Today is an emotional day. Though @milky_way_zone only started in ’23, I actually met my two co-founders @jaybxyz and @cosmonaut_joon back in '21 at Tendermint, the founding company of Cosmos. It was during Covid, and we couldn’t travel to meet other teammates, so we bonded online over two things: 1. Shared mission. We were united by the vision of bringing blockchain to mass adoption—that’s why we each joined Tendermint to help scale IBC. 2. Shared time-zone pain. We were the only teammates based in Asia. With colleagues spread across the globe, the only feasible time for all-hands was 8 a.m. PST—1 a.m. in Hong Kong and 2 a.m. in Korea. Naturally, while other teammates sipped coffee, we had whiskey or wine in our mugs and DMed each other “cheers.” Those late-night messages turned into an everlasting friendship. Although we parted ways briefly in ’22, we reunited in ’23 when we heard @celestia was finally launching. Tendermint Ventures had invested in Celestia back in the day because it aligned with the core concept we firmly believe in—how to make blockchains scale. The lads, being tech enthusiasts, dug into Celestia’s code and noticed that existing liquid-staking providers couldn’t support it. We talked, decided to continue the path we’d started at Tendermint, and do our part to help chains scale. So we set up MilkyWay and launched our first product line—liquid staking for TIA—to help make Celestia more secure. I remember debating whether to fundraise or build first. It was a bear market, and we were on a time crunch, so we bootstrapped: stayed home, kept expenses near zero, and launched the product. We were incredibly fortunate with what followed - the market turned exactly when we launched - and for the investors @polychain @yzilabs @hack_vc @Cryptocom_Cap @LongHashVC and angels who believed in us and funded our seed round. A little-known fact: although our team is fully remote, we’ve all worked together at previous companies. Most of them helped out free of charge during the initial build because they knew we couldn’t pay them—or ourselves. After funding came in, the rest of the team joined officially. We share the same work style, hit the ground running, and have each other’s backs after years of working together. I couldn’t be more grateful to have found these comrades—they aren’t just colleagues; they’re family. We’ve always known product lines can come and go—imagine if @amazon had stayed a bookstore only—but what matters is the people behind the product. We stay true to our vision, constantly experiment, ship, deliver, monitor feedback, and adapt. We are builders who have built through bear and bull markets, and we’ll keep building and shipping. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank our community. You have stood by us since launch and provided unwavering support. We read every post and take your comments to heart. We always put the community first—since launch, today, and in the future. Please feel free to DM me; I’ll always be here to support you. I am eternally grateful to everyone who has accompanied us on this journey. We would never have made it without your input. TGE isn’t the end; it’s only the beginning. We have so much in store and can’t wait to share it with everyone.