1. Applicant Information
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Team Name: Wildcard Labs
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Website/Other: https://records.xyz
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Entity ENS Name: wildcardlabs.eth (Multisig)
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Primary Contact(s)
- Steve Gachau, @stevegachau.eth
- Sharon Mwaniki, @shahmwaniki.eth
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Company Overview
Wildcard Labs is the team behind Records.xyz, a user-first platform for managing ENS records. We simplify the process of updating and customizing ENS profiles by offering intuitive tools, L2 support, and integrations with ecosystem projects. Our goal is to make ENS more accessible, engaging, and usable for everyone—regardless of where they were onboarded. -
Requested Amount:
- $300,000 - Basic
- $400,000 - Extended
- 1 year stream
- Size of team and commitment
- Steve Gachau - Full time
- Sharon Mwaniki - Full time
- David Wachira - Full time
- Chris Muthii - Full time
- Outside contributors will be contracted where needed.
2. Eligibility Confirmation
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Company Age & Reputation
Wildcard Labs was established in 2023 and has since been an innovative contributor to ENS. Our work in the decentralized ecosystem has led to the creation of unique tools that have boosted ENS adoption and development, acting as bridges between Ethereum and L2s. Over the past year, our efforts have resulted in widely adopted products specifically tailored to enhance ENS, including AvatarSync, OptiNames, ENSRedirect, and ENSRegistry. Our problem-solving approach culminated in the launch of our new platform, Records.xyz, which is set to position Wildcard Labs at the forefront of interoperability in ENS. -
Team Experience
Our team brings over five years of extensive expertise in smart contract development, full-stack development, and strategic business development in decentralized ecosystems. We have served as ENS ambassadors in the vibrant African ecosystem, helping onboard users to ENS at Ethereum events. Additionally, we are actively collaborating with AI safety organizations in a research capacity, focused on leveraging blockchain technology for AI advocacy groups. -
ENS Token Endorsement Requirement
- We will be seeking public endorsement via Snapshot on April 1st.
- OFAC Sanctions Compliance
- We, Wildcard Labs, confirm that neither our organization nor any of our employees, contractors, or executive leadership is located in, or a resident of, an OFAC-sanctioned country. We further confirm that none of our business resources are derived from or routed through any country or entity that is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States (OFAC) or equivalent regulatory bodies. We pledge to remain compliant with all applicable sanctions laws and will promptly notify the ENS DAO if our status changes.
3. Open Source Commitment
Wildcard Labs is committed to open source development. All work related to Records.xyz i.e APIs, integrations, tooling, and resolver infrastructure will be released under the MIT license and made publicly accessible via our GitHub repository.
4. What We Do & Why It Matters
4.1 Making ENS More Engaging
While ENS record management is functional, we believe it can—and should—be far more engaging. For many users, especially those just getting started with Ethereum, getting an ENS name or subname is exciting… but that excitement often fades quickly if there’s nothing meaningful or fun to do with it.
At Records.xyz, we focus on turning that initial spark into long-term interaction. Our approach is to provide tools that make ENS names feel like dynamic digital profiles, not static wallet aliases.
We’ve already built and integrated into our platform:
- ENSRedirect, which lets users point their ENS name to any website—whether that’s a personal portfolio, a community page, a blog, or a startup.
- AvatarSync, which pulls avatars and banners from Twitter/X into your ENS profile, creating continuity between your Web2 and Web3 identity.
Coming soon in Q2, we’ll launch our ENS Subdomains Bot—a social entry point into ENS identities. Users will be able to generate a unique ENS subdomain just by replying to a tweet or tagging/mentioning the bot. This makes onboarding into ENS fun, viral, and accessible—no prior knowledge or dapp interaction required.
But we’re not the only ones building in this direction—and that’s a good thing. We’re excited about other teams creating tools around ENS records as well. A standout is Webhash, which lets users build and deploy websites linked to their ENS names. We’re looking forward to integrating such functionalities directly into Records.xyz.
This is just the beginning. As more teams begin to build expressive, creative, and playful tools around ENS records, we’ll be looking for opportunities to collaborate, integrate, and support those efforts. Because the more engaging ENS becomes, the more likely users are to keep exploring, customizing, and using their names in meaningful ways.
4.2 Serving Users Where They Are
One of the biggest changes in Ethereum over the past few years has been the rise of Layer 2 (L2) networks like Base, Optimism, and Arbitrum. These networks are often where users are first onboarded, especially in regions where affordability and usability are paramount. Yet most existing ENS tooling still assumes that users are on Ethereum mainnet, with gas and familiarity with L1 workflows. This assumption creates unnecessary friction.
We experienced this firsthand while onboarding users to ENS at a local Ethereum conference here in East Africa. Many attendees were new to Ethereum and received their first ENS name or subdomain through our team’s efforts. But the follow-up questions were almost always the same:
- “How do I update my profile?”
- “I use Base/Optimism—can I manage my ENS there?”
