Today, the TON Foundation has named two prominent, influential figures within the TON community as public ambassadors. These evangelists have been officially recognised by the TON Foundation for their outstanding contribution to the TON community. A third community member has been named as a board member of the TON Foundation, joining Bill Qian who took on a similar role in September. In making this appointment, the TON Foundation are ensuring that ecosystem users and community members are given a voice within the Foundation.

Steve Yun, Founding member of the TON Foundation said that “We are pleased to introduce the first TON ambassadors and are confident that they will make a significant contribution to the mass adoption of the TON blockchain by global organisations, development teams, and institutional investors.”

Tal Kol, the co-founder of Orbs and Hexa, and Oleg Andreev, the co-founder of Tonkeeper and a core developer of the TON blockchain have been announced by the TON Foundation as ambassadors. They use their blockchain expertise to create and develop TON-based projects that provide solutions to real-world problems. Notably Orbs are also a member of the group of organisations behind the $250 million ecosystem fund that was announced earlier this year.

Manuel Stotz, Founder of Kingsway Capital, is set to become a board member of the TON Foundation, joining Bill Qian who joined the TON Foundation in September in a similar capacity. Manuel is an ardent believer in the revolutionary potential of blockchain technology, and is a long-term supporter of the TON ecosystem.

Manuel said that “Kingsway is proud to be an investor in TON and to support the growing TON ecosystem which is dominated by missionaries, not mercenaries. Digital freedoms & property rights are going to be amongst the most noble causes to protect & invest in over the coming years. I am proud to support this mission as an incoming board member of the TON Foundation.”

The announcement follows a year that has seen the TON ecosystem go from strength to strength as it continued its growth despite the ongoing bear market. Alongside the listing of the native token Toncoin on Huobi and Kucoin, independent developers on the TON Blockchain developed a P2P marketplace within Telegram that enabled the seamless trading of Toncoin between users. With the year’s growth cemented by Telegram’s launch of a tokenised username marketplace built on the TON blockchain, the TON Foundation has continually sought to drive the mass adoption of blockchain technology by enabling user-friendly access to services that provide real-life utility.