Valuation iMe Messenger: Reach 5-20% of Telegram's $30B ?Valuation Potential of iMe Messenger: Why It Has the Prospect to Reach 5-20% of Telegram's $30 Billion Valuation?
Authors: SanTi Li, Naxida, Feng Yu, Li Feiyu
Abstract:
In the Web3 era, the functionality of messaging applications is no longer limited to information transmission. Many failures of Web3 social applications (SocialFi) stem from a lack of sustained user engagement and long-term foundation, or their core functionality merely copying existing platforms (such as borrowing from Twitter). Additionally, the integration of tokens into these platforms often lacks depth and practical utility. Social applications, once adopted by users, establish strong defensive moats, and further integrating Web3 elements such as multi-domain payments, multi-chain interaction, financial services, and decentralized applications can significantly enhance their intrinsic value.
iMe Messenger (LIME), as an extension of Telegram's ecosystem, enhances and optimizes its functionality while maintaining a unique market position. This has attracted growing attention from users, investors, and institutional clients.
By analyzing market trends, user demands, and the synergies between Telegram, its public blockchain TON, and iMe Messenger, this paper explores why iMe Messenger has the potential to reach 5-20% of Telegram's valuation and how it fits within the triad of TON, Telegram, and iMe to mutually enhance value.
1. Market Positioning and User Value of iMe Messenger
1.1 Compatibility with Telegram: Lowering User Migration and Learning Costs
iMe Messenger ( GATEIO:LIMEUSDT LIME) is not only a standalone social application but also a Pro-version developed on top of Telegram, allowing seamless synchronization of chat history, contacts, and channels. This drastically reduces migration costs, enabling iMe to inherit Telegram's ecosystem rather than building an entirely new application from scratch.
Essentially, every Telegram user can also be an iMe user, and all iMe users are inherently Telegram users.
1.2 Enhanced Features for Greater User Engagement and Experience
Building upon Telegram's core, iMe offers additional features such as:
●Integrated Wallets: Supporting multi-chain payments and fund transfers among Telegram friends, including BSC, Solana BINANCE:SOLUSDT , ETH, and TON.
●Translation & Content Organization: Enabling translation for personal and group chats without requiring Telegram's Star VIP subscription.
●Payment and Exchange Integration: Supports Binance Pay and Uniswap's DEX functionalities.
●Improved Group Features: Introduces Crypto Box, similar to WeChat's red packet and gifting features.
●AI Assistant & Antivirus Protection: Enhances user experience with AI-driven features.
●Latest AI Integrations: Users can directly utilize AI models like Gemini and GPT for multi-format content creation and image generation.
●Enhanced Privacy: Strengthened encryption and privacy protection.
●Customizable UI: More personalized interface options than Telegram, appealing to specific user demographics.
These enhancements make iMe a superior choice for certain use cases compared to Telegram's native experience.
Feature Telegram iMe Messenger
Core Messaging ✅ ✅ + Premium Antivirus
Cross-Platform Sync ✅ ✅
AI Translation & Speech-to-Text ✅ (VIP only) ✅ (Free via Lime token)
Multi-Chain Transfers ❌ ✅ (Supports Sol, BSC,
ETH, etc.)
AI BOT Integration ✅ ✅ (Advanced AI models)
Functional Optimization ❌ ✅ (More user-friendly UI)
Payment System ❌ ✅ (Binance Pay, CryptoBox)
Staking Services ❌ (Requires third-party access) ✅ (Directly accessible
in Wallet module)
Telegram API Requirement ✅ (Native API) ❌ (Requires external
API access)
Independent App Download ✅ (App Store) ✅ (App Store)
2. Valuation Comparison: iMe vs. Telegram
2.1 Telegram's Valuation Logic
Telegram is currently valued at approximately $30 billion, primarily due to:
1.A massive user base of 900 million to 1 billion with rapid growth.
2.A deep ecosystem including groups, channels, Bot economy, ad revenue, and potential Web3 applications.
3.TON blockchain integration, enhancing payment and application functionalities.
