CARV Verifier Node Sale: Own Your Stake in a Decentralized Data Future

Seedify Fund
9 min readMay 7, 2024

Hello Seedify Community

Data has become the new oil in the digital age, fueling innovation and driving economic growth. However, this valuable resource has largely been controlled by a handful of centralized entities, leaving individuals with little say over how their personal information is used or monetized.

CARV is on a mission to disrupt this paradigm, introducing a new era of data ownership and value redistribution through its innovative ecosystem.

At the core of CARV’s vision lies the CARV Protocol, a modular data layer that facilitates secure data exchange and equitable value distribution across various industries, with a particular focus on Gaming and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

To ensure this protocol’s integrity, security, and decentralization, CARV is introducing Verifier Nodes, a network of community-operated nodes that play a crucial role in validating the system’s operations and safeguarding user privacy.

The CARV Node Sale marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of data ownership. It’s your chance to become an active participant in a groundbreaking ecosystem that empowers individuals and redefines how data is used and shared.

But what exactly are CARV Nodes, and why should you consider participating in the sale?

This comprehensive guide takes a deeper look at CARV Nodes, exploring their role in the CARV ecosystem, the benefits of running a node, and the details surrounding the upcoming sale.

We’ve covered the following topics in this article:

Traction and Highlights

  • Partnerships: Over 750 gaming/AI companies integrated, with 30%+ of all Web3 games on board.
  • Active User Base: 2.5M+ registered players, with 1M+ monthly active users and 900K unique on-chain CARV ID holders.
  • Top-Ranked Activity: Over 500K daily active wallets, ranking #1 on Ronin, zkSync, and Linea chains (deployed on 40+ chains).
  • $1M+ Monthly Revenue: Strong revenue momentum achieved.
  • $20M Private Funding: Backed by industry leaders like Tribe Capital, Temasek Vertex, and gaming studios like MARBLEX (Netmarble), YGG, and The Sandbox.

Understanding the CARV Ecosystem: A Foundation Built on Data Ownership

CARV constructs a comprehensive ecosystem that redefines how individuals interact with their data. This ecosystem consists of the following fundamental elements:

  • CARV Protocol: This modular data layer facilitates secure data exchange and value distribution across various industries, with a focus on gaming and AI.
  • CARV Play: The first flagship product, CARV Play, allows gamers to manage their profiles, discover new titles, and connect with other players. It acts as a cross-platform credentialing system and social distribution platform.
  • CARV AI (Cara): This Telegram AI-powered assistant helps users navigate the CARV ecosystem and the Web3 gaming world, offering personalized recommendations, airdrop eligibility, and streamlining interactions.

The CARV Protocol: Orchestrating Secure Data Flow

The CARV Protocol forms the backbone of the ecosystem, managing the entire data lifecycle. Here’s a closer look at its fundamental layers:

  • Identity Layer: This layer serves as the entry point, authenticating users through both traditional (web2) and blockchain (web3) mechanisms. It leverages CARV ID (ERC-7231) to create a unified identity profile, seamlessly integrating data through CARV Link, Oracle, and other data verification services.
  • Data Storage Layer: This layer functions as a dynamic data storage system. It organizes data across various tiers based on cost considerations and persistence requirements, ensuring optimal storage solutions for diverse data types.
  • Computational and Training Layer: This layer utilizes a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) cluster to process data and train AI models in a confidential setting. Results and TEE attestation, which verifies the secure operation within the TEE, are relayed to the execution layer for further processing.
  • Execution Layer: Established on a consensus mechanism, this layer interprets the needs of data consumers. It allocates rewards based on the results of processing and verification activities performed by various network participants.
  • Verification Layer: This layer empowers the community by incorporating verifiers to validate TEE attestations. These verifiers ensure the secure and accurate operation within the TEE environment, safeguarding data integrity throughout the processing lifecycle.

