Jambo - Bringing Crypto to Emerging Markets: What You Need to Know
$J TGE, Largest Mobile DePIN, & More
In yesterday’s edition, we covered Humanity Protocol, which provides critical human verification infrastructure in a world where AI and deepfakes are becoming more common. This is an example of a protocol building something that has a very wide impact scope, potentially providing services to hundreds of millions of users worldwide, as verifying
Another protocol with an impact scope equally as wide is Jambo, which aims to be the dominant onchain mobile network. Crypto has mostly followed the path of Western technology, jumping off from the desktop experience before developers began exploring mobile options.
In much of the world, mobile reigns supreme, and there isn’t any one crypto ecosystem that has managed to establish a massive lead in bringing crypto services to mobile-first consumers in emerging markets. In fact, a lot of the developments in this space go under the radar of crypto Twitter, with Tron’s widespread usage for stablecoin payments being a big example…
In today’s edition, we’ll discuss Jambo’s value add, and how it uses its affordable smartphones to bring crypto services and earning opportunities to crypto’s next generation of users.
Stay informed, stay alert ⬇
Background on Jambo & Demand for Affordable Smartphones
Jambo aims to roll out the largest mobile network for crypto in the world, and the team uses hardware to achieve this goal. What might stand out the most about Jambo is its affordable, $99 smartphones.
However, purchasing a JamboPhone is just the start of the journey for Jambo’s ideal userbase, which is those residing in emerging markets. The JamboPhone comes pre-installed with the JamboApp and other crypto-focused applications. These provide financial services, and most importantly, earning opportunities, paid via crypto. Solutions are localized, to provide means of offramping earned funds into local currencies in Africa, South America, and other regions.
It is the wallet infrastructure, Jambo earning platform, and dApp store that set Jambo apart, seeking to make crypto an integral part of Jambo phone users’ lives, long after they have purchased the device.
Demand for Affordable Smartphones
Jambo’s technological framework addresses a critical global market inefficiency: approximately 3 billion individuals lack smartphone access primarily due to prohibitive costs, with a significant overlap between this demographic and the unbanked population requiring crypto-based financial solutions.
Central to Jambo’s implementation strategy is the integrated hardware-software ecosystem.
This commitment has resulted in significant operational achievements, notably:
Strategic manufacturing partnerships with three of the world’s five largest factories.
Establishment of a supply chain network spanning 128 countries.
Creation of a scalable decentralized mobile network infrastructure.
This market-driven product strategy aims to develop a vertically integrated Web3 super-application ecosystem. Strategically coupled with smartphone hardware targeting emerging market users, this approach addresses two fundamental market challenges: 1. prevalent low-quality specifications in emerging market smartphone models, and 2. limited access to crypto-earning opportunities.
The Jambo Flywheel
Relative to other crypto-native phones, such as Solana’s Saga, or dApp stores in the market, such as Worldcoin’s World App, Jambo maintains a competitive advantage by blending hardware and software in a cohesive ecosystem.
Jambo’s growth strategy leverages a synergistic model combining physical infrastructure development, software ecosystem advancement, and market expansion to create a self-sustaining growth flywheel. As more partners join, they introduce additional earning opportunities, which further enhance the value proposition of owning a JamboPhone. This increase in demand supports higher phone sales, enabling Jambo to achieve economies of scale, reducing per-unit manufacturing costs.
To understand the implications of this, notice how Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) often face two core challenges: high hardware costs and limited distribution networks.
Jambo has addressed these two critical challenges in crypto hardware deployment by securing production agreements with three of the five largest global factories and establishing a supply chain spanning 128 countries. This groundwork enables faster scaling, reduced costs, and broad accessibility, positioning Jambo as a leader in overcoming DePIN’s traditional barriers.
Jambo J Token Launch
Earlier this month, Jambo’s native token, J, had its TGE. Of a maximum supply of 1 billion, 100 million tokens (10%) have been allocated for airdrops to JamboPhone and JamboApp users, as well as MadLads NFT owners. This initial airdrop coincided with TGE, but there will be additional drops in the future for new JamboPhone users, a powerful incentive mechanism for those in emerging markets, in addition to the earning opportunities already available on the JamboApp.
The goal for J is to develop it as a sort of currency for the Jambo ecosystem. J will be paid out to ecosystem participants, with incentives for users to stake their J. There will also be discounts on physical products for those who use J as their means of payment.
With 815K phones sold, 9 million wallets onboarded, and partnerships with top-tier investors like Paradigm, Pantera, OKX, and Coinbase, Jambo has already demonstrated significant traction. The launch of the $J token further amplifies its network effects, aligning incentives for users, partners, and the broader ecosystem, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of adoption and growth.
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