1IP - XX: Revenue Research Grant Request by StableLab
Simple Summary
Following the discontinuation of the 1inch Swap Surplus in June 2023, the 1inch DAO has been without a revenue source. This proposal outlines the case for StableLab to research and identify a new optimal revenue stream for the 1inch DAO.
Motivation
The 1inch Protocol has successfully established itself as a market leader among its competitors, with its market share continuing to grow. However, while 1inch has increased its market share, it has yet to capitalise on its market-leading status to generate revenue.
Without regular inflows into the DAO Treasury, the 1inch DAO risks depleting its resources over time. The 1inch DAO treasury currently holds $15,539,429.608 worth of assets, but further capitalisation is necessary to meet existing obligations, such as funding research for ecosystem development, ensuring the smooth operation of the 1inch Protocol, and covering costs related to 1inch Events, Network Support, Community Builders Program, Messari Quarterly Reports, and more.
This grant request presents an opportunity for the StableLab team to conduct an in-depth analysis of how the 1inch DAO can leverage its market share to capture revenue and ensure long-term sustainability.
What makes StableLab qualified for this task?
StableLab is the leading provider of governance products and solutions for decentralised protocols and has been an active contributor to the 1inch DAO since October 2022.
We work with various projects, from the ones just starting their journey to decentralisation to the most prominent DeFi protocols. We work across 25+ protocols (DeFi and Layer 2s) and have been trusted with over $100 million in voting power through delegation. Our expertise stems from years of research and hands-on experience working with and for DAOs. We aim to help protocols reach a safe and sustainable level of decentralisation.
This grant provides the 1inch DAO access to the services of the entire StableLab team, with two team members serving as primary contact points.
Kenechukwu Eze is a Protocol Governance Specialist at StableLab. He has contributed to 1inch DAO on behalf of StableLab since October 2022 as a Recognized Delegate. Kenechukwu has experience designing and managing Governance Frameworks and Operations for DAOs. He is also an experienced Business Development and Partnership Associate with a particular focus on facilitating integrations and joint ventures between DeFi Protocols.
Christian Ziegler is the Tech Lead at StableLab. He was previously a researcher at the Chair for Strategy and Organization (TUM), led by Prof. Dr. Isabell M. Welpe. His scientific research includes a Taxonomy of DAOs, scoring methodologies for DAOs, and an analysis of distributed ledger technologies.
Deliverable
Over the past three weeks, StableLab has researched an optimal revenue stream for the DAO. This research considers factors such as 1inch market share, 1inch products, and several other factors to develop a revenue strategy that prioritises the long-term success of the 1inch DAO.
Should this proposal pass, StableLab will submit a long-form research proposal within two weeks outlining the specifics of a proposed revenue stream for the 1inch DAO, which will be posted on the forum for further discussion and consideration.
Specification
We are requesting $50,000 USDC as compensation for this research grant.
We request for 50% of the payment ($25,000 USDC) to be paid upon the passing of this grant request, while the remaining $25,000 USDC will be paid once our proposed revenue stream is approved by the DAO.
These funds will primarily reimburse StableLab for its technical resources and the expertise of its Data Science team, which have been heavily utilised in this research grant.