Safeguarding Privacy and Security: The Essential Role of Verifier Nodes in the CARV Ecosystem

Within this decentralized system, Verifier Nodes play a critical role in safeguarding the network’s integrity and user privacy. They are also components of the verification layer.

These nodes, operated by the community, function as independent validators, ensuring the accuracy and security of data processing.

Benefits of Operating a Verifier Node

  1. Contribute to Decentralization and Security: By operating a verifier node, you actively contribute to the decentralization and security of the CARV Protocol, ensuring that no single entity can exert control or manipulate the system.
  2. Earn Passive Income: Verifier node operators are rewarded with a portion of the network’s token emissions for their contributions to securing the ecosystem, presenting an opportunity for passive income generation.
  3. Participate in Value Distribution: By validating the results from the protocol’s layers, verifier nodes play a crucial role in ensuring that data value is distributed equitably among stakeholders, including data owners, providers, and consumers.
  4. Uphold Data Privacy: By verifying TEE attestations, verifier nodes ensure that user data is processed securely and confidentially, upholding the principles of privacy and data sovereignty.
  5. Scalability and Growth: As the CARV ecosystem expands, verifier nodes will take on additional responsibilities, such as verifying data storage and on-chain oracles, enabling the protocol to scale effectively while maintaining its robustness.

How Verifier Nodes Work: A Step-by-Step Breakdown

  1. Data Processing Completion: After processing data, TEE nodes submit the results along with the TEE attestation to smart contracts within the execution layer of the CARV Protocol.
  2. Verifiable Random Function (VRF) Selection: Smart contracts leverage a Verifiable Random Function (VRF) to randomly select a subset of verifier nodes from the network. VRFs are cryptographic tools that generate seemingly random outputs while ensuring verifiability, ensuring a fair and unbiased selection process.
  3. Verifier Node Activation: Selected nodes are prompted to initiate verification based on events triggered within the smart contract.
  4. TEE Attestation Assessment: Verifier nodes meticulously examine the authenticity of the TEE attestation. This involves verifying the signature, analyzing the report body, and ensuring the data processing occurred as intended.
  5. Outcome Communication: Based on the verification results, nodes report their findings back to the smart contract.
  • Valid Attestation: If the attestation is deemed valid by over 50% of the designated verifiers, the smart contract distributes rewards not only from data consumers but also on-chain rewards among TEE nodes, verifiers, and data providers. This ensures fair compensation for all participants in the data ecosystem.
  • Invalid Attestation: An invalid attestation indicates a potential security breach or manipulation attempt. The responsible TEE node is penalized through a process called slashing, where a portion of its stake is forfeited and distributed to the verifiers as additional rewards. This disincentivizes malicious behaviour and maintains network integrity.

Running a Verifier Node: Contributing to the Ecosystem

Anyone can participate in the CARV ecosystem by operating a Verifier Node. Here’s what you need to know:

Hardware Requirements

Minimum:

  • CPU with 1+ cores
  • 2GB RAM
  • 4 MBit/sec download Internet service

Recommended:

  • Fast CPU with 2+ cores
  • 4GB+ RAM
  • 8+ MBit/sec download Internet service

Running a Node

  • Using Source Code
  • Using Docker
  • License Key (NFT): While anyone can operate a Verifier Node to validate results for personal use, only authorized verifiers possessing a License Key (NFT) are eligible to participate in on-chain consensus and earn rewards. These License Keys will be available for purchase during the upcoming CARV Node Sale.
  • Delegation: Delegation offers a convenient alternative for users who prefer not to directly manage their nodes. This allows users to delegate their License Key (NFT) to Nodes-as-a-Service (NaaS) providers. These providers operate the nodes on behalf of the user, enabling them to earn rewards without the technical complexities of node management. It’s crucial to carefully evaluate potential NaaS providers before delegating, considering factors like their reputation and commission rates. The CARV ecosystem will provide resources to assist with this evaluation process.

