0x289715ff…c84fsent to0xf790a5f5…1365·#22,371,031·view on Etherscan
# Flows.wtf - the Nouns incubator (final)
The Nouns flywheel is broken.
We fund projects. We hope to attract more bidders. Auction prices continue to fall after 3 years. I doubt Nouns will succeed unless we change how we coordinate and reward builders.
With Flows, we wanted to design a system to effectively fund grassroots impact, onboard people authentically, and drive more demand for the auction.
We came to the realization that this wouldn't work. Most people have no way to support Nouns. Auctions are too expensive. Projects rely on funding from Nouns that is quickly running dry.
We must figure out how to make a majority of Nounish projects explicitly positive-sum and sustainable. People should want to spend money on Nouns funded projects, and that revenue should directly grow the pie for all Nouns builders.
# The good news
Nouns has all the pieces necessary to make onchain entrepreneurship flourish
- Passionate community willing to consume what you create
- Beautiful brand to build on
- Initial funding to get started
- Smart people willing to help you build
- Public good alignment better than a B-Corp
> We believe Nouns can be an incredible incubator for onchain projects.
We want to incubate projects, help them earn revenue for the entire Flows system, cut Nouns some upside, and ultimately make all of these small-scale Nounish projects sustainable.
# Flows currently
Imagine [Flows](https://flows.wtf/) is a company. We have 17 departments. Each department has 10-20 people. *Every single person is working on their own thing.* No one is working together. If Nouns' superpower is parallel processing, we must get people working together towards shared growth and sustainability.
A small (non-exhaustive) example: we get artists to work with product people to help the public goods builders create merch that helps self-sustain their work. Everyone gets a split. People work together, not alone.
# Our final ask
With Prop 776, we wanted to experiment with [a new direction](https://www.nouns.camp/proposals/776) aimed at sustainability while *also supporting existing Flows projects*. The DAO's breakeven movement signaled that they're not willing to support outright charity anymore. So -- we propose a new experiment and pivot.
A full reset. New Flows, new requirements, new tools for builders. Fully focused on getting people to work together, raise money via commerce and donations, and ultimately make each project self-sustainable. We are still working out the exact details, and need runway to experiment.
We do not plan to propose again after this. We view Flows as the only project on the table with a clear shot to change the DAOs current downward trajectory. Hoping to sustain auction revenue by funding one off projects did not work with $50m in the treasury, and likely won't work for $6m unless we make a big change. We believe Flows can be that change. We desperately want Nouns to succeed, it is too special.
We love Nouns. We have been building for you all for nearly 3 years now.
We care about this community deeply. We will not propose again after this.
# The team
[rocketman](https://warpcast.com/rocketman) and [riderway](https://warpcast.com/riderway.eth). We've been actively building in and around the Nouns space for nearly three years. In that time, we have built an alternative protocol for launching Nounish DAOs, House of Nouns, and Vrbs DAO to name a few.
# Questions
Have any questions? Want to discuss with us? You can reach me on Warpcast [here](https://warpcast.com/rocketman).
# What has Flows funded?
Our conviction grows every day that funding Flows is perhaps the most effective use of the Nouns treasury. Nouns is a lot more interesting if we can pay 1000 people \~$100 to go out and have local impact, vs. paying small teams large sums of money (which already happens offchain). We put together a list to highlight a small set of exciting impact funded by Flows for only $40k/mo over the last 4 months.
# Esports
1. **Competitive Gaming Success & Support:** Funded and supported multiple esports streamers and events, achieving notable wins (Majestic SSJ in Dota 2 Nounish Cup, multiple undefeated Pokémon UNITE Cup victories, Team Flame win) and qualifying for major championships (Pokémon UNITE NA/EU).
2. **Esports Event Hosting & Streaming:** Organized and streamed various tournaments (Smash Bros in Bristol & Toronto, Starbrawl) with crypto prizes, upgraded streaming gear, and created custom broadcast elements (outro videos).
3. **Live Game Commentary & Analysis:** Provided live commentary for competitive matches (ESL Counter-Strike, ESEA Playoffs, Dota 2 Nounish Cup) often in multiple languages (English/Spanish) featuring Nouns branding.
4. **Gaming Community Tools & Content:** Developed resources like an educational CS2 strategy video, a Discord bot for CS match predictions, and hosted streams specifically for women gamers (Dota 2).
# Environmental Action & Sustainability
1. **Large-Scale Beach & Coastal Cleanups:** Organized numerous cleanups removing hundreds of kilograms of trash (over 1000kg total mentioned across various events) from beaches (Boqueirão, Brazilian beaches, Reserva, Praia Grande, Lagoa de Saquarema, Foz do Rio Bacaxá) and mangroves (Ypê Island), removing items like TVs, fridges, and furniture. Also included youth empowerment elements.
