understood that blockchain is not just a financial speculation tool but a means of "empowerment": it can help at least hundreds of millions of ordinary users bypass traditional financial restrictions and truly enter the global digital economy system.

In his view, "what Jambo is doing is precisely bringing a new user group into the Crypto space, rather than competing among existing users." To some extent, JamboPhone is striving to form a capillary network in the decentralized era, thereby reaching hundreds of millions of new users.

Finally, James Zhang added, "JamboPhone is not just a phone—it is a movement. We are not competing for existing crypto users but bringing the next billion people into Web3." Indeed, since the inception of the concept, Web3 has carried the gene of inclusivity. From this perspective, Crypto should not be a playground for speculators but a springboard for users in underdeveloped regions to leap over financial hegemony and economic system barriers.

Especially in regions like Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, where the traditional financial market and economic system are inverted, the future battlefield coordinates of the Web3 industry for the next decade are precisely being nurtured.

The journey has just begun.

Three Generations Rooted in Africa: The Perspective of a Chinese Co-Founder on Crypto and Jambo

Foresight News: I see that your personal background is quite diverse—originating from Zhejiang, China, with three generations rooted in Africa, and growing up in the DRC. How has this cross-cultural environment shaped your worldview? Was there a moment in your childhood that made you realize the value of "connecting different worlds"?

James Zhang: Yes, growing up in the DRC as a person of Chinese descent has indeed given me a very different understanding of "Connection," especially in daily life and work in Africa, where I have witnessed many communities still deeply constrained by traditional banking systems, with many unable to use digital tools to solve financial problems.

This has also convinced me that technology, especially decentralized systems, can build bridges and create new possibilities where there were none, and the power of "connecting different worlds" can change countless lives.

Foresight News: Has the relatively turbulent and underdeveloped living environment in Africa influenced and shaped your understanding of financial inclusivity? What led you to encounter the crypto industry and fully commit to founding Jambo?

James Zhang: Absolutely. Seeing many communities relying on cash economies, constrained by inflation and economic instability, made me more aware of the urgency of building an inclusive financial system. Especially when I first encountered crypto technology, I understood that blockchain is not just a financial speculation tool but a means of "empowerment":

Cryptocurrencies can provide financial services to the unbanked, enable near-zero-cost cross-border transactions, and create income opportunities through decentralized networks.

It is precisely for this reason that I decided to fully dedicate myself to this mission, which was also the opportunity for Jambo's birth. So when we discovered that the prevalence of mobile devices was the main bottleneck for Web3 adoption, we decided to focus on developing a powerful smartphone priced at just $99 to support cutting-edge crypto application scenarios and break this bottleneck.

Foresight News: When recruiting core members for Jambo, do you also place particular emphasis on multicultural characteristics? What type of talent is currently in high demand?

James Zhang: Undoubtedly, Jambo's core philosophy is to achieve global inclusivity, so we particularly value the cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding of our team members. For example, team members who understand different economic backgrounds and lifestyles can help us better design products and solutions that meet global market needs.

Currently, we particularly need engineers skilled in blockchain infrastructure, emerging market operations experts, and product designers who can simplify the interaction experience for Web3 newcomers. We also hope to combine different perspectives and professional skills through a diverse team to accelerate the global spread of inclusive finance and truly allow more people to enjoy the conveniences brought by decentralized technology.

$99: How to Reach Billions of Users from Africa?

Foresight News: JamboPhone allows many emerging market users to access smartphones and benefit from the crypto economy for the first time. How does it translate complex Web3 concepts (like private keys, cross-chain) into intuitive operations in its design?

James Zhang: From the very beginning, JamboPhone was designed with ease of use at its core, so we integrated a multi-chain wallet, a simplified DApp store, and an intuitive onboarding process to eliminate the barriers to using Web3. This allows users to operate without needing to understand the complexities of crypto technology, enabling all functions to run seamlessly in the background.

Our ultimate goal is to make the Web3 experience as natural as traditional mobile applications.

Foresight News: JamboPhone is positioned as an entry point for achieving financial inclusivity in emerging markets. How does it address the specific challenges faced by users in regions like Africa when accessing financial services?

James Zhang: JamboPhone aims to eliminate financial barriers in emerging markets by providing an affordable smartphone that natively supports cryptocurrencies and integrates Web3 services.

As we know, many users in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America cannot access traditional banking services. JamboPhone, with its built-in multi-chain wallet, offers secure asset storage, remittance, and decentralized finance (DeFi) participation features. It not only enables low-cost cross-border transactions but also creates profit opportunities for users through interaction and gaming.

