This Week in DAOs + Web3 - Aug 24, 2023
A roundup of the most exciting developments in DAOs and web3.
Highlights
🧍🏽 Personhood - A recent ruling declared that banned Ethereum mixing application Tornado Cash holds the legal status of a “person” under law, referencing its founders, developers, and DAO. The verdict mirrors a previous lawsuit involving Ooki DAO.
The decision is a reminder - or cautionary tale - to those who believe they can circumvent the law by adopting a DAO structure, that DAOs are accountable under the law. This case will go to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for review.
🌏 Oil + Gas + Web3 - Gitcoin, a platform for supporting open-source software development, announced a partnership with global energy company Shell to support the development of open-source climate solutions. Shell, if you’re serious, you’ll fund this initiative for more than one year.
🏀 Sports Incentive - Coinbase awarded $120,000 in Bitcoin directly to WNBA players as part of its ongoing sponsorship of the women’s professional basketball league.
🥤 Coke Classic - Coca-Cola has launched Global Masterpiece, an NFT collection that blends historical and contemporary art pieces, on Coinbase's Base.
🎈 Community Property - Helium Mobile, which is spearheading decentralized wireless (DeWi) by combining people-powered Helium with T-Mobile’s 5G network, has announced a $5 no-contract wireless plan for Miami-based consumers.
🪙 CBDC Innovation Forum - Mastercard has created a forum where cryptocurrency industry players can discuss and collaborate on central bank digital currencies .
World Wide Web3
👟 Anniversary Token - Japanese streetwear company BAPE launched an auction for limited-edition phygital sneakers, in collaboration with adidas Originals. The physical sneakers will be chipped while the digital kicks can be worn in the metaverse.
🛰️ Teamwork - Carbon-neutral blockchain Polygon and SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, announced a partnership to cultivate web3 environments and nurture promising web3 startups.
🤷♂️ Doubt - The central bank of Colombia remains undecided on whether or not to issue a central bank digital currency while acknowledging that setting limits on CBDC transactions could yield benefits.
⚖️ Evolving Policy - The Monetary Authority of Singapore has released a revised regulatory framework to ensure stability for single-currency stablecoin regulation.
Show Me the Money
🌐 Broad-Spectrum Interoperability - ZetaChain, a chain-agnostic platform designed to provide standardized interoperability between networks, has raised $27M from Blockchain Ventures and others to launch the solution on mainnet and grow its app ecosystem.
💡 Blockchain + AI - Jada AI, a project harnessing blockchain technology with AI, in pursuit of self-learning, problem-solving, adaptable technology, has raised $25M from LDA Capital to accelerate development of its next-generation AI.
🎨 Web3 Platform - ZTX, evolved from South Korean metaverse platform Zepeto, has raised $13M in a seed round led by Jump Crypto to provide an infrastructure layer for creators.
💰 Assets On-chain - Dinari, providing blockchain-based access to asset-backed tokens, received a $7.5M seed investment from 500 Global and others to provide access to corporate equity through its platform (but not in the US).
⚒️ Scalability Fix - Linera, a layer-1 blockchain tackling scalability by using ‘microchains’, closed a $6M funding round led by Borderless Capital to launch a devnet and testnet for the protocol.
Coming Up in DAOs and Web3
🇹🇷 August 21-25: Istanbul Blockchain Week
🇮🇩 August 24-25: Coinfest Asia
🇰🇷 September 1-3: Ethcon Korea
🇰🇷 September 4-10: Korea Blockchain Week
🇩🇰 September 6-7: Nordic Blockchain Conference
🇩🇪 September 8-17: Blockchain Week Berlin
🇺🇸 September 11-13: Permissionless, Austin, TX
🇸🇬 September 13-14: Token2049, Singapore
🇯🇵 September 19-20: DCENTRAL Tokyo
Do you have something that belongs in the DAO Weekly Roundup? Let us know at hello@logos.xyz.