Created by

TLDR

SI<3> is an organization focused on driving accessibility, collaboration and diversity in Web3. With Public Noun’s support, we are wanting to create a diversity tracker with the aim of collecting data in Web3 funding (and beyond). We will be introducing this tracker as a free public good for the Web3 industry, where we will begin with the grants space to understand what % of funding is going to diverse and underrepresented groups. Data collection is a key stepping off point for improving the % of funding going towards diverse demographics.

A Web3 Grants study in 2023 analyzed 13 grant programs with a cumulative of $1 billion in grant funding. Due to the large market size of Web3 grants and potential for impact on early stage organizations, we believe it is critical that underrepresented groups have equitable opportunities for financial inclusion. During the period of 2022-2023, 6.5% of VC funding in Web3 went to women-led organizations. We believe we can’t create a successful new economy by reproducing the same demographics holding and allocating wealth, power, and decision-making as in our present-day default economy.

With Public Nouns support, we will be able to produce our DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion) tracker and legal framework to introduce to grant program operators. Our aim is to create this framework and tool as an industry standard for grant programs.

As with any initiative wanting to move the needle in an industry, it is very important that there is data available for analysis. Gender (or any diversity data including disabilities) doesn’t exist yet in Web3 grants, as industry standards have not been implemented to-date. With Public Nouns financial support, we will have the opportunity to deliver this tracker and framework that can be implemented industry-wide, mitigating the costs and potential barriers of each organization researching this process and framework individually.

< A PUBLIC GOOD >

SI<3>’s Diversity Tracker is a public good as it is:

• Free, non-rivalrous, and open for public use.
• Data collected from the tracker will be made public for all to review.
• This data is accessible to anyone.
• This is a replicable framework that anyone can use to gather more data points from other organizations and build on top of the original research.

How the Diversity Tracker Works:

1. SI<3> creates the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion survey form (currently in development). This is implemented as a page on SI<3>'s website, which also includes an introductory video on DEAI. This video will be recorded with SI<3>'s Founder Kara Howard and our Web3 Legal advisor Maria Castillo (both residing in Mexico City).

2. SI<3> introduces this tracking page to it’s beta cohort of FIXX Program program participants (detailed below). This is an optional and anonymous form. SI<3> will be managing the data collection as a third party to be shared directly with grant program operators on the diversity and impact performance and analysis of their individual programs.

3. Grant program operators insert this link into their grant applications, which could be included in Typeforms, Charmverse pages, GitHubs, etc. SI<3> will include pre-written legal terms to be shared with the grant program operators, so their legal teams can easily review and utilize as they see fit, vs having to research this themselves. SI<3> will also include legal terms on their own site.

Public Noun holder and Charmverse Co-Founder Alex Yoon has shared he will be sharing our Diversity Tracker with their grant program partners to add within their grant applications

4. Data will be reviewed after each grant round with participating partners and shared with the participating operators. Broader analysis will be done bi-annually and shared in a report, highlighting organizations that have strong representation and inclusion impact metrics.

Diversity Tracker Rollout Plan:

January & February 2025: Our diversity tracker is implemented and V1 of the legal framework is developed and integrated into the tracking page. This is introduced in alpha to FIXX participants for feedback, and data is collected and iterated based on this feedback.

March 2025: V2 of the form and framework is created after initial alpha feedback, along with a legal term template for the interested partners. Impact metrics and tracking are initiated and developed into the back-end for data collection and analysis. Explainer video is recorded with Maria and Kara and included in the tracker web page.

April 2025: Beta release of the Diversity Tracker to our FIXX participants and public announcement at our April 24th Si Her Summit. Public Nouns will be a presenting partner with a fireside chat speaking opportunity.

Value Exchange:

As a part of this proposal, we would like to offer Public Nouns:

• 2 spots for Public Nouns holders active in the grants space the opportunity to attend our FIXX working group.
• Logo placement on the Diversity Tracker web page
• Presenting partner speaking opportunity for woman or non-binary Public Noun holder at our 2nd annual Si Her Summit on April 24th. This Presenting Partner sponsorship tier includes our advertising campaign with Ethermail and guaranteed 10k email opens, inlusion in our pre-event marketing with our 30 women in Web3 community partners, CTA inclusion in our post-event email to all registrants, edited speaker content and press release inclusion.

About SI<3>

SI<3> is an organization focused on driving diversity, accessibility and collaboration in Web3. Our approaches in achieving these goals include unifying an ecosystem of 30+ women in Web3 communities, and collaborating with aligned organizations for partnerships and education.

Our focus in Web3 grants and financial inclusion:

• Granting Access virtual event with grant program operators
• Granting Access press link
• FIXX (Financial Inclusion XX Chromosomes) Working Group

FIXX is a working group and DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion) education and collaboration program for Web3 organizations managing grant programs. In our experience as grantees, we became aware of the very low % of grant funding going to women and non-binary individuals. In response, we have initiated FIXX with experts and facilitators in DEAI topics ranging from advocacy and allyship, unconscious bias, diversity and visibility, and impact tracking and measurement. Our aim is to empower blockchains, protocols, foundations and grant distribution systems with the resources and strategies to elevate their focus on attracting and funding more diversity-led projects.

