HOP Networktldr
initial theory
- traditional VPNs are centralized (one company owns every server and log)
- slow (traffic routes through congested data centers)
- easy to censor (one IP blocklist can kill access for millions)
hypothesis
a portal network that relays traffic through multiple hops, auto-selecting the fastest path worldwide, can deliver better performance and censorship resistance than centralized VPNs.
status
shipped cross-platform MVP live (iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux). 300 alpha testers across 15 countries.
my role
cofounder and CEO. conceived the product, raised the money, hired the team, drove product and GTM. led a 5-person global team across China, Singapore, UK, Nigeria, and US.
skills
numbers
~$200K
pre-seed
5
team
300
testers
product demo
USERS OPERATORS
│ │
▼ ▼
need privacy have bandwidth
│ │
└──────► HOP NETWORK ◄──────────┘
│
┌─────────┼─────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
multi-hop proof of revenue
routing bandwidth sharing
| area | details | status |
|---|---|---|
| iOS + macOS | native Swift client with WireGuard tunneling, auto-connect, multi-hop selection | shipped |
| Windows | Electron-based client with system tray, split tunneling | shipped |
| Android | Kotlin client with always-on VPN, battery optimization | shipped |
| Linux | CLI + GUI client for power users and node operators | shipped |
| node infra | distributed relay network with auto-discovery, health checks, geographic load balancing | shipped |
| brand + website | full identity system, marketing site, blog, documentation | shipped |
| proof of bandwidth | EigenLayer AVS design for verifiable bandwidth proofs and operator compensation | designed |
| lesson | detail |
|---|---|
| distributed teams need rhythm | 5 people across 5 time zones only works with daily async standups, weekly syncs, and ruthless written documentation. slack threads are not documentation. |
| GTM for infra is different | consumer VPN marketing is a race to the bottom. our best growth came from crypto-native communities who understood decentralization, not from traditional VPN comparison sites. |
| role | location |
|---|---|
| CEO / product (me) | Singapore |
| CTO | China |
| design | UK |
| community | Nigeria |
| backend | US |
- joined MegaETH as head of partnerships. an opportunity to work on L2 infrastructure at a larger scale, with more resources and a wider scope.
- the VPN market was crowded at every layer. competed against Kape/Nord on distribution and NYM/Sentinel/Mysterium on tech — none of the decentralized entrants had crossed 100K users. winning required either massive distribution budget or a technical moat we hadn't proven yet.
- the product worked, the market timing didn't. we proved the tech. multi-hop relay, cross-platform clients, proof of bandwidth design. but market sentiment made fundraising for infrastructure projects very difficult.
honest self-assessment
| dimension | score | note |
|---|---|---|
| execution speed | strong | zero to 5-platform MVP in 8 months with a 5-person team |
| team leadership | strong | built and managed a globally distributed team with no attrition |
| fundraising | adequate | raised ~$200K pre-seed but needed more to compete against ExpressVPN/NordVPN-scale distribution |
| market timing | weak | launched when market sentiment had turned against infra projects |
| knowing when to move on | strong | recognized the timing gap and pivoted to a higher-impact role |
verdict
verdict: shipped, then moved on
other projects
paused
Cloud Brain
built a research retrieval layer using mcp. works in single-player, paused on the cold-start problem for multiplayer.
read case study →deprioritized
Maritime Stablecoin
killed a $100b+ thesis after primary research debunked the desk-research pain. documented the full post-mortem.
read case study →