Building an NFT Community

 Elroy Cheo, co-founder of the soon-to-launch NFT members platform ARC, says its goal is not to create another elitist club but to develop a community of Web 3 creators and collaborators.

- KAREN TEE

The first thing Elroy Cheo looks at on his cellphone in the mornings is not Instagram or Facebook. The Web3 enthusiast has long abandoned social media platforms, instead seeking out the latest updates on this brave new digital world.

“I go to crypto Twitter, private Telegram groups, Discord and Reddit because I want to stay on top of whatever is happening in this space,” says Cheo, who first became involved in Web3 in 2015 when he worked on a project that used blockchain ledgers to solve a music copyright licensing problem.

Since then, Cheo, whose family is behind edible oil business Mewah International, has been digging deeper into the crypto and blockchain realms, investing in projects and developing connections and networks.

This year, in partnership with good friend and fellow entrepreneur Kiat Lim, the son of local billionaire Peter Lim, the duo launched ARC. The region’s first private digital community focuses on collaborations among innovators, creatives and thought leaders.

As the architect of the community, Cheo’s role is to lead the design of the ARC experience from its community interactions and content to its user interface and technology backbone.