Kickstarter announces plan for decentralized crowdfunding protocol built on Celo

Kickstarter unveiled a plan on Wednesday to build a decentralized protocol for crowdfunding and intends to use the Celo blockchain as a public technology base.

Bloomberg first reported that the firm is building a new company that will create a new platform following the Kickstarter structure but built on a blockchain. Then, it will transition its site to the new protocol in 2022. The transition should be seamless, without affecting how users interact with the site, Kickstarter told Bloomberg. 

Kickstarter detailed its plans in a blog post, stating that it intends to build a so-called governance lab to provide independent governance for its new protocol. This will be separate from both the existing Kickstarter and its newly formed company in an effort to build some decentralization into the new design. 

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"We are entering a significant moment for alternative governance models, and we think there's an important opportunity to advance these efforts using the blockchain. This lab will be led by Camille Canon, co-founder and most recently executive director of Purpose Foundation (US), an organization focused on developing and scaling alternative ownership and governance models," wrote co-founder Perry Chen and CEO Aziz Hasan.

They went on to write:

"We’ve chosen Celo, an open source and carbon negative blockchain platform, as the best technology and community on which to build the protocol. We’re inspired by the Celo ecosystem’s thoughtful approach to building the technology they want to see in the world."

Kickstarter pioneered online crowdfunding in 2009, but the world of decentralization has since taken things a step further through the use of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). DAOs are decentralized communities with governance models that enable participants to democratically decide on proposals, including how contributed funds are used and how the DAO should operate.

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Aislinn Keely is a reporter on The Block's policy team holding down the legal beat. She covers court decisions, bankruptcies, regulatory actions and other key moments in the legal sphere, putting them in context for the wider crypto industry. Before The Block, she lent her voice to the NPR affiliate WFUV and helmed Fordham University's student newspaper. Send tips or thoughts on all things policy and legal to [email protected] or follow her on Twitter for updates @AislinnKeely.