YijingBot App – Secret Network Grant Application (Secret Apps)

[JenD86]

Project Description

We have built and deployed a Yijing (I Ching/易经) fortune-telling bot on Telegram that uses both Secret VMs and Secret AI. The bot provides daily divination readings to users, supported by rewarded ads, with the option to pay for an expanded reading. Each day one paid user wins the daily jackpot - a sentiment analysis algorithm picks the "luckiest" fortune and awards its recipient 50% of that day's revenues. The jackpot algorithm runs inside the Secret VM, which means users can independently verify that the selection is fair and that the pot is not being awarded to an account we control. This is a problem that plagues every lottery-style app and game, and Secret's confidential computing solves it cleanly.

We are applying under the Secret Apps category for $8,500 to capitalise on early traction by: (a) running a concerted marketing campaign for the existing Telegram bot, (b) releasing iOS and Android versions with native payment integration, and (c) publicising the mobile launch to drive adoption. All back end application code will remain open-source under the MIT licence.

Problem / Solution

Problem

Secret Network's application ecosystem is heavily concentrated in DeFi and data marketplaces. These are valuable use-cases, but they appeal to a narrow, technically sophisticated audience. To grow the network's user base and demonstrate the breadth of confidential computing, Secret needs consumer-facing applications that ordinary people find genuinely useful and enjoyable. The convergence of AI, mobile monetisation and culturally rooted desire for real world experience has created a “perfect storm” for fortune-telling apps like FateTell and others to scale quickly. In China, the so-called “spiritual economy” – including astrology and divination apps – is already becoming a billion-dollar category, with apps such as CeCe Astrology backed by major tech firms and enjoying millions of active users. In India, the AI-powered astrology startup MyNaksh recently raised ~US$900k in a pre-seed round in September 2025. In South Korea, the fortune-telling app by Chunmyung & Company secured a Series A of $4m in April 2022. Meanwhile, markets like Thailand show users spending roughly 5× more per capita on digital fortune-telling than before, with the overall spiritual goods and services market estimated at US$304-456 million.

YijingBot demonstrates the gaming potential of confidential computing in this fast-growing sector.

Solution

• Verifiable jackpot fairness via Secret VM: Our daily jackpot selection runs inside the Secret VM. The algorithm - a sentiment analysis process that identifies the "luckiest" reading of the day - is verifiable without being gameable. Users can confirm that winners are selected fairly and that the operator cannot rig outcomes. This is the core value proposition of building on Secret rather than a conventional backend.
• Privacy by design: User questions and readings are encrypted and processed inside secure enclaves. Only the user sees their own question and interpretation.
• Early traction with room to grow: The Telegram bot has ~500 active users. When we announced our partnership with Secret Network, we saw a 50% increase in user interactions and a 20% increase in page views - with zero advertising spend. This suggests genuine interest that a focused marketing effort and mobile release can convert into sustained growth. This is confirmed by

Detailed Product Description

What exists today (deployed and functional)

• A Telegram bot that generates Yijing readings using Secret AI for historically informed, confidential interpretations.
• A Secret VM that runs the daily jackpot selection algorithm and emits verifiable proofs of fair winner selection.
• ~500 active users acquired organically.

What this grant funds

• Mobile app (iOS and Android): A cross-platform React Native application wrapping the existing Secret VM contract, with:
  • Question input and hexagram generation.
  • Daily jackpot draw with verifiable proof of fair selection.
  • Push notifications for daily readings and streak rewards.
  • In-app purchases for premium interpretations and unlimited draws, using native App Store and Google Play payment systems.
• Marketing campaign: A structured push to grow the user base across both Telegram and mobile, including influencer partnerships and community events (detailed below).
• Open-source repository and documentation: The backend codebase, along with an integration guide showing how to build similar verifiable-fairness applications on Secret VM, will be published on GitHub under MIT.

