Building Stargate’s Flagship Cross-Chain Retail Superapp – A Glue x Stargate Partnership Proposal

[please see the non-truncated version of this proposal is at the Discussion link - Snapshot limits proposals to only 10k letters, so the below stops halfway through]

Stargate Finance has established itself as a leading cross-chain infrastructure protocol, with over $20 billion in lifetime bridge volume to date. The team recently launched Stargate V2, vastly reducing the cost of bridging for users, accelerating chain expansion, and optimizing capital efficiency for the protocol. However, while the STG token has shown some positive movement in response to this new product launch recently, it is evident that relying solely on infrastructure developments is not yet materially shifting long-term value for STG holders. Stargate’s core technology is critical plumbing for omnichain DeFi, but to unlock the next level of growth and token value, a new approach is needed: building a retail-facing application on top of this infrastructure.

We believe that a retail-facing mobile app built for Apple and Android devices will help bring new users onto the Stargate protocol. It will provide an easy way to capture the attention of users and highlight the STG token as the critical infrastructure token of crypto - not dissimilar to how Nvidia is known as the hardware behind most of AI.

This proposal is the result of extensive feedback gathered from members of the Stargate Foundation team and large ecosystem stakeholders, who recognize the strategic potential of a flagship retail application. For disclosure, the proposer (Ogle) is a relatively large holder of both spot and staked STG (having been a supporter of Stargate for several years), is a co-founder of Glue, and will be voting affirmatively on the proposal.

The Opportunity: A Flagship Cross-Chain Retail App

Glue proposes to build Stargate and Glue’s joint flagship cross-chain retail mobile application. Users will be able to seamlessly swap assets across all networks Stargate supports in one intuitive interface. Supported by Glue’s robust and secure chain, this app will make complex omnichain transactions as simple as a single click, abstracting away the technical details of bridges, DEXes, and multiple wallets. The vision is to enable anyone to buy any token from any chain in one easy-to-use app, without ever knowing how things work under the hood. This is a massive opportunity to drive retail trading volume and fees through Stargate’s network, converting Stargate’s technical capabilities into a user-friendly product that can attract millions of new users.

Other protocols have demonstrated the impact of a strong flagship app. For example, the Jupiter DEX aggregator entered an already-crowded DEX ecosystem, but by focusing on a good app experience, was able to quickly gain market share. Solana’s users benefited from Jupiter’s easy token swaps without needing to understand the underlying mechanics. Jupiter now handles ~39% of all Solana DEX trades, and has become a centerpiece of that ecosystem. Notably, they also recently invested in and now own a majority share in Moonshot, a retail-focused token swap mobile app with a slick experience. Moonshot’s has demonstrated how much value a retail app can create – for example, it has generated over $26m in fees in just the first four months of 2025. Capturing even a modest 5% of Moonshot’s fee volume could translate into over $102k in monthly STG buybacks and $29k distributed monthly to veSTG stakers.

Similarly, Stargate requires a friendly front-end that hides the complexity of omnichain transfers and highlights its benefits. A dedicated retail app can serve as a “face” of Stargate for users, increasing engagement and transactions through the network. Crucially, unlike Jupiter or Moonshot, which are mostly confined to Solana, this flagship app will be inherently omnichain. It will span all chains Stargate supports, giving it a huge competitive advantage and addressable market far beyond any single-chain app. This breadth is something no existing retail DeFi app offers, and Stargate is uniquely positioned to deliver it. In short, this app could become the cross-chain “Uniswap/Jupiter” for the entire omnichain world, funneling massive volume into Stargate’s protocol.

By supporting this proposal, Stargate can accelerate adoption dramatically. This user-centric approach is key to lowering the barrier for retail adoption and maximizing the reach of Stargate’s underlying technology.

To Build Alone, or to Partner?