We believe that by combining affordability, accessibility, and financial empowerment, JamboPhone helps at least hundreds of millions of users bypass traditional financial restrictions and enter the global digital economy. In a sense, these users are the ones who most need the "empowerment" of cryptocurrencies. What Jambo is doing is precisely bringing a new user group into the Crypto space, rather than competing among existing users.

For example, our collaboration with Tether/USDT and Solana provides users with savings opportunities denominated in USD, while leveraging Solana's low transaction fees allows users to conduct cross-border transactions at almost no cost, which is changing the lives of people in regions with severe inflation and difficult capital circulation.

Foresight News: Regarding the current state of Jambo's business development, are there any data dimensions (JamboPhone user coverage, hardware network scale, ecosystem partners, etc.) that you can share?

James Zhang: As of now, JamboPhone has sold over 800,000 devices in more than 128 countries/regions, created over 9.5 million wallets, and built an on-chain mobile network with unprecedented decentralized potential. This rapid adoption rate also somewhat validates the strong market demand for a Web3-native mobile experience.

Foresight News: With a starting price of just $99, significantly lower than other crypto phones, JamboPhone is clearly more friendly to the mass market. How does it find a balance between cost and performance (supply chain scaling or ecosystem subsidies)?

James Zhang: The core of this question is that what we want to do is not just sell a phone but provide users with a brand new, affordable Web3 experience.

To achieve this, Jambo has established close strategic partnerships with top global electronics manufacturers, leveraging economies of scale to reduce costs while optimizing the supply chain through large-scale component procurement agreements, ensuring that we can keep prices truly affordable while maintaining high performance.

We also adopted a vertically integrated approach, eliminating many redundant intermediaries and controlling the efficiency of production, distribution, logistics, and other aspects, which ultimately allows us to bring this highly cost-effective phone to market, achieving our ultimate goal—enabling more people to access Web3 technology rather than turning it into a luxury item limited to a small group.

Foresight News: To some extent, the EarnDrop model relies on ecosystem partners to subsidize rewards. How do you plan to avoid user attrition due to reduced rewards in the long term? Is there a long-term sustainable revenue mechanism in place?

James Zhang: In fact, the EarnDrop model is fundamentally different from traditional passive airdrops. We do not want users to just take the rewards and leave; instead, we want them to earn tokens through deep participation in Web3 activities. Therefore, this token distribution method combines staking incentives and loyalty rewards, encouraging users to hold long-term rather than just obtaining rewards once.

At the same time, on JamboPhone, token distribution is tied to each unique physical device, which helps prevent Sybil attacks and ensures that tokens flow to real users rather than bots.

For example, in our collaboration with Matr1x, we airdropped FIRE tokens to holders in the Jambo community, and after the event ended, the token holding rate remained above 70% after 30 days. This indicates that the participating users genuinely intend to hold long-term rather than just engaging for short-term rewards.

We believe that a long-term sustainable revenue mechanism must rely on users' genuine participation and continuous contributions to the ecosystem, rather than solely depending on external reward subsidies.

Foresight News: How do the pre-installed applications on each device benefit user retention and ecosystem growth?

James Zhang: Pre-installed Web3 applications are a significant advantage for Jambo, greatly enhancing user conversion rates while effectively reducing customer acquisition costs (CAC).

Unlike traditional smartphones that rely on centralized app stores, JamboPhone users can directly access the complete Web3 ecosystem as soon as they power on their devices. This "built-in accessibility" not only reduces user churn but also enhances their daily interactions, such as staking, DeFi, gaming, and earning activities, all of which significantly boost user retention.

For Web3 developers, Jambo also provides a zero CAC distribution channel, meaning they can attract new users at a very low cost, rapidly expand the ecosystem, and build a high-quality user base. For example, Sleepagotchi has a retention rate among Jambo users that is 50% higher than through other channels, demonstrating the effectiveness of pre-installed applications, which are not only attractive to users but also lay the foundation for long-term ecosystem growth.

Foresight News: Jambo involves both hardware and software experiences, effectively occupying a primary Web3 entry point for users. How does this unique positioning enhance user engagement and long-term retention?

James Zhang: The combination of hardware and software is indeed a unique advantage.

By controlling the mobile hardware layer, Jambo achieves a deep integration of Web3 applications with the smartphone experience, allowing users to interact with Web3 anytime and anywhere. Unlike standalone DApps that face challenges in user discovery and retention, JamboPhone provides seamless access to wallets, DeFi, and decentralized applications from the moment it is powered on. This continuous interaction greatly enhances user retention and ecosystem participation.

