HOP Networktldr
initial theory
traditional VPNs exploit worry. what if you built one that treats the internet like a place worth exploring, using decentralized node operators instead of centralized servers?
hypothesis
a portal network that relays traffic through multiple hops, auto-selecting the fastest path worldwide, can deliver better performance and censorship resistance than centralized VPNs. compensate node operators with proof-of-bandwidth via EigenLayer.
status
shipped cross-platform MVP live (iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux). 300 alpha testers across 15 countries.
my role
cofounder and CEO. conceived the product, raised the money, hired the team, drove product and GTM. led a 5-person global team across China, Singapore, UK, Nigeria, and US.
skills
numbers
1.4B
TAM
~$200K
raised
5
team
8 mo
zero to MVP
5
platforms
300
testers
visuals
product demo
problem
- traditional VPNs are centralized— one company owns every server, every log, every exit node. you're trusting them not to sell your data, not to comply with opaque government requests, and not to throttle you when it's convenient.
- performance is terrible — traffic routes through congested data centers, often across continents, adding latency and killing speeds. users pay premium prices for sub-par connections.
- censorship circumvention is fragile — centralized endpoints are easy to block. governments and ISPs maintain blacklists of known VPN IPs. one policy change can kill access for millions.
how it works
user device
→
registry (node discovery)
→
decentralized nodes (multi-hop relay)
→
open internet
everyday operators (run nodes)
→
proof of bandwidth (EigenLayer)
→
network revenue (compensate operators)
auto-selects fastest path worldwide
what I built
| area | details | status |
|---|---|---|
| iOS + macOS | native Swift client with WireGuard tunneling, auto-connect, multi-hop selection | shipped |
| Windows | Electron-based client with system tray, split tunneling | shipped |
| Android | Kotlin client with always-on VPN, battery optimization | shipped |
| Linux | CLI + GUI client for power users and node operators | shipped |
| node infra | distributed relay network with auto-discovery, health checks, geographic load balancing | shipped |
| brand + website | full identity system, marketing site, blog, documentation | shipped |
| proof of bandwidth | EigenLayer AVS design for verifiable bandwidth proofs and operator compensation | designed |
lessons
| lesson | detail |
|---|---|
| distributed teams need rhythm | 5 people across 5 time zones only works with daily async standups, weekly syncs, and ruthless written documentation. slack threads are not documentation. |
| brand matters early | in a sea of sketchy VPN brands, a warm, playful identity (the bunny, the orange palette) earned trust faster than any feature list. |
| fundraising is storytelling | raised ~$200K by framing HOP not as "another VPN" but as "the internet's portal network." investors buy narratives, not feature specs. |
| ship rough, learn fast | our first iOS build crashed on connect. shipped it anyway to 20 testers. the crash logs taught us more in 48 hours than 2 weeks of internal QA. |
| GTM for infra is different | consumer VPN marketing is a race to the bottom. our best growth came from crypto-native communities who understood decentralization, not from traditional VPN comparison sites. |
team
| role | location |
|---|---|
| CEO / product (me) | Singapore |
| CTO | China |
| design | UK |
| community | Nigeria |
| backend | US |
why I moved on
- joined MegaETH as head of partnerships — an opportunity to work on L1 infrastructure at a larger scale. the role leveraged everything I learned building HOP but with more resources and a bigger stage.
- the decentralized VPN market is crowded— Orchid, Mysterium, Sentinel, NymVPN, and others are all competing for the same niche. differentiation requires capital we didn't have.
- the product worked, the market timing didn't — we proved the tech. multi-hop relay, cross-platform clients, proof of bandwidth design. but the crypto winter made fundraising for infra projects nearly impossible.
honest self-assessment
| dimension | score | note |
|---|---|---|
| execution speed | strong | zero to 5-platform MVP in 8 months with a 5-person team |
| team leadership | strong | built and managed a globally distributed team with no attrition |
| fundraising | adequate | raised ~$200K but needed more to compete in a crowded market |
| market timing | weak | launched into crypto winter; infra projects were out of favor |
| knowing when to move on | strong | recognized the timing gap and pivoted to a higher-leverage role |
verdict
verdict: shipped, then leveled up