4.An expected IPO and its role in the broader blockchain and AI landscape.
Telegram's valuation is based on user scale × monetization potential × technology moat × IPO expectations, with some influence from its blockchain interactions with TON.
2.2 iMe's Growth Potential
Currently, iMe's Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) is around $20 million, with 18 million users. While this is significantly lower than Telegram's 900+ million users, its interoperability with Telegram provides substantial user growth potential.
Considering Web3 applications with over 10 million real registered users are rare, iMe's niche appeal could further bolster its valuation. With a 600% growth over 3.5 years, iMe has promising expansion potential.
Factors contributing to iMe’s ability to achieve 5-20% of Telegram’s valuation:
1.User Growth: If iMe captures 5-10% of Telegram's user base (45M-90M users), its market valuation would rise accordingly.
2.Monetization Potential: Ad revenue, VIP subscriptions, Binance Pay integration, and staking services expand its financial ecosystem.
3.Token Utility & Burning Mechanism: Increased usage of Lime token for payments and transactions enhances its long-term value.
4.Multi-Chain Support: Since Telegram prioritizes TON, other blockchain tokens need a third-party solution—iMe fills this gap.
5.TON Ecosystem Integration: iMe strengthens its value by serving as a gateway for blockchain applications within Telegram’s ecosystem.
2.3 Other Reasons for the Valuation Growth Potential of iMe Messenger
There are many projects in the market with overestimated and inflated values, but it is indeed difficult to find undervalued Web3 projects. The core reasons for this mostly relate to the operational strategies of project teams over a period of time, project management styles, and the experiences and habits of personnel. There are even intricate connections with partner institutions, investors, and other stakeholders.
Apart from the valuation growth potential points compared in sections 2.1 and 2.2, the hidden value and potential of the iMe project are also related to the following factors:
1.iMe’s operational model primarily exists within its internal ecosystem and lacks sufficient collaboration with media, rating agencies, and third-party content platforms. This has resulted in valuable updates and the five advantages we mentioned earlier being largely unknown to many investors and enthusiasts.
2.Limited collaboration with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) in value-driven or hype-driven streams. In fact, this project was discovered as early as the end of 2021, but we waited to see if others would also identify its value and write about it. However, we found that very few people had actually created content on it. Later, after communicating with the project team, we discovered that they indeed lacked deep collaboration with content institutions and KOLs. Unlike 2018, when PR agencies were of relatively high quality—such as Block72 and Winkrypto, which had at least dozens of team members providing comprehensive support—by 2025, many so-called PR agencies consisted of just one or two individuals. This has significantly increased the difficulty for project teams in making the right choices and the probability of encountering pitfalls. This situation is as challenging as distinguishing between Dogecoin in 2020 and the tens of thousands of meme tokens emerging daily today.
3.Since 2024, Lime has only gradually been listed on new exchanges. Previously, it was primarily listed on Gate, which is known for its extensive range of trading pairs but lacks significant independent AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions or media promotion through research reports. From 2023 onwards, many major exchanges adopted a strategy of listing only entirely new projects. This strategy undoubtedly impacted a group of high-quality projects that were listed around 2021 and had successfully endured the bear market. With the recent wave of meme token promotion and the market adjustments of 2024-2025, exchange operators and traders have begun to recognize the underlying issues in purely new projects and meme-based projects.
4.The team has a strong technical mindset, focusing on R&D while lacking market operation experience. This issue is not unique to iMe’s team. Even a project as robust as Algorand, which had an MIT-backed “king bomb” team, later faced operational chaos due to blind hiring of Web2 product managers who lacked experience and made misguided decisions.
5.Insufficient utilization of traffic and promotional platforms. During due diligence, we found that the iMe team produces high-quality animations and content. However, these materials are often only published within their own community and Twitter. Many high-quality users are not necessarily effective disseminators—just as in real life, many exceptionally talented individuals are not good at expressing themselves or spreading information. Therefore, leveraging high-quality third-party platforms and engaging in interactive campaigns (such as writing contests) is also key to furthering brand building.
