The decentralized Web3 economy, propelled by platforms like Base and Farcaster, has made earning digital assets like USDC commonplace for creators. Yet, for users in markets like Africa, the promise of onchain earnings was often betrayed by the reality of off-ramping friction.

The journey of Minisend began with the personal struggle of its founder, Chris, an experienced software developer, Web3 consultant, Base East Africa Ambassador and Devrel.

Despite successfully earning USDC tips and rewards on Farcaster, Chris faced a debilitating Last-Mile Liquidity Gap. He had to undergo a very lengthy process plagued by high withdrawal gas fees, slow transfers, and endless P2P hassles just to get his money. This frustration highlighted a critical failing, his onchain earnings were not truly spendable.

Chris built Minisend, a mini-app on Base to fix this. His platform is changing this status quo by offering a new standard defined by speed, security, and a user-friendly experience.

His mission is to make crypto invisible so it feels as seamless as using mobile money, thereby building a better payment tool for Africa's economy.

The platform’s innovative approach and rapid traction were validated by its selection as one of the Top 50 finalists in the highly competitive Base Batches 002 Startup Track.

Minisend's design is a direct attack on the founder's initial pain points: high fees and slow transfers. The app provides an instant, secure USDC to fiat off-ramp.

Speed and Settlement: Funds are delivered to the recipient’s M-Pesa account in Kenya or one of the over 32 banks in Nigeria in seconds. This speed eliminates the slow transfers and P2P delays Chris experienced.

User-Friendly Experience: Users simply connect their wallet, specify the USDC amount, and provide local banking details.

Gasless Transactions: A key feature addressing the high withdrawal costs is offering gasless conversions on Base, meaning the user incurs no blockchain fees for the transaction.

• ZK Proofs (Zero-Knowledge Proofs): Minisend utilizes ZK Proofs to authenticate data without exposing personal data
  

  

This critical layer of security ensures that the necessary transaction details are verified onchain without compromising the user's sensitive information, building trust and aligning with the principles of privacy in Web3.

Minisend is built to integrate natively with the ecosystems that matter:

Farcaster Native: It allows creators to instantly convert tips and earnings directly from the social platform.

Base Builders: Minisend offers a robust, RESTful API for dApp teams to integrate seamless off-ramp functionality.

Minisend has demonstrated significant early market validation and rapid growth, reflecting the urgent need for its service within the Base and Farcaster ecosystems in Africa.

Key Traction Metrics

• Total Conversion Volume: In just 9 weeks, Minisend successfully processed a total conversion volume of $35,000. This metric validates the product's ability to facilitate meaningful transfers of value from the crypto world to local fiat economies.

• User Base: The platform has served 542 users across its various access points (Farcaster mini-app and web app), showing a growing community reliant on its services.

• Onchain Activity: Minisend has recorded 853 onchain verified transactions on Base Scan, confirming its consistent use of the Base Layer 2 network for its operations and proving the utility of its gasless model.

  Conclusion

  The story of Minisend is a compelling narrative of a developer turning his personal pain into a scalable public utility.

  Founder Chris transformed his own struggle with slow, costly crypto off-ramps into a solution dedicated to his mission to make crypto invisible.

  By leveraging the speed of Base, the privacy of ZK Proofs, and a direct focus on key African economies, Minisend is successfully establishing itself as an indispensable infrastructure partner, ensuring that onchain earnings are seamlessly and instantly convertible into the means for everyday life.