The d/acc Residency at Edge City Patagonia 2025

Summary

From Oct. 18 to Nov. 15 2025, we ran the first one-month d/acc Residency at Edge City Patagonia in partnership with Protocol Labs, bringing together 13 ambitious builders and researchers applying d/acc principles of democratic, defensive, differential, decentralized acceleration to their work.

Although the projects varied widely in theme, the group shared one thing in common: a deep passion for their projects and the d/acc philosophy. Over the course of the program, residents lived, worked, and collaborated in our popup village, pushing projects from concept to concrete milestones across identity infrastructure, prediction markets, credential systems, synthetic biology safety protocols, and more.

The results exceeded expectations - residents secured further investment, pushed working prototypes, expanded into new markets, and made critical technical breakthroughs! Residents reported an average project progress score of 8 out of 10. Beyond the tangible outcomes, participants described the experience as transformative - a catalyst for clarity and connection that impacted their projects for years to come.

"The d/acc residency was a gravitational center for some of the most compelling thinkers and builders on the planet. People working on overlooked yet essential problems that matter for humanity's long-term progress." -  Arnold Almeida

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Here's what was built during this residency program and the lessons we learned along the way.

What We Set Out To Do & How We Did It

• Support d/acc builders & researchers in taking their ideas to concrete projects and partnerships, while testing how being on the ground at Edge City Patagonia could accelerate their work.
• Foster a collaborative environment
• Provide structure, on-the-ground mentorship, and network access to unlock opportunities
• Build a community of founders aligned on decentralized approaches to accelerating progress, and build momentum in the d/acc space beyond the residency.

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The residency had a structured program throughout the month, focused less on outside programming and more on creating an environment where builders had access to everything they needed to grow their projects.

Residents had daily touchpoints including Monday Goal Setting Breakfasts, d/acc-focused Reading Circles, Members Lunches, Lightning Talks, and Weekly Reflection sessions, as well as 1:1s with on-the-ground mentors and the program lead.

"Nothing beats sleeping, eating, being shoulder to shoulder with other people of ambition and high agency. It forces you to go deep, create and achieve things on another level. It brings the best out of you if you channel the energy and time the right way." — Kofi Owusu

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The d/acc residents also had two demo days: a pre-demo day in Week 3 where they showcased their work and received personal feedback from Juan and Molly from Protocol Labs, and a final demo day in Week 4 where they presented their completed projects to the broader Edge City community.

Throughout, the physical environment of Edge City Patagonia created ideal conditions for on-the-ground testing, collaborations and opportunity.

Residency Projects & Highlights

When you create an impactful environment a lot can be achieved in a space of a month.

Here is an overview of the projects that were taken through the d/acc residency and progress that was achieved on the ground.

Doris - Functor Network

Project: A keystore layer improving UX security by addressing blind signing, fragmented approvals, and key management for smart accounts.

Doris arrived with a vision for a decentralized alternative to 1Password. Through the residency, she progressed from initial concept to polished mockups, a complete UI implementation, and a comprehensive product roadmap. The narrative crystallized: secure password management without centralized points of failure.

By demo day, Doris had already received an angel investor offer. The on-the-ground environment enabled rapid validation - she conducted user interviews with residents, iterated on the narrative with peers, and refined her direction in real-time. What emerged was not just a product, but a clear positioning that resonated immediately with investors and users alike.

"The d/acc residency pushed me to translate theory into tangible product. It gave me the space, clarity, and community to turn our infra into something people can actually use. I came in with no idea what to build, I left with a clear, validated product UI and roadmap." -  Doris Hernandez

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Matt - Prism

‍Project: An LLM-based approach enabling selective information sharing with privacy guarantees through local models and TEEs.

Matt came in with an ambitious technical vision and left with a working prototype. Starting from zero, he built the full v1 during the residency and shared it publicly - catching the attention of Eric Drexler, who expressed interest in the work.

The deep technical conversations with fellow residents proved invaluable. Daily discussions shaped implementation decisions and surfaced new use-cases that Matt hadn't considered. The residency compressed what would have taken months of isolated work into weeks of collaborative building, accelerating both product formation and market understanding.

