How to Become the TON Top Influencer?An Interview with Vudi Kingyru

Vudi Kingyru, one of the TON ecosystem's most prominent influencers, recently visited our studio. He is the author of Investment Kingyru and a person who is unafraid to voice his opinions and raise pressing issues. Over the past few years, he has become a key figure in the crypto community, building a following of individuals eager to hear the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

In this interview, we’ll discuss Vudi’s personal projects and answer pressing questions: What’s happening in the TON ecosystem after Pavel Durov’s arrest? How can you make money in TON, and where should you invest? We’ll also dive into the explosive scandal surrounding Hamster Kombat, the unique clicker project by Vudi, and other significant events impacting the TON ecosystem.

Watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

Disclaimer: The podcast was recorded on December 20, 2024, and some information may be outdated.

 

 

— Hi, Vudi! You appeared unexpectedly in the space, and your TON critic and large Telegram channel have attracted much attention. How did it begin?
— When I joined TON, Pavel Durov handed over control of the ecosystem to the community. He gave away the domain, code base, and encouraged the project to develop independently, supporting one of the developer teams. I noticed the audience didn’t have a space to communicate, so I created one.

— Regarding TON, third parties control 95% of the supply. How does this affect the ecosystem?

— Initially, investors were scared off by the supply being concentrated in a few hands. However, the Telegram team turned things around by locking 60% of the supply for 5 years and monetizing usernames, anonymous numbers, and premium features, which attracted funds and partners.

— Which funds?

— Among the well-known ones are Pantera, Yolo, MEXC Ventures. Many invested around $10M, but the exact figures remain confidential.

— Why did Telegram start lockup coins?
— Pavel said he didn’t want Telegram to hold more than 10% of the TON supply. However, due to using the Fragment* platform, most transactions still go through Telegram.

* — a platform for buying and selling usernames on Telegram.

— How much do you think Durov has already earned from TON?

— I’ve calculated it to be about $1 billion. Well, he’s the father of 100 children. It looks like he needs money.

— How did your channel idea come about?

— I noticed that the TON community was scattered across different chats with no single platform. I decided to write not just positive news but also to address the problems. That’s how people who were banned elsewhere started coming to me. The channel began to grow.

— What methods are you using to drive traffic?

— We first tried expensive placements with Notcoin, then switched to Major, which was more cost-effective. I try different approaches and test them.

— Does your audience's low engagement rate bother you?

— No. The important thing is that my channel ended up in the folder with other popular channels and gained attention that way.

— Tell us more about your projects.
I have several Telegram channels and projects that are unrelated to crypto. People remember me for Watermelon Clicker, whose liquidity reached $3M at its peak. By the way, the first Hamster Kombat ad was purchased on my clicker for $5000, even before the project became popular.

— How much did the top players in your clicker earn?

— The top player earned $600; the minimum drop was $2.

— Is your token currently trading?

— Yes, the price is around $0.08. It was my first experiment with traffic on TON.

 

— How’s the situation with your token now?

— The liquidity is holding at around $300,000. On TON, we’re in the Top 50. There’s not much to brag about right now; we’re looking for utility. You could boost and manipulate the token when there was an open league. We’re waiting for the next narrative: where to go and how to apply the token. It will definitely live on, and the question is — how?

— How did you encourage people to add liquidity?

— Some whales have been with me for over two years. They believed in the project and didn’t sell even at the peaks. If we find strong utility, the project will take off.

— What insights did you have after the clicker launch?

— I realized that everything is for sale: people, advertising — everything can be organized if you have the resources. This is more of a positive thing because it simplifies project creation.

— Where did the money for the clicker come from?

— I had a strong investor who suggested launching the token and supported me. I believe it was the most successful meme on TON.

— How much was invested in total?

— Around $300,000. Most of the funds went towards acquiring a high-quality audience. We didn’t cash out at the peak, but the audience that came for that money was incredibly active. Some influencers even helped promote the project for free.

— Did you recoup that money?

— Not in terms of cash, but definitely in people. The investor wasn’t disappointed; for him, it was a fan story, and the most important thing was that people came. We distributed the money among the audience in a drop: some bought iPhones, others computers, and one even bought a house.

