This proposal requests the option to use up to $1M from the VitaDAO treasury for equity investments.

Summary

We've learned there are many early stage deals including at universities where equity-based investment rather than NFT-based investment are required. This proposal requests the option to use up to $1M from the VitaDAO treasury for equity investments.

Details

Following VDP-7, we have set aside $1.5M to loan to the nonprofit Vitality Healthspan Foundation to make investments in TurnBio and Rubedo. Freeing up an additional $1M would have several advantages over doing no additional equity deals. It would:

1. create more eventual buyers for VitaDAO's IP-NFTs
2. grow VitaDAO's network and reputation within industry and not just with academia
3. provide validation to pharma and other incumbents that VitaDAO has assets that others are willing to fund
4. enable VitaDAO to get insider info from more companies on how the industry is evolving
5. help VitaDAO upskill academics by putting them in contact with the companies we fund

By passing this proposal, we would still be within our 80/20 goal to fund mostly research , but we would be creating better continuity between academia and industry. Thus, shrinking the "valley of death".

Specification

Provide the option for VitaDAO, in partnership with Vitality Healthspan Foundation, to spend up to $1M USD of VitaDAO's treasury on equity investments. Investments would be expected to be within the $50-100K range such that at least 10 investments could be made. Investments would also be expected to be in seed stage or at the latest Series A companies to maintain the focus on early stage asset formation and maximize VitaDAO's ownership stake.

For more information, please see the phase 2 proposal and discussion on Discourse.