Our website

Our X

Our Community Partners:

About the Proposers Kara Howard, Co-Founder of SI<3>

Kara Howard has been in Equity Research since her first job out of college. From Wall St to Silicon Valley to LATAM, her career has participated in the worlds of finance, emerging technologies and markets, PR & growth marketing, and inclusion-focused community building. She has been an advocate for decentralization since the Fall of 2008 when she started the MBA program at NYU. The market crashed in the first month of the program, with Occupy Wall St protests outside campus doors. As times of crisis create opportunity, the sharing economy began and Kara shifted from Finance into Entrepreneurship and Marketing and chose pathways toward collaboration, growth and community. In 2015, she discovered her purpose in community building for womxn in tech. Over the last ten years, Kara been passionately creating thought leadership platforms and community for womxn in tech and has placed over 400 womxn in speaking opportunities. Kara is presently activating SI<3> (See-3), an ecosystem architecting a more diverse and accessible web. To learn more about Kara, view her siher.eth.link page here.

Maria Castillo, Tech & Blockchain Lawyer, SI<3> Legal Advisor, and Founder of Peace Keepers.

María Castillo is a distinguished Tech Lawyer from Mexico with ten years of experience. She has served as legal counsel for numerous blockchain and cybersecurity projects throughout her career, showcasing her expertise in this innovative field. María was also the founder of a successful law firm and currently leads as the founder and CEO of Peace Keepers, a pioneering dispute resolution system for blockchain. Driven by her passion for technology, María has expanded her knowledge by studying blockchain, cybersecurity, OSINT, and pursuing a degree in Systems Engineering. As a Latina and disabled person, she is a strong advocate for inclusion. She works tirelessly to ensure that diverse voices are heard and valued in the tech and legal industries.

Lianna Adams (Social Impact Leader)

Lianna is a transformative leader at the crossroads of art, culture, technology, and social impact, driving humanity-first change within Web3. As a podcast host for Wirex and a frequent speaker at high-profile events like the World Economic Forum, COP28, and TEDx, she shares valuable insights on Web3, mental health, and social impact. She advises ARTXV, a neurodivergent Web3 collective, and has a history of empowering communities through her roles at The Dream Conduit and Impactful Artistry. Named among the Top 10 Rising Women in Crypto (2023) and OC100’s leader in Social Impact & Ethics, Lianna is a recognised advocate for inclusivity, mental health, and innovative solutions in the Web3 space.

Feedback Loop We will keep Public Nouns in the loop of all of our key activities and updates via your Discord. This includes our first alpha testers, their results, when we introduce this tested framework to our FIXX participants in beta, their outcomes, and when the framework is released fully publicly.

Our Ask We are requesting 5.5 ETH.

To 0x8687ab2ff3188f961828fc2131b6150ee97bedce

---

SI<3>'s DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion) Statement:

SI<3> means saying “Yes” in Spanish to Web3, and also means visibly “seeing” Web3. In our organization, we believe that the Web in Web3 represents an interconnected ecosystem of life on this planet. In any ecosystem we see in our natural living systems, diversity is important as it:

• Offers Resilience: A diverse ecosystem is better equipped to withstand environmental changes and disturbances.
• Stability: A balanced ecosystem with diverse species interactions is more stable.
• Adaptation: Diversity allows organisms to adapt to changing conditions through natural selection

We believe we can look to how nature creates life as a model for intelligent development of our human and technology systems. As it stands today we are seeing a major lack of diversity of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic backgrounds and geolocation represented within Web3, particularly in decision making and funding.

Our aim is to create systems and programming to help open up this access gap as quickly as possible, and we believe now is the time to do so. We also know, from many research studies, that diversity increases financial performance. Data points include:

Female entrepreneurs are more likely to create new jobs, help local economies, and reinvest their earnings into the health and education of their families. (‘Why Women-Owned Startups Are Better.’ BCG, 2018)

Startups founded and co-founded by women appear to be better investments. On average, women generate 78 cents of revenue per dollar invested, compared with 31 cents for men (BCG, 2018)

Companies with women leaders see a 21% increase in profitability (‘Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters.’ McKinsey, 2020).

DEI programs have received backlash and negative press in recent years with those that feel these programs may be enacting reverse racism, polarization, and limit opportunities for represented groups. We support inclusive DEAI practices, which establishes that awareness and unconscious bias training is needed for most individuals that are not in underrepresented groups, as they are not experiencing racism, sexism, and barriers from hundreds to thousands of years of discrimination, domination and exclusion. These wounds exist deep in the fabric, or web, of our existing society. While represented groups may not be experiencing these wounds and barriers, it is important to understand and empathize with those that are. Perhaps this period of what can feel like polarization and reverse racism and sexism is an opportunity to develop greater empathy for what people of color and women and non-binary people have experienced for hundreds of years.

We do not support victim consciousness, blaming, or shaming, in our inclusion practices, and embody a pro-active approach. We take accountability within ourselves as underrepresented professionals to take action steps towards stepping out of our comfort zones, shedding limiting beliefs, speaking our voices, and claiming our spaces and value. We believe that when underrepresented groups are included, the pie becomes greater, not smaller, and opportunities for all increase and expand. We see DEAI and public goods as an aligned mindset, and look forward to Web3 paving the way for a proactive, humanitarian and inclusive way of being.