0xf84a5fd9…b5a8sent to0xf790a5f5…1365·#25,386,820·view on Etherscan
# Incubating the ⌐◨-◨ Clubhouse in EUROPA
TLDR;
We love an iterative, results based approach.
**The vision is to open a Clubhouse ⌐◨-◨ in the beautiful Westalgarve of Portugal to create a state of the art hub for the creative and crypto industry in Portugal.**
But instead of asking Nouns for 96.1k USD upfront like in [this candidate proposal](https://www.nouns.game/candidates/0xf84a5fd946a7714c6d48508fa8292c8c5037b5a8--clubhouse-chapter-1) to fund the opening of a Clubhouse in Portugal, I'm starting with a smaller ask to run the incubation phase to test, create and capture demand for the Clubhouse.
2 events a month for up to 9 months (12-18 events) until we raised enough refundable membership fees to cover 1 year of full operations (25k EUR / $28.8k) of the Clubhouse and a non-profit portuguese association.
The ask is 37.6k EUR / $43.2k
*fwiw, I returned +40k USDC to the treasury from previous proposals from budget that wasn't spent. More about that in the appendix below*
---
# About the ⌐◨-◨ Clubhouse
here's a walkthrough
[https://youtu.be/Js48gPf-BPo](https://youtu.be/Js48gPf-BPo)
Find a lot more details in the candidate [here.](https://www.nouns.game/candidates/0xf84a5fd946a7714c6d48508fa8292c8c5037b5a8--clubhouse-chapter-1)
---
# Incubating the ⌐◨-◨ Clubhouse
**Objective: drive Clubhouse membership sign-ups with refundable membership deposits.**
Before committing to a lease, a fit-out or a legal structure, this stage proves the demand.
Instead of asking the DAO to fund a venue on the strength of a thesis, Stage 1 runs the Clubhouse as a travelling programme across the western Algarve and measures whether the community will commit.
The proof is money down: refundable membership deposits from people who want a place in the Clubhouse before it exists.
---
# Two monthly event formats, running as a funnel
Top of funnel: Sip & Swing
Mid of funnel + first point of conversion: Creative and art workshops
Both formats exist for one reason: to build attention and demand for Clubhouse membership, and to turn that demand into committed deposits.
Apart from that, as we host the events and produce media, our socials will be used for more ToV and MoF traffic drivers.
---
## Sip & Swing
A roadshow across different golf courses in the area, built as a recurring event pop up.
Each edition pairs the social golf format with a Nouns Maker Space pop-up, where guests customise garments such as t-shirts on the spot.
The pop-up does double duty:
1. It draws people in
2. it converts curiosity into a next step:
a) booking a creative workshop,
b) placing a membership deposit there and then, or in follow-up.
---
## Creative and art workshops
Smaller, deeper sessions for the people the roadshow brings in. These move a casual first contact toward genuine engagement with the Clubhouse idea, and toward membership.
---
# When are we ready for Stage 2, the Clubhouse?
We are ready for the Clubhouse if and when refundable membership deposits cover the first-year fixed costs of the proposed Clubhouse:
- annual rent of the proposed venue
- annual licences for commercial use of the property
- annual insurances
- annual operating costs of the non-profit association
**Target: 25,000 EUR (approx. 28,750 USD) in refundable membership deposits.**
**Timeline: 6 months.**
Hitting that figure proves two things at once:
1. that the membership is real
2. it can carry the venue's standing costs before a single operational euro is spent.
If the target hasn't been met after 6 months, I'll extend the efforts within a reasonable timeframe, depending on the results by then, but no longer than an additional 3 months.
Missing it is also a result.
It tells us, that the model needs rethinking or is not viable before anyone signs a lease.
---
# Media + Publishing
We'll produce and publish event documentaries from all events.
Expect content to be published on a rolling basis, multiple times a week.
In clips, we'll ensure ⌐◨-◨ visiblity.
**Any media produced at workshops that are tailored towards kids will not be published and only shared with parents to protect the children's safety and privacy.**
# What will benjamin.latsko.eth deliver?
I run Stage 1 end to end. The compensation line funds one senior operator covering five workstreams across the six months:
- membership program development
- branding
- marketing
- website and infrastructure for membership operations
- event coordination and production
- monthly reporting on-chain
The stage is deliberately labour-led. The kit is light, the venues are borrowed, and the cost is the work that turns a thesis into a paying membership.
---
# The future of the Clubhouse, after this phase
The future Clubhouse will operate as a Portuguese social association.
We are not founding it yet.
At this point, we do not need an incorporated member-governed body, take on its governance and accounting, or commit to its annual operating costs before we have members to govern and revenue to account for.
The association belongs to the phase after Stage 1, once a body of paying members exists to justify it and to shape its statutes, membership tiers and cost base from real data rather than assumption. Sequencing it this way keeps Stage 1 lean and keeps the structure honest. Later, the association is built around a real membership.
# Budget
| Item | EUR | USD |
| -------------------------------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Mobile Maker Space | 3,450.00 | 3,967.50 |
| Heat Press | 500.00 | 575.00 |
| Plotter | 450.00 | 517.50 |
| Tools & Accessories | 500.00 | 575.00 |
| Garments for Makerspace | 500.00 | 575.00 |
| Setup for Pop Up | 1,500.00 | 1,725.00 |
| | | |
| Marketing Working Budget | 2,000.00 | 2,300.00 |
| Signage + Branding + Marketing Materials | 1,500.00 | 1,725.00 |
| Website + Infrastructure for Membership Operations | 500.00 | 575.00 |
| | | |
| Other Items | 32,100.00 | 36,915.00 |
| Compensation | 30,000.00 | 34,500.00 |
| Liability Insurance | 600.00 | 690.00 |
| Misc | 1,500.00 | 1,725.00 |
| | | |
| Total | 37,550.00 | 43,182.50 |
*Conversions at 1.15 EUR to USD.*
# What about future funding?
With this incubation stage proven, I'll return to the DAO with evidence rather than a forecast and a refined proposal: real conversion data, a paying membership, and a grounded, evidence-based estimate of the Clubhouse's potential and how the venue can best be used for greatest impact. Stage 2 then funds the step from a validated membership to a permanent home, and the founding of the association to govern it.
# Treasury governance
For some, this might make a difference in how they view this proposal and my ask. From previous proposals, I have returned over 40k USDC of unspent budget to the DAO. Without anyone having to ask. Funds were returned not because of bad budget planning, but because things like "live music" were replaced with a spotify playlist or budgeted speaker fees were not needed, because no fees were needed for Nouns Town.
---
# Hi, I'm Benjamin Latsko
I run a creative studio with which I've been providing client services in marketing, brand strategy and coaching since 2013.
[Client portfolio](https://benjaminlatsko.com/) spans across adidas, Hugo Boss, amazon, keen footwear, nivea, starbucks and many more.
My story with Nouns starts way back in early 2022 with SharkDAO.
A few select personal highlights from contributing to Nouns:
- SharkDAO member and contributor since the early days
- Nouns Town LA
- Haus of Nouns
- Nouns GG + adidas collaboration
- World of Apps
- Ethereum App Town Hall ⌐◨-◨
- Octant x Nouns partnership (which unfortunately has been cancelled)
- bought Pins from Klim and gifted them to Tom Sachs and his team back in the day when he became a Nouner
I'm now here to build something to last for Nouns, the ⌐◨-◨ Clubhouse.incubating-the-clubhouse-in-europafixed video preview