- “I only have gas on L2—what now?”
- “Can I point my name to my website?”
These weren’t edge cases—they were recurring questions from real users. And they revealed a major gap: users were excited about ENS, but they didn’t know what to do with their name, or couldn’t take the next step because the tools weren’t built for their context.
We believe that serving users means meeting them where they are, whether that’s on Base or OP or any other L2. That means supporting the networks they use, acknowledging their constraints, and giving them tools that work in their environment. It also means recognizing that global adoption starts locally, and building with real-world use cases—not just idealized user flows—in mind.
4.3 A Single Place for All ENS Names
The ENS ecosystem is expanding beyond mainnet, with different teams and networks launching their own ENS-compatible naming systems. While this diversity is powerful, it also introduces fragmentation—users now have ENS names issued from multiple sources, with no single place to manage them all.
Records.xyz is designed to unify that experience. Our vision is to be the one interface where users can manage all their ENS records—regardless of which network or resolver they’re tied to.
We’ve already added support for Basenames, the ENS subdomains under base.eth managed by the Base team. These are increasingly popular entry points into ENS for users on Base, and we make it easy to manage these subdomains just like you would a mainnet name.
Coming in Q2, we will be adding support for Linea names and other L2-based namespaces using ENSNODE, a new multichain indexer developed by Namehash Labs. We’re excited to integrate it and want to give a big shoutout to the Namehash Labs team for pioneering this important piece of infrastructure.
Another major development we’re tracking closely is the Wildcard Writing ENSIP, a newly released ENS standard that allows offchain names—like those managed by alternate resolvers and storage layers—to be updated in a trustless way. While it hasn’t yet been widely adopted, we anticipate that it will become a foundational part of how offchain ENS records are managed across the ecosystem.
We’re building with this standard in mind, so that once projects begin implementing it, Records.xyz will be able to support managing records for offchain names just as easily as onchain ones. One project we’re especially excited about here is Namestone, which is creating new types of ENS-compatible offchain names. We’re looking forward to supporting names issued by Namestone and other similar projects as they begin adopting Wildcard Writing.
By designing Records.xyz to support all of these namespaces, we’re ensuring that users don’t have to worry about where they acquired their name. They just log in, manage their profile, and use their name—all in one place.
4.4 Committed to Integrations
At Records.xyz, we’re building alongside the broader ENS and Ethereum community. Our platform is designed to integrate, not compete by supporting protocols, tools, and standards that expand what ENS names can do and how users can interact with them.
One example is our integration of EFP—shoutout to Brantly and his team for pushing social primitives forward onchain. EFP is a native Ethereum standard that enables users to follow and tag addresses, making it possible to build a decentralized social graph. Users on Records.xyz can already see their follower and following counts when viewing their ENS profile. Once public profiles are live, they’ll also be able to follow other ENS users directly from our app, bringing social connection into the ENS experience.
We also love seeing the creative ways people use our tools in the wild. With ENSRedirect, users can point their ENS name to any custom URL. A fun example: trumpcoin.eth and worldliberty.eth have both redirected their ENS names to their respective project websites using ENSRedirect. And yes, for the curious—we’ve confirmed internally that they did in fact use our tool to set those redirects. It’s always exciting to see ENS being used to signal alignment or add a touch of legitimacy.
4.5 Driving Local Adoption
To meaningfully grow ENS adoption, we must go beyond crypto-native circles and reach users in communities where web3 is still emerging. Our team has been deeply engaged in local outreach, particularly in East Africa, where we’ve actively onboarded users to ENS through conferences and community events.
In these settings, we’ve often provided users with free subdomains as an easy first step into the ENS ecosystem. While many were excited and grateful to receive an identity they could immediately use, we also encountered a recurring sentiment: some users wanted their own full ENS name (a level 2 .eth name), not just a subdomain. However, purchasing a .eth name requires an onchain transaction on Ethereum mainnet, which presents both financial and technical barriers—especially in markets where L1 gas fees are prohibitive and crypto onramps are limited.
To address this gap, we will work towards integrating MPESA, the dominant mobile money system in Kenya. This will allow users to purchase .eth names directly using local currency, without needing to interact with exchanges or bridge funds. We believe this will significantly lower the barrier to meaningful ENS ownership and provide a smoother, more culturally relevant onboarding experience.
This initiative is part of our Extended Scope and contributes to the increased budget request under that scope. Facilitating onchain .eth name purchases on behalf of users will require us to maintain liquidity and operational infrastructure to complete these transactions reliably. We see this as a key step in making ENS truly accessible at the global level, while also supporting the DAO’s revenue through new name registrations.
5.1 Basic Scope of Work
Requested Amount: $300,000/year
Description:
The basic scope will fund the continued development, maintenance, and growth of Records.xyz as a user-focused, L2-native frontend for managing ENS records. This includes:
- Supporting record management for:
- L2 resolver-managed names (via our own Crosschain Resolver),
- L2-based ENS names such as Basenames (
*.base.eth) and Linea Names and - Offchain ENS names with resolvers managed by other projects (e.g., Namestone).