Stargate’s core team has proven to be world-class at building deep infrastructure: cross-chain messaging, unified liquidity pools, the Hydra network, and other low-level innovations have been game-changing. Their focus is (and should remain) on strengthening the protocol’s foundations: security, new chain integrations, and scaling the network’s capacity. Building and maintaining a popular retail-facing application is a very different endeavor, one that requires a dedicated focus on user experience, front-end design, user support, and rapid feature iterations. It wouldn’t be the best use of Stargate core devs to pivot into consumer app development. If the team were to be distracted by app development, it might compromise the core thesis of Stargate. With this proposal, the risk is only the funds invested while the team stays focused on building Stargate core.

Moreover, history shows that infrastructure teams often struggle with retail product execution, not due to lack of talent, but due to different priorities and expertise. Stargate’s value comes from being the backbone of omnichain liquidity; asking the same team to also deliver a flashy mobile app or web interface could dilute their attention and slow down core protocol progress. By contrast, letting a specialized team build the app in parallel means both layers (infrastructure and application) can advance quickly without one distracting from the other.

Why Glue is the Perfect Partner to Build This App

Glue’s team and platform are uniquely positioned to deliver this flagship application quickly and successfully. Glue is not a new project starting from zero; we are an established omnichain ecosystem that has been building in parallel with Stargate for three years. Here’s why Glue is the ideal partner:

• Stargate Saves Time and Money: Glue brings a mature, purpose-built omnichain ecosystem to this partnership. We operate a live Layer 1 and Layer 2 network architecture designed for cross-chain interoperability, with deep, existing integrations of both Stargate and LayerZero technologies. Stargate’s bridge is already the default for assets entering Glue, and Stargate has already integrated the Glue chain, creating immediate technical synergy. Critically, Glue has already developed and battle-tested core components essential for the proposed app, including a functional cross-chain DEX aggregator that handles complex routing, asset conversions, and liquidity management using Stargate infrastructure. This existing, robust technology stack dramatically accelerates development timelines and de-risks the execution of the app, allowing us to leverage years of dedicated work rather than starting from scratch. This existing foundation translates directly into a faster, lower-cost, and significantly de-risked development process for Stargate.
• Experienced Team with User Acquisition Expertise: Glue’s core team isn’t just a group of blockchain engineers – we are growth hackers and product experts who have a strong track record in acquiring users for consumer applications. Our team’s background includes successful Web2 and Web3 products, mostly focused on product development and user acquisition, with millions of users and hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue. We understand how to design intuitive interfaces, run effective marketing campaigns, and provide customer support for retail users. This is fundamentally different from building low-level protocol code. Glue’s team is obsessed with user experience and adoption, which is exactly the mindset needed to make the app a success. We will not simply build the app and hope users come – we will actively drive user growth through targeted marketing, partnerships, and incentive programs (more on this below). Leveraging our experienced team avoids the overhead and uncertainty associated with Stargate potentially building and managing a dedicated internal app development division.
• Aligned and Trustworthy Partner: Glue and Stargate aren’t strangers – our teams have worked together and maintain a close relationship. We’ve collaborated on integrating technologies and shared feedback on product ideas. Some of Glue’s team members have been part of the Stargate community since the very beginning , and are long-time STG holders and believers. We’re deeply invested in Stargate’s success – philosophically and literally – and this proposal is born from that shared vision. We approach this partnership with utmost respect for Stargate’s community and team. You’ll find us to be responsive, transparent, and collaborative every step of the way. By partnering with Glue, Stargate gains a dedicated “strike team” that’s already up to speed, rather than trying to hire a new internal department for app development.

Fee Distribution Breakdown (Benefits for STG and veSTG holders)

Revenue will be generated on the app via swap fees applied to user transactions, benchmarked against comparable applications like Moonshot. We propose the following breakdown for the distribution of net fees, executed not less than once per month:

• 35% used to buy back STG on the open market.
• 35% used to buy back GLUE on the open market.
• 10% distributed directly to veSTG stakers.
• 10% distributed directly to GLUE stakers on the Glue platform.
• 10% retained by the app treasury for protocol-owned liquidity, operations, and/or future growth initiatives.