# # POW! x Nouns campaign

Gamifying blockchain education with Nouns⌐◨-◨

![POW! x Nouns campaign](https://i.imgur.com/LeWr4qZ.png)

## TL;DR

- POW! is a fully onchain, open-source mobile game on Starknet that gamifies blockchain education through a fun clicker experience. 
- The game embodies and distributes the Nounish ethos, bringing ⌐◨-◨ into the hands of thousands of players. 
- POW! users play with Nouns avatars and compete for a spot in the leaderboard. 
- Launched Oct 6, 2025 on Android and iOS, and operated by Starkware, POW! surpassed 7,000 downloads in one week and is nearing 10,000 players. 
- POW! is free for users. They do not pay gas fees, and gas abstraction is possible thanks to the open-source and battle-tested AVNU Paymaster. This core piece of infrastructure is engineered by AVNU, the leading DEX aggregator on Starknet and a contributor to the ecosystem since 2023. 
- Our request: $50,000 USD in USDC to AVNU. The amount will be bridged to Starknet and converted to STRK to cover gas fees for POW!. Around 80 % of the funds will directly subsidize real player activity on-chain, while the remaining \~20 % will cover essential Paymaster operation and maintenance costs (infrastructure, monitoring, and support). 

## Description: What is POW! and Our Contribution to Nouns

POW! is a fully onchain, open-sourced, mobile game built on Starknet, a Layer 2 scaling solution on Ethereum. It gamifies blockchain education through a fun and intuitive clicker experience.

- [Game website](https://www.pow-game.com/) 
- [Android download](https://play.google.com/store/search?q=tycoon%20crypto&c=apps&hl=en) 
- [iOS download](https://apps.apple.com/ch/app/pow-powered-by-starknet/id6749684084?l=en-GB) 

The game has been built with the Nouns brand as the core theme. Players build their Noun avatar ⌐◨-◨, start building their blockchain, click, and compete for leaderboard dominance. Players operate as a bitcoin miner who wants to accumulate virtual BTC fees. 

They create transactions, mine blocks, upgrade their chains, and unlock new transaction types. Along the way, the game introduces key blockchain concepts, such as Layer 2, Blobs, Runes, and SegWit, helping players become familiar with these terms in an engaging and hands-on way. 

At the time of the app's development, the builders used the Nouns theme since they're a big fan of the movement and it aligns perfectly with the open-sourced ethos.

![Gameplay POW! GIF](https://i.imgur.com/M2a5tuw.gif)

A video explainer here: [https://x.com/StarknetEco/status/1975118655190122551 ](https://x.com/StarknetEco/status/1975118655190122551)

Launched publicly on October 6th, POW! has already surpassed 7,000 downloads as of October 13th on iOS and Android (see performance metrics here: [https://dune.com/este_strk/pow](https://dune.com/este_strk/pow)). 

All blockchain interactions are abstracted for a smooth gaming experience. Gas costs are fully covered by the open-source, battle-tested [Paymaster](https://github.com/avnu-labs/paymaster) from [AVNU](https://app.avnu.fi/en), the leading DEX aggregator on Starknet. 

Below are screenshots of the POW! avatar creation and leaderboard displays:

![image](https://i.imgur.com/AhaMorU.png)

## Our Ask from NounsDAO:

- Amount: $50’000 USD in USDC to sponsor player gas fees (note: The AVNU paymaster operates on Starknet and is funded via a Starknet L2 address). 
- Recipient: Starkware, directly sending the funds to AVNU (Starkware Paymaster partner) 
- Purpose: Cover user gas fees to remove friction, sustain growth, and onboard Nounish players to POW! 
- Estimated cost per user: \~$8 USD ([Dune dashboard](https://dune.com/este_strk/pow)) 
- Total reach: \~5,000 players 
- Allocation: 100 % of the funds are dedicated to sustaining onchain player activity with approximately 80 % used for gas sponsorship, ensuring the Paymaster remains reliable and fully operational and the remaining \~20 % will cover essential operations and maintenance costs (infrastructure, monitoring, and support). Please note, the address linked to this candidate proposal (0x7c810CAD6c76Ad969e5308771B69cD9Ed2AE6F4b) is a Starkware ETH L1 address. 100% of the funds will be directly sent to AVNU for the funding of the paymaster. 

