采访预测市场协议 Azuro 的核心贡献者 Rossen

Azuro 是链上预测层。它由模块化工具、预言机和流动性解决方案组成，用于 EVM 链，以托管强大的预测和游戏应用程序。凭借其基础设施层方法，Azuro 使链上预测和游戏可移植且可组合，供在其上运行的数十个应用程序使用。Azuro 允许任何人通过快速、无需许可且零前期或运行成本构建应用程序和集成来吸引用户并从中获利。

采访 Azuro 核心贡献者 Rossen Yordanov

我们与 Azuro 核心贡献者 Rossen Yordanov 谈论了 Azuro 的使命、发展挑战和未来愿景。我们还询问了他关于 Azuro 为何受到知名风险投资家的关注以及他对新人的建议。

我们非常感谢 Rossen Yordanov 抽出时间回答我们的问题，并分享他对预测市场和区块链技术为何天作之合的看法。事不宜迟，让我们开始采访吧。

1. 您能否向我们介绍一下您在加密领域的个人道路以及您是如何参与 Azuro 开发的？

2017 年，我开始涉足加密货币领域。我的几个朋友都是扑克玩家，他们开始炒 ICO。自然而然，我也要加入其中。赚了一些钱，市场暴跌后又全部赔光，这是一个经典故事。但我的好奇心一直没有消退。最后，我领导了一家大型跨国支付公司的加密货币开发工作。2018 年，我们在应用程序中推出了加密货币交易，遥遥领先，并成为 Coinbase 在欧洲、中东和非洲地区最大的机构客户之一。

但我想要的不仅仅是涉足 CeFi。到了 2021 年，我渴望在加密世界中更深入地探索。因此，当机会来临时，我放弃了舒适的公司工作，一头扎进了 Azuro 的严肃链上开发中。

2. 您认为预测市场和加密货币最近为何变得如此紧密相关？

答案很简单——是时候了。预测市场在 2017 年风靡一时。这是 ETH 白皮书中的三个主要原语之一。然后——鬼城似乎永远消失了。但现在不是了。

Polymarket 让点对点预测市场为美国大选等大型社交活动服务。他们花了六年时间。他们甚至得到了 Vitalik 的资助，最近宣布了这一消息，他们将继续努力。这是即将到来的第一个广泛市场信号之一。Azuro 正在让点对池预测市场发挥作用。两年前，这还被认为是不可能实现的。体育市场。链上。具有被动流动性。所有流动性、定价、解决和结算都在 Azuro 上进行。实际上，从第一天起，体育就一直是预测市场的圣杯。

Using EVM-compatible blockchains finally provides the needed infrastructure. Azuro has already shown it can thrive on these platforms, becoming the fastest-growing protocol and leading in revenue for months. This broad compatibility ensures seamless scalability and security, allowing Azuro to integrate into diverse ecosystems and drive blockchain-based prediction market adoption.

3. Tell us more about your personal vision of Azuro protocol and the main problems it solves.

Azuro is all about making prediction markets simple and accessible. It's an on-chain protocol that provides advanced tools, oracle solutions, and a unique liquidity model. Developers can whip up apps quickly without any upfront costs. Think of it like a Lego set for prediction markets—you just snap the pieces together and you've got a business in hours instead of months.

Azuro tackles the big challenges of traditional prediction markets by being fully permissionless and secured by smart contracts. This means no gatekeepers and no hassles, just a smooth, secure way to build and participate in prediction markets. We are breaking down barriers and making the whole process efficient and transparent. It might sound cliche, I know, but it’s true.

4. Tell us more about the key data and numbers we should know about Azuro.

The protocol has been on a constant growth path since launch. To date, we support 28 user-facing applications. Out of these, 5 apps have pulled in their own revenue exceeding $100,000, with the top app raking in over $2 million. The protocol itself has hit a total predictions volume of over $377 million, with 28,000+ unique users coming from Azuro-run applications.

Azuro has processed a whopping 5M transactions, with 400K+ transactions just in the last month. Football and basketball dominate the sports prediction volumes, making up for nearly 70% and 19%, respectively, which matches global sports prediction market trends.

5. What do you think are the main features and functionality that make Azuro stand-alone?

One of the biggest hurdles we tackled at Azuro is liquidity. We came up with a peer-to-pool model that smartly allocates liquidity across various markets without putting LPs at risk. LPs don't have to manually create markets or take on specific risks anymore.

Azuro runs completely permissionless, with all transactions and market activities handled by smart contracts. This means total transparency for everyone involved, from LPs to end users. The peer-to-pool model is not just a great innovation for liquidity providers, it also expands the possibilities of what can be predicted overall.

By default, prediction markets relied upon a peer-to-peer model, meaning that you need counterparty liquidity to place a bet on a specific scenario. That’s incredibly limiting, as you might not find organic liquidity for all events. Azuro solves that through the peer-to-pool model, which can seamlessly allocate resources where needed.

Moreover, Azuro can roll with any EVM-compatible blockchain. We’ve already integrated with networks that get the on-chain prediction market game. Since its integration, Azuro has become one of the fastest movers on Gnosis and a multi-month revenue champ on Polygon PoS. We recently added support for Chiliz Chain, so we’re waiting to see how that plays out.

6. This April, Azuro raised 11M from notable VCs. Tell us how you plan to use these raised funds.

Yeah, this April we announced an $11M raise, and we’ve got some heavy hitters backing us like SevenX Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, Arrington Capital, Polymorphic Capital, Red Beard Ventures, Dewhales, and G1 Ventures. A lot of these guys have been with us since the seed round, so it’s awesome to see their ongoing support as we gear up for big milestones ahead.

We’re planning to use these funds to turbocharge ecosystem development and expand Azuro’s offerings. There are still tons of untapped niches in the predictions industry that could bring in major revenue streams for Azuro-run businesses.

7. What future do you think expects prediction markets in the next 5 years?

There are three major trends converging that will supercharge the protocol that dominates on-chain prediction markets. First, the need for open access, freedom, and certainty of ownership, which is at the heart of crypto, is especially crucial in gambling, where players have been burned by operators limiting, banning, and withholding funds.

Second, there's a natural trend towards business fragmentation as barriers to entry drop. This democratization of tech is something we're seeing everywhere, from media to prediction markets. Just like how influencers now have their own brands and platforms, we're going to see them launching their own apps. It's becoming way too easy to set up shop.

Lastly, the affiliate industry, which drives user acquisition in traditional gambling, is hungry for transparency and fairness. On-chain solutions will finally give them the certainty they've been craving, making it easier than ever to start their own operations. So, if one word can describe my vision for the next five years is “transformative.”

8. The first advice you’d give to prediction markets and Azuro newcomers.

First off, jump in by putting a deposit in the Azuro liquidity pool. It’s a win-win: you support our ecosystem by providing liquidity for prediction markets, and you earn a sweet APR on stablecoins. Next, consider building an app on top of the Azuro protocol. This hands-on experience will give you a broader perspective and understanding of prediction markets, while you tap into our infrastructure. Success cases are out there, and I don’t think they are a matter of luck. There’s tangible opportunity in this market. As mentioned, our top app is already pulling $2 million in revenue. So, just dive in and start making moves.

我们非常感谢 Rossen 抽出时间回答我们的问题，并分享他对预测市场和区块链技术为何天作之合的看法。事不宜迟，让我们开始采访吧。我们祝愿 Azuro 在其发展历程中一切顺利。如果您有兴趣了解有关 Azuro 协议的更多信息，请导航至 https://azuro.org 并加入 https://x.com/azuroprotocol。