Partnering with TipLink: Seamless Cryptocurrency Sharing for Web3

When we were first introduced to TipLink as a new form factor for sending payments, we were intrigued—but hesitant. In the wake of Arthur0x being spearfished and losing his Azukis, we were concerned that hyperlinks might be an anti-pattern, and we knew there was a history of experimentation around tipping in crypto that didn’t quite pan out (anyone remember ChangeTip?). Fortunately for us, though, co-founders Ian Krotinsky and Aashiq Dheeraj were persistent. They had thought deeply about potential attack vectors and other areas of tail risk, and they were onto something.

So after a bit of email and Telegram tag, we set up an initial call. We peppered them with questions around crypto OpSec, and they listened politely as we likely bored them to death with stories from the MyEtherWallet days. Then some time later, they followed up with a life update: they’d given notice at Citadel and taken the plunge to work on TipLink full time.

We quickly set up a second meeting—and as soon as we saw their demo, any remaining skepticism vanished. 

By tying cryptocurrency to a simple link—bought and shared with just a couple of clicks, even if the recipient doesn’t already have a wallet—TipLink dramatically reduces the coordination required for payments. Information is stored within the URL, making the link itself the wallet—and ensuring it can be shared on any platform with only the sender knowing the key. It’s a fundamental shift, from pull (“send me your wallet address/SNS”) to push (“here’s a link”). Forget the notoriously clunky fiat on-ramping process; suddenly, all you need to join the world of web3 is a friend who owns crypto.

The viral potential of the idea was immediately obvious, and we became convinced that TipLink had a good shot at being the product that would bring the next billion people to web3. It was one of those conversations where the design space seemed to open up the more we talked, with potential use cases ranging from NFT drops and airdrops to physical and digital scavenger hunts to gift cards, just to name a few.

But even more important than the product or its possible applications are Ian and Aashiq themselves. They’ve impressed us with their hustle, tenacity and high clock speed, leading the team to move quickly on projects such as the recent launch of TipLink’s API. We are wowed by the depth with which they think about edge cases and security implications. And their passion and energy are infectious. With this round of seed funding co-led by Sequoia and Multicoin, we are excited to partner with TipLink as they build the future of crypto peer-to-peer payments.