Sean Madrid

isShape Machine
WorkAboutServicesCollaborate
WorkAboutServicesCollaborate
Challenge
Solution
Contribution
Impact
Key Takeaways

Productizing Blockchain Data

OneSource Web3 API Productization

The company needed to pivot from building Web3 applications to providing blockchain data as a service. The project involved building GraphQL APIs with federated schema architecture, repositioning the brand, establishing market presence through research and testing, building a QA system for data integrity, and launching a self-service fulfillment flow that reduced adoption friction.

Challenge

Transitioning from Applications to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

We faced a significant challenge: shifting an application-driven organization into a blockchain data infrastructure provider. This required an overhaul, not only in our technology stack but also in how we presented ourselves to customers. Researching competitors, understanding customer pain points, and defining our new identity were pivotal to success. We needed the transition to be smooth while keeping a sharp eye on performance, security, and scalability.

Federated Schema Diagram for OneSource GraphQL API

Federated Schema Diagram for OneSource GraphQL API

Solution

Building Product, Experience, and Identity in Parallel

The project required parallel workstreams across product, brand, and infrastructure:

GraphQL federation consolidated disparate services (Metadata, Media, Blocks, Transactions) into a single endpoint. After two years advocating for this architecture, federation was implemented to deliver on GraphQL's core promise: unified access to all blockchain data through one interface.

A QA system was built around data integrity, with automated checks for recency and completeness, plus alerting and reporting infrastructure. An internal bug bounty surfaced critical issues before customer impact.

The fulfillment system moved from AWS Marketplace exclusivity to Stripe-based self-service. The previous model required AWS accounts and forced navigation of AWS complexity. The new flow allows direct credit card signup with controlled UX, adapted from brand conventions into a product-focused interface.

Supporting infrastructure included Docusaurus documentation, customer research workshops to define target archetypes, AI-assisted competitive analysis for ongoing market monitoring, brand development with an agency partner, and API testing to verify performance and scalability.

A mood board with various frames depicting the early brand concept in use
The OneSource Developer Docs Overview page
OneSource Developer Docs GraphiQL Playground embedded
OneSource Query Demo on onesource.io homepage

A mood board with various frames depicting the brand concept in use by pony studio

Contribution

Orchestrating Strategy and Team Alignment

As Director of Product, I orchestrated strategy across multiple workstreams over two years. I advocated for GraphQL federation despite technical resistance, arguing that separate endpoints defeated the technology's purpose. I managed this from the Brokerage System's three-endpoint architecture through final federated implementation.

I hired the company's first QA Architect, defining data integrity requirements and supporting vendor selection. For fulfillment, I led customer-facing design, translating brand conventions into product interface patterns that reduced adoption friction. I coordinated across Platform, QA, Frontend, Research, Marketing, and Customer Success while using AI tooling to scale documentation, competitive tracking, and internal knowledge bases beyond what a lean team could maintain manually.

OneSource Fulfillment Sign Up Page
OneSource Fulfillment Dashboard UI
OneSource Fulfillment API Key Management UI

OneSource Fulfillment Sign Up Page

Impact

Establishing a Strong Foundation for IaaS Growth

The API product launched with federated GraphQL architecture, self-service Stripe fulfillment, and QA infrastructure in place. The Stripe-based flow removed AWS Marketplace as a conversion barrier, allowing direct credit card signup with controlled UX. The federated schema positioned the API to deliver on GraphQL's core promise: single-endpoint access to all blockchain data services.

The QA system established automated integrity checks for data recency and completeness, with alerting and reporting infrastructure ready to scale as indexing issues resolve. Competitive research and internal knowledge bases continue to inform roadmap decisions and marketing positioning. The brand identity and product interface positioned the company to compete as a data infrastructure provider rather than an application builder.

Key Takeaways

Orchestrating a Strategic Pivot

Break it down into steps

Complex projects become manageable when divided into incremental, actionable phases.

Path of least resistance wins

Choosing the simplest approach enabled rapid hypothesis validation, saving time and resources.

Automate information gathering

Tracking competitors, market trends, and industry shifts manually doesn't scale for small teams.

Pivots require research and alignment

Successfully adapting to emerging markets depends on competitive research, cross-functional collaboration, and clarity of direction.

Fight for technical integrity

Advocating for proper GraphQL implementation over two years, despite resistance, ensured the product would deliver on its core promise rather than appearing foolish in the market.

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