## POW!’s Contribution to Nouns  ⌐◨-◨

- 5,000+ players exposed to Nouns 
- New channel of distribution via Android and iOS apps. 
- Seamless onboarding experience via gasless UX on Ethereum (via Starknet) 
- Strengthens Nouns’ cultural presence in a fast-growing L2 ecosystem 

## Deliverables

### 1. Nouns x POW!

- Dedicated NounsDAO page on the Settings page 
- “Funded by NounsDAO” on the Home page 
- Flying Noggles in app background integration 
- Link to the Nouns [OpenSea](https://opensea.io/collection/nouns) collection on [pow-game.com](https://www.pow-game.com/) 

### 2. POW! Distribution

- Starkware’s Ecosystem team manages the distribution of POW! via contests and a NounsDAO branded campaign, announced on Twitter and shared by the Starknet main handle and ecosystem. 

### 3. POW! Improvements and Optimizations

- Starkware’s Exploration team will dedicate a further 500 engineering hours to optimize POW! onchain operations (e.g, reducing fees, smoother UX), and distribution (e.g, sharing new features). 

### 4. Track and publish metrics

- New users onboarded thanks to the funding provided by NounsDAO 
- Gas fees funded 
- Growth and fees [dashboard](https://dune.com/este_strk/pow) 

### 5. Visual impact

- Leaderboards and avatars showcasing Nouns imagery 
- Optional “Sponsored by Nouns DAO” display in-game 
- Starkware’s Exploration team will explore further exposure of Nouns (e.g., account management page, etc.) 

## Final note

If you've made it this far, we really appreciate it! We are open and happy to pursue future collaborations with the NounsDAO and its ecosystem to continue distributing the brand and ethos with POW!.

## Who is AVNU (core maintainer of the paymaster used in POW!)?

[AVNU](https://app.avnu.fi/en) is the leading DEX aggregator on Starknet, and the [team](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/521197-21#overview) behind the open-sourced and battle-tested Paymaster that powers POW!’s seamless, gasless experience. The [Paymaster](https://doc.avnu.fi/avnu-paymaster/overview) was launched in July 2025 and has been instrumental in abstracting gas fees for onchain applications.

Founded by Mentor Reka and Florian Belloti, and backed by BigBrain Holdings and Builder Capital, AVNU has been a core contributor to the Starknet ecosystem since May 1, 2023.

## Who is Starkware (core maintainer of the Starknet Ethereum Layer-2)?

[Starkware](https://starkware.co/) is a blockchain infrastructure company and a key contributor to Starknet. Co-founded in 2017 by [Eli Ben-Sasson](https://x.com/EliBenSasson), Starkware has pioneered the development of the STARK cryptographic proof system. The company has applied this technology by building advanced proving systems, launching [StarkEx](https://starkware.co/starkex/), a permissioned Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution that went live in June 2020, and [Starknet](https://www.starknet.io/), a permissionless Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution live since November 2021. Today, Starkware employs \~200 people.

## Important links:

- Video tutorial: [https://x.com/StarknetEco/status/1975118655190122551](https://x.com/StarknetEco/status/1975118655190122551) 
- Android / Google Play: [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.starknet.pow&hl=en](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.starknet.pow&hl=en)   
- iOS / App Store: [https://apps.apple.com/ch/app/pow-powered-by-starknet/id6749684084?l=en-GB](https://apps.apple.com/ch/app/pow-powered-by-starknet/id6749684084?l=en-GB)   
- Website: [https://pow-game.com](https://pow-game.com) 
- AVNU Paymaster: [https://github.com/avnu-labs/paymaster](https://github.com/avnu-labs/paymaster)   
- AVNU Company description: [https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/521197-21#overview](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/521197-21#overview) 
- Starkware Company description: [https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/229016-26](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/229016-26) 
- Onchain stats: [https://dune.com/este_strk/pow](https://dune.com/este_strk/pow)   
- Game repo: [https://github.com/keep-starknet-strange/pow/](https://github.com/keep-starknet-strange/pow/) 

## Contact:

@Sisyfos: Apps Team Lead at Starkware ([estevan@starkware.co](http://estevan@starkware.co/))
@starkience: Ecosystem Manager at Starkware ([victor@starkware.co](http://victor@starkware.co/))

Outcome: DEFEATED