Self-Sustaining Builder Grants

Shaan describes creating a builder grant program that started small and grew through community participation. The program focuses on giving money to builders rather than speculators in the crypto space, with no strings attached and no equity requirements.

Key Points:

• Initial Structure:

  • Started with $3,000 (1 ETH) grants
  • No strings attached, no equity requirements
  • Focus on funding builders over speculators
  • Will select ~15 people from nearly 1,000 applications

• Growth Through Community:

  • Prize pool doubled through matching contributions
  • Notable participants like Calm founder agreed to match
  • Planning to grow into self-sustaining builder grant program

• Selection Process:

  • Received ~1,000 applications
  • Shortlisted to 150 strong candidates
  • Final selection of 35 finalists
  • Will choose ~15 recipients

• Implementation:

  • Running program through Telegram group
  • 3 days total attention needed to execute
  • Decision timeline: 5 days to select recipients

• Main Criteria:

  • Focus on people who will actually execute
  • Evaluate if day job/student status might prevent action
  • Looking for builders with energy and optimism
  • Want people who will actually make things happen