Insomnia Labs was founded in 2021 to help brands strategize and bring products to market using Web3 and AI technologies. The company partners with brands who crave innovation, aiming to solve complex challenges with nascent and emerging technologies.
From creating blockchain-based loyalty programs to developing and implementing AI concierge services, Insomnia Labs has managed to partner with some of the biggest brands in Web2 and Web3, including Coca-Cola, Coinbase, Polygon, Animoca Brands, and more.
Last week, we were lucky enough to catch up with William Huang, CEO and Co-Founder of Insomnia Labs, to talk about the company, its vision, and how it’s working to provide clients with innovative solutions to their problems.
What is Insomnia Labs? What are its goals and mission?
Insomnia Labs is an award-winning, product innovation company that uses emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, and cloud computing to solve complex business problems for organizations. Its goal and mission is to help clients implement innovative solutions to transform their operations and growth.
What’s the genesis story? How did it all begin?
Insomnia Labs rose to prominence through a compelling collaboration with Berlin Cameron that resulted in the creation of the groundbreaking “Genesis Curry Flow” for Curry Brand and Under Armour. The project was to commemorate NBA star Stephen Curry, who broke the three-point world record.
Our collaborative effort yielded a limited edition of 2,974 NFTs, each intricately crafted to encapsulate the essence of Stephen’s historic achievement. These NFTs were minted across five distinct rarities, each intricately woven into the narrative of his remarkable accomplishment.
Acquiring the Genesis NFT not only provided collectors with a digital piece of history, but also granted them access to same version of the shoe in metaverse platforms like Decentraland, Sandbox, Gala Games, and Rumble Kong League. This groundbreaking development allowed gamers to seamlessly traverse the metaverse while sporting the very same sneaker, thus ushering in a new era of interconnected virtual experiences.
What is your team like? Where are you located, and how many people do you have? If you can, walk us through a day in the life of a team member.
Being on brand with Insomnia Labs, our team is dedicated to providing optimal solutions for our clients, no matter how challenging and time consuming it may be. Comprising a collective of seasoned experts driven by an unwavering spirit of tenacity, our team is always ready to innovate and challenge until we find a solution.
While most of our operations happen in New York City, we’ve wholeheartedly embraced the prevailing remote work culture. This embrace has extended our reach across geographical boundaries, with our 20+ team members scattered across diverse locations, including California, Lagos, London, and various other corners of the globe. Within the dynamic and agile framework of our team, the concept of a “typical” day doesn’t really exist.
However, at its essence, each team member is deeply immersed in a multifaceted role, encompassing hands-on involvement in client projects, client consultations, rigorous research and development initiatives, and fostering collaboration with the larger team.
What have been some of your biggest successes?
There are two campaigns that would be considered our biggest successes. The first one is the “Genesis Curry Flow,” in collaboration with Berlin Cameron to create the first interoperable shoe for Curry Brand and Under Armour.
The second noteworthy project was for L’Oreal and NYX Professional Makeup, known as the “FKWME Pass for the GORJS DAO”. Both of these campaigns were pioneering Web3 activation within their respective companies. Remarkably, both campaigns achieved remarkable success, as they sold out within the initial 10 minutes of launch, leaving an indelible cultural impact on their respective sectors.
How hard has it been to work through this bear market, and what has your team learned in the process? What has the strategy for the team been?
During this bear market, our team encountered a dual aspect of challenges and opportunities. The challenges spurred us to hone our strategies and solutions, while the opportunities drove us to concentrate on creating a distinctive initiative, Loyalty+, aimed at harnessing the true potential of blockchain.
Additionally, this period afforded our team the opportunity to expand its expertise, incorporating domains such as AI and machine learning into our current projects and offerings.
Tell us about the most recent project ‘Loyalty+’ project. What do you hope the project can achieve?
Loyalty+ is Insomnia Labs’ full-stack loyalty solution, launching in collaboration with Co:Create, Smart Token Labs, Cookie3, and Crossmint. Our goal with Loyalty+ is to create the next-generation loyalty ecosystem that is more gamified, interconnected, and tailored to each customer.
We are focused on transforming loyalty from a cost center to a profit center for brands – driving deeper customer engagement that translates to increased spending. The aim is to shift legacy programs to an experiential model that leverages gamification, personalization, and new tech to keep customers coming back.
Besides Loyalty+, what projects is your team most proud of?
Our team takes tremendous pride in a range of accomplishments that truly encapsulate our mission and the impact we have in the tech industry. Beyond our projects mentioned above, at the heart of our achievements is our unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and practical application. This culture empowers us to consistently deliver ingenious solutions to intricate challenges, establishing us as trailblazers in our field.
We are also proud to collaborate with established enterprises, as well as partnering with startups on the cusp of industry disruption. Lastly, our deep understanding of the intricate issues associated with blockchain technology is a source of great pride. This understanding enables us to translate our expertise into tangible real-world value for consumers across the globe.
Thank you for talking with us.
Thank you.
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