Hello there, Regens! 🌴‌‌ Monty & Nura here to bring you a special ReFi Roundup...  Let's dive straight in 👇

Fuelling the Regen-assance 🌱 🚀

A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable that Web3 and the concepts of digital ownership and decentralisation through the internet, could become a vital tool in the fight against climate change and other existential risks. While DeFi (Decentralized Finance) was born on the premise of challenging the entrenched power of centralized financial systems, ReFi (Regenerative Finance) is built on the premise of redesigning money to be in harmony with the earth.

ReFi holds the potential for being the driving force of a new regenerative paradigm, one that creates holistic wealth for the many over extraction for the few. A Regen-assance is in view... 👀

But how can we make sure that ReFi actually holds up to this promise? How can we make sure we are not just redesigning the same extractive systems but on Web3 rails? How can we build strength, resiliency, and lasting positive impact for generations to come?

The Medici Effect 🏰

The Medici effect, named after the influential Medici family of Renaissance Florence, demonstrates that the most revolutionary ideas arise when different fields intersect.  The term was popularized by Frans Johannson in his book "The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures"

The main concept of the idea is that embracing diverse perspectives and cross-discipline collaboration is key to creative problem-solving and tackling complex challenges such as climate change. Without diversity, innovation often stagnates and develops incrementally rather than revolutionarily. Entrenched in their specialist fields of study, individual experts and academics may focus on small, linear changes while overlooking the potential for groundbreaking ideas that could arise from converging disciplines. They may have a deep understanding of individual trees but not see the forest. 🌳🌳

The Promise of Digital 🧑🏼‍💻

With the introduction of digital technologies and the internet, we now have incredible and unprecedented ability to bring diverse people and ideas together from across all different fields and backgrounds in a way that was previously impossible. However, the ability to do so does not mean this is what will actually happen..

In the pursuit of psychological safety, comfort and social connection, humans have a natural tendency to form groups of like-minded individuals. To date, the algorithms that drive main-stream social media sites and search engines seem largely to be fuelling these dynamics with their tendency towards creating echo-chambers over diverse spaces for constructive debate and dialogue. We must therefore be mindful of these limitations, and actively seek out diverse opinions and viewpoints as we tackle complex challenges and build new systems.

The Role of Web3 🌐

Web3 has the potential to help facilitate the Medici effect by empowering the seamless exchange of ideas, data, and resources across borders, as well as bringing people together across diverse backgrounds, skills, and experiences. Furthermore, blockchain & other decentralized ledger technologies have applications across multiple industries and disciplines, from finance to healthcare, art to agriculture.

By leveraging the unique strengths of each discipline and working together, individuals and organizations can collaborate to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges. By embracing diversity and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, Web3 technology can unleash the full potential of the Medici effect and enable a new era of innovation and problem-solving. But this requires active effort and a willingness to do so - including breaking out of the Web3 twitter echo chamber itself!

Medici in ReFi & Web3 🌱

Just as the Italian Renaissance was driven by a synergy of intellectual, cultural, economic, and technological forces that led to a remarkable period of cultural and scientific developments, the Web3 era is fuelling a new renaissance powered by it's new global coordination technology.

The Gitcoin funding rounds are a brilliant example of this. Through the power of quadratic funding, a diverse and decentralised community of donors helps to efficiently coordinate capital to a brilliant array of diverse projects. Check some of them out below! 👇

As a result, entirely new economies of projects & initiatives have been born, and this is just getting started - ReFi as an ecosystem is barely a year old!

Furthermore, ReFi's core concept and values have the potential to attract and unite different groups of people with diverse expertise and backgrounds. From crypto techies to regen hippies, traditional finance professionals to climate and impact experts, each group has something to bring. By fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment, ReFi can serve as a platform for these groups to come together and share knowledge, resources, and ideas. Through this collaboration, ReFi can unlock innovative solutions and drive positive impact on a global scale.

Medici in ReFi DAO 🔵

ReFi DAO is just at the beginning of conducting a new radical experiment for diverse collaboration at scale. The forming of a new nation - a new economy, culture, & society, that is grounded in the principles of Regeneration.

As part of this we aim to support a diverse and decentralized network of local ReFi & Regen communities. Each local community is an autonomous and independent entity, but all are connected by a mission to regenerate earth using the most powerful tools of our time.

Going one step further, a local community may wish to apply to become a ‘ReFi DAO Local Node’—a regionally-based local impact DAO that is fully autonomous yet connected to the network as a whole. Starting with simple meet-ups and events, successful local nodes may go on to acquire land and other real-world assets with the aim of growing a locally-based regenerative economy and community.

To support this work, we were excited to announce the launch of the 'Local Node Prize' earlier this month. This included the formation of a Gitcoin featured round for Local Nodes with $25k of match funding from the ReFi DAO treasury primarily aimed at supporting communities in the global south. If you haven't already, go explore the many exciting communities that are emerging and consider supporting them through a donation! By supporting your favorite communities with the best applications, you are helping fuel the magic of Gitcoin in stewarding the match funding. Any and all support would be hugely appreciated 💚

Beyond the Gitcoin rounds, ReFi DAO aims to support these nodes through our emerging 'Local Node Incubator' with tools, research, workshops, resources and our emerging AI powered ReFi knowledge graph. More on this coming soon! 👀

🚨🚨🚨Hold up...

At this point you might have some questions:

• How will governance work across ReFi DAO and the network?
• Will there be a token? How will this work?
• A ReFi passport?!

