[Field ③] Shin Geun-young, Chairman of the Village: "Even if the platform disappears, relationships remain"... targeting the global market with 18 business models

Can a network that directly connects people replace existing platforms? The village has presented a blueprint to expand relationship data, which started from identity verification, into advertising, security, and bio, and to bring the business model verified in the domestic market to the global market.

Shin Geun-young, founder and chairman of the village, revealed the village's user expansion strategy, business model utilizing relationship data, Web3 advertising and security business, global expansion, and investment plans at the closing keynote of 'CHON Investor Day 2026' held at COEX in Seoul on the 16th.

"Nothing to Steal"... Identity verification through relationships

Chairman Shin explained that in the existing ID and password-centered authentication, if account information is stolen, attackers can access the internal system, but the village verifies identity and authority by confirming relationships formed by multiple people, such as team members working together.

He stated that the relationships and experiences built over a long time are like 'tacit knowledge' that cannot be easily replicated, adding, "The tacit knowledge that comes from real relationships is difficult to counterfeit, and no AI can hack it. The identity verification method using this is 'Nothing to Steal', meaning there is nothing to steal."

He also emphasized the potential in the future where AI and blockchain are combined. Chairman Shin stated, "If AI is an important tool used across industries, blockchain is the technology that distinguishes originals and ownership in a digital environment and enables assetization. In the future, as all assets are tokenized and combined with AI and blockchain, the relationship-based data of the village can be utilized as the foundation for new digital assets and services."

Chairman Shin pointed out the limitations faced by existing identity verification services in securing actual users. He noted that identification methods such as resident registration cards or past certified certificates spread not because users felt the need to choose them, but as required by systems or services. He diagnosed that decentralized identity verification (DID) using blockchain technology had "the technology but no users," leading to difficulties in user acquisition.

The village stated that instead of prioritizing identity verification itself, it would expand the app through services that users actually need. As a representative example, it offers a free 'meeting certificate' service that allows participants to apply through the app and check in at the event venue with a QR code to identify applicants and actual attendees, thereby increasing the actual usage of the app.

Relationships become business... 18 models including bio and Web3 advertising

Chairman Shin stated, "Through mutual authentication, new business models that did not exist before are becoming possible," revealing that they have confirmed 18 models with commercialization potential.

He mentioned that one of the largest businesses the village is looking at is bio, stating that they are preparing services that analyze household information and relationship data in conjunction with bio data companies, combined with AI.

He also presented a structure where individuals or organizations connect directly with users without going through existing platforms as a major business direction. He explained that global artists and fan communities can form their own user networks and create an independent service ecosystem for content sharing, merchandise purchases, and reservations, saying, "This means the disappearance of existing platforms like Netflix, Naver, and YouTube."

The village also introduced the transition of part of the existing platform-centered advertising market to a Web3 model as one of its business models. He stated that while the advertising market does not disappear even if platforms do, they are conceptualizing a Web3 advertising model where advertising revenue is shared between the village, operators who build relationships, and actual users, unlike the existing platform-centered advertising revenue distribution structure.

Chairman Shin explained, "Excluding the portion needed for data management and service maintenance, a part of the advertising revenue will be distributed to the organizations or operators that created the relationship network and users, making the ads from the village app increasingly profitable." He added that as relationship data accumulates, targeted advertising for users sharing specific interests becomes possible, and the closeness of relationships can enhance the effectiveness of advertising and marketing.

After the presentation, Chairman Shin Geun-young, CEO Lee Min-jae, and CTO Koo Hong-seok conducted a Q&A session with the attendees. / TokenPost

Additionally, as specific business application cases, they proposed distributing the village app through meal ticket service companies and providing a 'Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution' that allows restaurant owners to form and manage direct relationships with customers, as well as a 'Digital Graduation Album' that allows students to create digital albums and form relationship networks through mutual authentication, maintaining connections with teachers, students, and alumni even after graduation.

In the long term, they plan to expand into a 'Digital Family Tree' that transmits various records such as personal photos, videos, and papers along with relationship data across generations. They stated that they aim to build a digital information system that allows descendants to not only confirm the names and relationships of their ancestors but also to verify their appearances, works, and records during their lifetime.

The village is protecting new business models derived from relationship verification as intellectual property. Chairman Shin stated that they currently hold 24 patents and plan to file an additional 2, stating that they will secure patents for defense as new business models emerge.

Pursuing expansion into the U.S. and follow-up investments... Global business expansion

Furthermore, based on this event, the village plans to seek investment for technology development, business expansion, and global entry. Since they have aimed for the global market from the beginning, they plan to pursue business with local partners in the U.S. and follow up with institutional investment acquisition. In the long term, they are also considering various capital market entry methods such as IPO or ICO after expanding their business in the U.S. and securing Series A investment.

Chairman Shin emphasized the global market potential of the village, stating, "In countries like the U.S., a market has already formed where people pay for services that find traces of their ancestors and families using DNA tests and historical records, such as Ancestry." He expressed his determination to continue expanding the actual use cases of relationship-based identity verification and to grow this into a global business, just as they have been complementing the lacking parts over the past six years while preparing the business.

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