We have the privilege of interviewing Kerching Choo, CTO at HeLa Labs
Before becoming the CTO of HeLa Labs, He served as CTO in various industries, including fintech, online platforms, and stock management systems.
With that in mind, he co-founded HeLa Labs to build a Layer 1 protocol that provides stability, confidentiality, and interoperability for its users. His vision and mission are to create a world where the benefits of these technologies can be experienced by the masses.
1. Vision and Mission: HeLa Labs is focused on building a more inclusive and decentralized future. Can you share the core vision that drives your work and how HeLa Labs aims to make this a reality?
Kerching: HeLa Labs envisions a future where blockchain and AI technologies converge to create a decentralized and inclusive digital world. Our mission is to build innovative solutions that bridge Web2 and Web3, focusing on industries like gaming, DeFi, and others.
With our scalable and modular Layer 1 blockchain, we make decentralized tools more accessible, helping businesses create secure and efficient systems. By empowering industries and individuals with real-world blockchain applications, HeLa Labs drives the shift toward a more user-centric, decentralized digital environment.
2. Product Development: HeLa Labs offers a variety of blockchain-based products and services. Could you highlight the most transformative product in your portfolio and explain how it addresses specific pain points in the current Web3 ecosystem?
Kerching: At HeLa Labs, our most transformative product is our modular Layer 1 blockchain. It’s not just about blockchain—it’s about integrating AI infrastructure to support both Web2 and Web3 applications.
This approach tackles core challenges like scalability, high fees, and limited real-world usage. Our modular design offers flexibility for developers, enabling scalable and efficient development, while users benefit from seamless experiences. By leveraging stablecoin-based transaction fees, we’ve made decentralized technology more affordable and practical for industries spanning gaming, finance, and beyond.
3. Web3 Adoption: Web3 is still in its early stages of adoption. What do you see as the biggest challenges for wider Web3 adoption, both for developers and end-users, and how is HeLa Labs working to overcome these?
Kerching: Web3 adoption faces challenges in onboarding both developers and users due to issues like scalability, high costs, and a fragmented ecosystem. End-users also grapple with navigating decentralized platforms and security concerns.
At HeLa Labs, we’re tackling these challenges head-on by providing a modular Layer 1 blockchain that offers scalable solutions, a stablecoin-based fee structure, and an intuitive ecosystem for developers. By focusing on real-world applications like AI integration, we’re making decentralized technologies more practical and accessible for a broader audience, bridging Web2 and Web3 seamlessly.
4. Decentralized Finance (DeFi): With DeFi growing rapidly, what do you believe are the key trends shaping the future of decentralized finance, and how is HeLa Labs positioning itself to take advantage of these trends?
Kerching: The future of decentralized finance (DeFi) is being shaped by trends like increasing regulatory clarity, the growth of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and the integration of traditional finance with blockchain. Layer 2 scaling solutions and cross-chain compatibility are critical to improving usability.
HeLa Labs is positioning itself as a leader in this space by offering a modular, scalable infrastructure, stablecoin-based transaction fees, and cross-industry solutions. By integrating AI with DeFi, HeLa Labs is optimizing efficiency, enhancing security, and enabling seamless access for both developers and end-users.
5. Blockchain Interoperability: One major challenge in the blockchain space is interoperability between different networks. How is HeLa Labs addressing this issue, and what do you think will be the key to unlocking seamless interaction between multiple blockchains?
Kerching: HeLa Labs tackles blockchain interoperability by employing a modular architecture that enables various blockchain networks to communicate and share data seamlessly. This approach allows for easy integration of different protocols and assets across multiple chains.
The key to ensuring smooth interaction lies in creating universal standards and using tools like bridges or oracles that connect these ecosystems. HeLa focuses on scalability, cross-chain compatibility, and secure transactions, ensuring that their platform adapts to evolving needs and promotes interoperability within the Web3 space.
6. Sustainability and Scalability: As blockchains grow, scalability and sustainability are crucial. What innovations or practices is HeLa Labs incorporating to ensure that your solutions can scale without compromising on performance or environmental impact?
Kerching: At HeLa Labs, we ensure scalability and sustainability by using a modular Layer 1 blockchain architecture. Our approach allows different modules like AI, gaming, and DeFi to operate independently while staying connected to the main chain. This design helps us reduce network congestion and maintain consistent performance as our platform grows.
Additionally, we leverage AI-powered efficiency to optimize resource usage. Our AI predicts and manages workloads dynamically, adjusting resource allocation in real time to prevent waste and improve operational efficiency, all without compromising on environmental sustainability.
Kerching Choo, CTO of HeLa Labs7. Security in Web3: Security remains a pressing issue in Web3 and DeFi. What steps does HeLa Labs take to ensure the safety of users and their assets, and what broader trends do you see in improving security in the Web3 space?
Kerching: At HeLa Labs, we ensure security through a robust consensus protocol and the engagement of professional validators, which helps protect both our protocol and the entire ecosystem from potential threats. Additionally, HeLa Chain incorporates a multi-level decentralized identity system, providing enhanced security and privacy for users.
This setup also supports privacy-preserving transactions, adding an extra layer of confidentiality to user interactions. Together, these measures create a secure and trustworthy environment for users and their assets.
8. Partnerships and Collaboration: Collaboration is key in the decentralized world. Can you share any exciting partnerships or projects that HeLa Labs is currently involved in, and how these collaborations are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with blockchain?
Kerching: At HeLa Labs, we believe collaboration is essential to driving innovation in the decentralized world. One of our most exciting partnerships is with Animoca Brands, where we’re working together on GameHiro, a multichain gaming studio dApp that will initially launch on HeLa Chain.
This collaboration allows us to integrate blockchain technology into gaming, pushing the boundaries of decentralized gaming experiences. Additionally, we are exploring partnerships in the AI and DeFi spaces, aiming to create cross-industry solutions that merge artificial intelligence with blockchain, further enhancing scalability, security, and user engagement.
9. Future Outlook: Looking ahead, what do you believe the next 5 to 10 years will look like for the blockchain and Web3 space? What role do you envision HeLa Labs playing in shaping that future?
Kerching: In the next 5 to 10 years, blockchain and Web3 will likely become a bigger part of everyday life, expanding beyond finance into areas like healthcare, gaming, supply chains, and artificial intelligence. Decentralization will keep driving new innovations, with more focus on scalability, sustainability, and privacy.
HeLa Labs plans to play a major role in this future with our modular Layer 1 blockchain, which allows different parts like AI, gaming, and DeFi to work independently but still be connected. This flexibility, along with our AI-driven and secure platform, positions us to lead in building decentralized systems that can transform many industries.
We see HeLa Chain helping bridge Web2 and Web3, making blockchain more practical, secure, and user-friendly for everyone.
