Lightpaper [DRAFT]

Hype Protocol — Litepaper

1. Introduction

In the digital age, attention has become the most valuable currency. Everyone — from creators and brands to musicians, developers, and online communities — is competing for visibility. But in a world full of noise and inflated metrics, it's hard to tell if popularity truly reflects value. Traditional indicators like likes, views, and followers can be artificially boosted and often fail to reflect genuine engagement. Centralized platforms (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X) dictate the rules of monetization and visibility, limiting creators and users alike. Hype Protocol changes this by transforming attention into a transparent economic asset, where every like is backed by a token purchase — verifiable with real money. This creates an open popularity marketplace, where trends can be tracked, traded, and invested in.

2. The Problem

2.1. Fake Popularity

Social media popularity is easy to fake — likes and followers can be bought, making it difficult to assess real value.

2.2. Centralized Monetization

Platforms like Instagram and TikTok control revenue flows and algorithms. Creators only receive a fraction of ad revenue. Third-party investors have no way to directly bet on a creator’s future success.

2.3. Closed Market for Attention

Advertising and content monetization are fully controlled by platforms. External investors can't directly participate in the attention economy, leaving it opaque and exclusive.

2.4. No Standardized Mechanism

There’s no open, universal tool to tokenize digital reputation or transform attention into a tradable asset.

3. The Solution: Hype Protocol

Hype Protocol provides a decentralized infrastructure that turns attention into a real, verifiable asset.

• Decentralized Token Issuance Anyone can create a token for any public-facing digital object with a URL — Twitter profile, Reddit thread, website, or article. No real account owner’s/platform’s permission or KYC is needed. Anyone can initiate trading, making every token a community-driven asset.

• Economic Verification All tokens are purchased using USDC. This makes it economically irrational and difficult to inflate popularity artificially.

• Operator Integration Developers can become operators by building platforms integrated with audited Hype smart contracts using our SDK. Operators retain and grow their user base, build platform functionality, and earn a portion of protocol fees. To become an operator, email [e-mail] for SDK access.

4. How It Works

4.1. Dynamic Pricing

As interest grows, users mint more tokens by depositing funds into the reserve, which automatically raises the price of the next token. The Bonding Curve mechanism ensures that the more tokens are minted, the higher the price of each subsequent token:

When a user mints (purchases) new tokens, they add funds to the reserve. If they wish to burn tokens, they can withdraw anytime deducting funds from the reserve. The token’s price automatically adjusts according to the curve: the greater the demand, the higher the price.

4.2. Hype Score

This is the total number of tokens minted for a digital object. The more users vote with their wallets, the higher the Hype Score — and the ranking of that object.

5. Application: hype.fun

hype.fun is the flagship platform built on Hype Protocol. It lets you create and trade “attention tokens” tied to social media accounts (X, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook). Anyone can:

• Browse the catalog of existing attention tokens – for instance, tokens linked to social profiles, brands, or communities.

• Create and trade tokens, earning from the growing popularity of chosen accounts.

• Evaluate the ranking (Hype Score) and analyze trends in user interest.

• Invite friends and followers via referral links to earn a percentage of their transaction fees.

Key Highlights of hype.fun

1. A Fully-Operational Commercial Product The platform is live in production and processes real transactions between users.

2. No Duplicates (1 Token = 1 Account) Each token is directly linked to one specific account, so there are no clones or duplicates.

3. Instant Token Creation In line with the protocol’s policy, hype.fun does not require you to prove ownership of a social media account. Simply provide the link, pay a fee, and launch token, with no locked liquidity needed.

4. Dynamic Pricing The price curve (Bonding Curve) responds to demand: the higher the interest and token supply, the higher the token price can climb, creating real potential for strong market growth and gains.

5. A 10,000-Token Limit Each token’s supply is capped at 10,000. This built-in scarcity drives up its price. The initial cost is 0.1 USDC, but minting the entire supply would require depositing 100 billion USDC into the reserve — practically unfeasible.

6. Advantages for Early Adopters The very first buyers get the largest share of tokens at the lowest price, maximizing profit potential if popularity skyrockets.

7. Longer Market Lifespan Unlike many meme-coins that vanish in minutes, hype.fun tokens remain viable as long as their underlying account (creator, trend, brand) is still relevant. Because there can’t be duplicates, and no single owner can just kill or fork the token, large holders might sell out, but new buyers can step in, keeping the asset active as long as people care.

8. Tokens Exclusive to hype.fun Tokens aren’t listed on typical DEXs; they circulate solely within the protocol, forming a stable ecosystem.

9. User-Friendly Interface & Huge Potential Regardless of a user’s background in trading or Web3, issuing and trading tokens is straightforward — just a few clicks. This simplicity paves the way for mainstream Web2 adoption, unlocking unbelievable capital and users.

10. Transparent On-Chain Stats The website shows real-time trading volume, TVL, transaction count, and the number of tokens issued.

11. 1% Fee A 1% fee is charged on every trade, shared between the protocol and the operator, ensuring the ecosystem’s sustainability.

On hype.fun, anyone can see first-hand how a focus object (an influencer profile, a community, a viral trend, an NFT project, etc.) transforms into a tokenized asset. As the Hype Score grows, each new token’s price goes up, raising the value of all existing tokens. You can mint (buy) or burn (sell) them at any time to profit from rising popularity.

6. Use Cases

1. Influencer creates their own token An influencer, KOL, or media personality launches a token directly linked to their account. They then promote it among their followers and other communities, boosting the Hype Score. If the influencer’s fame keeps climbing, the tokens’ price can follow suit, rewarding early holders.

2. Communities launch their own token Whether it’s an alpha group, or a push behind a narrative or idea, communities can swiftly and simply promote their token with no locked liquidity, growing brand awareness and building an engaged following.

3. Fans mint an influencer’s token Fans can support a star by creating an attention token. The community effectively votes with their wallet to raise the influencer’s Hype Score. If the influencer’s fame grows further, the tokens rise in value, generating profits for holders.

4. NFT Artist An NFT artist can issue attention tokens reflecting the community’s faith in their project. As recognition for the collection increases and new tokens are minted, their value goes up.

5. AI Agent The more people believe in the success of a particular AI agent or model, the more they mint its corresponding token — boosting the Hype Score and driving up the price of subsequent tokens.

7. Conclusion

Hype Protocol is a fundamental standard for measuring and monetizing attention. It:

• Turns popularity into a real economic asset. Every token mint equates to a “like” backed by actual funds.

• Cuts out middlemen and opens direct access to audiences, enabling anyone to invest in or issue tokens tied to someone else’s success.

• Empowers platforms and developers by letting them operate within the ecosystem and earn a share of fees.

A prime example is hype.fun, a live demonstration of Hype Protocol’s capabilities, where users already create, buy, and sell attention tokens reflecting the impact of influencers, brands, NFT projects, or AI agents.

If you run a platform or dev team, you can integrate Hype Protocol via its SDK and launch your own service using proven smart contracts. This lets you monetize your user base, earning a portion of transaction fees, and expand functionality for your community — ranging from tokenizing social media accounts and AI to launching your own community tokens.

For more details and integration support, email [e-mail].