"If you're able to be a part of this residency I'd suggest jumping at the chance. I don't often get to be around a group of smart, agentic, and passionate builders looking to actually push the needle towards a better future for us all." - Matt Allen

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Ayan - SafeSeqs

‍Project: A decentralized, AI-powered system for detecting novel biological threats through anomaly detection in DNA sequences.

Ayan's work on Safe Seqs - focused on safety protocols in synthetic biology - found fertile ground at the residency. The collaborative environment and exposure to experts at the intersection of synthetic biology, biotech, and web3 allowed her to validate the project's alignment with d/acc principles.

She left with a development roadmap and identified potential partners who could help with growing Safe Seqs. The residency's unique positioning at the convergence of decentralization and acceleration gave Ayan access to exactly the kind of expertise needed for her project to thrive.

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Kofi - Cr3dentials

‍Project: Verification infrastructure enabling secure income verification and alternative credit scoring powered by zkTLS.

Kofi achieved what would normally take months of business development: entry into an entirely new market. Starting from zero presence in Latin America, he secured collaborations with key companies across the region including Lemon, Lendoor, Payd, SafetyWing, and OnChain City.

The residency's network of founders and mentors provided immediate access to high-value operators across multiple regions. This enabled Kofi to validate the global relevance of Cr3dentials' income-verification product and accelerate market entry where he previously had no connections. The compressed timeline proved that the right introductions can collapse what would otherwise be a year-long expansion into a matter of weeks.

"My biggest breakthrough has been entering the Latin American market from a completely cold start and turning that into real collaborations with companies that matter. The d/acc residency allowed me to create meaningful collaborations that showed me our product has global relevance." - Kofi Owusu

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Oliver - Market Intermediaries for Social Flourishing

Project: A social app trialing new market mechanisms that understand what people genuinely care about and allocate resources accordingly.

Oliver's marketplace concept moved from theory to tangible prototype. During the residency, he built out the complete end-to-end flow, proving to himself and potential partners that the vision was achievable. Just as importantly, he sharpened how he communicates the value proposition.

Hands-on testing with the Edge City community provided immediate feedback loops. Real user reactions surfaced pain points, validated assumptions, and clarified which features mattered most. The on-the-ground validation gave Oliver the confidence to move forward.

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Arnold - Signals by Lighthouse Labs

‍Project: An on-chain protocol helping decentralized communities expose sentiment and reach alignment in decision-making.

Arnold used the residency to advance both fundraising and frontier experimentation. He progressed multiple investor conversations to soft commitments while simultaneously testing more experimental concepts like EGPL (an innovative licensing framework).

The residency's credibility and network access opened doors that would have been difficult to reach otherwise. The proxy association with Edge City and the d/acc community created trust with high-leverage investors and collaborators, enabling conversations that might have taken months to orchestrate independently.

"The quality of the residency and the proxy association unlocked doors for conversation that gave us residents more legitimacy to pursue our intents. It does not matter how smart your idea is, you need to connect with the right people and you will be accelerated 10x." -  Arnold Almeida

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Charlie - Context Engine

Project: An Ethereum-native "broad listening" toolkit leveraging programmable cryptography for privacy-preserving large-group coordination.

Charlie discovered a major technical issue early: Web3Auth was creating friction in his app's wallet creation flow. Real-world product testing during the residency surfaced this usability problem quickly, allowing him to make a fast technical course-correction toward passkey login for Ethereum wallet creation.

The ability to test with actual users in the Edge City environment meant problems didn't stay hidden. What could have been months of building in the wrong direction became an early pivot that strengthened the product's foundations.

"The d/acc residency was an incredible gathering of brilliant people working on important issues and it was an honor to be a part of it. Made it clear I need to start a business and earn money to accelerate progress on areas I care about." - Charlie Thompson

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Brittany - Infrastructure Risk and Dynamic Pricing (NYXC)

Project: Research connecting climate risk assessment with dynamic pricing to value infrastructure based on its resilience to extreme weather.

