title of my speech is what are we doing
right hi I really like puns most people
don't know that about me I really like
puns the changing tides of the thin
foundation grants program so I my name
is Ken like Barbie and Ken like the doll
that's that's how you remember me I send
a lot of emails out but I'm really happy
to be on stage today because a lot of
what I've heard throughout the weekend
is you know the in foundation grants
program is a black box right like no one
knows who you guys are you guys are so
mysterious and what else you guys you
have oh you have some money right if
everybody Asian grants program has a lot
of money sort of but what we like to do
is is talk through you know what are we
actually doing here right like what is
the mission of the grants program and
this is actually sustainable right so
thus far this year we've given out 11
million dollars to 75 projects which is
not insubstantial yeah yeah there we go
it's awesome because we were able to
bring a lot of people from all around
the block chain initiatives right so
it's not just a theorem it's not just
the community but it's also bringing
people over from secure scuttle but it's
also bringing people from university
academia bringing kestrel institute
bringing everyone from around the world
and really talking about what it is that
the grants program really is trying to
do right and it's kind of nebulous thus
far this is I guess like a face that you
see now for the grants program but
there's not just me right it's a lot
more on the team and I don't like saying
I it's more of we and I'll get back to
this and I'll do some more puns this
seem to be good it's like stand-up
comedy where you wrap it around at the
end maybe I don't know I'm not that
funny
but what I think I really want to kind
of bring out here is that you know it's
this idea that you know the theorem
foundation grants programs really just
funding metallics friends and like you
know you guys are just doing whatever
you want with all this money and like
that would be really cool cuz like that
would make my job a lot easier but it's
not easy
we're actually talking about you know
for the grants program
it's fundamentally changing and
empowering the community and that's very
very broad right what does it actually
mean to empower the community it's
talking about funding and empowering
open source development right it's
actually talking about creating upon the
core infrastructure of aetherium and
what that means is is really talking
through you know public goods for a
public utility public tooling what does
the theorem actually need right it's
actually facing the hard facts of what's
broken right what where's our road map
currently and how do we build upon that
how do we address the issues head-on and
so one of the things that I've really
realized in the space is we don't like
to talk about what's broken we don't
like to admit our flaws but that's okay
right a lot of things are going really
well with a theorem and that's that's
amazing the foundation is going and it's
not just the foundation it's everyone
else in the community I kind of liken
this to you know not we're not really
looking for a return on in return on
investment which is what a lot of people
ask us right it's like how was howard
grants actually sustainable if you're
not getting ROI but that's the point of
rents you actually don't need an ROI
what we're looking for here is actually
impact right compounding impact the
Thurman foundation doesn't have that
much money so if you look at the grants
program we actually have less than 1% of
all aether in circulation right it's not
in substantial we still do have money
that were you know pumping out into the
ecosystem I'm gonna continue to keep
pumping it out the idea behind this is
you know what this can really
fundamentally do is bring more people to
the table right it's not just us sitting
here saying oh well that these guys you
guys should get some money and you guys
should get some money it's really like
how do we bring all of us yeah Oprah
style right if I wish it was all for
style but it's you know we want to bring
more people and and come to the table
and sit with us right don't be afraid to
come to me and ask me can I can I apply
for a grant right we actually saw a
decline in applications because people
were kind of scared and saying like you
know like I don't
we're not even worth it like yes you are
absolutely you're worth it this is the
theorem community everyone here can
apply for
ran and I will talk to every single one
of you not just me but everyone else on
this team on the grants team will talk
to you and will make sure that you hear
back from us right so fundamentally what
we want to do is have everyone here come
to the table because the theorem
foundation wants to use this to defuse
our power defuse what we have here all
of our resources and make sure it's
disseminated across everyone here right
for the decentralized future to actually
exist it can't just be us at the table
it's every one of us it's every one
building with client diversity it's
everyone building on security because
the experts are out there the experts
are all around the world and it's not
just people who say we're a theorem
foundation right it's it's every one of
you guys sitting out here saying we want
to build yeah so what let us help you
build let us give you funds I'll just
give you resources let's bring you to
the table as have you talking to
everyone else around here don't be
afraid to do it right just come off and
so now we're gonna go back to funds cuz
I'm I only have three minutes left so
what I like to talk about is is how what
we're doing here is is like as like a
sale it's like a ship right and so what
we're doing is really like making sure
everyone's sales are up and we're just
pushing wind out at everyone right
little by little we're just gonna keep
pushing more boats at sea so that we
have a full Navy out here right it's not
just one ship though the most powerful
Navy is with the most amount of ships
flanking around right it's not just one
guy at the top no Christopher Columbus
here and it's still debated when
Christopher collection an American
reference sorry I apologize very
ignorant American but you know like it's
really cool to see teams like prismatic
labs right who prismatic labs where you
just kind of meet online right you just
meet online and just say like this is
what we want to build this is our
passion project let us get a grant and
let's build a full team and they've been
able to do that and then they come back
and say hey we want to build a client
absolutely yeah just
keep doing it let's have more people do
the same thing let's build our passion
projects let's see where it goes let's
stop worrying about building you know
like let's stop worrying about how do we
build a business that's not worrying
about all these other things let's
actually build what we want to build
let's make a theorem better right let's
actually do it and let us let us give
you the wind so your sails can keep
going alright what are we doing that's
that's it man this is what we're doing
and but I truly do believe as jokes
aside that you know through the grants
program the decentralized future is
really in our hands it really is we have
to understand that using resources using
funds tap and rely on the theorem
foundation and rely on the grants
program to let you do that because you
know the other question we get asked is
like who are you to be giving these
grants out great question because the
grants team is actually not just us what
we do is just facilitate we facilitate
conversations right so all of us go out
and reach other people to get on these
they're in these calls and get on these
conversations of who deserves to get a
grant right we are not technically the
experts of everything right we don't
know everything right we get people from
outside of the foundation internal
external anyone we can get to make sure
that what we're doing is fundamentally
going to better of the ecosystem right
and that's having these hard
conversations of you know will this
essentially be my competitor absolutely
but that's okay right it's it's okay we
have to be able to say like you know
what I love it let's all build together
we can build the same thing and we could
build a better or we can work together
right that's even better this is this is
the Navy right here we can keep going
right so yeah I'm just gonna end it with
that let the grants program allow you to
put the decentralized future in all of
our hands thank you guys
[Applause]
you