On June 4, 2025, we hosted a live AMA with the Blum founders to answer the most pressing questions from our global community. With over 15,000 people joining the livestream, the team covered everything from the $BLUM token and airdrop mechanics to exchange listings, Sybil detection, and long-term product vision. You can watch the full AMA recording on our official YouTube channel here.
Below is the full recap, with answers grouped by topic and lightly edited for clarity.
Participants:
Gleb Kostarev – Co-Founder & CEO
Vladimir Masliakov – Co-Founder & CTO
Igor Pugachevskiy – Co-Founder & VP of Design
Nick Ziborov (Moderator) – SMM & Content Lead
STRATEGY & FUTURE
1. Why is Blum focused on Telegram and TON?
Gleb Kostarev: From the beginning, we focused on Telegram because it’s one of the best tools to reach new audiences within Web3. Telegram has nearly one billion users and is already a hub for the Web3 community. We continue building our trading bot and mini-app within Telegram to make them as useful as possible. Also, since we started with TON, there are ecosystem policies requiring mini-apps to live on TON. You can’t connect wallets like Phantom. This creates a natural synergy between Telegram and TON, and we plan to stay focused rather than dilute our attention across platforms.
2. What is the long-term vision for Blum over the next 5, 10, and 20 years?
Gleb Kostarev: Our goal is to simplify and improve on-chain trading. We’ve launched a memepad, a trading bot across TON, Solana, and BNB Chain, and introduced spot trading in the mini-app. We also built the Blum Trading Board for fast, on-chain trades. Long-term, we’ll continue building tools that make Web3 more accessible and seamless.
3. How will the $BLUM token evolve and stay competitive in the future?
Gleb Kostarev: We don’t want $BLUM to be just another meme coin. Many TON projects launch tokens with no real utility. Ours will offer fee discounts in trading tools and may include buybacks and burns. We’re designing the token to be useful within the ecosystem — not hype-based.
4. How is Blum planning to move from airdrop farming to long-term user retention?
Gleb Kostarev: We’re focusing on real products — not tap-to-earn gimmicks. The era of click farming is behind us. Our core tools — the launchpad and trading bot — offer real utility. We ran a workshop to show users how to use the bot, and even a single trade can earn Meme Points. If people try it once, they tend to stay. That’s our strategy.
5. Why did Vladimir Smerkis leave the project?
Gleb Kostarev: Vladimir stepped down due to an ongoing legal case in Russia. We respect his decision and deeply value his contributions. We continue to support his family, but we can’t comment further on the investigation.
6. Which countries are showing the most user interest in BLUM?
Gleb Kostarev: Our strongest traction is in developing countries with big Telegram communities: Nigeria, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia, Turkey. We also have strong engagement in Latin America, with great local leaders like Isabella. Of course, we do not serve users from sanctioned jurisdictions like North Korea.
PRODUCT & ECOSYSTEM
7. Why was my account marked as Sybil, and how does the appeal process work?
Vladimir Masliakov: We developed a strict Sybil detection system to prevent airdrop abuse. These accounts often harm the project by farming and dumping tokens. The algorithm scores Sybil probability, and yes, some false positives happen. That’s why we launched an appeal form — we manually review all appeals before the snapshot (June 7). We also adjust the formula if it’s too strict. If your appeal succeeds, your Sybil mark is removed, and you’ll be eligible.
8. Will $BLUM be tradable on the Blum Bot or Memepad? What about listing on CEXes?
Gleb Kostarev: Yes, $BLUM will be tradable inside our ecosystem — both the mini-app and the bot. That’s our top priority. While we’re also in talks with centralized exchanges, our main goal is to drive trading within our own product. We want users to trade $BLUM through our tools, not just external platforms.
9. Are there plans to release mobile apps, including support for staking and NFTs?
Igor Pugachevskiy: Our current focus is the Telegram mini-app and the TON ecosystem, where we’re growing fastest. A standalone mobile app is definitely under consideration as demand increases. Staking is on our roadmap — we’re exploring integrations that would add value. NFTs aren’t a priority now, but we’re watching developments in TON closely.
10. Will Blum support wallet integrations like MetaMask or WalletConnect?
Vladimir Masliakov: Technically, yes — we’ve tested them already. But Telegram policies restrict wallet support in mini-apps. If they lift those rules, or once we launch a web version, we’ll integrate WalletConnect, MetaMask, Solana, and others quickly.
11. Are there plans to build a native exchange or a standalone blockchain?
Vladimir Masliakov: Yes. Our Perpetuals product is essentially a native exchange, with an order book, clearing system, and risk management. We're expanding vertically (e.g. AI features) and horizontally (multi-chain support). TON is great for scaling, but not ideal for fast trading. We’re considering a dedicated blockchain — like Hyperliquid — optimized for high-speed on-chain trading.
TOKEN LAUNCH & AIRDROP
12. Will there be a public sale or community round before TGE?
Gleb Kostarev: No — we’re not doing a public sale. Unlike some projects, we think it’s better to reward the community with an airdrop instead of selling tokens. Our focus is building utility after TGE, not raising funds.
13. Will $BLUM be listed on centralized exchanges, or stay focused on DEX and TON? What about Binance Alpha?
Gleb Kostarev: From day one, our focus has been to build a trading product and drive token usage inside our app. We are in discussions with some CEXes, but our priority is making $BLUM available inside our mini-app and trading bot. That’s where we want users to experience it first.
14. Will airdropped tokens have a vesting or lockup period?
Vladimir Masliakov: Yes. We’re introducing a “Cradle Airdrop” mechanism — a modern approach that distributes tokens over time, aligning with user engagement. It’s fairer than traditional retro drops and encourages long-term participation.
15. Is another airdrop season planned after TGE?
Vladimir Masliakov: Possibly, but we won’t call it a “season.” After TGE, we move into a new phase — launching Perpetuals, AI, and supporting token launches via our tools. Future airdrops will reward stakers, holders, and active traders. (Gleb Kostarev) Yes, we’ve reserved allocations for future airdrops and plan to continue rewarding loyal users.
16. Are the CEX pre-market listings official?
Gleb Kostarev: No, those are not official. The exchanges launched them on their own. Be careful — pre-market listings can be volatile and don’t reflect real launch value.
TOKENOMICS & VALUE
17. When will full tokenomics be shared, and how is the $BLUM supply allocated between team, investors, community, and ecosystem?
Gleb Kostarev: We’ll share the full tokenomics next week. It will detail all allocations — team, investors, community, ecosystem — everything will be public and transparent.
18. What will $BLUM be used for within the Blum ecosystem?
Gleb Kostarev: $BLUM will offer real utility: fee discounts, staking, and more in-product benefits. We’re embedding the token into the core of the trading experience, not just adding it as an extra feature.
SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY
19. How will Blum ensure liquidity and reduce dumping after launch?
Gleb Kostarev: A few key strategies:
– Real utility (discounts, staking)
– Buybacks and token burns
– Unlocking airdrops gradually We want to avoid Blum becoming a meme coin. Everything we do is to build long-term alignment between users and the platform.
20. Are there plans for staking, burning, or token buybacks to support long-term value?
Vladimir Masliakov: Absolutely. Staking — including liquid staking — will be available from day one. Burning will also happen from launch. Future retro drops will reward those holding, staking, and trading $BLUM actively. Our model is inspired by what Layer 1 chains do, adapted to our ecosystem.
