DAO Maker

DAO Maker, a retail venture capital and startup accelerator platform, was founded by Christoph Zaknun and Hassan (Hatu) Sheikh. Zaknun, the current CEO, has been involved in the crypto space since 2017 and has experience working on layer 1 blockchain projects like Avalanche. Sheikh, the Chief Strategy Officer, has a background in mathematics and management, having worked as a professor and co-managed a significant budget for Long Island County in New York.

The platform offers various services and products to increase venture participation at retail levels. Its flagship product, the DAO Launchpad, allows users to participate in token offerings through private and public Strong Holder Offerings (SHOs) and dynamic coin offerings (DYCO). Users must stake at least 500 DAO in the platform’s vaults to participate, and their staked DAO is converted to DAO power, which is used to enter lotteries for token sales. The more DAO power allocated, the higher the chances of winning a slot.

DAO Maker also provides consulting services for blockchain projects, focusing on fundraising, token economics, and community building. The platform emphasizes community engagement and offers tools like social mining, loyalty programs, and gamification to promote project growth and incentivize community participation.

DAO Maker has been involved in several notable projects, including Orion Protocol, My Neighbor Alice, LaunchX, and DAFI Protocol. The platform aims to provide a more decentralized and community-driven approach to fundraising and project development in the blockchain space.

DAO Maker is a blockchain project launchpad that provides a suite of services to support the growth and development of emerging cryptocurrency projects. Here's an overview of how it works:

1. DAO Pad: This is the primary launchpad where users can participate in token sales. To participate, users need to lock up a minimum number of DAO tokens, which determines their chances of winning a participation slot. The more DAO tokens locked, the higher the chances of winning.

2. Social Mining: This feature incentivizes community engagement by rewarding users with tokens for contributing to the growth and improvement of crypto projects. Projects can use social mining to raise awareness, increase liquidity, and grow their user base.

3. Incubation Services: DAO Maker acts as an incubator for new projects, providing them with necessary support and resources to develop and flourish. This includes advisory services, marketing, and other tools essential for building a strong community.

4. Strong Holder Offerings (SHOs): This is a lottery-based funding mechanism that prioritizes experienced and credible investors for token allocation. It ensures that the most committed and knowledgeable investors are rewarded.

5. Venture Bonds: This feature allows users to purchase bonds from startups, which are then deployed to overcollateralized DeFi and CeFi lending markets to earn a yield. The yield is distributed to startups to finance their growth, and bond purchasers earn project tokens and/or equity in return.

To participate in token sales on the DAO Pad, users need to lock up a fixed minimum number of DAO tokens. The amount of DAO tokens locked determines the user's DAO Power, which is categorized into five tranches. Each tranche brings with it an increased chance of winning a participation slot. If a user wins a slot, their allocation is automatically funded by their USD Coin (USDC) balance, and their DAO Power is locked for 10 days before it resets.

DAO Maker is powered by its native utility token, known as DAO. This token is used to participate in token sales on the DAO Pad and can also be staked to earn a yield via one of DAO Maker's vaults. The token will also be used for community governance in the near future.

DAO Maker stands out by providing startups with a secure and decentralized platform, fostering growth and allowing them to unlock their potential. The platform specializes in addressing common early-stage challenges, particularly in communications and public relations. It offers a suite of services including marketing, SEO, site development, and other tools essential for building a vibrant community. Additionally, DAO Maker's Strong Holder Offerings and Venture Bonds provide innovative solutions for funding and community engagement.

DAO Maker is designed to streamline the process for crypto startups to acquire venture capital by facilitating community engagement and providing growth technologies and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. It aims to create a globally compliant fundraising platform for both crowdfunding and tokens, making it easier for retail users to participate in venture capital investments.

DAO Maker (DAO) has several strengths that make it a unique and valuable platform for blockchain projects and retail investors:

1. Comprehensive Services: DAO Maker offers a wide range of services, including incubation, operations and advisory services, social mining, and token architecture. These services help blockchain projects develop and grow their communities, ensuring a strong foundation for their success.

2. Strong Holder Offerings (SHOs): DAO Maker's SHOs are a lottery-based system that prioritizes experienced and credible participants for token allocation. This ensures that the most committed and knowledgeable investors are rewarded, fostering a sense of community and encouraging active participation.

3. Social Mining: The platform incentivizes community engagement through social mining, rewarding users with tokens for contributing to the growth and improvement of crypto projects. This feature helps projects build and nurture their communities, converting them into valuable contributors.

4. DAO Pad: DAO Maker's launchpad, DAO Pad, serves as a dynamic investment tool, enabling users to track the progress of incubated projects and access exclusive opportunities as they evolve. This feature allows for real-time monitoring and investment in the development of projects.

5. Security: As it runs on Ethereum, DAO Maker benefits from the blockchain's security protocols, which are based on the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism after Ethereum's upgrade to Ethereum 2.0.

6. Accessibility: DAO Maker has made accessing early-stage investments simple by providing a single entry route via the DAO token. Anybody with a fully verified account that has staked at least 500 DAO tokens can participate in the lottery to win a Non-inflative allocation.

7. Governance: The platform is powered by its native utility token, DAO, which is used to participate in token sales on the DAO Pad platform and can also be staked to earn a yield via one of DAO Maker’s vaults. The token will also be used for community governance in the near future.

These strengths position DAO Maker as a comprehensive platform that not only aids crypto startups in their initial stages but also provides ongoing support and opportunities for community engagement and growth.

DAO Maker (DAO) faces several risks, including:

1. Smart Contract Risk: DAOs built on smart contracts are vulnerable to errors or flaws in the code, which can be exploited by malicious actors for their own profit.

2. Governance Risk: DAO voting rights allocated by ownership of freely traded tokens can lead to governance attacks or issues when one or more individuals obtain concentrated ownership of tokens.

3. Regulatory Risk: DAOs governing DeFi protocols are susceptible to regulator action if the services offered are deemed to be in breach of securities or other regulations in any jurisdiction.

4. Interpersonal Risk: DAOs are susceptible to differences of opinion or divergence in interest, leading to disputes between co-founders and between founders and investors.

5. Progressive Decentralization Risk: DAOs starting as centralized entities may face diverging interests between members and founders, particularly regarding the honoring of legacy third-party contracts.

6. Intermediary Risk: DAOs relying on intermediaries, such as individuals controlling DAO treasuries, are at risk of human error or misconduct, especially if the intermediary's identity or credentials cannot be validated.

7. Risk of Collateral Drops: If the value of collateral assets drops, the market value of DAI may also decrease, affecting the stability of the system.

8. Risk of Default Events: The event of default, such as when ETH plummets and the smart contract has to sell MKR to compensate DAI holders, can be a significant risk.

These risks highlight the importance of robust risk management and governance structures within DAO Maker to ensure the stability and integrity of the system.

• Christoph Zaknun: CEO of DAO Maker, an early mover in the ICO space, and a former assistant neurologist-traumatologist.
• Giorgio Marciano: CTO of DAO Maker, a heavily experienced entrepreneur and IT engineer with over 13 years of experience in software development.
• Hatu Sheikh: CMO of DAO Maker, a former lecturer in Mathematics and experienced business strategist.
• Malte Christensen: COO of DAO Maker, overseeing operations alongside the other co-founders.