Lenz.dev uses Yellow SDK for AR filter monetization with a focus on creators

A mini app focused on creators built on Snap has emerged as one of the gainers of the recent hackathon, offering a new model for AR creators to monetize their work through blockchain technology. The platform allows creators to tokenize AR filters, spatial experiences, and mini-games as on-chain assets, transforming creative work into digital property that generates income with each use, sharing, or remix.

The platform directly challenges traditional Web2 platforms, where creators face barriers, limited compensation, and lack of ownership rights. Each interaction with a filter or experience, including uses, likes, shares, remixes, and playtime, is transparently recorded on the chain and automatically linked to gains.

The problem that the platform addresses is evident.

Viral AR filters on social media generate billions of uses, but creators earn almost nothing. Platforms reward creators with reach or selective funds while retaining 100% of advertising and brand revenue.

Filters can be reused or used in brand campaigns, but the original creators do not receive royalties or credit. In 2022, more than 2.5 million AR filters were published on a popular social network. Less than 0.1% of creators earned direct income from their work.

The SDK powers the Web3 infrastructure

The SDK, a high-performance and chain-agnostic development kit, serves as the foundation for the platform's infrastructure. The SDK bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3 functionality by abstracting technical complexity, allowing developers to create blockchain-powered applications with the speed and simplicity of traditional web development. It provides a unique integration layer that handles chain-specific logic and enables off-chain execution for real-time interactions.

Chain tracking and automated payments

The MVP of the platform includes the tokenization of AR filters on the blockchain network, an on-chain engagement tracker that records the use of filters, and a rewards background prototype that automatically distributes payments to creators. The on-chain logic records every interaction—use, sharing, remix, playtime—making the system transparent and tamper-proof without black box algorithms.

The native wallet experience eliminates centralized accounts.

Profits flow directly to creators' wallets through programmable splits. Creators control which metadata is public versus private, and users can interact without compromising personal data.

Weekly cryptocurrency rewards come from a shared rewards pool, with payments proportional to engagement. Tips, licenses, and remix royalties flow directly through smart contracts. On-chain attribution ensures that original creators are always credited, with future DAO governance allowing creators to shape fees, rules, and discovery algorithms.

New sources of income for brands and communities

For brands and agencies, the platform offers a way to license AR filters and spatial experiences directly from creators with built-in attribution and automated royalties. Creators can monetize beyond exposure through engagement, tips, licenses, and remixes. Communities support creators through transparent and on-chain interactions.

The impact extends across multiple dimensions.

Fair monetization redirects revenue from platforms to creators. Ownership and attribution transform filters and mini-games into true digital property with verifiable origin.

An open creative economy arises, a decentralized market for free spatial creativity without barriers. Commitment drives continuous rewards, ensuring long-term viability for creators in what the platform calls a sustainable ecosystem.

Final reflections

The platform represents a fundamental shift in how AR creators can own and monetize their digital work, replacing the controlled exposure by platforms with transparent earnings based on blockchain. The winner of the hackathon demonstrates how Web3 infrastructure can address prolonged inequalities in creator compensation while maintaining the seamless user experience expected from modern applications.