Research
Investment MemoSep 7, 2025

Investment Memo: MyStandard (MYST)

MyStandard is building the first blockchain-secured, incentivized data marketplace for hiring humans and AI agents, targeting the $130B hiring and data market.

Investment Memo: MyStandard

Prepared for Iron Key Investment Committee

1. Executive Summary

MyStandard is pioneering the world's first blockchain-secured, incentivized data marketplace for hiring humans and AI agents. Founded in 2021, the platform addresses critical gaps in global hiring markets by empowering users to own, validate, and monetize their data while enabling companies to access talent efficiently. With a focus on high-unemployment regions like South America (6-9% unemployment), MyStandard leverages blockchain adoption and AI growth to disrupt the $130B hiring industry.

  • Revenue Model: 20% fee on data requests, subscriptions, and token-based value flow.
  • TAM: $130B natural data market and $4B AI Agent Market in 2025, growing to $150B and $139B in 2033, respectively.
  • Roadmap: Scalable product launches, global expansion, and tokenization.
  • Team: Seasoned executives from IBM, Republic, and blockchain ecosystems.
  • Investment Ask: $1M SAFE to accelerate product development, international expansion, and market penetration.

2. Problem & Solution

Problem

  • Data Exploitation: Web2 platforms profit from user data ($1T+ annually) without compensating users.
  • Hiring Inefficiency: Companies overpay for incomplete data and struggle with AI agent integration.
  • Trust Gaps: No scalable way to validate AI agents or human candidates.

Solution

  • User-Centric Marketplace: Users earn MYST tokens for sharing and validating data (5 to 6 minute onboarding).
  • AI Agent Integration: MYST AI vets, scores, and presents reliable AI agents to companies.
  • Blockchain Security: Avalanche ensures tamper-proof credentialing (partnering with Chainlink).

3. Market Opportunity

  • TAM: $130B natural data market and $4B AI Agent Market in 2025, growing to $150B and $139B in 2033, respectively.
  • SAM: $20B+ in blockchain-enabled HR tech and AI hiring solutions.
  • AI Adoption: 34x growth in AI agent hiring (2025 to 2033).
  • Token Incentives: MYST drives engagement via staking, payments, and governance.
  • First-Mover Edge: No competitors combine human + AI agent hiring with user-owned data.

4. Team & Advisors

Core Team

  • Adam Zec (CEO): 15+ years in HR tech (CareerBuilder.com, Talent Tech Labs).
  • Olu Okiwande (CTO): Built 40+ web2/web3 apps; AI and blockchain expert.
  • Joshua Sklut (CFO): 22 years in recruiting; co-founded Voice/Lab49.
  • Carol Gordon (Board): SVP of HR at IBM, advising on enterprise adoption.

Advisors & Investors

  • Chainlink Ambassadors (Zach Rynes) and Avalanche ecosystem leads (Dave Donnenfeld).
  • Industry Veterans: Diana Pires (ex-Crypto.com), Sean Horton (logistics BD), and risk strategists.
  • Investors: Winklevoss Capital, Republic, Ava Labs, Gaingels.

5. Product & Traction

Product Roadmap

  • 2025: Launch niche applicant marketplaces for commercial truck drivers and Web3 professionals; launch AI Hiring Market MVP and credentialing via Chainlink; list MYST on 3+ chains and 2+ centralized exchanges.
  • 2026: Expand into medical records, real estate, and advertising data markets; target 5+ international markets with tokenized incentives.
  • 2027: Release MyStandard SDK for community-built data apps.

Traction

  • Ecosystem: Partnerships with IBM (HR testing), Lightcast (APIs), and Fireblocks (wallet infrastructure).
  • Targets: 150,000+ users and 4+ data markets (talent, AI, credentialing, consumer research) by 2027.

6. Financials & Valuation

Current Valuation: $35.8M FDV (post-private round).

Revenue Streams

  • 20% fee on data requests plus AI agent revenue sharing.
  • Subscription packages for enterprises ($3M+ projected by 2027).

Use of Proceeds

  • 40%: AI and blockchain product development.
  • 30%: Global sales and marketing (North America, Europe, Asia).
  • 20%: Token liquidity and staking incentives.
  • 10%: Operational scaling (3x team growth).

7. Risks & Mitigation

  • AI Adoption Lag: Slow enterprise uptake of AI agents. Mitigation: leverage the IBM partnership for enterprise pilot programs.
  • Regulatory Complexity: Varying crypto laws across markets. Mitigation: focus initially on crypto-friendly regions (USA, Asia).
  • User Acquisition: Competing with LinkedIn's network effects. Mitigation: simplify onboarding ("notification battle" strategy) and emphasize MYST earnings.

8. Investment Thesis

  • Market Leadership: Only platform bridging human and AI hiring with user-owned data.
  • Token Utility: MYST fuels ecosystem growth (staking, governance, payments).
  • Global Scalability: Modular architecture supports expansion into adjacent data markets such as medical and real estate.
  • Proven Team: Deep HR tech, blockchain, and enterprise sales expertise.
  • Return Potential: 10x+ upside achievable by capturing 2% of SAM ($400M) by 2030.