For Brittany and NYXC, the residency's value came through strategic connections. She secured a new board member through introductions made possible by the concentrated network effect of Edge Patagonia. The right person, at the right time, in the right environment - this kind of serendipity is what popup villages enable.

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Josh W. - Edge City Voice AI / Local Private AI Agents

Project: Using private, local voice models for distributed AI to increase personal sovereignty and augmented intelligence.

Josh W. arrived with questions about his go-to-market strategy and left with clarity. Through mentorship sessions with David Dao, he realized his technology could serve both open-source and commercial use-cases. This dual-track approach opened new possibilities for both impact and sustainability, giving him a clearer roadmap for the next phase.

"I'll never forget the d/acc residency, as this mix of productivity, leisure, friendship, personal and professional opportunities all mixed into one glorious cocktail." - Josh Whiton

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Abraham - Decentralized Intelligence Network (DIN)

Project: A blockchain AI protocol advancing decentralized federated learning and data sovereignty with fair contribution and governance.

Abraham faced a critical architectural challenge that threatened to stall his project. Through the residency - particularly 1:1 guidance from David Dao - he not only solved the technical problem but developed a clear roadmap for execution.

The combination of tokenomics discussions, grassroots mentor insights, and collaboration with Optimism on the codebase gave him an exceptionally strong foundation. Abraham described the depth of expertise available as transformative, enabling him to accelerate execution, hit key milestones efficiently, and make far more progress than working in isolation would have allowed.

"David Dao's 1:1 guidance was absolutely transformative, helping me solve an architectural challenge I might not have anticipated. The level of support and expertise provided exceeded all expectations and was critical to our progress." - Abraham Nash

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Josh C. - Veritas

Project: An information discovery network where collective wisdom shapes high-signal, trustworthy feeds tailored to each user's interests.

In just the first two weeks, Josh accomplished what many founders take months to achieve. He pushed his prediction market project to production for the first time while simultaneously achieving a theoretical breakthrough on a core primitive: solving the unprofitable and high-risk nature of traditional market making.

The work caught attention beyond just product progress - Josh received an angel check and identified potential collaborators who could accelerate the next phase. The residency's focused environment allowed him to make rapid progress on both the technical innovation and business development fronts.

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Chloe - Cashmere: Differential Infrastructure for Taste

Project: An AI + Web3 system rewarding curation and aesthetic sensibility rather than virality for a more meaningful creative economy.

Although at an earlier stage than other projects, Chloe leveraged the residency environment to gather valuable real-time feedback from the community. Through conversations with fellow residents and mentors, she was able to refine her vision and establish a clearer development path for Cashmere going forward.

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Lukas - Spiral Dynamics

Project: A developmental framework advancing Spiral Dynamics through research, education, and technology to help individuals, organizations, and communities understand and accelerate their own evolution.

Lukas moved from concept to tangible demonstration during the residency. He developed visual designs for his prototype and hosted seminars testing the framework with residents. The Edge City environment provided the perfect testing ground.

The hands-on validation revealed which aspects of the framework resonated most strongly and how to make developmental theory measurable and actionable. Real-time feedback from residents refined his approach and validated that his framework could serve as a practical tool for accelerating both individual and community transformation.

A big shout out to our mentors!

The d/acc Residency brought together an exceptional group of mentors whose expertise spanned the full spectrum of decentralized acceleration - from AI and public goods funding to governance design, data science, and civilizational foresight.

David Dao - Co-Founder & Chief Scientist, GainForest.Earth

David's mentorship proved transformative for multiple residents. As Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of GainForest.Earth, a global tech non-profit pioneering decentralized nature finance and research, David brought deep expertise in AI systems, open source, public goods funding, and data valuation. His work has earned recognition including the XPRIZE Rainforest, WEF Davos 50, and Ethereum Next Billion. David completed his Ph.D. in AI Systems at ETH Zurich, where he co-initiated the field of data valuation for machine learning. His 1:1 guidance was specifically cited by residents as helping solve critical architectural challenges and accelerate execution dramatically.

