PAWS' New Whitepaper: A Detailed Look

On April 16, the long-awaited PAWS token officially launched and is now trading on several high-profile cryptocurrency exchanges, including Bitget and Bybit. This milestone follows months of anticipation for a project that began as a Telegram-based mini-app and has since evolved into a broader Web3 initiative. 

Central to understanding PAWS is its newly released whitepaper, which outlines the project’s vision, mechanics, and tokenomics. This article examines the key details of the whitepaper, offering insights into PAWS’ approach to building a community-driven, Web3-native intellectual property (IP) brand.

From Meme to Movement

PAWS has quickly grown from a simple Telegram mini-app to a cultural phenomenon with over 85 million users, including 4 million paying users. Unlike many cryptocurrency projects that rely on venture capital or aggressive marketing, PAWS emphasizes organic growth. The whitepaper highlights how the project leveraged publicly available data to track user engagement across Telegram and Web3 ecosystems, rewarding meaningful participation with points that later converted to tokens.

This approach aligns with PAWS’ core philosophy: transforming attention into a currency. In today’s digital landscape, coordinated attention, rather than overhyped tech promises, drives value. By focusing on user engagement through tools like airdrops and mini-apps, PAWS has created one of the most accessible onramps to Web3, particularly for retail users new to cryptocurrency.

Designing a Sustainable Attention Economy

PAWS positions itself as a response to the crypto industry’s credibility crisis, which it attributes to unsustainable value extraction through pump-and-dump schemes and short-term speculation. Instead, PAWS proposes a model that injects value by onboarding new users, fostering genuine culture, and coordinating community efforts.

Key features of PAWS’ design include:

• Easy Entry: Users participate through social actions like quests, votes, and meme creation, lowering the barrier to entry.
• Airdrop Distribution: Tokens are distributed to active participants, ensuring broad ownership.
• Community Ownership: The project emphasizes that the brand is owned by its users, not centralized entities.

The whitepaper outlines a progression from memes to culture, adoption, and ultimately a Web3-native IP brand. This multichain vision, initially rooted in Telegram, now extends to platforms like Solana, with plans for further cross-chain expansion.

The Diamond Paws: Community as Co-Builders

At the heart of PAWS is its community, referred to as the “Diamond Paws.” PAWS describes these token holders as co-builders who prioritize long-term belief, creativity, and coordination over speculative trading. Unlike traditional crypto communities driven by price hype, the Diamond Paws engage in activities like meme competitions, NFT voucher markets, and organized social media campaigns.

PAWS will reward participation through:

• Airdrops: Tokens are allocated based on engagement, ensuring active users benefit most.
• Special Access: Diamond Paws receive exclusive tools and recognition within the ecosystem.
• Community Governance: Future decisions, such as reallocating unclaimed tokens, will involve community input.

This focus on genuine engagement aims to rebuild trust in crypto by making it feel like a cultural movement.

Memes with Mechanics: The PAWS Ecosystem

PAWS describes itself as a “coordinated social protocol wrapped in a brand,” combining meme-driven vitality with on-chain utility. The whitepaper emphasizes three interconnected loops that drive the ecosystem:

1. Participation Loop: Users engage through social actions like quests, raids, and votes.
2. Reward Loop: Participants earn recognition, airdrops, and access to exclusive features.
3. Expansion Loop: Active users recruit others, amplifying the community through memes and status.

Key utilities outlined in the whitepaper include:

• MiniApps: These serve as the entry point and gamified layer for user interaction.
• Airdrops: Rewards are tied to social and product engagement, ensuring alignment with project goals.
• Merch and IRL Components: Planned for a future phase, these will extend the brand into physical spaces.

Upcoming integrations include DeFi primitives to reward liquidity providers and long-term holders, game mechanics linked to holding status, and cross-chain extensions to broaden accessibility.

Tokenomics: Fairness and Long-Term Value

The PAWS’ token is designed to ensure fairness and community alignment. With a total supply of 100 billion tokens, the project adheres to principles that avoid insider advantages:

• No VC Unlocks: Unlike many crypto projects, PAWS has no venture capital allocations or early exits.
• Community Distribution: The majority of the token supply is allocated to users through airdrops and rewards.
• No Private Sales: The project avoids hidden allocations, ensuring transparency.
• Community Governance: Unclaimed tokens may be reallocated or burned based on community decisions.

Token distribution

The whitepaper outlines a transparent token distribution model that prioritizes community participation and ecosystem growth. Below is a breakdown of the token allocation:

• 62.5% — Paws App and Future Airdrops: The majority of tokens are allocated to users engaging with the Paws App and future airdrop campaigns, rewarding active participation.
• 12% — Ecosystem: Funds are reserved to support the development and expansion of the PAWS ecosystem, including integrations and partnerships.
• 10% — Team: Allocated to the core team to ensure long-term commitment to the project’s vision and execution.
• 8% — Liquidity: Dedicated to providing liquidity on exchanges, ensuring smooth trading for token holders.
• 7.5% — Solana OG Communities: Reserved for early Solana community members, recognizing their role in supporting the project’s launch.

Token Utility

The PAWS token serves multiple purposes within the ecosystem. It provides holders with access to exclusive airdrops, merchandise, and in-game features. Token ownership also grants governance rights, enabling participation in decisions related to treasury management and ecosystem development. Additionally, PAWS holders can attain status and roles within the Diamond Paws community, with future potential for integrations across partner projects and platforms.

The governance model for PAWS follows a path of progressive decentralization. Initially, protocol decisions will be managed by a multisignature wallet comprising team members and community representatives. 

Over time, the influence of community voting will expand, ensuring that power gradually shifts toward full decentralization. Community members will be encouraged to submit proposals concerning the project roadmap, grant allocations, and treasury usage.

Roadmap and Future Vision

The project’s roadmap is intentionally vague, featuring cryptic references that encourage interpretation and speculation within its community. Nevertheless, mentions of terms such as “bridge,” “BSC,” and “Web2 partnerships program” suggest that future collaborations and cross-chain developments may be underway.

By leveraging memes, coordinated attention, and transparent tokenomics, PAWS aims to redefine how value is created in the attention economy. 

While challenges like market volatility and the need for clearer roadmap details remain, the project’s organic growth and user-centric approach make it a noteworthy addition to the Solana ecosystem.