— So, what was your and the investor’s interest?

— People. The investor wanted to gain an audience on his Telegram channel.

—  How many Xs did users make on average?

— The maximum was up to 10,000X, but on average — 20-50, sometimes up to 100.

— What projects are you working on now?

— Right now, we have Swap Coffee, a DEX aggregator on TON, and another project focused on selling eSIM cards and creating a platform for buying SIM cards for travel. We’re keeping the markup low on purpose to attract users and create a habit. We also have DeWallet, a convenient wallet for working with crypto in Telegram.

— You participated in the Open League from TON Foundation. Tell us about that.

— I won the 1st and 2nd seasons, and in the 3rd season, I came 5th, after which I was excluded.

— Ha-ha. How much did you earn from that?

— About $100,000 was distributed in the Open League, 80% of which I returned to the community. We won thanks to the bot, where users clicked a button and created on-chain activity. This led to an influx of new wallets and a good token distribution. Now, in terms of activity on TON, we’re in 3rd place after TON and USDT.

— Why were you excluded?

— I spoke too much truth about the Open League on my channel. What upset me especially was that they started changing the rules in the middle of the season. For example, you win but don’t get the prize until 2-3 weeks later when the new season is over. I couldn’t stay silent and shared everything on the channel, which led to my exclusion. Overall, I have a good attitude toward the TON Foundation, but they’re not ready for criticism. And I believe that without it, development is impossible.

— Are you a developer or a product person?

—  I’m more of a product person. There are developers in the community who are ready to work for the idea. I find such people, offer to implement a concept, and distribute the income among the community, while also making a little ourselves.

— Why do you think TON suspended the Open League?

—  I think they didn’t suspend, but transformed it. Now, TON wants users to move to projects. But the right products aren’t there for mass adoption — everything is too complicated for newcomers.

— There’s a rumor that TON started cutting back after Durov’s arrest. What do you think about that?

— Telegram started changing quickly: they removed several features and released updates. This negatively affected TON. The problem is that the entire concept of Telegram and TON revolves around one personality. That’s risky. Also, the family scandal surrounding Durov destroyed the image of the millionaire playboy.

— Where should one invest with a 5-year perspective?

— I wouldn’t invest in TON. It’s better to spread investments across the top 10 crypto. Something will definitely take off. Maybe a breakthrough DeFi project will emerge, but I don’t see that happening yet.

— How much do you earn from selling ads?

— Right now, volumes and advertisers on TON are dull. Memes emerged daily, and TON Foundation distributed $30 million for memes, NFTs, and more. Money disappears among the audience very quickly. It’s clear that when 100 tokens appear, competition increases.

— What’s your rank among TON influencers?

— Many consider me the top influencer. I have unique content, not just news about T2E games.

— How much time do you spend creating content?

— Analyzing the conflict between Eduard Gurinovich and Nikita Anufriev over Hamster Kombat took me over 8 hours. I had to gather opinions from all sides and present them objectively. It varies, depending on the topic.

— What do you think about the memecoin market?

— Overall, I consider it a casino. Crypto is needed for entertainment, and people have found another way — memes, where there’s no responsibility. Before, people thought about technology, investments, and solutions, but now that’s gone. 90% of people don’t make money from memes; the primary income goes to the platform and the founder.

—  Do you believe in long-term memes like Pepe or Bonk?

— I don’t want to dive into that. Yes, meme creators earned and want to develop, but any meme loses its relevance. On TON, there was BOLT — a meme that gathered a large community. But over time, interest in it faded. People are looking for something new.

— Thanks for coming. It was beneficial!
 

Conclusion

TON garnered significant attention in 2024: the arrest of Durov and the hype around Hamster Kombat made their mark. Meanwhile, Alexey became one of the first popularizers and influencers of the platform, unafraid to criticize the TON ecosystem and raise difficult questions openly.

His success lies in his bold statements and his ability to create projects that capture attention and resonate with the community. Alexey demonstrates that in Web3, staying true to yourself and continuously moving forward is key to success.

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