What is Ryder?
Ryder is a decentralized identity hardware wallet that gives you ownership over your digital identity. While the main focus is on identity management (as opposed to cryptocurrencies), the wallet contains private keys used to both authenticate identities for apps and access crypto.

How has Ryder progressed since you received a Stacks grant?
A lot of the funding has gone towards designing the product’s identity through branding (since it’s an identity wallet!). This involved ordering and developing prototypes, which will be shipped to ten people from the Stacks community (whom we affectionately call “Ryder Pioneers”). The wallets can be worn on your wrist like a watch – they looked great and the ones being sent out are black or white.

We’ve also progressed in market research, discovering that certain areas in Asia have an up and coming market for devices like this. Because of this, we’re pleased to have a newly formed entity in Singapore working with us.

What kind of impact does Ryder have on users?
A decentralized identity can be hard to use effectively – if you don’t manage private keys properly, information can be lost, and you risk losing your crypto. There are many scary stories about private key theft, so we at Ryder believe that keys should not exist on a user’s machine, or a USB stick that could be lost. With Ryder, keys are instead stored on a separate hardware device, which reduces risks of theft or losing keys.

The wallet aims to combine convenience and security. It brings users an easy experience, with no need to memorize passwords, and the device can stay unlocked for a user-definable time period. It’s also a secure form of decentralized ID that you could take anywhere with you - the digital equivalent of a conventional wallet.

What are your future plans for Ryder?
We hope that the ten shipped units are a success, and we’ll work with any feedback received. Firmware and usability updates are needed to ensure that those units are compatible with the latest Stacks.js package.

Following this, we plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign to solicit further support from those who believe in the project. Some recent posts about Ryder have generated lots of buzz, which is amazing! Additional funding will give us the chance to ship more products than the current ten, and ultimately give others a taste of using Ryder.

Interested in grabbing a Ryder wallet for yourself? Sign up and learn more here.

What is Risidio?
Risidio is a company based in the UK that offers a marketplace for digital collectibles on Web 3.0 or the decentralized web. The project started during the COVID lockdown – the perfect time as people are spending increasingly more time online. We work closely with the Bitcoin and Lightning Networks, innovating market research and inspiring analysis through building and developing Web 3.0 software.

How has Risidio progressed since you received a Stacks grant?
The funding has helped us build a decentralized auction site using the Stacks 2.0 blockchain, which helped in bringing the Stacks network up to speed with Ethereum. We do this using smart contracts.

We’re also developing educational resources to share the significance of our mission to promote equality of economic opportunity. We believe this is important for everyone, including those outside the blockchain community. These resources can contribute to the long-term sustainability of the Stacks ecosystem.

What kind of impact does Risidio have on users?
The main aim is to provide a secure, convenient, and transparent marketplace and auction site for digital collectibles. One site is Loopbomb, which we refer to as an “art mixing engine”. Players can create unique artwork by capturing visual elements from an ever expanding image bank. It’s a game of luck, taste & timing where players can freeze & claim a one of a kind artwork. They can then mint these digital collectibles (called loops). You can buy, sell, or trade your loops on the marketplace. Risidio also created Radicle Art — one of the very first apps released through the app mining program.

What are your future plans for Risidio?
Risidio are extending our auction platform to provide crowdfunding tools to the wider community — we believe that the Stacks ecosystem is a new space that encourages cooperation between projects all working towards the same long term goal: a user owned internet. To this end, we offer a crowdfunding payment card that accepts fiat and crypto. STX tokens will be added soon!

We also have a supporting role in the development of a new film ecosystem. This is built around a virtual Hollywood film studio, in which film makers will have access to many types of financing options, including a combination of regional incentives and crypto. Built with an AI engine and state-of-the-art AR, as well as blockchain and smart contract technologies for transparency, this ecosystem will enable users to track, in real time, where every penny is at any given time.

Interested in a Risidio collectible? Check them out here.

Thanks again to Marvin, Mike, and Irina for taking the time to walk us through their progress. We’re delighted to see grantees making such an impact on the Stacks ecosystem already. From innovating decentralized identity management to elevating the digital collectibles experience, we can’t wait to see what they achieve next! Stay tuned for the next blog, in which we’ll cover even more exciting updates from Stacks grantees.

In the meantime, consider applying for your own grant at https://stacks.org/grants. Whether you’re sitting on just an idea or a full-fledged project, your work could make a positive impact on the Stacks community too.