Or maybe even some concerns:

• Is ReFi DAO currently a DAO?
• To network state or not to network state?
• Acquiring land?! How is this going to support models of stewardship & regeneration over extractivism?

ReFi DAO is currently made up of a small and passionate core team, but to help answer and explore these questions, as well as co-create the answers, I am excited to announce the ReFi DAO Forum. The forum will serve as key part of our mission to become a community-led organization as we embark on a journey of progressive network decentralization.

Come join!

Join us on Wednesday the 17th at 16.00 WET for a live forum discussion about ReFi DAO’s governance roadmap and wider vision. We’re inviting leaders from across the regenerative, distributed governance, and monetary policy space to help shape the trajectory of ReFi DAO as we work towards fulfilling our vision of a global regenerative economy rooted in startup cities.

This event will be the first of it’s kind, with a regular bi-weekly slot to follow that will foster dialogue across the community about how we best steward our shared resources, time and attention in this exciting regenerative finance movement. Register below! 👇

ReFi DAO Forum · Zoom · Luma

Join us on Wednesday at 16.00 WET for a live forum discussion about ReFi DAO’s governance roadmap now that we have supported the early formation of 19 local nodes in startup cities all around…

Breaking the Web3 Bubble—Diverse Collaboration for Change

Web3 and ReFi have immense potential to drive innovation and collaboration among diverse groups of people to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges. However, this potential can only be fully realized if we break out of the Web3 bubble and engage with a more diverse range of perspectives and experiences. The Web3 community is known for its technical expertise, but to truly address complex issues like climate change, we need input from people with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. By reaching out to a broader audience and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, we can unlock new solutions and opportunities that wouldn't be possible within a single community. Ultimately, the true power of Web3 lies in its ability to bring people together from all walks of life to create a more equitable and sustainable future for everyone. LFGrow 🌱

The Gitcoin coordiNATION game kickoff 🚀

In the spirit of collaboration, ReFi DAO teamed up with Green Pill, Regens Unite, metacrisis.xyz and others for a four-day event across 15 cities to onboard new donors, match funders, and projects into the Gitcoin ecosystem during the Gitcoin Beta Round and beyond. It was a blast!

Here is a glimpse at some of the fun 👇🏽

1 day left till the Gitcoin Beta Round ends! ⌛️

Did you already donate to other ReFi projects in the current Gitcoin round? If so, thank you! If not, don't worry - you can still contribute until tomorrow. We know gas fees are not as friendly these days, but let's show our community friends some love and support! 🙏

Web3 is all about working and learning with each other 📚

It's awesome that many Gitcoin beta projects are making tools for community building and Web3 education. Here are some of our favorite 👇🏽

Solid world is setting the rule of play for forward carbon 🌎

Solid World proudly introduces CRISP, a game-changing Carbon Risk Identification and Scoring Principles framework for the Voluntary Carbon Market. As a public good under a creative commons license, CRISP promotes transparency and collaboration by assessing 5 key risk factors in carbon credit deals.

Can Bitcoin play a part in regeneration? 🌱 🐟

It's amazing to find out that green Bitcoin mining can energize hydroponic garden and fish hatcheries too!

Submit content idea or feedback 👇🏽

Want to see a story featured in next weeks Roundup? Or have any feedback? We would love to hear from you!

Top 5 most voted projects of the week:

1. 🐋 Simbiotica Finance: The world’s first web3 impact aggregator, offering data intelligence for Web3 Impact tokens.
2. 💊 GreenPill Global: the connective tissue between local greenpill chapters, Owocki, greenpill podcast, and other regenerative crypto groups.
3. 🧯 Metacrisis.xyz: Using Web3 coordination tools to address the metacrisis - symptoms of a self-terminating global socioeconomic system.
4. ☀️ Solarpunk Guild: A collective that support Solarpunk inspired projects to unlock the potential of public good funding.
5. 🎯 Gaia impact: Profit through purpose, localizing impact investment for societal change.

Votes have now been reset so head over to refidao.com, make an account, and show some support to your favourite projects in the ecosystem this week! 💚

Add your ReFi Project! 👇🏽

Have a project you want to add to our database? Click the button below to submit an application!

It's all about Gitcoin and Quadratic funding 🎉

Check out Episode 94 of the Crypto Altruism podcast where Connor O'day from Gitcoin explains Quadratic Funding, the matching funds mechanism used in the current #GitcoinBeta round.

Other 🔥 Podcasts on our Radar:

• Metacrisis research with Chris Eddy 🏛️ | Greenpill episode #111 with Kevin Owocki
• How ReSeed is Helping Small-Hold Farmers Thrive with Josh Knauer, Co-Founder of ReSeed | Brave New Earth episode #22 with Harry

Explore ReFi Events at ReFiDAO.com 👇🏽

Here are some highlighted upcoming events that caught our eye this week. Make sure to grab some tickets and support the ReFi regenerative renaissance wherever you are from! 👇

ReFi Prague at #Pragueblockchainweek2023

(9 June in Prague, Czech Republic): If you will be in Prague for the Blockchain Week, don't forget to say hi to fellow regens in the area 👋

Carbon Fast Forward: Mediterannean

(22 June in Athen, Greece): The Carbon Fast Forward event discusses EU environmental markets, emissions goals, and the impact on the Mediterranean region.

World Biodiversity Forum 2024

(16 - 21 June in Davos, Switzerland): Looking ahead 1 year from now, one of the most exciting events around Biodiversity will takes place for the 3rd in Davos. Save the date!

Have a fantastic weekend friends & we'll see you again next week 🫡

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