- Maintaining and improving our in-house tools: ENSRedirect, AvatarSync, and our Twitter-based Subdomain Bot (launching in Q2).
- Integrating emerging ENS standards such as Wildcard Writing ENSIP, enabling support for a broader set of offchain ENS Names & use cases.
- Providing users with profile-level features such as social graphs via EFP and avatar/banner syncing.
- Continuing to champion frontend diversity by offering a beginner-friendly alternative to existing ENS tools.
- Collaborating with other builders in the ENS ecosystem to integrate their tools.
- Ongoing UX improvements, community outreach, and onboarding support with a strong focus on L2-first users.
KPIs / Success Metrics (Quarterly):
1,500+ ENS records set/updated via Records.xyz per quarter
Quarter-over-quarter growth in unique ENS profiles managed via Records.xyz (baseline set in Q2)
Annual Budget: $300,000
5.2 Extended Scope of Work
Requested Amount: $100,000 + Basic Scope. Total: ($400,000/year)
Description:
The extended scope will fund everything in the basic scope, plus the development and rollout of local fiat onramps, starting with MPESA integration in Kenya. This will allow users to purchase .eth names directly using mobile money, without the need for crypto or centralized exchanges.
This work includes:
- Building out MPESA integration infrastructure for
.ethregistrations. - Providing liquidity to complete onchain transactions on behalf of users.
- Coordinating with local partners to ensure operational reliability and compliance.
- Developing UX flows that align with local usage patterns and constraints.
KPIs / Success Metrics (Quarterly):
Launch MPESA ENS purchasing flow in production by end of Q3
100+ .ethnames registered via MPESA per quarter post-launch
Demonstrated net new ENS users from East Africa converting via fiat onboarding
Annual Budget: $100,000 + Basic Scope Total: ($400,000/year)
6. Past Achievements & Additional Information
Wildcard Labs is a research and development–driven company with a strong focus on problem validation, rapid iteration, and user-centered experimentation. We approach ENS and identity infrastructure with a startup ethos—prioritizing real-world feedback, engaging directly with users, and validating pain points before scaling products or features.
Our early-stage efforts have been grounded in deep user research and prototyping, especially within communities that are underserved by existing ENS tooling. Much of the past year has been spent building core infrastructure, testing in the field, and gathering feedback from real users—particularly in L2-first and emerging market contexts.
Key Projects and Infrastructure
- Records.xyz – Our flagship app is a user-friendly, L2-native ENS records manager that allows users to manage
.ethnames,*.base.ethsubnames (Basenames), and soon Linea Names, all from their network of choice. While the platform is relatively new, it is the result of extensive validation, design iteration, and infrastructure groundwork.
→ Website: https://records.xyz
→ GitHub: GitHub - WildcardLabs/records.xyz - L2 Crosschain Resolver – A key piece of infrastructure that allows users to set ENS records on L2s with full Ethereum security guarantees using storage proofs. This work emerged from both technical R&D and conversations with users who couldn’t afford L1 gas.
- ENSRedirect – A tool allowing users to point ENS names to any website. This feature is live and in use today. Projects like
trumpcoin.ethandworldliberty.ethhave used ENSRedirect to link their ENS names to their project websites. (Confirmed by our team.)
Website: https://ensredirect.xyz. (Integration also live on records.xyz) - AvatarSync – Enables users to sync their ENS profile avatar and banner from Twitter/X. This makes ENS feel more like a modern Web2/3 identity layer, which was one of the most common requests in our early research.
Website: https://avatarsync.io (Integration also live on records.xyz) - ENS Subdomains Bot (launching Q2) – A social onboarding experiment that will allow users to mint ENS subdomains by replying to a tweet. This tool is built from direct feedback about onboarding friction, especially for new users who wanted a fast, gasless entry point.
- ENSRegistry, which began as a Twitter bot for tracking newly registered ENS domains and subdomains. It has since evolved into a full web app—ensregistry.xyz—that tracks ENS registrations in real time.
Optimism DAO Grant (2023) – We received a grant from Optimism DAO to develop the Optimism L2 Resolver. This foundational work helped pave the way for our current Crosschain Resolver and is directly linked to our L2-native ENS strategy.
7. Video Introduction (≤ 5 minutes)
8. Conflict Of Interest Statement
Wildcard Labs has no conflicts of interest to declare. None of our team members are currently serving as stewards or hold compensated positions at ENS Labs or Karpatkey, apart from our role as a current ENS DAO service provider. We are solely focused on building Records.xyz and are not involved with any other candidate projects in the Service Provider Program.
We previously received a grant from the Optimism DAO over a year ago to support the development of our Optimism L2 Resolver, which laid the groundwork for the Crosschain Resolver now used in Records.xyz. This work is foundational to our current focus on L2-native ENS record management and does not represent an active funding relationship or overlapping engagement.
