It’s becoming more and more clear to me that my passion here is less about DAO governance and more about better relationships and user experiences.

I came up with the Girlfriend DAO because I wanted to create a space that friends could use for planning girl trips, a framework for talking about money, and so forth. And right now, that concept looks more and more like a cute multisig wallet. (Yes, it has to be cute.)

As I mentioned in my initial article, we don’t need governance for a group of friends. But because multisigs tend to be only for serious organizations and institutions, I felt like I needed to form a DAO in order to justify using one.

But can’t we have a multisig for funsies, without the seriousness of a DAO and its rules?

We know that people want to be in intimate virtual spaces. Whether it’s in Telegram, WhatsApp, iMessage, Farcaster, or Instagram, people are forming group chats to escape their ad-filled, shill-laced news feeds.

In that same vein of curated conversations, I envision the multisig wallet to be a virtual space for planning (and paying for) fun things with friends. In other words, I want a group chat with a multisig wallet.

No news feed. No interacting with other app users. Just you, your friends, and the funds you want to spend.

So clearly, my mind isn’t really on DAOs or governance. But I’m definitely still enjoying this experiment because it’s giving me a lot to think about.

In our second call as the Girlfriend DAO experiment, we still didn’t choose a blockchain to use (though we discussed some options). We need to decide which chain has the right ethos and value proposition for our goals, which takes—wait for it—more research.

We did, however, talk at length about a couple projects we’d like to flesh out, which was super energizing, and ultimately lays groundwork for choosing a blockchain. If you have any thoughts or ideas on these, please let me know!

A Critical Look at Blockchain and Cacao Supply Chain

With the recent EU deforestation regulation coming into effect, cacao suppliers and buyers need to prove their products were not grown on land converted from protected forests for agricultural use. Blockchain solutions for supply chains aren’t new, but it’s not clear whether they solve any issues.

For example, compensating cacao farmers fairly with crypto sounds nice, but how practical is that use case? The onboarding process would be an obstacle in itself, let alone convincing decision makers in the supply chain to issue crypto payments. Another example is “creating radical transparency” in the supply chain—which doesn’t really apply for private blockchains managed by shipping companies.

Other than having the word “chain” in common, there doesn’t seem to be much crossover between blockchain technology and supply chain needs.

However, many of us aren’t quite ready to write it all off. One of our members wants to have knowledgeable blockchain specialists take a critical look at how these solutions really function, and give input on how companies can practically use the technology.

If you’re interested in stress testing blockchain ideas and businesses that address the cacao supply chain, leave a comment or reach out!

Ideating for a Crypto Consumer Product Hackathon

From the success of Dylan Abruscato’s Crypto The Game to Farcaster’s introduction of Frames, it’s clear that people want better social experiences online. As Abruscato told the folks at Double Down: “I'm a firm believer that in consumer crypto, there needs to be a great idea first, and then you figure out if crypto can make it better or worse. I don't think this game would have done well if I sat down at a whiteboard and said ‘okay, I want to build a crypto game.’”

And that is precisely the mindset I want to see in a consumer crypto hackathon.

After revisiting CRADL’s report on hackathons, I want to learn more about how to:

design a fruitful, positive hackathon experience; and

provide the best resources for everyone to participate, regardless of experience or knowledge

As we brainstormed more on this idea for a crypto consumer product hackathon, one member recalled a multi-day rapid prototyping workshop she ran, and suggested using a similar framework for this concept that starts with a real use case.

The first couple days consisted of devs doing their magic, and then the business development and marketing specialists did their magic over the following couple days. The final result is a product that is (more) market-ready for testing.

Another member suggested that we break up the tracks by industries instead of protocols. For example, if we want to build onchain tools for musicians, we need to talk to people in the music industry who are both crypto and non-crypto native.

She also introduced me to a seasoned hackathon organizer, and I will chat with him soon about what makes for a successful event (either virtual or in-person). If you want to be involved somehow, let’s talk!

Until Next Time

Hopefully we will have decided on a chain by the next time I publish an update. But rest assured, there are still a lot of ideas in the works.

It’s not a DAO, It’s a Sparkling Multisig