2. **Mangrove Restoration:** Planted thousands of mangrove seedlings (15,000 total mentioned) in Tanzania to restore ecosystems and create jobs, documenting with GPS/video.
3. **Recycling & Waste Management Initiatives:** Installed cigarette butt collection stations, Nouns-themed trash bins at community courts, built a greywater recycling system for irrigation, and created art from collected river waste (plastic fish sculptures, eco-puppets).
4. **Sustainable Product Creation:** Developed and showcased eco-friendly products like recycled plastic Noggle eyewear, Noggles keychains (Bangkok), and facilitated workshops teaching kids to make puppets from recycled materials (Caracas).
# Community Building, Food Security & Infrastructure
1. **Food Distribution & Support:** Provided hundreds of nutritious meals (Jollof rice, WHO-standard lunches, homeless outreach) to children, elderly, homeless individuals, and their pets in Nigeria and São Paulo. Also restocked a local shop owner's business.
2. **Community Gardens & Greening:** Established and expanded community food forests/gardens (planting fruit trees like pink lemons, figs, peaches, apples, cassava), implemented natural pest control, installed rainwater harvesting, built hydroponic systems (community harvest, balcony garden, vertical bottle garden), planted 150+ trees for biodiversity, and gave away vegetable plants and Noggle pot plants.
3. **Public Space Enhancements & Art:** Created community murals (El Faro, interactive nature theme, handprints, fantasy/sports themes, crypto mural), upgraded public facilities (basketball court net, playground cleanup, safer pathways), restored historic skate spots (São Paulo's "Sopa Square", 40-year-old plaza, ramp repair), built an outdoor radio stage/art space/fire pit, and transformed a car into a mobile Nouns art piece.
4. **Animal Welfare:** Donated food to animal shelters (feeding 100+ rescued animals) and regularly fed stray animals.
# Health, Wellness & Safety
1. **Inclusive Fitness Programs:** Launched and adapted Pilates classes specifically for seniors and those managing obesity/chronic conditions, improving mobility, daily activity, social connection, and managing health issues like high blood pressure. Also offered strength training for chronic illness.
2. **Water Safety & Rescue:** Supported a big wave rescue team (Nazaré) with branded gear alongside major sponsors, provided water rescue certification training (distributing physical Noggles), and received official city recognition for water safety efforts.
3. **Safety Initiatives:** Provided safety helmets for youth skaters (Kampala) and installed a recycled tire barrier to protect skateboarders near roads. Also held a child safety carnival (Medellín).
# Crypto
1. **Nouns Interfaces & Platforms:** Developed unique interfaces like the Nouns95 retro web app (governance, chat, auction bidding, history) and a Windows 95-style crypto wallet/explorer, integrated safer multisig wallets, and built software for displaying live Nouns auction data (MagicMirror).
2. **DAO Tools & Community Platforms:** Created open-source tools for tracking Nouns DAO data (finance/governance), launched customizable token-gated community spaces ("Nounspaces" on Base), and simplified wallet connections (RainbowKit for Gnars DAO).
3. **Crypto Adoption & Education:** Enabled crypto payments for a BMX store and a vegan skincare line, conducted Web3 workshops (seniors, skaters, women, tribal communities, creatives in Santiago), created an educational video on Futarchy, and hosted crypto mural events with wallet setup guidance.
4. **NFT Creation & Events:** Launched various NFT collections (surf photography, DarkNOUNS merch, live TV performance auction, acoustic concert collectibles, skateboarding photo, 'Cards of Culture'), hosted NFT premiere events (surf film), and released digital Noggles for Veveverse avatars.
# Skateboarding Culture
1. **Skateboarding Events & Workshops:** Organized youth workshops (building skateboards in Kampala, painting skateboards), supported downhill skateboarders (DHNOUNS project competitions/routes, organized sessions in Bogotá), filmed events (Carnavalong), and hosted community skate sessions.
2. **Skate Spot Development & Restoration:** Restored and improved historic skate spots (São Paulo's "Sopa Square", 40-year-old plaza), repaired ramps adding Noggles graffiti, and built a concrete skate bowl.
3. **Skateboarding Content & Community:** Produced skateboarding films/documentaries (Rio culture, mountain skateboarding, downhill techniques), minted skate photo NFTs, provided safety gear (helmets, tire barriers), onboarded skaters to Web3 platforms (SkateHive), and offered community support (free haircuts).
