Exclusive interview with Jambo James Zhang: "J economy" in emerging markets, "APP Store" on the chain with one billion users

Author: John, ForesightNews

"DRC" may be the first time many people hear about this country, but it is in the "Strange Little Country" series of the main UP of B station John Khan.

As a three-generation Chinese rooted in Africa, James Zhang grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where poverty and unrest are intertwined, and therefore knows more than anyone else the rules of survival in underdeveloped regions around the world - in the double-digit youth With unemployment and a few dollars per day income, any narrative, including Web3, must take off its idealism and become a sharp blade that can cut bread.

To put it bluntly, African users don’t care about ZK-Rollup or modular narratives, they only ask three questions: Can it be a little cheaper? Is the phone resistant to falling? How much money can you make?

So under the label of "Africa + Smartphone", what Jambo wants to do is not simply map "Web3 version of voice transmission", but chooses to use $99 when other encrypted phones anchor the elite market for hundreds or thousands of dollars. The JamboPhone tear opens the cracks in the Third World: from Africa, to Southeast Asia, and then to Latin America, and then covers global users, leading everyone to enter Web3 with less cost and lower threshold .

This also reminds me of the important point of Transsion's killing all sides in Africa, which is that it can better serve the localized needs of the black user group, including clearly identifying selfies - this is also taking the mass line and surrounding the countryside Another practice of the city.

James Zhang also repeatedly emphasized in his interview that when he first came into contact with encryption technology, he immediately understood that blockchain is not only a financial speculation tool, but also a means of "empowerment": it can help at least millions of ordinary people. Users bypass traditional financial restrictions and truly enter the global digital economy system.

In his opinion, " What Jambo is doing is to introduce a new user base into the field of Crypto, rather than compete among existing users ." To some extent, JamboPhone is working hard to form a decentralized era Capillary network, thus reaching hundreds of millions of new users.

Finally, James Zhang also added, " JamboPhone is not just a phone - it is a movement. We don 't compete for existing crypto users, but bring the next billion people to Web3 ." Masaya Si Yan, since its birth, the concept of Web3 has carried the gene of universal benefits. From this perspective, Crypto should not be a playground for speculators, but users in underdeveloped regions around the world have crossed financial hegemony and barriers to economic system. springboard.

Especially in areas such as Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and other areas that are inverted with the current status of traditional financial markets and economic systems, they are precisely nurturing the main battlefield coordinates of the Web3 industry in the next ten years.

The journey has just begun.

Three generations have been rooted in Africa, Crypto and Jambo in the

eyes of Chinese-American Union Chuang

Foresight News: Seeing that your personal background is relatively diverse -your ancestral home is from Zhejiang, China, and your family has been rooted in Africa for three generations and grew up in the Congo (DRC). How did this cross-cultural growth environment shape your worldview? Is there a moment in your childhood experience that makes you realize the value of "connecting different worlds"?

James Zhang : Yes, I grew up as a Chinese in the Congo (DRC), which really made me have a very different understanding of "Connection", especially in my daily life and work in Africa. I have witnessed many communities still deeply Constrained by the traditional banking system, many people cannot use digital tools to solve financial problems.

This also makes me firmly believe that technology, especially decentralized systems, can build bridges and create new possibilities in places where there was no chance, and the power of "connecting different worlds" can also change the lives of countless people.

Foresight News: Does Africa’s relatively turbulent and underdeveloped living environment affect and shape your understanding of financial inclusion? Because of what opportunity did you get into the crypto industry and devote yourself to the Crypto field and founded Jambo full-time?

James Zhang : Of course, seeing many communities rely on the cash economy, being subject to inflation and economic instability, I became more aware of the urgency of building an inclusive financial system, especially when I first came into contact with crypto technology, I understood the blocks. Chain is not only a tool for financial speculation, but also a means of "empowerment":

Cryptocurrencies can provide financial services to unbanked people, achieve cross-border transactions at nearly zero cost, and create revenue opportunities through decentralized networks.

It is precisely because of this that I am determined to devote myself to this mission, which is also an opportunity for the birth of Jambo. So when we found that mobile device popularity was the main bottleneck for Web3 adoption, we decided to focus on developing a powerful smartphone priced at only $99 to support cutting-edge encryption application scenarios and break this bottleneck.

Foresight News: Does Jambo also attach great importance to traits such as multiculturalism when recruiting core members? What kind of talents are most in short supply at present?

James Zhang : There is no doubt that Jambo’s core philosophy is to achieve global inclusiveness, so we particularly value the cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding of team members. For example, understanding team members with different economic backgrounds and lifestyles can help us better Design products and solutions that meet global market needs.

At present, we especially need engineers who are good at blockchain infrastructure, emerging market operations experts, and product designers who can simplify the interactive experience for newbies in Web3. We also hope to combine different perspectives and professional skills through a diverse team. Accelerate the global popularization of inclusive finance and truly allow more people to enjoy the convenience brought by decentralized technology.

$99, how to go from Africa to billions of users?

Foresight News: JamboPhone has brought many emerging market users into smartphones for the first time and benefited from the crypto economy. How, in terms of design, does it turn complex Web3 concepts (such as private keys, cross-chain) into intuitive operations?