More importantly, as a hardware product, Jambo monetizes through multiple touchpoints such as transactions, application discovery, and DePIN infrastructure. By controlling these access and interaction points, we can provide users with a smoother and more coherent Web3 experience, ultimately building a highly sticky and valuable ecosystem.

Foresight News: We also see that Jambo's main investors include top VCs like Paradigm, Pantera Capital, Delphi Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and Tiger Global. Besides providing financial support, what strategic support do they offer to Jambo, and how does Jambo plan to leverage the investor network to accelerate global expansion?

James Zhang: The support from investors like Paradigm, Pantera, and Coinbase Ventures goes far beyond financial assistance; they bring valuable industry insights, ecosystem resources, and global strategic guidance to Jambo. These top VCs not only believe in our vision but also provide crucial support in market expansion, product optimization, and accelerating our global footprint.

At the same time, through their networks and resources, we can quickly enter emerging markets and expand partnerships, especially in key regions like Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

More importantly, they help us build trust within the industry, further strengthening Jambo's position in the global Web3 ecosystem. In the future, we will continue to rely on the support of these investors, utilizing their global networks and industry resources to accelerate Jambo's expansion worldwide, providing more users with a high-quality Web3 experience.

Jambo and the Mass Adoption of Web3 in 2025

Foresight News: Compared to mainstream smartphones that require downloading crypto wallets and Web3 applications, what irreplaceable advantages do blockchain phones with built-in Web3 applications have, and where do you see their competitiveness? What role does Jambo want to play in this?

James Zhang: The irreplaceable advantage of JamboPhone compared to mainstream phones lies primarily in its ability to break free from the constraints of Apple's and Google's closed ecosystems—traditional smartphones rely on app stores where developers have to pay commissions as high as 30%, and Web3 functionalities face various restrictions, such as access permissions for DApps.

In contrast, JamboPhone features a built-in native app store for crypto, allowing users to directly access DApps, DeFi platforms, and NFT markets without any permissions. It is also equipped with a multi-chain wallet, native token rewards, and on-chain identity verification, enabling users to enjoy lower costs while truly owning their digital assets and fully experiencing the global crypto economy.

In short, JamboPhone breaks the limitations of traditional smartphones, bringing Web3 into the daily lives of mainstream users. By eliminating dependence on centralized app stores, JamboPhone opens the door to a decentralized internet for users, helping them participate in the global crypto economy more conveniently and at lower costs.

Foresight News: I hear that Jambo is actively collaborating with leading exchanges. What exclusive products or partnership developments can users expect soon (such as customized phones or integrated Web3 services)?

James Zhang: Jambo will collaborate with top exchanges to jointly launch a customized version of JamboPhone, pre-installed with trading applications and offering exclusive benefits such as instant account opening, fee discounts, and enhanced security features. These integrations will support direct asset exchanges, staking, and DeFi access on the device, while providing fiat on-ramp channels for emerging markets.

In the past year, applications from OKX and Coinbase have already been pre-installed on JamboPhone, helping us become important partners in their expansion into emerging markets.

Additionally, JamboPhone will include an airdrop mechanism integrated with exchanges, and we have already implemented this feature in our own token. By merging mobile technology with exchange services, Jambo is creating a safer and more convenient Web3 entry point for global users, helping more users seamlessly access the decentralized finance ecosystem.

Foresight News: We see that Jambo plans to connect global JamboPhone users via satellite. Does this mean that in the future, users will be able to use Web3 services without relying on traditional networks? How will this technology complement existing mobile networks?

James Zhang: Yes, our goal is to establish a truly decentralized mobile network. Through satellite connections, JamboPhone users, regardless of whether they are in remote areas or unable to access traditional telecom infrastructure, will be able to easily access Web3 services.

I also believe this will be a disruptive breakthrough for financial inclusivity, bringing unprecedented financial opportunities to more users globally, especially by complementing existing mobile networks to ensure stable Web3 access in areas where traditional networks cannot reach, providing broader services to global users.

Foresight News: How will the J token fully integrate into the Jambo ecosystem and user incentive system by 2025? How do you plan to avoid the token becoming a speculative tool?

James Zhang: The J token will become the core fuel of our ecosystem, used for staking, governance, payments, and user incentives.

We are building a token economy that rewards real users rather than speculators, ensuring the long-term value of the J token. By providing users with actual incentive mechanisms, such as long-term holding rewards and participation mechanisms, we are committed to creating a sustainable, user-driven economic system.

We hope the J token will not only promote the adoption of Web3 but also realize true value among the groups that need it most, bringing more opportunities and changes.

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