ARC Community is a private, members-only network that utilizes Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) as proof of membership to connect individuals from the global Asian diaspora. The organization operates as a "Social Venture Studio," a model designed to facilitate collaboration among its members to develop collective projects and ventures. ^{[1] [2]}

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. The community's core function is its Social Venture Studio model, which encourages members to pool their collective skills, resources, and ideas to co-create new projects. This approach emphasizes long-term, shared value creation over the short-term speculative trading of its membership NFTs. Membership is selective, requiring an application and curation process to ensure that participants are aligned with the community's ethos of "give value to receive value."

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. 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 strengthen the ecosystem 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 experiences. 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. The long-term vision is a sustainable community where value is generated collectively and distributed according to members’ contributions. ^[8]

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. ^{[7] [9]}

Fyrian NFT

The Fyrian NFT is a soul-bound (non-transferable) token that acts as proof of verification. 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. This system ensures that all active members have been vetted by the community. ^{[2] [8]}

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. The model prioritizes long-term value creation, rewarding members through access to co-created projects, partnerships, and exclusive experiences rather than short-term speculation on membership NFTs.

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. 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. Participation is further encouraged through intrinsic motivations, such as subgroup collaboration and goal-setting, and extrinsic incentives, including access to co-created projects, partnerships, utility-driven initiatives, and exclusive experiences, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem of collective value creation. ^{[3] [4]}

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.

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. ^[1]

Partnerships

• Plunge Club
• Coinpilot
• The Great Room
• Bae’s Cocktail Club
• Tipsy Collective
• Thomson Medical
• Hotel Football UK