Stefaan Vervaet, Akave - Web3 Hot Storage That Actually Works for Enterprises (#53)
May 15, 2025 | 47:15 | Episode 53
In episode 53 of the DePINed podcast, host Tom Trowbridge sits down with Stefaan Vervaet, founder of Akave, to explore how the future of decentralized storage depends on usability, verifiability, and integration with AI and enterprise-grade workflows.
Bridging Web2 to Web3 for Enterprise Storage
Akave, born out of the Protocol Labs Venture Studio, positions itself as a decentralized hot storage network designed for modern AI and enterprise data needs. Stefaan describes Akave as a "data layer" that connects traditional cloud applications with Web3 infrastructure — a necessary bridge to bring real-world utility to decentralized storage.
Why Decentralized Storage Is Still Hard
Storage may sound simple: write, read, repeat, but in enterprise reality, it's anything but. Users need more than just byte buckets: they need performance, compliance, locality, and verifiable durability. Akave addresses these through:
Native support for object storage
S3-compatible APIs for seamless adoption
On-chain verifiability through cryptographic hashes
Integration with enterprise tools like Snowflake
Decentralized Storage for AI: Why Now?
Three market forces are pushing demand for alternatives to centralized storage:
Exploding AI Workloads – Massive data sets are being generated and reused at scale.
Egress Costs – Traditional clouds charge up to $90/TB/month just to move data out.
Data Sovereignty & Compliance – More enterprises want to control locality and trust data integrity.
Akave addresses these with a flat pricing model ($14.99/TB/month), no egress fees, and proof-of-data-possession baked into protocol guarantees. As Stefaan puts it, “It's not just about storing data. It's about using it without friction.”
Powered by Filecoin, but Going Further
Akave builds on Filecoin for archival and leverages a custom-built hot layer with erasure coding, S3 gateways, and verifiable node behavior enforced by staking and slashing. The result: high-availability, enterprise-grade infrastructure with performance comparable to AWS, but without the lock-in.
Customer-First, Not Token-First
Rather than the “build it and they will come” approach, Akave starts with real demand. They launched two subnets — a public testnet and a permissioned enterprise net — to validate use cases before expanding supply. Revenue is the key metric. Stefaan's goal: reach $1 million ARR from actual customers before decentralizing further.
A Familiar Playbook, a Different Stack
Stefaan’s background includes selling two data infrastructure startups and leading product at Western Digital. At Protocol Labs, he helped grow the Filecoin network. Now with Akave, he’s applying lessons from both Web2 and Web3:
Offer familiar interfaces (S3, Snowflake, Iceberg)
Optimize pricing for predictability
Leverage community-run infrastructure for scale
The Token Model: Built for Trust and Expansion
Akave’s token will power staking, incentivize subnet operators, and enforce SLAs. Customers pay in fiat; infrastructure is rewarded in tokens via a protocol-governed treasury. The design ensures sustainability while enabling high-performance guarantees.
What’s Next?
Akave plans to grow through subnet partnerships — especially in emerging markets underserved by traditional clouds. MSPs and data layer integrators can launch local subnets, offer managed services, and capture meaningful margins (up to 60%) while supporting compliance and low-latency compute. As AI data volumes explode and enterprise budgets tighten, decentralized hot storage is a necessity.
About DePINed Podcast
DePINed is a podcast exploring the frontier of decentralized physical infrastructure, hosted by Tom Trowbridge, co-founder of Fluence. Each episode features in-depth conversations with founders, builders, and investors who are shaping the future of real-world Web3 networks.
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