Gitcoin, the open source funding platform, is announcing a strategic shift from funding public goods to focusing on grant infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem. This reorganization aims to improve technological development within Ethereum, moving from a flat organizational structure to a more defined ‘Labs’ model for improved efficiency and direction.
Gitcoin, a platform known for funding open source software, is undergoing a significant strategic restructuring to sharpen its focus on making grants specifically for the Ethereum ecosystem. This pivot moves away from its initial emphasis on public goods funding, signaling a shift to a more technology-driven approach to more directly support the Ethereum community. Since its inception in May 2021, Gitcoin has been characterized by its relatively flat organizational structure, which is now evolving to accommodate its new strategic direction.
The restructuring involves the formation of two separate business units at Gitcoin. One of these units will focus on coordinating product-specific work, ensuring that technological development in the Ethereum space is both targeted and efficient. Alongside this, a Sub-Decentralized Autonomous Organization (SubDAO) will be created to manage community and governance issues, seeking to preserve the essence of Gitcoin’s democratic approach while offering a more structured decision-making framework.
A key aspect of this transition is Gitcoin’s adoption of a “Labs” structure, reminiscent of the models used by large protocol teams such as Uniswap Labs and OP Labs. The move aims to ensure stability in software development and provide DAO with clearly defined scopes of work, empowering software development teams with greater leadership and decision-making authority. This structural evolution reflects Gitcoin’s intention to focus more intensively on grants, seeking to associate the platform more strongly with the grant infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem than with its previous public goods funding narrative.
Gitcoin’s strategic shift underscores its commitment to improving the infrastructure of the Ethereum ecosystem through grants. By transitioning to a more technology-oriented organization and refining its focus on grants, Gitcoin aims to strengthen its contribution to the open source community and the broader blockchain space. This pivot is a reflection of the platform’s evolution from an impact-focused entity to one that prioritizes technological development and efficiency within the rapidly growing Ethereum ecosystem.
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