ARC Community

ARC Community is a Singapore-headquartered, digital-first network that uses non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as proof of membership to connect builders, investors, and creators from the global Asian diaspora. Founded in 2022 by Kiat Lim and Elroy Cheo, with Singaporean singer JJ Lin later joining as a co-founder, it operates as a Social Venture Studio that incubates ventures and co-invests alongside early-stage founders in Asia-focused Web3 and blockchain projects.^[8]​^[3]​

Overview

ARC is a digital-first, curated community founded to address a perceived lack of a unified network for influential individuals across Asia and its global diaspora. Founded in 2022 by Kiat Lim and Elroy Cheo, with JJ Lin later joining as a co-founder, ARC was created to bridge Web2 and Web3 for entrepreneurs, creators, and investors in Asia and the global Asian diaspora.^[8] The organization has evolved from a members-only NFT community into a broader integrated ecosystem and social venture studio that combines a curated membership of entrepreneurs, investors, and creators with incubation and co-investment activities focused on early-stage Web3 ventures.^[2] With over 850 members, the model emphasizes long-term, shared value creation over short-term speculative trading of membership NFTs, encouraging members to pool their collective skills, capital, and networks to co-create new projects.^[8] ARC’s core founding team includes co-founders Lim, Cheo, and JJ Lin, and the community is structured as a product of Kestrel360 Pte Ltd.^[8][3]

The organization's infrastructure includes both digital and physical platforms to foster interaction. The ARC App serves as a private hub for members to network and collaborate, while physical "ARC Playgrounds," with the first established in Singapore, are designed for in-person events and relationship-building. Co-founder Elroy Cheo stated that a key motivation for creating the community was the observation that "Crypto can be a cliquish landscape and many times, Asians can get left behind." The community aims to be inclusive, bridging Web3 natives with individuals new to the space.^[3][4]

Infrastructure

ARC Stellar NFT

ARC’s Stellar NFTs serve as both proof of membership and digital assets, encouraging long-term participation rather than short-term speculation. Unlike traditional private club subscriptions, this model ties the value of membership to the collective success of the community. ARC Stellars is a capped collection of 888 transferable ERC‑721 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, whose primary mint completed in the fourth quarter of 2024; as of 2026, new members typically join by purchasing an ARC Stellar NFT on secondary markets and then submitting an application to be allowlisted to mint a Fyrian token.^[6] Members are incentivized to hold their NFTs and engage in collaboration, as benefits come from the ventures and projects developed through the ARC Social Venture Studio. This structure shifts the focus from extracting individual value to contributing shared ideas, resources, and expertise that support community-wide projects over time.

The NFTs also broaden access to networks and opportunities by redistributing value across the community. Through token-gated participation, members are encouraged to co-create, share knowledge, and develop new initiatives that extend beyond digital spaces into real-world ventures and events. Designed to bridge Web3 natives with those new to the space, Stellar NFTs emphasize inclusivity and collaboration, setting ARC apart from other NFT projects that prioritize short-term trading.^[6]​

Stellar NFT Customization

The Stellar NFT collection is designed to function as a member's digital identity. The community launched a customization feature that prioritizes "relatability over rarity," allowing members to personalize their 3D NFT artwork. The process involves selecting a "Passion Archetype," customizing various traits, and choosing a background. Holders of both a Stellar and a Fyrian NFT are granted worldwide, royalty-free commercial rights to their specific customized Stellar artwork, with restrictions against use that could damage the ARC brand. The six Passion Archetypes are:

• Pyrolyte (The Gladiator)
• Astralon (The Visionary)
• Edenflor (The Alchemist)
• Celestron (The Tinkerer)
• Terramorph (The Guardian)
• Hydroglyph (The Maestro)

This customization process was designed to foster a stronger connection between members and their digital representation within the community.^[5]​^[7]​

Fyrian NFT

The Fyrian NFT is a soul-bound (non-transferable) token that acts as proof of verification and curation within ARC. Previously known as Pyxis, it was rebranded with a new name and visual identity, while retaining its function as a free, non-transferable verification token that confirms an individual has completed the community’s curation process.^[6] After acquiring a Stellar NFT, an individual must submit an application to the ARC community; if the application is approved through the curation process, the individual is allowlisted to mint a Fyrian NFT for their wallet at no cost. Full membership benefits are unlocked only when a wallet holds both the Stellar NFT and the corresponding Fyrian NFT, ensuring that all active members have been vetted by the community.^[2]​^[6]​

Social Venture Studio

The ARC Social Venture Studio serves as the central framework for collaboration within the ARC community, directing members’ skills, knowledge, and resources toward developing new projects and initiatives. Members participate in interest-based subgroups, such as Creatives, Builders, Legal, and Moon Squad, which focus on specific goals while also contributing to larger community-wide efforts.^[4] The model prioritizes long-term value creation, with members gaining access to co-created projects, partnerships, and programming tied to their participation rather than short-term speculation on membership NFTs.^[6]

Community engagement is supported through a curated membership process and a combination of digital and physical infrastructure. Applicants are evaluated for their alignment with ARC’s values, willingness to contribute, and potential to collaborate, ensuring a diverse mix of skills and expertise.^[6] Accepted members receive Stellar NFTs as membership tokens and participation incentives and connect through the ARC app for digital networking, as well as ARC Playgrounds for in-person interaction, beginning with a location in Singapore.^[6][2] Participation is encouraged through intrinsic motivations, such as subgroup collaboration and goal-setting, and extrinsic incentives, including access to co-created projects, partnerships, and utility-focused initiatives.^[6] Projects entering the Social Venture Studio are identified and curated by the core team, with selected initiatives supported by member-led subgroups and, for early-stage Web3 startups, by the incubator structure that provides capital, mentorship, and go-to-market support.^[1][4]

In 2024, ARC formalized its venture-building activities by launching a crypto incubator modeled after startup accelerators, providing selected early-stage Web3 and blockchain projects in Asia with capital, mentorship, and go-to-market support drawn from its member base. The incubator is integrated into the Social Venture Studio framework, positioning ARC as both a community and a structured platform for scaling projects from concept to market launch.^[1][3]

Funding

In August 2024, ARC raised $4.5 million to establish a crypto incubator modeled after startup accelerators such as Y Combinator. The funding marked a step toward expanding ARC’s role beyond a members-only NFT community into a structured program designed to support early-stage Web3 ventures. With over 850 members at the time, the initiative sought to harness the collective expertise and networks within the community to support the growth of new projects.^[1][8]

The funds were allocated to strengthen ARC’s ecosystem by offering incubation, go-to-market support, and access to partnerships. The incubator’s focus was on accelerating the development of Web3 and blockchain projects in Asia, streamlining the path from concept to market launch, and providing resources and mentorship in line with established accelerator frameworks. From 2024 onward, ARC also became an active co-investor in external projects, participating in funding rounds for Saakuru Labs and Pixelverse in 2024 and Sogni AI in March 2025, framing its role as a community-driven co-investor rather than a traditional standalone venture capital fund.^[10]

Partnerships

ARC maintains partnerships with hospitality, nightlife, and event brands to provide members with curated physical experiences alongside its digital offerings. These include collaborations with Zouk Singapore for exclusive VIP nightlife access, Millennium Hotels and Resorts and Singapore EDITION for hotel and hospitality benefits, and Coinhako for discounted trading fees as part of members’ crypto services.^[6] ARC has also partnered with CREZEE’s /function1 conference and related events, extending its community presence to large-scale industry gatherings in hubs such as Dubai.^[11]