The CARV Token:

The native CARV token serves as the utility token within the CARV ecosystem, incentivizing various activities:

  • In-Platform Transactions: Users can leverage CARV for gas payments on multiple chains, purchasing in-game assets, and other platform activities.
  • Data Sharing Rewards: Data owners and providers are rewarded with CARV for contributing their data to the ecosystem.
  • Verifier Node Rewards: As mentioned earlier, Verifier Node operators receive CARV tokens for their contributions to network security and data integrity.
  • Governance Participation: veCARV (voting-escrowed CARV) grants users voting rights to participate in the governance of the CARV Protocol.

Node Sale Structure:

SEEDIFY COMMUNITY SALE

Seedify’s community was allocated with 600 Nodes.

Seedify will raise a total amount of $499,560.

Price per node: $832,60.

  • Registration for the Node sale is required:
  • 1st Round — FCFS ( Seedify Tiers: T6 to T9)

10 May 2024: 12 PM to 15 PM UTC

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  • 2nd Round (If nodes remain) — FCFS (Seedify Tiers: T1 to T5)

10 May 2024: 17 PM to 19 PM UTC

PUBLIC NODE SALE (NO STAKED $SFUND REQUIRED)

Seedify was allocated 1.800 Nodes to do a public node sale.

Seedify will raise a total amount of $1,519,600.

Price per node: $844,23.

  • Registration for the Node sale is required
  • Need to complete a KYC process with Seedify
  • OFE Round — (Open for Everyone)

Starts: 17 May 2024: 1 PM UTC

End: 18 May 2024: 1 PM UTC

OFE FCFS

Starts: 18 May 2024: 16 PM UTC

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Node operators will receive their license as a non-transferable NFT, granting them the ability to operate a verifier node and earn rewards for their contributions (kindly note these NFTs will be non-transferable for 1 year).

Interested in taking part in the CARV Verifier Node Sale? The standard IDO participation steps, such as KYC, staking/farming $SFUND, and registration, apply. This article provides all the information; the only variation is the structure of the sale.

FAQs

What is the relationship between CARV Protocol and CARV Play?

CARV Play is the gateway to the CARV ecosystem. It serves as both a portal to the

CARV Protocol and its inaugural use case, connecting gamers and brands.

Why Run a Node on CARV?

Running a verifier node is crucial to maintaining the integrity and security of the data processing environment. Verifier nodes validate attestations produced by TEE nodes, ensuring the data processing is executed securely and as intended. The presence of a majority of honest verifiers, exceeding 50%, is vital to ensure the accurate verification and recording of attestation results on the blockchain, thus upholding the protocol’s reliability and transparency.

What’s the node explorer link?

Testnet link: https://testnet-explorer.CARV.io/

Is Node revenue the same?

The token release is the same, please refer to: https://docs.carv.io/carv-protocol/verifier-node-explained/node-rewards.

What chain is the Node on?

Arbitrum

What is the Node Emission Model?

25% of the total token supply for Verifier Node, node emission adopts a release model of 25% reduction every 6 months and is expected to release around 50% tokens in the first year.

By participating in the upcoming CARV Node Sale and running a Verifier Node, you can contribute to building a future where users are in control of their data and rewarded for their contribution.

Join the CARV community on social media channels to stay informed and connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about data sovereignty and decentralization.

About Seedify

Seedify is a leading Web3 projects incubator and launchpad specializing in Web3 Gaming, NFTs, AI, Defi and metaverse projects. Our mission is to empower innovators and project developers by offering essential resources such as access to funding, community building, marketing expertise, and a high-calibre partnership network. With a comprehensive support system, we aim to bring premier projects to our community and beyond, fostering growth and success in the dynamic landscape of Web3.

Please refer to the following links to learn more about Seedify and Seedworld (Seedify’s UGC-based Gaming Metaverse):

Seedify:

Seedworld:

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Seedify is a Web3-focused incubator and launchpad ecosystem, empowering innovators and project developers. Learn more: launchpad.seedify.fund/