James Zhang : JamboPhone has been centered on ease of use since its inception, so we have integrated multi-chain wallets, simplified DApp stores and intuitive introductory processes to eliminate the threshold of using Web3, which also allows users to understand encryption technology. Complexity, allowing all features to run seamlessly in the background.

Our ultimate goal is to make the Web3 experience as natural as a traditional mobile application.

Foresight News: JamboPhone is positioned as an entrance to emerging markets to achieve financial inclusion, so how does it solve the specific challenges faced by users in Africa and other regions when accessing financial services?

James Zhang : The goal of JamboPhone is to remove financial barriers in emerging markets by providing a affordable, natively supported cryptocurrency and integrated Web3 services.

As we all know, many users in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America do not have access to traditional banking services, and JamboPhone provides secure asset storage, remittance and decentralized finance (DeFi) participation capabilities through its built-in multi-chain wallet, which not only enables low-cost Cross-border transactions can also create profit opportunities for users through interaction and games.

We also believe that by combining affordable prices, accessibility and financial empowerment, JamboPhone helps at least millions of users to bypass traditional financial restrictions and enter the global digital economy. In a sense, this group of users is the most The need for "empowerment" of cryptocurrencies, what Jambo does is to introduce a brand new user base into the field of Crypto, rather than compete among existing users .

For example, our cooperation with Tether/USDT and Solana provides users with savings opportunities denominated in USD. With Solana's low handling fees, users can conduct cross-border transactions almost zero costs, which is also changing those severe inflation and difficult capital circulation. The lives of people in the region.

Foresight News: Is there any information to share in the data dimension (JamboPhone user coverage, hardware network scale, ecological partners, etc.) in view of Jambo 's business development status?

James Zhang : So far, JamboPhone has sold more than 800,000 devices in 128+ countries, created more than 9.5 million wallets, and built an on-chain mobile network with unprecedented decentralization potential. This fast The speed of adoption also confirms to some extent the market's strong demand for Web3 native mobile experience.

Foresight News: The starting price of JamboPhone is only $99, which is significantly lower than other encrypted phones and is obviously more friendly to the mass market. How does it find a balance between cost and performance (scaling supply chain or ecological subsidies)?

James Zhang : Actually, the core of this problem is that what we want to do is not just sell a mobile phone, but to provide users with a brand new and affordable Web3 experience.

So to achieve this, Jambo has established a close strategic partnership with the world's top electronics manufacturers, leveraging economies of scale to lower costs while optimizing supply chains through large-scale component procurement agreements to ensure that prices can be maintained while maintaining high performance. Be truly friendly to the people .

We have also adopted a vertical integration method, which has eliminated a lot of redundant intermediate links and controlled the efficiency of each link such as production, distribution, and logistics, so that we can finally bring this cost-effective mobile phone to the market to achieve Our ultimate goal is to give more people access to Web3 technology, rather than turning it into a luxury that is limited to a minority group.

Foresight News: To a certain extent, the EarnDrop model relies on ecological partners ' subsidized rewards. How to avoid users' loss due to reduced rewards in the long run? Have long-term sustainable income mechanisms been planned?

James Zhang : In fact, the EarnDrop model is essentially different from the traditional passive airdrop. We do not want users to leave just by getting rewards, but to truly earn tokens by deeply participating in Web3 activities. Therefore, this token allocation method is combined. Pledge incentives and loyalty rewards encourage users to hold for a long time rather than obtain them in one go.

At the same time on JamboPhone, token allocations are bound to each unique physical device, which prevents witch attacks and ensures that tokens flow to real users rather than robots.

Taking our cooperation with Matr1x as an example, we airdropped FIRE tokens to holders of the Jambo community, and the token holding rate remained above 70% 30 days after the event ended, which means that the participating users It is truly intentional for long-term holding, not just to reward short-term intervention.

We believe that long-term sustainable income mechanisms must rely on the real participation of users and their continuous contribution to the ecosystem, rather than relying solely on external reward subsidies.

Foresight News: Jambo benefits from pre-installed applications of each device, what impact does this have on user retention and ecological growth?

James Zhang : Preinstalling Web3 applications is a very important advantage for Jambo. It greatly improves user conversion rates and effectively reduces customer acquisition costs (CAC).

Unlike traditional smartphones that rely on centralized app stores, JamboPhone users can directly access the complete Web3 ecosystem after booting. This "built-in accessibility" not only reduces the churn rate of users, but also improves their daily interactions, such as staking, DeFi, gaming and revenue activities, which greatly enhance users' retention.

For Web3 developers, Jambo also provides a zero-CAC distribution channel, which means they can attract new users at extremely low costs, quickly expand the ecosystem, and build a high-quality user base.举个例子，Sleepagotchi 在Jambo 用户中的留存率比通过其他渠道高出50%，这也证明了预装应用的效果，不仅对用户有吸引力，也为生态的长期增长奠定了基础。

Foresight News: Jambo involves both hardware and software experience, and is considered to occupy the main Web3 portal for users at the same time. How can this unique positioning improve user participation and long-term retention?