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Warren Winter - Head of Data, Drips Network

Warren leads data science initiatives at Drips Network, a decentralized toolkit for public goods funding. His background spans cognitive neuroscience, data engineering (including 13 years at SoundCloud), and VC technical advisory in decentralized AI, DeSci, and neurotech. He contributed to residents' understanding of data engineering best practices, AI optimization, and business model validation - bringing both technical depth and investor perspective to mentorship conversations.

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Jake Hartnell - Co-Founder, Layer · EN0VA · DAO DAO

Jake brought extensive experience building decentralized governance infrastructure. As Co-Founder of Layer, EN0VA, and DAO DAO, and previously founder of Juno Network and Stargaze, Jake's expertise in DAOs, governance, and verifiable offchain computation helped residents navigate complex coordination challenges. His work exploring Intelligent Protocols and self-organizing systems resonated with the d/acc ethos of the residency.

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Holke Brammer - Founder & Director, Hypercerts Foundation

Holke's political economy background and work on incentive systems provided a crucial perspective for residents building public goods infrastructure. As Founder and Director of the Hypercerts Foundation, he advances open-source protocols that enable funding and rewarding positive impact. His Ph.D. in Political Economics from Stanford Graduate School of Business, combined with experience at Protocol Labs and Boston Consulting Group, gave residents sophisticated frameworks for mechanism design and collective action.

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Benjamin Woosley - Founder & General Partner, Civilization Fund

Benjamin brought a long-term, systems-level perspective that challenged residents to think beyond immediate product-market fit toward civilizational impact. Following a 20-year career in web entrepreneurship and open-source development, Benjamin founded Civilization Fund to support technologies that meaningfully improve civilizational outcomes. His mentorship helped residents connect their projects to broader technological and societal trajectories.

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Beatrice Erkers - Program Director, Existential Hope, Foresight Institute

Beatrice leads the Existential Hope program at Foresight Institute, building initiatives that explore how humanity can steer transformative technologies toward positive futures. She co-develops projects including AI Pathways (Tool AI / d/acc), the Worldbuilding Hopeful AI Futures course, and the Existential Hope Podcast. Her expertise in worldbuilding, futures thinking, and communicating complex ideas helped residents articulate their visions and connect them to the broader d/acc movement.

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Niamh Peren - Chief of Innovation & Strategy, Foresight Institute

Niamh serves as Chief of Innovation & Strategy at The Foresight Institute, where she leads the Prizes program (including the Feynman Prizes and the $1M Lo-fi Mouse Emulation Prize), co-directs the Secure AI Grants, and advises the Fellowship program. She is also a Senior Fellow at the UN's AI for Developing Countries initiative. Her guidance on grants, fellowships, and strategic connections helped residents navigate funding landscapes and identify high-leverage opportunities.

Beyond mentorship, Niamh's direct interventions created tangible outcomes: she connected Mat's work to Eric Drexler, who expressed interest in the project, and has since joined NYXC's board, bringing her strategic expertise to the organization.

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Chance McAllister - Product Designer / Network State Anthropologist

Chance brought hands-on product design expertise and deep knowledge of network states and popup villages. As founder of Chingu (an edtech platform) and having worked with SafetyWing/Plumia on community and mobility policy, Chance helped residents with customer discovery, user interviews, and building network products from 0→1. His perspective as a "network state anthropologist" added valuable context about the emerging ecosystem residents were building within.

What We Learned

1. Network Access Creates Step-Change Opportunities

The most striking pattern across resident outcomes was how the right introduction at the right time unlocked opportunities that would have taken months or been impossible to access independently. From Kofi's Latin American partnerships to Brittany's board member to Arnold's investor soft-commits, the concentrated network effect of the residency collapsed timelines dramatically.

An additional factor is the credibility and context that came with being part of the d/acc Residency at Edge City. That association opened doors and created trust that made high-stakes conversations possible from day one.

