ValleyDAO Growth Update - April 2023
In April 2023, a new DAO was born.
April was a crucial moment in ValleyDAO’s story and one we’ll certainly look back on fondly. In this edition of our newsletter, we look back on some exciting milestones and updates including:
Raising ~$700k to fund our first batch of research projects.
4-Levels Explainer video where Albert Anis and Morgan Richards attempt to dissect ValleyDAO at various levels of complexity.
Zuzalu BioHackathon prize winners from the ValleyDAO community!
Community Spotlight featuring Abraham Grosman.
The important events to look out for this month!
Announcing… the closing of our first fundraise!
Last month we graduated Bio.xyz, spread our wings and flew the nest. On the 28th April, we closed our community auction where we raised a whopping $363,000! Prior to this we also closed a deal with True Ventures which means that combined, we have now raised ~$700,000 to support the acceleration of Synthetic Biology research.
Whilst it is cause to celebrate, the hard work has only just begun. In the following months we’ll be focusing on the strategic deployment of capital to continue our growth. If you or a researcher you know is looking for funding for a research project or venture in SynBio then get in touch with us at people@valleydao.bio or fill out the research application form to explore how ValleyDAO could support your work!
New video launched.
Many people say if you can’t explain it to your grandma then do you really understand it? Instead, we decided to try our hand at explaining ValleyDAO to a 12 year old.
Check out our latest video to see how we got on!
BioHackathon Prize Winners!
Earlier this month in Zuzalu (a network state experiment in Montenegro), a team of ValleyDAO community members entered into a BioHackathon that explored the potential of blockchain to solve problems in biosciences. Their proposal explored how we could create new blockchain-enabled incentive mechanisms for the validation of scientific data, and how this could be used to fund a Universal Basic Income for scientists.
They were awarded $1000 and free tickets to SynBioBeta at the end of this month for their efforts! It doesn’t end there, ValleyDAO is currently exploring how to turn this proposal into a reality as we believe it could be a step towards developing our first DeSci protocol.
Community Spotlight
Meet Abraham Grosman (AbrahamG#5767 on Discord)! Abraham has been a community member for quite a while now and is most known for his contributions to the Dealflow & Incubation Growth Group. He’s been directly responsible for sourcing some high quality research projects and collaboration opportunities and is a perfect example of how driven and well-connected individuals can make a real impact in the industry. If you haven’t met him yet then we recommend reaching out, or you can register here for Donut Hour where we randomly match community members and give them a couple of icebreaker questions. Get to know Abraham and many more of our wonderful community members out of hours and find out why our community is thriving.
“ValleyDAO empowers researchers and synthetic biology, sustainability enthusiasts. This empowerment will help us reach a balance between nature and technology creating a new framework for agriculture, manufacturing, and more leveraging synthetic biology.”
Events to look out for:
BUIDL LDN: Exploring DeSci With ValleyDAO
On Wednesday this week, Morgan Richards will be joined by Alfred Brown, Sarah Rouse and Max Mundt at Entrepreneur First in London to explore unique opportunities and challenges for Web3 builders in Decentralised Science.
SynBioBeta Oakland, California May 23 - 25, 2023
The ValleyDAO core team and many community members will be attending this years SynBioBeta conference; the largest annual gathering in the Synthetic Biology Industry. Albert Anis will be speaking at both the main conference and the DeSci stage so don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect and find out about what we’ve been up to!
The Genetic Underground - BioPunk Rave 24th May, 2023
Sponsored by many of our frens & fam, The Genetic Underground is “an immersive experience that will take you on a journey into the future of the synthetic biology community”. Mingle, chat, and actually dance with all the people pushing this field forward!
We hope to catch you in the next one!
-The ValleyDAO Community