Weekly newsletter of DAO highlights | Issue #41

Hey DAO Enthusiasts, welcome to the new DAO Times Newsletter!

DAO Cartographer Kaf has compiled the latest grants, funding opportunities, community insights, and latest readings from the decentralized world.

Grants & Opportunities

• ETHRome is offering 10 grants for top builders. This is your chance to join one of the largest builder hubs in Web3. 
• Octant has launched a 4-week accelerator for grant-backed builders focused on growth and sustainability. 
• The Avalanche Foundation’s infraBUIDL Program offers up to $250,000 in funding for essential tools and infrastructure projects.
• Polygon is hosting Quadratic Accelerator, a 10-week program aimed at launching Augmented Bonding Curves tokens and other community-driven projects.
• AEZ Quadratic Grant Round 4 is open, offering 8,000 $ATOM and 31,000 $USDC for public goods or appchains in the Cosmos ecosystem. 
• Lukso has kicked off their inaugural Quadratic Funding round on Gitcoin, with a matching pool of $50,000 in LYX available. 
• Quai Network’s grants program funds DeFi projects with up to $100K in QUAI/USDC, supporting its scalable Proof-of-Work platform and dual-token system.
• Optimism is once again accepting Mission Requests. 
• Looking for more grants? Questbook offers diverse funding opportunities, including:
  • Arbitrum: $2.5M across multiple categories.
  • Alchemix: $2M available.
  • And many more… Explore grants

Voices of the Community

• James argues for an improved notification system for DAO votes. 
• Vader critiques the current state of DAOs, noting that smart contracts alone don’t make them fully autonomous.
• Raphael Spannocchi argues that true diversity in DAOs is achieved when individuals embrace their unique cultures.
• Kaf emphasizes that Web3's true power lies in the connections we build, beyond just the technology itself.
• Bored Ape G reflects on the impressive growth of the ApeCoin ecosystem. 
• HackHumanity shares an interview from Frisson, praising Arbitrum’s tech stack.
• Cointelegraph sparked a debate on DAO decentralization.
• Realms points out that DAOs are always in "founder mode." If you're not sure what that means, check out this viral tweet for a quick breakdown.

Latest Readings

• Areta’s latest report on M&A in the DAO landscape highlights how such deals can drive growth by consolidating market share and enhancing operational efficiency.
• Tommy Lower examines Governance Liquid Staked Tokens (LSTs) through The Tally Protocol, addressing challenges in DAO governance.
• DAOstare presents an in-depth look at Singapore’s relationship with DAOs, following their report on Japan’s DAO landscape.
• Kita Foundation examines various governance models in Social-Fi, including DAO-based, token-weighted, and reputation-based systems.
• Push DAO explores the traits of ideal contributors for decentralized communities, distinguishing between "flex" contributors and "static" contributors.
• Snapshot Labs has released Snapshot v2, an upgraded platform designed to streamline DAO governance processes into a unified interface.
• Hong Kong High Court has ruled on a significant DAO dispute, mandating financial transparency from DAO controllers.
• Decrypt explores Investment DAOs, including models like Vanta DAO and Moloch DAO, focusing on how members pool funds for investments.

That’s all for this week! We hope you find these updates and insights valuable. Share the newsletter with your network and stay tuned for next week’s highlights!