Web3 Rewards Platform T-Rex Secures $17 Million Pre-Seed Funding
Web3 platform T-Rex receives $17M funding to reward content consumption. Learn how their innovative browser extension works and who's backing this growing market player.
T-Rex, a web3 consumer entertainment platform, has secured $17 million in pre-seed financing to reward users for consuming content online. According to The Block, the platform aims to revolutionize user engagement on popular platforms like X, TikTok, and YouTube by offering cryptocurrency rewards through a unique "proof-of-engagement" system. Investors include Portal Ventures, North Island Ventures, Framework Ventures, and Arbitrum Gaming Ventures.
The funding round represents the total capital raised by T-Rex to date as it prepares to launch its browser extension by the end of summer 2025. This extension will use zero-knowledge transport layer security (zkTLS) technology to verify information between web2 and web3 platforms while maintaining user privacy. Users earn points by clicking on "popcorn" icons that appear while watching content, which can later be converted into crypto rewards.
How T-Rex Works: Bridging Web2 and Web3
T-Rex differentiates itself through its innovative approach to user engagement, focusing on rewarding activities users already enjoy. Unlike many web3 projects that require users to adapt to new platforms, T-Rex meets consumers where they already spend time online.
The platform leverages zkTLS technology, allowing users to verify their engagement without exposing personal data. This addresses a common concern in web3 adoption: privacy protection. As PANews reported, the platform tracks users' content interactions through browser extensions, obtaining encrypted rewards in a gamified form while ensuring privacy.
Allen Ng, T-Rex co-founder, explained the platform's vision to The Block: "Most rollups focus on scalability and modularity, but few tackle the biggest barrier to adoption — fragmented UX that leaves users and developers navigating disconnected, unintuitive systems."
By the end of 2025, T-Rex plans to onboard more than 100 content creators, expand media partnerships, and strengthen intellectual property collaborations, according to NFTgators.
The Growing Web3 Rewards Market
The T-Rex funding announcement comes amid significant growth in the broader web3 market. According to Mordor Intelligence, the global Web3 market is expected to reach USD 1.04 billion in 2025 and grow at a CAGR of 42.30% to reach USD 6.06 billion by 2030.
More specifically, web3 entertainment and media are projected to expand rapidly. Market Research Future estimates this segment will grow from USD 9.85 billion in 2025 to USD 319.11 billion by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate of 48.50%.
Consumer adoption remains the critical challenge for web3 projects. At a SXSW 2025 panel, experts discussed how web3 technologies could transform customer engagement in rewards programs. According to PYMNTS, panel participants emphasized that the approach must be holistic, addressing the whole consumer experience rather than just offering tokenized rewards.
Robert Wesley, founder and CEO of My AI, noted in Crypto News that "despite current impediments, web3 loyalty programs are full of potential, and consumers could see real change sooner than we think."
Arbitrum Partnership and Gaming Connection
A notable aspect of T-Rex's investment round is the participation of Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, highlighting the growing intersection between gaming and web3 rewards systems. Arbitrum has established itself as a leading Layer 2 blockchain solution for web3 gaming.
According to GAM3S.GG, the global web3 gaming market is poised for substantial growth, projected to expand from $37.5 billion in 2025 to $183 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 19.24%.
T-Rex is developed by Everest Venture Group (EVG), an Asian product builder and publisher with a history of driving mass adoption. The platform is built on Arbitrum Orbit, which enables fast, secure transactions with lower costs than many competing blockchain solutions, making it more suitable for consumer applications.
This strategic partnership positions T-Rex at the intersection of content consumption and gaming rewards, potentially creating new engagement models for creators and consumers alike.
Market Impact and Future Outlook
The T-Rex platform enters a competitive landscape where traditional loyalty programs are increasingly being challenged by web3 alternatives. According to Simon-Kucher, web3 loyalty programs offer advantages in ownership and engagement, as "traditional loyalty programs often rely on centralized systems to track and manage customer points and rewards."
Experts at Crossmint note that unlike traditional loyalty programs, web3 approaches "enable interoperability, allowing points or tokens to be used across various networks," fostering a more decentralized ecosystem where users have greater control over their rewards.
T-Rex aims to address the user experience challenges that have hindered widespread adoption of web3 applications. As Onchain Magazine reports, "the best Web3 apps improve accessibility by integrating seamless sign-ins, gasless transactions, and social logins," removing barriers that discourage new users.
For T-Rex to succeed where others have struggled, it will need to deliver on its promise of simplicity while offering meaningful rewards that users genuinely value.
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