A network of DAO operators to improve coordination and accelerate learning across the DAO ecosystem

groundw3rk is a network of DAO operators formed for the purpose of building stronger relationships, improving the flow of information and resources across the ecosystem, and creating new pathways for DAOs to coordinate their efforts and support each other’s work.

groundw3rk lies just beneath the surface of the DAO movement. It facilitates connection, coordination, and collaboration among DAOs and their core contributors. The purpose is to strengthen the ecosystem as a whole and support the individuals who are moving the space forward. The concept of groundw3rk emerged from the recognition that there is deep value in creating a strong network that can help those at the leading edge of the DAO ecosystem–not just groundw3rk members–to navigate the challenges they are sure to encounter in the years ahead.

The current members of groundw3rk are people who are at the core of DAOs and who are doing important work in the ecosystem. The specific role doesn’t matter; what matters is that they have key roles in DAOs, are pushing the culture of DAOs, and are key influencers in their respective communities. At present, the DAOs and DAO-adjacent organizations represented in the network include: 0xx, BlackLeadersDAO, Blu3 DAO, Bloom Network, Boys Club, Cabin, Caribbean Blockchain Alliance, Clarity, Converge, Coordinape, CowDAO, DAO Masters, DAOhaus, DAOstack, dOrg, DreamDAO, EcoDAO, EvenGov, FactoryDAO, Forefront, FWB GitcoinDAO, Gnosis, Govrn, Holochain, IndexCoop, Krause House, Llama, MakerDAO, Metacartel Ventures DAO, MetaFactory, MetaGame, MetaGov, Mirror, MolochDAO, Multicoin, Mystic Whales, Orca Protocol, Otterspace, Panvala, Scalar Capital, SeedClub, SharkDAO, She 256, Songcamp, Spacemesh, SquiggleDAO, STATION, Surge, Syndicate, Tally, The Ready, YAP DAO and Zeitgeist.

As a general rule, we strive to keep the representation of a given DAO to 1 or 2 within groundw3rk in order to maximize cross-pollination across DAOs. Members see themselves as representatives of their DAOs, drawing other contributors from their DAOs into relevant groundw3rk conversations and convenings as needed. Over time, our intention is that individual members will pass their membership on to other contributors from their DAO, such that groundw3rk maintains a strong web of connectivity among the top DAOs in the space.

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What groundw3rk Does

As our name suggests, groundw3rk takes inspiration from the concept of mycorrhizal networks: the underground, interconnected root systems that provide pathways for communication and resource sharing among trees and plants to create a mutual support network that makes the whole ecosystem healthier and more resilient. In healthy forests, no tree grows on its own. This is the principle that drives us.

groundw3rk doesn’t seek to build a product. Instead, we are fully committed to creating spaces for DAO leaders to connect at a deeper level, have honest conversations, support each other’s work, address emerging issues critical to the development of the ecosystem, and create pathways for information and resources to flow among DAOs to where they’re needed most. We trust that the right things will emerge from that groundw3rk.

As of June 2022, groundw3rk is also currently exploring the potential of becoming a content-producing network. If approved by the network’s members, groundw3rk will begin producing and supporting the creation of content on DAOs, and will launch a mirror publication where members can publish blog posts. With this proposal, members would commit to supporting content creation in a variety of ways. Specifically, members would agree to complete at least one of the following actions annually:

  1. Hosting a conversation and turning it into a blog post (could be published via groundw3rk mirror or your own channel with gw3 credited in some way)
  2. Hosting a 1-hr Common Ground call for the network
  3. Contributing 0.2 ETH-equivalent to groundw3rk via Yeeter or groundw3rk.eth
  4. Some other action that directly benefits the network and its members, which you would propose to the DAO for approval

How groundw3rk Works

The groundw3rk DAO uses the Moloch DAO platform on Gnosis chain. The DAO controls resources contributed through its Yeeter as well as a vault which collects resources sent to groundw3rk.eth. **

In addition to its invite-only Telegram group, the network uses four pathways to connect and communicate: