Lore
In the beginning came the tweet, an imagining of ecosystem-wide coordination.
The tweet begot a Telegram working group, focused on a standard for MetaTransactions. The working group hacked all around the world and you know it was good, because they kept coming back, bringing new friends with them.
From the working group, came the DAO, le cartel de Meta, vagabonds with a penchant for spice. MetaCartel DAO gave out grants in waves, scanning hackathons for winners who aligned with the chili vibe:
If you want to go
fast, go alone.
If you want to go
far, go together.
Successful products grew from those grants, like Aave, Gelato and Zapper, as well as dynamic communities, like MetaFactory, MetaGame, DAOhaus and Raid Guild. While receiving ETH is great, grant recipients express gratitude, mostly, for MetaCartel’s network and community support.
When the pandemic hit, immediately following EthDenver 2020, they weren’t affected. Everyone was already working remotely from all over the world. Grants were still going out in waves, now including DAOs as viable recipients. With the rise in mainnet gas fees, core ops migrated to Gnosis chain, because we were actively governing together.
Despite the dark shroud of covid, Meta Cartel was now much more than a working group or a DAO; it had bloomed into an entire ecosystem, and it was thriving. From all across the globe, communities built tools to enhance coordination, while strengthening meaningful connections with each other.
In summer 2021, the cartel emerged from pandemic lockdowns and gathered in Paris for ETHCC, which may have included a roof and mistakes that weren’t regrets. That fall, they realized a need for everyone to gather IRL. MCON, the conference about DAOs, by DAOs and for DAOs, is now on its third iteration. MetaCamp was an unconference in Costa Rica in Spring 2022.
Sometimes the spice burns, but the way it hits the brain drives a craving we’re proud of. Our impact on recipients is well beyond the ETH they’ve received. A grant from MetaCartel is a signal to a growing ecosystem that an individual or a team has the esteem and support of a discerning community.
Ecosystem wide coordination doesn’t happen on its own. It requires care and energy, but the rewards are immense.
Future chapters are already being written. Will you join us?
Choose Your Destiny
Give Funding
Eat tacos, without making them. We’ll take your ETH, give it to projects that’ll make our lives better, and give you DAO membership so you can help when you like.
Contribute
Test your spice tolerance, but bring a towel, because you’re going to sweat and you’re going to like it. Even if you don’t know how you can contribute, join us in the Discord.