In summary, the fundamental prerequisite for a project to have sufficient growth potential is that its core technology is strong and its sector and market trends are favorable. However, a lack of brand promotion and groundwork is one of the primary reasons why high-quality content goes undiscovered. This issue can be mitigated with the support of large institutions, major exchanges, or influential figures. This is also one of the main reasons why undervalued projects have room for valuation growth.
3. The Impact of the BINANCE:TONUSDT TON Ecosystem on IME’s Valuation
3.1 Growth Potential of the TON Ecosystem
TONUSDT
TON, as the decentralized blockchain platform officially supported by Telegram, encompasses multiple application scenarios, including DeFi and GameFi. Telegram is actively promoting the TON ecosystem.
1.TON’s growth potential: TON currently has a market valuation exceeding $10 billion, and with its integration into the Telegram ecosystem, its value could potentially double in the future.
2.Potential of TON payments: IME has a built-in TON wallet, gradually making it one of the most important payment and transaction gateways within the TON ecosystem. This undeniably enhances IME’s long-term product value. Although the Lime token has not yet been launched on the TON chain, this development is likely imminent.
3.Binding effect between TON and Telegram: TON is poised to become the Web3 core of Telegram’s economic system. As a Telegram-compatible all-in-one development application, IME is naturally positioned to benefit from this ecosystem’s growth.
3.2 Direct Impact of TON on IME’s Valuation
The expansion of the TON ecosystem means that IME is no longer just a messaging app—it is becoming a Web3 gateway. If TON’s overall valuation grows to $20 billion or beyond, then iMe, as an important Web3 entry point, will also see an increase in its valuation. TON’s decentralized payment services and smart contract capabilities, combined with iMe’s built-in multi-chain wallet, provide strong support for Telegram-based iMe users. This transforms iMe from a mere communication tool into a cross-chain financial and social platform.
(This also applies to native iMe users—i.e., institutional users who directly use the iMe software without relying on the Telegram client—bringing new users to Telegram’s ecosystem and creating potential TON adopters.)
Risks and Challenges
Of course, the development of iMe Messenger is not without risks. As a platform based on decentralization and blockchain technology, it faces multiple challenges similar to those of Telegram, including technical security, user privacy protection, and regulatory policies. There is also the systemic risk of Telegram suddenly ceasing API development (although such a move would be self-sabotaging for Telegram itself). Additionally, the Web3 market is highly competitive, with new products continuously emerging, exerting competitive pressure on iMe. How to ensure user privacy and security while continuously optimizing product features and enhancing user experience will be key to iMe Messenger’s future development.
4. Comprehensive Summary: Factors Affecting iMe’s Valuation
Based on the above analysis, iMe’s development trajectory and speed suggest that it has the potential to reach 5-10% of Telegram’s user base. The expansion and growth of iMe also contribute to the overall expansion and development of Telegram. At the same time, by leveraging the mutual benefits of the Telegram and TON ecosystems, iMe can create additional value. This enables iMe to benefit from Telegram’s strong user retention moat while positioning itself as a potential Web3 or secondary version of Telegram.
From the perspectives of user base, business model, TON enablement, integrated wallet, and Lime token functionalities, IME has the potential to achieve a valuation of 5%-20% of Telegram’s estimated value, equating to a valuation of over $1.5 billion. As the Telegram ecosystem matures and the TON network further develops, iMe’s market value may continue to grow, with potential for further valuation increases.
Overall, iMe
LIMEUSDT
Lime is not merely a secondary development software utilizing Telegram’s API. Instead, it is a Web3 social communication and payment tool with significantly stronger utility. Its valuation model is closer to a combination of Wallet + Telegram + TON + AI, making it more akin to a Web3 version of WeChat. It holds the potential to become a fully realized Web3 social application. Hopefully, it will ultimately succeed alongside Telegram.
Next, we will explore the long-term value of several public blockchain networks. May the force be with you~
Friendly Reminder: This article is created for research and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. The Web3 space is simultaneously full of opportunities and risks. We encourage readers to conduct their own research (DYOR) on every project or topic.
