SuperFarm Research: ColdStack Decentralized Storage Aggregator

Bringing a Missing Piece to the Decentralized Ecosystem

Decentralized finance is flourishing, and NFTs are entering the mainstream — but there is one critical piece preventing today’s decentralized ecosystem from being more resilient and future-proof: the lack of widespread adoption of decentralized cloud storage.

That’s where ColdStack, which is about to hold its highly anticipated IDO on SuperStarter, comes into play: As the “Uber for Clouds,” ColdStack aims to bring AI-driven decentralized cloud aggregation to the blockchain space, a critical pillar in the decentralized systems of the future.

Addressing the Vulnerabilities of Today’s Crypto Infrastructure

Looking at the current DeFi landscape, one thing becomes clear: While we have seen significant innovation and adoption, we are far from achieving the vision of a fully decentralized ecosystem:

• On the one hand, many organizations still have to tackle the transition from centralized or federated governance structures to fully decentralized DAO’s.
• On the other hand, many are overlooking the core infrastructure, which is underlying the crypto and DeFi space: Most decentralized applications today still rely on websites and data storage services hosted by centralized providers (e.g. centralized domain registrars such as GoDaddy or cloud storage such as Amazon Web Services).
• This doesn’t just go against the blockchains space’s ethos of decentralization but also poses severe risks of censorship and control by powerful actors. Therefore, it is clear: The blockchain space needs scalable and secure decentralized data storage solutions, where no single entity can determine the fate of thousands and eventually billions of users.

Decentralized Data Storage, Source

More Reasons to Steer Away from Centralized Storage Solutions

In recent years, it has become clear that technology firms such as Google and Dropbox don’t have their user’s privacy and data protection at the forefront of their minds. Instead, extracting maximum profits out of users’ data has become their core business model.

Thus, decentralized data storage is not something that just benefits the DeFi space but targets a much wider audience.

Thus, the ambition of decentralized data storage is nothing less than to achieve mass adoption and become the new standard of how data is being stored and shared globally.

Decentralized Data Storage: The Next Big Theme in Crypto?

When we look at the current narratives in the crypto markets, we can clearly identify decentralized data storage as one of the themes that have gotten a lot of attention in recent months.

It’s enough to look at the spectacular rise of Filecoin that (after getting the backing of Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, Sequoia, Winklevoss Capital) launched on 15 October 2020 and has since shot up to a market cap of over $10 billion in just a few months — starting in Asia and then spilling over into the broader crypto space.

The Global Filecoin Network, Source

Filecoin’s ascent shows that decentralized data storage and resilient decentralized infrastructure are getting recognized as an essential theme. It would only make sense to see this still relatively young sector grow much more in the near future.

The current cloud storage market has an estimated size of over $50 billion and is expected to grow up to $137.3 billion in the next 4 years. This leads to a lot of growth potential for the whole decentralized cloud storage space.

Decentralized data storage market growth trajectory, Source

Among the most promising decentralized data storage providers — who all find themselves at different stages of their development — are:

• Filecoin
• Sia
• Arweave
• Lambda
• Storj
• BitTorrent

Why Cloud Aggregation Is a Central Piece for the Decentralized Web

For DeFi users, the aggregation of various services has already become standard:

• 1inch has demonstrated the power of AMM- and DEX-aggregation
• Yearn Finance and others focus on Yield-aggregation
• Portfolio managers such as Zerion and Zapper are seamlessly aggregating a whole suite of DeFi applications

What has hindered the broader adoption of decentralized data storage so far, has been a lack of UX. Users have to evaluate, which storage solution provides the best service for their needs — this can be a tedious process not always leading to the best results.

ColdStack: The “Uber for Clouds”

While the decentralized data storage space is being built, a new project aims to bring the pieces together and meet the demand for user-friendly aggregation services: ColdStack.

Founded by seasoned blockchain and AI experts Alexander Shishow, Victor Nagaitsev, and Denis Vorobiev, ColdStack enjoys the backing of several large-caliber VCs and partners.

The backers of ColdStack, Source

As the first aggregator of decentralized data storage services, ColdStack seeks to aggregate all existing DSN networks into one dApp platform. Its services are:

• Affordable due to an AI-driven approach and price guarantees
• Easy to use thanks to Amazon S3 compatible APIs, offering a Web3-based “all-in-one” experience
• Secure and private, incorporating the latest cutting-edge blockchain technology

Side note: No KYC or other form of identity verification will be required to use ColdStack’s services.

The Use Cases of Decentralized Data Storage Aggregation

ColdStack’s decentralized data storage aggregation services will have many critical use cases in the decentralized ecosystem such as supporting:

• Web3 Infrastructure Projects
• DeFi Services
• Blockchain-based Games
• NFT Marketplaces

Crypto and DeFi projects who today heavily rely on centralized services, will have access to a unified decentralized data storage solution, allowing their dApps to run on fully decentralized infrastructure. This will not just lead to a better user experience but also a much more resilient and secure ecosystem.

The Roadmap: How ColdStack Will Roll Out its Platform

With the Live Demo already up and running, ColdStack is launching its services gradually in the coming weeks and months, guaranteeing continuous upgrades and integrations. The public beta release is set to happen in Q3 this year, with the full launch expected to occur in Q4.

ColdStack’s roadmap, Source

The CLS Token Powering the ColdStack Ecosystem

The backbone of ColdStack’s ecosystem is the project’s native CLS token (which is fast approaching its IDO on SuperStarter and public launch). CLS’ main token utility is:

• Form of payment for all services on the ColdStack platform
• Compensation for ColdStack miners who run nodes
• Signing and authorizing transactions on the ColdStack platform
• NFT issuance
• Governance of the ColdStack DAO

While the CLS token will initially be launched on the Ethereum network, it will be available on BSC and Polkadot soon thereafter — according to the project’s ambitions to be fully interoperable and cross-chain in the near future.

Here are some important token metrics:

Token ticker: CLS

Total supply: 50,000,000 CLS

Initial circulating supply: 1,475,000 CLS

Price of the last round: $0.5

Initial market cap on listing*: $737,500

*According to the IDO price

CLS token distribution, Source

Lock-ups

Private: 10% TGE, 1 month cliff, 9 months linear

Strategic: 10% TGE, 1 month cliff, 9 months linear

Public: Fully unlocked

Team: 12 months locked, vested over 12 months

Staking and governance: Locked. Unlocked only after staking rewards, liquidity mining, etc.

Liquidity: Unlocked based on market demand

Reserves: Locked, unlocked based on the platform’s discretion

Ecosystem Fund: Unlocked based on DAO governance

Conclusion

ColdStack is set to enter the blockchain space with a splash, fulfilling the demand for decentralized data storage aggregation — which is a missing piece in today’s decentralized ecosystem.

With interoperability and cross-chain functionality at the core of ColdStack’s vision, the project perfectly fits into the narrative of interoperable blockchain solutions — offering a promising outlook for ColdStack’s native token $CLS.

It is only a matter of time before services, offered by the likes of ColdStack, become as standard in the crypto space as DEX and DeFi aggregators are today.

Beyond that, decentralized data storage will most likely play a critical role in the Web3 infrastructure of the future and reach significant mainstream adoption.