KEYTAKEAWAYS
- Ink Network, incubated by Kraken, integrates Aave and offers domain and NFT tasks, making it one of the most credible Ethereum layer-2 projects to join early.
- Fogo, an SVM-based chain with $8.3M seed funding, tracks user engagement through Flames Points and blends technical scalability with strong community incentives.
- Polymer Labs applies Cosmos IBC to Ethereum rollups, providing simple, user-friendly testnet tasks and building essential infrastructure for Ethereum’s multi-rollup future.
CONTENT
Discover Ink, Fogo, and Polymer — three emerging crypto projects with strong backers, active testnets, and potential airdrops. Learn why early participation can secure long-term rewards.
The cryptocurrency industry moves in cycles, and with each new wave come projects that push boundaries, attract funding, and invite community participation. For investors and builders, the best opportunities often appear before tokens are officially listed. By following projects from their early financing rounds, joining their testnets, and engaging with their ecosystems, it becomes possible to secure both knowledge and potential financial benefits.
Among the most promising initiatives at the moment are Ink Network, Fogo, and Polymer Labs. Each project is at a different stage of development, but all combine credible backing, technical innovation, and active community involvement.
The following viewpoints are for reference @web3_batulu
INK: A KRAKEN-INCUBATED LAYER-2
Ink Network is an emerging Ethereum layer-2 built as part of the Optimism Superchain and incubated by Kraken. Its aim is to deliver high-performance scaling while offering liquidity and usability from the start. A key advantage is its integration with Aave, which ensures DeFi use cases are available on day one.
Users can already engage with Ink through its testnet. Available activities include making transfers and swaps, experimenting with Aave lending, claiming unique .ink domain names, and minting NFTs such as “Eye of the Seeker.” These simple actions not only help test the network but also provide early signals of support that the project may recognize in the future.
Ink stands out because it combines exchange credibility, established DeFi integration, and a broader ecosystem vision. Rather than being just another layer-2 experiment, it presents itself as a well-supported environment with real adoption potential.
FOGO: A HIGH-PERFORMANCE SVM-BASED CHAIN
Fogo, sometimes called Cytonic, is a Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) layer-1 project with ambitions to deliver speed and scalability similar to Solana while adding its own innovations. The team raised $8.3 million in seed funding from investors including Lattice, Lemniscap, and the founders of BitMEX, which provides both resources and validation.
Since early 2025, users have been able to interact with Fogo’s Devnet, and a full testnet was launched in March. The project tracks participation through a program called Flames Points, rewarding contributions ranging from wallet transactions to Discord activities. Technically skilled users even have the option of experimenting with nodes, which could enhance their potential rewards.
Fogo’s appeal lies in its combination of strong financing, advanced execution architecture, and incentive mechanisms that encourage genuine community engagement. It is not limited to passive speculation but instead offers ways for participants to contribute directly to network growth.
POLYMER: BRINGING IBC TO ETHEREUM ROLLUPS
Polymer Labs is addressing one of Web3’s biggest gaps: interoperability. Ethereum’s rollup-centric roadmap has created a diverse ecosystem of scaling solutions, but seamless communication between them is still missing. Polymer is working to solve this problem by applying Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC), originally developed in the Cosmos ecosystem, to Ethereum rollups.
The project has already launched the Polyverse testnet, which runs in multiple phases such as Basecamp, Into the Unknown, and Discovery. Participants can complete cross-rollup transactions, join quizzes through Polymer University, and gain roles in community channels. These tasks are designed to educate and reward users while testing the protocol’s performance in realistic conditions.
Polymer deserves attention because it combines serious venture funding, a technically urgent mission, and accessible participation. Unlike projects that require complex node setups, its activities are simple, making it attractive for a wide range of users who want to position themselves for future rewards.
OTHER PROJECTS WORTH TRACKING
In addition to Ink, Fogo, and Polymer, several other names are frequently mentioned in airdrop and research discussions.
Tabi, supported by Animoca Brands, Binance Labs, and Draper Dragon, is developing a gaming and identity ecosystem with an active task program called Voyagers Event. Projects like Abstract, Mitosis, Monad, and Eclipse are pushing forward with modular blockchains and abstraction layers, although many are still early in their testnet phases. Meanwhile, MegaETH and Gradient are exploring advanced scaling techniques, attracting interest from investors even before significant community programs are announced.
While the level of readiness varies, joining communities and monitoring updates is a sensible approach. These projects could mature quickly, and early involvement often creates both informational and financial advantages.
STRATEGIC APPROACH TO INTERACTIONS
Engaging with early projects requires more than simply executing a few transactions.
To maximize potential outcomes, it helps to adopt a consistent, strategic approach. Projects with top-tier backers are more likely to allocate meaningful rewards, so they should receive priority. Consistency matters as well, since protocols often prefer sustained interaction over one-off participation.
A good strategy is to mix light, easy tasks such as quizzes, domain registrations, and swaps with more advanced contributions like node operation if you have the capacity. Recording every action in a personal log ensures that you are prepared to claim rewards later and also builds a record of credible participation. Finally, balancing cost and expected return is essential. Low-cost activities with high visibility, such as Polymer’s quizzes or Ink’s domain claims, tend to offer the best return on time invested.
CONCLUSION
Early participation in credible projects remains one of the best ways to capture opportunities in Web3.
Ink, Fogo, and Polymer each bring something unique to the table: Ink has the credibility of Kraken and immediate DeFi utility, Fogo combines SVM-based performance with a strong incentive system, and Polymer addresses interoperability with a user-friendly approach.
Together, they highlight the variety of directions the industry is taking and the potential rewards for those willing to get involved early.
For investors, researchers, and community builders, the message is clear. Track projects from the financing stage, join testnets as soon as they open, and build consistent interaction histories. In a landscape where timing and positioning define outcomes, these steps can turn participation into both a learning journey and a profitable strategy.