James Zhang : The combination of hardware and software is indeed a unique advantage.

By controlling the mobile hardware layer, Jambo has achieved the deep integration of Web3 applications and mobile experience, allowing users to interact directly with Web3 anytime, anywhere.不同于独立的DApp 需要面对用户发现和留存的挑战，JamboPhone 从开机那一刻起，就提供了钱包、DeFi 和去中心化应用的无缝接入，这种持续性的互动大大提升了用户的Retention and ecological participation.

更重要的是，Jambo 作为一个硬件产品，它通过交易、应用发现和DePIN 基础设施等多个触点变现，通过控制这些访问和互动的入口，我们能够为用户提供更加顺畅且连贯的Web3 体验， Finally, a high viscosity and high value ecosystem will be built.

Foresight News：我们也看到Jambo 的主要投资者有Paradigm、Pantera Capital、Delphi Ventures、Coinbase Ventures、Tiger Global 等顶级VC，那除提供资金支持外，它们为Jambo 还提供了哪些战略支持，Jambo 又计划How to use the investor network to accelerate global expansion?

James Zhang ：Paradigm、Pantera 和Coinbase Ventures 等投资方的支持，远远不止资金上的帮助，他们为Jambo 带来了宝贵的行业洞察、生态资源以及全球化战略指导，这些顶级VC 不仅相信我们的愿景, and provides important support in how to expand the market, optimize products and accelerate global layout.

At the same time, through their networks and resources, we are able to quickly enter emerging markets and expand partnerships, especially in important regions such as Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

More importantly, they helped us build trust within the industry and further strengthen Jambo's position in the global Web3 ecosystem. In the future, we will continue to rely on the support of these investors and use their global network and industry resources to accelerate Jambo's global expansion and provide more users with a high-quality Web3 experience.

Massive adoption of Jambo and Web3 in 2025

Foresight News：和下载加密钱包与Web3 应用的主流智能手机相比，内置Web3 应用的区块链手机究竟在哪些方面有不可替代的优势，您觉得它的竞争力到底在哪里？ What role does Jambo want to play in it?

James Zhang : Compared with mainstream phones, the reason why JamboPhone has irreplaceable advantages is that it has escaped the restrictions of Apple and Google's closed ecosystems - traditional smartphones rely on app stores, developers have to pay up to 30% of commissions, and Web3 features are subject to various restrictions, such as permissions to access DApps.

In contrast, JamboPhone has built-in crypto-native app store, allowing users to directly access the DApp, DeFi platform and NFT marketplace without any permission. It is also equipped with multi-chain wallets, native token rewards, and on-chain authentication. First, users can not only enjoy lower costs, but also truly own digital assets and fully experience the global crypto economy.

In short, JamboPhone breaks the limitations of traditional smartphones and allows Web3 to enter the daily lives of mainstream users. Especially by eliminating the dependence on centralized application stores, JamboPhone opens the door to the decentralized Internet for users and helps them. More convenient and cheaper participation in the global crypto economy.

Foresight News: I heard that Jambo is actively working with leading exchanges. What exclusive products or cooperation progress can users expect in the near future (such as customizing mobile phones or integrating Web3 services)?

James Zhang : Jambo will cooperate with top exchanges to jointly launch a customized version of JamboPhone, pre-install trading applications and provide exclusive benefits, such as instant account opening, handling fee discounts and enhanced security features. These integrations will support direct asset redemption, pledge and DeFi access, while providing fiat currency deposit channels for emerging markets.

Over the past year, OKX and Coinbase applications have been pre-installed on JamboPhone, helping us become important partners in their emerging market share.

In addition, JamboPhone will have built-in exchange-integrated airdrop mechanism, which we have already practiced in our own tokens. By integrating mobile technology with exchange services, Jambo is creating a safer and more convenient Web3 portal for global users to help more users seamlessly access the decentralized financial ecosystem.

Foresight News: We see Jambo planning to connect to JamboPhone users around the world through satellites. Does this mean that future users do not need to rely on traditional networks to use Web3 services? How will this technology complement existing mobile networks?

James Zhang : Yes, our goal is to build a truly decentralized mobile network, and through satellite connections, JamboPhone users can easily access Web3 services regardless of whether they are in remote areas or where they cannot access traditional telecom infrastructure.

I also believe that this will be a disruptive breakthrough in financial inclusion, bringing unprecedented financial opportunities to more users around the world, especially to complement existing mobile networks, ensuring stability can be achieved in areas that cannot be covered by traditional networks. Web3 access provides a wider range of services to users around the world.

Foresight News: How will J Tokens be fully integrated into the Jambo ecosystem and user incentive system in 2025? How to avoid tokens becoming speculative tools?

James Zhang : J Tokens will become the core fuel of our ecosystem for staking, governance, payment and user incentives.

We are building a token economy system that rewards real users rather than speculators to ensure the long-term value of J tokens. By providing users with actual incentive mechanisms such as long-term holding rewards and participation mechanisms, we are committed to building a sustainable a user-driven economic system.

We hope that J tokens will not only promote the popularization of Web3, but also realize real value among the groups that need it the most, bringing more opportunities and changes.