# Surfing Culture
1. **Surf Events & Films:** Screened multiple films promoting Web3 for creators
2. **Surfer Support & Content:** Provided custom Nouns/Gnars branded surfboards for a pro surfer (Bali), documented big wave surfing and safety training (Nazaré), released a vlog with Nathan Florence (Brazil), and supported youth surf mentorship (Projeto TPM, kids' first solo waves).
# Art, Music & Creative Expression
1. **Live Music & Performances:** Funded and organized live music events ("The Pond Party," blockchain concert in London with interactive elements, Caribbean fusion show, electronic music with Nounish visuals, Pablo Kappes Noggles premiere), hosted NFT-gated concerts, and ran a Nouns Music Training Camp for emerging bands (Chile).
2. **Physical Art & Merchandise:** Created handmade items (crochet duck/Noggle plushies, custom painted denim jacket), physical Noggles (glow-in-the-dark, custom graffiti, global kits, distributed at events), eco-art (recycled sculptures, puppets), a metal "Nogglestacle" sculpture, tote bags, Noggle bookmarks, Nouns mugs, and shipped the first /noc physical product.
3. **Creative Workshops & Contests:** Held eco-puppet workshops for kids (Caracas), a logo design contest (Nounish Tales Philippines), and distributed Noggles at creative/Web3 events (Santiago).
4. **Unique Brand Activations:** Organized a luxury car cruise featuring noggles.
# Unique Educational & Documentation Projects
1. **Specialized Content & Documentation:** Documented an athlete's injury recovery (Naomi Metzger sprints), filmed a breakdancing documentary (Lil Gnars), created a Patagonia kayak adventure vlog, produced motivational sports videos, and created an AI song tutorial led by a child.
2. **Unique Workshops & Events:** Taught practical tech skills to seniors, held a solar eclipse viewing event for children, hosted a metaphysics & music session exploring AI/ancestral knowledge, and organized a pickleball event
3. **Food education:** Healthy food cooking, and shopping education for youth in Brazil
Flows made all of this happen and more. All for a relatively small amount of money compared to what Nouns has spent so far.
# Funding request
$16k USDC a month to continue building Flows, split between riderway and rocketman ($8k a month per person) for 4 months.
$10k USDC to cover legal advice and tax expert consultation to ensure we structure Flows compliantly. Any unused funds from this allocation will be returned to the DAO.
$20k USDC to stream out to projects building towards sustainability.
Total ask: $94k USDC
Let's bring the makers together and complete the virtuous cycle,
-- rocketman
# Token Model
We've been working with jango.eth from Juicebox for a few months now to workshop what a revnet enabled flows would look like. We are still unsure on the exact specifics, but are sharing some potential models below:
Check out a more in depth view on this [Figma](https://www.figma.com/board/hsO8a2NXBCZaNml8kMUNMZ/Welcome-to-FigJam?node-id=0-1&p=f&t=IpAuhnZ7kHnGpzTL-0).
Another potential model with more specifics of parameters. While we are not exactly sure what the final form will look like, we hope this provides some more insights into our approach for those interested. We commit to publicly workshopping these parameters with anyone who cares to participate. ***We also commit to splitting a min. of 10% of revnet tokens with Nouns DAO proper.***
# Compliance and Legal Plan
The ethos of crypto (and Flows) is decentralization, immutability, openness, and borderlessness. Recognizing Nouns DAO's U.S. base and the complexities of global funding, we are implementing the following measures to ensure Flows operates responsibly and compliantly:
**Establish DAO LLC:** We are forming a DAO LLC in the RMI. This provides limited liability protection for our team and formally establishes Flows as a distinct international entity, clarifying its operational jurisdiction.
**Implement Robust Sanctions Screening:** We implemented automated sanctions checks to continuously screen all recipient wallets against OFAC and other relevant sanctions lists.
**Pathway to Decentralized Governance:** Flows currently operates as a decentralized grant giving program, with no one in charge of how funds are dispersed. We are committed to progressively decentralizing the control of Flows protocol contracts as well.
**Clarify Tax Responsibility:** Our system explicitly assigns the responsibility for all tax reporting and payments to the grant recipients according to their local laws. Recipients will be clearly notified of this requirement. The Flows protocol itself is not structured to manage individual tax withholding globally. We are open to working with the DUNA on this.
**Commitment to Compliance:** We are committed to navigating the regulatory landscape proactively and adapting as needed. We will work closely with Nouns DAO and seek guidance to ensure Flows operates responsibly while advancing towards greater decentralization.flows---development-ask-(final)pivot