Editor’s Note

Welcome to Bedrock.

Bedrock is a publication about the future of the onchain economy. Each week, we'll explore the builders and ideas at the frontier, paving the way for a digital world that increases innovation, creativity, and freedom.

We believe that Base is establishing the cultural foundations—the bedrock—for an onchain renaissance: a new economy that fully leverages what the internet and Ethereum have to offer.

Our goal is to give you solid ground to stand on. To build a better world, you must believe in something, and you've got to keep a pulse on the world around you.

Let's see what the world is up to.

Startup Abundance

Last week, our editor published an essay titled Startup Abundance, which argued that we're entering an era of entrepreneurial acceleration. "The traditional startup playbook is being rewritten faster than I imagined, and few founders that I talk to are truly prepared for our new reality. We're entering the era of permeable, networked startups – small, nimble entities leveraging AI, onchain infrastructure, and fractional talent to achieve outsized impact."

This shift is most evident in the Mini Apps ecosystem on platforms like Farcaster and Base – applications that frequently gain thousands of users within days without marketing budgets, growth teams, or venture funding. These aren't just "tiny projects" but early indicators of business formation evolution, combining extraordinary capital efficiency, leveraged shared infrastructure, instant distribution through existing networks, and interoperability that allows value to flow between applications. For founders building in this landscape, the focus must shift to maximum permeability, durable community assets, equity fluidity, and composable building blocks that can rapidly evolve as circumstances change.

startups/acc

At Farcon, Everyone Was Building Miniapps

Farcon 2025 just wrapped up in NYC, and one thing became abundantly clear: mini apps are having their moment.

One way to think about mini apps, which was mentioned by Dan Romero of Farcaster, is that they represent the top of the funnel, serving as intuitive entry points to more robust applications. As the image above illustrates, they function much like TikToks do for YouTube videos – providing quick access and fast attention that can lead users to deeper engagement.

The Seed Club Mini App Spotlight showcased some of the ecosystem's most promising projects:

• Acid Test: A radio show bringing music, conversation and creative energy to Farcaster. Every episode is an open edition that can be collected for one week.

• Amps: The app that helps you get paid when friends post. People can pay you a fixed amount for an automatic recast or like on their post.

• Clankermon: A Farcaster-native version of Pokémon that has cultivated a passionate community of players trading and battling their digital creatures.

• Tab: Social payments on Farcaster. Pay and split the bill with your friends.

• Pods: An onchain podcasting platform that's revolutionizing how creators distribute and monetize audio content.

• ...and so many more.

The mini app revolution is just beginning, and Farcaster and Base are positioning themselves as the foundation on which this new economy will be built.

The DeFi Mullet

Bitcoin-backed loans of up to $1M are now available to everyone in the US, marking a significant milestone in the maturation of mainstream DeFi.

This innovation represents what some call the "DeFi mullet" — a sleek consumer-facing interface in the front, with the deep technical aspects of DeFi hidden in the back.

What makes this development truly revolutionary is how it democratizes access to financial services traditionally reserved for the ultra-wealthy. The strategy known as "borrow, borrow, die" has long been used by the wealthy to leverage their assets without triggering taxable events. Now, everyday Bitcoin holders can access similar strategies.

As adoption grows, we may see regional economic corridors emerge around complementary DeFi products, creating new financial relationships that bypass traditional gatekeepers entirely. That's fundamentally reimagining what "banking" means in a world where financial services can be both locally relevant and globally connected.

Exciting times indeed.

The Circular Economy

Farcaster's tipping culture has become the foundation of a thriving circular economy that has brought new life to the community.

The combination of Warpcast rewards, Tipping Tuesdays, and in-app tipping mechanisms has created an incredibly rich economic system where users are incentivized not just to create quality content, but to discover and amplify it as well.

This isn't necessarily new – last year, $DEGEN became the de facto currency for recognizing quality contributions.

What made this tipping culture unique is that users receive daily allocations that must be given away – creating a "use it or lose it" dynamic that encourages constant circulation of value. As one Farcaster user described it: "Degen is basically the currency of Farcaster that makes the world go round - people are constantly tipping it to each other - 'lmao good post, 3000 $degen.'"

On the other hand, this new tipping culture is fueled by USDC directly hitting people's in-app wallets, which they are incentivized to use in mini apps and to tip to their friends.

This model stands in stark contrast to traditional social media, where engagement primarily benefits the platform rather than creators or curators. In Farcaster's circular economy, value flows directly between participants, creating positive-sum relationships where everyone can benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, this circular economy is creating entirely new forms of onchain identity and reputation. Your tipping history becomes a visible record of your taste and values, allowing users to build social capital in ways that transcend traditional follower counts.

As this model continues to evolve, we're seeing the emergence of a truly onchain renaissance – one where economic and social systems are designed to maximize both individual creativity and collective flourishing.

Morsels

• Base reaches Stage 1 Decentralization — A major milestone achieved through permissionless fault proofs and a security council for contract upgrades, building the foundation for a truly global onchain economy.

• Coinbase Wallet unveils limited beta at Farcon — The rebuilt wallet showcasing social content and mini apps took center stage, with early access granted to attendees and a waitlist now open for others.

• Senpi launches AI crypto copilot — A new onchain AI assistant that tracks portfolios, reads market sentiment, automates transactions, and stays updated with real-time data.

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