Go-to-Market Plan

Our partnership announcement produced a 50% spike in user interactions with no paid promotion. The grant funds a deliberate effort to replicate and amplify that signal:

1. Telegram-first marketing push (weeks 1–4): Before the mobile app ships, we run a targeted campaign to grow the existing bot's user base —-social media promotion, community cross-posting, and paid ads in relevant Telegram channels (spirituality, mindfulness, astrology/tarot communities). This is low-cost, fast feedback on messaging and positioning.
2. Mobile launch (weeks 4–8): Release iOS and Android apps (free to download) with optional in-app purchases for deeper interpretations. The mobile app reduces friction and enables push-notification retention loops that Telegram cannot support.
3. Influencer referral programme (weeks 4–10): Onboard 10–20 spirituality and mindfulness micro-influencers (5K–50K followers each). Each receives a unique referral code and a dashboard tracking installs and premium conversions. We offer a 20% revenue share on premium features, aligning our marketing spend with actual user acquisition rather than upfront ad costs.
4. Community events (ongoing from week 6): Monthly virtual sessions where users join a live jackpot draw and discuss interpretations. Encourage sharing of anonymised results on social media to generate organic curiosity.
5. Secret wallet integration: Users who connect a Secret wallet unlock bonus features (stored reading history, on-chain feature voting), providing a low-friction on-ramp to the Secret ecosystem for people who may never have held crypto.

Value Capture for the Secret Network Ecosystem

• New users on a new vector: Our target is 1,000–3,000 new users in 6 months. Most of these will be people encountering Secret Network for the first time through a consumer product rather than through DeFi - a demographic the ecosystem currently struggles to reach.
• Wallet creation: Each user who engages with on-chain features will create or connect a Secret wallet, directly growing active wallet counts.
• Proof of concept for verifiable fairness: The jackpot mechanism demonstrates a use-case pattern — operator-can't-cheat randomness — that is broadly applicable to games, lotteries, and contests. Our open-source code and integration guide make this pattern reusable for other developers.
• Transaction volume: Daily readings, jackpot draws, and premium purchases generate on-chain transactions contributing to network fees.
• Narrative value: A culturally resonant, consumer-friendly app is a powerful story for Secret Network to tell when pitching the ecosystem to non-crypto audiences and developers.

Team Members

• Jen Dodgson – Founder / Product Lead. PhD; 6+ years building AI systems. Founded multiple AI-related startups. Built the initial Yijing Telegram bot; domain expertise in the Yijing and classical Chinese texts, including a complete translation of the Zhanguo Ce (Stratagems of the Warring States).
• Augustin Chan – Design & Architecture. 20+ years in web design and architecture. Deep expertise in the Yijing and its interpretive traditions, informing the app's content quality and cultural authenticity.
• Michael Joedhitya – Smart-contract & Mobile Developer. Delivered multiple AI/blockchain applications including Secret VM integrations and privacy-preserving DeFi modules.

Team Website

• Telegram bot: https://t.me/Yijing_fortune_bot
• Main page: https://8bitoracle.ai/en

Team Code Repos

• https://github.com/DAObiFE/yijingbotbackend

Team LinkedIn Profiles

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-dodgson-21642a23/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/auchan/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-joedhitya/

Development Roadmap

Duration: 3 months · Team: 1.5 FTE · Total Budget: $8,500

Milestone	Timeline	Deliverables	Budget (USD)
1. Telegram growth & mobile MVP	Weeks 0–4	Launch Telegram marketing campaign; ship React Native MVP on TestFlight and Google Play Beta; publish open-source repository with documentation.	$3,500
2. Referral programme & premium features	Weeks 4–8	Implement referral code system and creator dashboard; integrate App Store and Google Play in-app purchases for premium readings; begin influencer recruitment.	$2,500
3. Public launch & adoption	Weeks 8–12	Deploy mobile app to public app stores on mainnet; execute influencer marketing campaign; target 1,000 users and 200 premium subscriptions; publish integration guide and verification documentation.	$2,500

Additional Information

• Open-source licence: All back-end code released under MIT. We will publish an integration guide specifically covering the verifiable-fairness pattern on Secret VM, so other developers can build lottery, game, and contest applications with the same trust guarantees.
• Community engagement: Periodic development updates and AMA sessions throughout the grant period.
• Existing relationship: We have been in direct contact with the Secret Network team, who have expressed enthusiasm for a consumer-facing application that demonstrates confidential computing to a non-technical audience.