9. Recommendation

Approve investment in MyStandard. The platform's unique positioning in the AI-agent hiring boom, robust tokenomics, and partnerships with industry leaders (IBM, Avalanche) de-risk growth. Revenue diversification and a 150,000-user base target by 2027 provide clear milestones for scalability.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Focused on CDL Trucking and Web3 Professionals.

Overview & Objectives

MyStandard is an incentivized data marketplace with an initial focus on the recruiting market. Users store their professional data, and organizations purchase access via $MYST tokens, rewarding users for sharing and validating their data.

  • CDL Trucking: A high-demand sector with chronic driver shortages, where companies and recruiters constantly seek qualified, validated talent.
  • Web3 Professionals: A rapidly growing but still niche sector, with many workers open to decentralized solutions and token incentives.
  • Goals: user acquisition, employer/client acquisition, token adoption, and brand awareness as the go-to decentralized recruiting and data-sharing platform.

Value Proposition: CDL Trucking

  • Instant access to better opportunities: MyStandard aggregates job requests in one place, so drivers respond to an employer's data request with a single tap.
  • Ownership and profit from their data: drivers receive $MYST rewards whenever their data is accessed or validated.
  • Comprehensive profile and validation: verified license, endorsements, credentials, and background checks eliminate repetitive tasks and accelerate hiring.

Value Proposition: Web3 Professionals

  • Decentralized ownership of professional data, aligned with privacy, ownership, and decentralization values.
  • Curated opportunities from verified Web3 startups, DAOs, and enterprises with instant data-sharing.
  • Network and governance participation through staking, governance, and data validation.

Key Messaging

  • "Own Your Data. Earn from It."
  • "Never Miss a Better Opportunity, Get Rewarded for Simply Being You."
  • "Join the Web3 Talent Network that Pays You to Share Your Credentials."
  • "Empower Truckers to Control Their Data and Earn Tokens for Every Data Request."

Acquisition & Growth

  • Trucking: partnerships with trucking associations and fleets, direct outreach to recruiters, a "MyStandard Verified CDL" campaign, referral and ambassador programs with trucking influencers, and presence at major trucking conferences.
  • Web3: partnerships with communities and DAOs, influencer and content marketing, hackathons and developer bounties, and roadshows at EthDenver, NFT NYC, DevCon, and Avalanche Summit.

Employer & Client Acquisition

  • Pilot programs with 3 to 5 trucking companies and 3 to 5 Web3 startups or DAOs at no token cost for the first month.
  • ATS integrations (e.g. Tenstreet for trucking) and partnerships with Web3 job portals.
  • Value-added services: premium-tier verified candidates and employer branding profiles.
  • Token utility for employers: tokens cannot be sold, only used to request validated data, encouraging recurring demand.

Marketing Channels

  • Digital advertising: search, social, and YouTube for trucking; crypto keyword ads and newsletter sponsorships for Web3.
  • Community: trucking Facebook and YouTube groups; Twitter Spaces, Telegram, and Discord for Web3.
  • Email and CRM: segment the 13,000+ global waitlist by geography and profession.
  • Content and thought leadership on LinkedIn and Medium.
  • Referral and reward mechanics: double token rewards for first-time data shares and referral bonuses.

KPIs & Success Metrics

  • User acquisition and retention: monthly sign-ups and share of profiles sharing data at least once per month.
  • Employer engagement: active employer accounts, pilot-to-paid conversion, and monthly data requests per employer.
  • Token economy: circulating supply vs. usage, staking participation, and token velocity.
  • Data quality: time-to-validate credentials and share of data requests fulfilled successfully.
  • Revenue: $MYST transaction volume and growth in employer subscription fees.

Implementation Timeline

  • Phase 1 (Months 1 to 3): CDL trucking and Web3 pilots, referral program launch, initial social and content campaigns.
  • Phase 2 (Months 3 to 6): app updates and ATS integrations, conferences and roadshows, scaled employer onboarding, expanded influencer rewards.
  • Phase 3 (Months 6 to 12): broad market launch, Layer-1 and credentialing partnerships, expanded use cases, and enterprise partnerships.

Risk Mitigation & Contingencies

  • Adoption hurdles: mobile-first UX and short how-to videos for drivers; emphasis on real utility over speculation for Web3 users.
  • Regulatory compliance: ongoing legal collaboration on data privacy and token regulation, with clear consent flows.
  • Token volatility: treasury-based stabilization mechanisms where needed.
  • Competition: differentiate from LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, and staffing agencies through incentives and frictionless data sharing.

Conclusion & Strategic Impact

By targeting CDL Trucking and Web3 Professionals concurrently, MyStandard can prove its data-sharing model in two vastly different but highly engaged niches, showcase $MYST token utility with powerful case studies, and build a high-quality user base that draws in employers looking for validated talent. The result is a network effect where more companies attract more users, and more user data availability attracts more companies, setting the stage for expansion into medical records, consumer research, advertising, and beyond.