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2. Real-World Testing Accelerates Product Evolution

Multiple residents discovered critical issues or validated key assumptions through on-the-ground testing with the Edge City community. Charlie's Web3Auth bottleneck, Oliver's marketplace validation, Doris's narrative refinement - all benefited from immediate access to real users who provided honest, substantive feedback.

This rapid validation cycle is nearly impossible to replicate remotely. The ability to observe real usage, iterate quickly, and test again the same day compressed learning loops that would otherwise take weeks.

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3. Technical Depth + Peer Collaboration = Breakthrough

The combination of technical expertise and collaborative culture proved especially powerful. Matt's prototype benefited from deep technical discussions with peers. Abraham solved a critical architecture challenge through mentor guidance. Josh C.'s market-making breakthrough came from an environment where theoretical innovation was both understood and celebrated.

The residency attracted builders who could both execute and think from first principles. This created a peer group where technical conversations went deep, assumptions were challenged constructively, and breakthrough thinking was normalized. As one resident put it, being around people working on similarly ambitious work normalized what might otherwise feel unrealistic.

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4. Clarity Compounds Over Time

Nearly every resident described gaining clarity - on their narrative (Doris), on their product roadmap (Ayan, Abraham), on their business model (Josh W.), or on their technical direction (Charlie). This clarity came from sustained focus combined with continuous feedback from peers and mentors.

The co-living environment meant that casual conversations over coffee or late night co-working sessions often led to pivotal insights. The lack of context-switching between "work" and "life" allowed problems to marinate and solutions to emerge organically through continuous engagement. Residents consistently rated their satisfaction scores between 7-10, with many giving perfect 10s when asked about their overall experience and progress.

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5. The Right Environment Unlocks Breakthroughs

Perhaps most importantly, residents consistently reported feeling empowered to think bigger and take bolder bets. Whether it was Doris committing to her full vision, Arnold validating experimental ideas like EGPL, or Josh C. achieving a theoretical breakthrough, the environment gave permission to pursue ambitious paths.

Being surrounded by others doing similarly ambitious work normalized frontier thinking. As multiple residents noted, the culture of the residency - focused on acceleration, built on decentralized principles, and celebrating cutting-edge work - gave them confidence that their most ambitious visions were not just valid but essential. One resident described it as having "hope in humanity again," while another emphasized that the residency made them realize they "should keep going and not give up."

"Being part of Edge City and the d/acc residency, supported by Protocol Labs, has been truly transformative. The people, insights, and connections I gained were invaluable - from deep technical guidance to serendipitous encounters that directly shaped our project." - Abraham Nash

Why It Matters

The d/acc Residency demonstrated that the right environment can dramatically accelerate early-stage projects while building the relationships and community that sustain long-term success. Thirteen residents made progress that would have taken months independently  - shipping products, forming partnerships, securing investment, and achieving technical breakthroughs.

More than the individual wins, the residency seeded a community. The relationships formed will continue generating value long after the program ends, as residents collaborate, make introductions, and support each other's growth.

This is proof that d/acc is moving from philosophy to practice; a practical framework for building. Decentralized approaches combined with acceleration mindsets create conditions where ambitious builders can move faster, think bigger, and achieve more than traditional paths allow.

A Big Thank You!

A huge thank you to Juan, Molly and the Protocol Labs team, as well as Vitalik Buterin, for making this possible. And thank you to our co-founder Janine, who drove the vision of bringing this residency to life and personally selected every incredible founder to be part of it.

Huge gratitude to our incredible mentors: David Dao, Warren Winter, Jake Hartnell, Holke Brammer, Benjamin Woosley, Beatrice Erkers, Niamh Peren, and Chance Taken. Your expertise, time, and genuine investment in each resident's success created the foundation for everything that was achieved.

To the residents who brought curiosity, ambition, and drive - your work is just beginning, and we're excited to watch what you build next.

This is just the start of the d/acc Residency. We're building infrastructure for a new generation of founders who believe in accelerating progress through decentralized approaches.

With love,

Sasha and the Edge City team ☀️