How Gitcoin 2.0 Could Someday Help Reward People for Doing Good - Ep. 624

Mar 26, 2024

In this discussion, Kevin Owocki, co-founder of Gitcoin, and Meg Lister, GM of Grants Labs, dive into the transformative journey of Gitcoin from centralized funding to a decentralized model. They explore exciting funding mechanisms like quadratic funding and retroactive public goods funding, designed to bolster community contributions. The conversation also touches on innovative concepts such as Angel Investing 2.0 and the Gitcoin Passport, which addresses sybil attacks. Their ultimate goal? A capital allocation system that supports what truly matters to communities worldwide.

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ANECDOTE

Gitcoin's Origin

Kevin Owocki, with a computer science background, co-founded Gitcoin in 2017.
He aimed to use crypto to fund open-source software due to a lack of reciprocation in the Web2 space.

INSIGHT

Gitcoin 1.0 vs 2.0

Gitcoin 1.0, a centralized platform, primarily funded emerging Ethereum projects.
Gitcoin 2.0 is a decentralized suite of protocols, enabling any EVM-based ecosystem to fund public goods.

INSIGHT

Quadratic Funding Explained

Quadratic funding democratically distributes matching funds based on the breadth of community support.
Projects with broader support receive a larger share, amplifying smaller contributions.

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In this episode, Laura interviews Meg Lister, GM of Grants Labs at Gitcoin, and Kevin Owocki, co-founder of Gitcoin.

They discuss the evolution of Gitcoin from a centralized platform to a decentralized suite of protocols, Gitcoin 2.0, which allows any Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based ecosystem to fund its public goods. They also talk about the various funding mechanisms available, including quadratic funding, retroactive public goods funding, and conviction voting.

Learn more: What Is Retroactive Public Goods Funding?

The team is also exploring more futuristic concepts such as private voting systems, angel investing 2.0, and impact attestations. The ultimate goal for Gitcoin is to create a capital allocation infrastructure that funds what matters to communities, whether they are towns, states, countries, or online interest groups.

Show highlights:

Kevin's background and how he came to found Gitcoin and why Meg joined the company
The differences between Gitcoin 1.0 and 2.0
What quadratic funding is and why it is important in the blockchain ecosystem
The problem of sybil attacks and how Gitcoin Passport aims to solve it
Why Gitcoin has changed its approach to put more focus on scaling Ethereum rather than other types of grants
How Gitcoin is trying to solve capital allocation efficiency with Allo (Capital Allocation) Protocol
What streaming quadratic funding is and how it differs from traditional quadratic funding
How retroactive public goods funding (RPGF) works
What conviction voting is and how it addresses some of the current problems in DAOs
Which projects are using Gitcoin Passport and what for
Why Gitcoin is so focused on the Ethereum ecosystem and whether they will launch in other chains
What the purposes of the GTC token are and how it could become a flywheel for Gitcoin
How Gitcoin can become sustainable long-term, since it's free to use at the moment
The features that are coming down the line for Gitcoin, including privacy and onchain "angel investing"
What the future could look like if Gitcoin succeeds in its mission, according to Kevin

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Guests:

Kevin Owocki, Co-founder of Gitcoin
Meg Lister, GM of Grants Labs at Gitcoin