Overview

Beneath our feet, mycelium networks weave intricate connections, seamlessly uniting life in a delicate dance of interdependence. Similarly, we believe the future of regeneration hinges on our ability to foster diverse interconnected communities, globally-connected, and passionately working in tandem to build a better future.

As we journey deeper into the age of web3 and regeneration, we invite you to step into our vision—a global Regen CoordiNATION—where diverse, overlapping, and interwoven communities band together, both online and in-person, with a single unifying mission - to regenerate the earth using the most powerful tools of our time.

Background

About ReFi DAO 🌍

ReFi DAO emerged as a founder-led startup community during the rapid influx of talent & capital that emerged in the 2021 ReFi boom. Since then, and thanks in large part to ongoing support from the Gitcoin community, we have become the cultural home of ReFi for top founders, investors and builders at the intersection of impact and web3. We are here to support the mycelial growth of regenerative culture, technology and ventures, both online and in-person, and so far, we’ve enabled more than 75 events in 58 cities, reached over 60k+ listeners, and served over 300 entrepreneurs, including:

• Helena and Douglas from Spirals met via ReFi DAO
• Adrian from Senken rocked the first orb at Kernel KB5
• Gordon and Courtney of New Atlantis
• Rez and Stenver before Solid World was a thing
• Kennedy as Shamba Network got its feet

Some of the 32 investors who we have supported with deal flow and insights include:

• Tomer from Flori Ventures
• Ed from Allegory and Climate Collective
• Simar from Magic Ventures
• Jahed and Matt from Cerulean
• Maex and Philip from Crane VC
• Geoff from Variant
• Emma and Ethan from Shine VC

You can see the full list of founders, investors and events, content and deals on our website: refidao.com

Now, since the beginning of 2023, we have been laying the foundations for the emergence of a network of regenerative communities in key cities across the globe. We refer to these local communities as ‘Local Nodes’.

What are Local Nodes? 🗺

Connected by an online community, and enabled by the most powerful tools of our time—Local Nodes bring the physical and digital world together into a symphony of inner and outer regeneration.

These value-aligned nodes are for founders conducting radical experiments to unlock a regenerative economy at scale, they’re for leaders of public, private and third-sector institutions, and they’re for anyone committed to taking action, building community, and making the world a better place.

Local Nodes' are not mere strategic hubs but vibrant ecosystems where the spirit of regeneration comes to life, uniting all sectors in a shared goal. Through these nodes, we aim to create an interconnected, self-sustaining world, where technology and humanity walk hand in hand towards regeneration.

You can browse through the list of existing Local Nodes from the Alpha cohort over the last three months at refidao.com/community/local

Since last quarter…

Since our last grant in April 2023, we have achieved the following key milestones:

• Supported the alpha cohort of Local Nodes with our Local Node Incubator program led by Daryl Edwards.
• Developed the first version of our Local Node Toolkit - a suite of guides for anyone who wants to build a ReFi Local Node as apart of the emerging regenerative economy.
• Grown our diverse network of content creators to share the story of regeneration, both in-person and online, with 20+ articles written at blog.refidao.com by a growing network of diverse contributors.
• Continued to grow the ReFi Knowledge Graph Beta (accessible via https://www.refidao.com/ecosystem) with data on over 700 ReFi Organizations, 122 Events, and 800 ReFi contributors and leaders.
• Launched the ReFi DAO Forum as a space to co-create the vision and trajectory of ReFi DAO as a community-led and governed organisation.

Key Plans for this Grant

1. Supporting ReFi Local Nodes & Running The Beta Cohort 🌟

After the successful Alpha cohort and the emergence of 14 Nodes, the new Local Nodes Beta Cohort extends our reach, spanning three months to connect regenerative leaders globally in supporting each other through hosting regular events, building community and onboarding talent and capital into the regenerative economy.

2. Launching the Regen CoordiNATION 🤝

CoordiNATIONs, as envisioned by luminaries such as Primavera de Filippi, are interwoven networks driven by shared values, mutualism, and voluntary association. At the heart of ReFi DAO’s vision lies a commitment towards forming a ‘Regen CoordiNATION’ weaving deeper partnership and interconnection between GreenPill Network, Regens Unite, ReFi DAO and others. Through collaborations on guides, toolkits, grant pools, guilds and more, we seek to unlock positive-sum synergies and build a pluralistic regenerative society for all.

We have scheduled an upcoming ReFi DAO Forum session to kick-start this initiative, see here: https://lu.ma/refi-dao-forum-4

3. Building Network Goods: ClassPass for Regeneration & More 💡

Imagine a world where regenerative acts are not just celebrated but rewarded. Where you can be a part of the local regenerative economy wherever you are in the world. Where you can connect with the people, places, and projects that matter while making it possible to earn money by taking action. Whether you’re donating to UBI via impactMarket online, joining a local beach cleanup, or looking to find the most regenerative places to live, eat, or work —what if we make regeneration the easy, fun and lucrative choice?

Our vision is to develop a new dApp for the regenerative economy — a 'ClassPass for Regeneration'—a space where positive impact becomes a lifestyle through a distributed platform that is owned and governed by local communities. To get there, we are in the process of researching and designing some key primitives - a ReFi Passport, CoordiNATION dapp, Knowledge Graph and more…

Budgeting

We plan to split the funding received from this grant as follows:

• 20% for Supporting ReFi Local Nodes & Running The Beta Cohort
• 20% for Launching the Regen CoordiNATION and supporting activities.
• 30% for continued research and design of our software and product vision.
• 30% for operating expenditures, including supporting our core team.

Core Team

We’re currently operating a small, lean core team assisted by a suite of AI co-pilots. We are actively working with leading AI experts at AI.PT to improve our workflows and operational efficiencies across every aspect of our organization.

Current members include:

• 🇺🇸 John Ellison — serial entrepreneur, behavior designer, podcast host (ex-Toucan Protocol, OpenGov)
• 🇫🇷 Emilie Viallon — HR executive, kundalini yoga instructor, (ex-Checkout . com)
• 🇧🇷 Rica Amaral — positive blockchain, web3 and impact pioneer, former Celo employee
• 🇬🇧 Monty Merlin Bryant — ReFi evangelist, Masters in Management and Innovation from University of Bristol
• 🇭🇷 Anna Kaic — multi-lingual marketer and growth lead, (ex-ReFi Spring, Urbanika).

The Future is Regenerative. Come Join! ✨

As we stand on the precipice of a new era, ReFi DAO, along with its committed partners and communities, seeks to be the catalyst for change. The notion of a global regenerative economy is no longer a distant dream; it's a tangible vision that we can collectively achieve. With every local node we establish, every piece of knowledge we share, and every collaboration we embark on, we inch closer to a sustainable, interconnected future. This is not just our mission—it's an invitation. Join us. Be a part of the Regen CoordiNATION. Together, let's reimagine the future 🌿🌎🌱

Join us

Where ever you come from, whatever your background, there is a place for you in this story.

We have all the tools that we need. The capital is ready to be deployed. The time is now.

#Regeneration is a symphony.

Find your instrument and come join one of the 33 current #ReFi communities across the globe —> https://refidao.com/join#sign-up 💚

Your donation would be sincerely appreciated and received with great care.

Join our Discord and Telegram, and see our Linktree for more ways to connect and get involved!