GIP-XXX Should GnosisDAO fund the development of a social B2C platform?

[vaciati]

GIP: XXX
title: Should GnosisDAO fund the development of a social B2C platform?
author: Vaciati (vaciativ@gmail.com)
status: Phase-2
type: Funding
created: 2026-08-18

• In Favour
• Against

Introduction

Social platforms influence every single aspect of life. I see them as a space of extremes. On the positive side, it coordinates human cooperation for beneficial social and economic causes faster than any tool in history, but at the same time, they can be used to misinform people for negative ends. It connects people instantly in a digital world, yet simultaneously isolates them from the real world.

With the rise of AI and the wave of AI-generated content, I was surprised by how unprepared social platforms were and how fragile the existing social mechanisms are. The truth is that there is no feature, policy change, or moderation system that will prevent AI-generated content and misinformation.

But now, we can definitively say that authenticity is the scarcest and most valuable asset we have.

Most people understand that most of the time spent on social media is time wasted. Most people understand the problems, and there is an enormous demand for authenticity. Authenticity of users, authenticity of content, authenticity of connections, authenticity of experiences, and trust as the foundation of all of them.

The solution

A social platform with no upload button. To publish media content, users must interact with real-world, location-linked public installations, known as frames.

Visit the place > save the moment forever, onchain!

This way we get:

Authenticity. Content creation requires physical interaction with a frame. This structural constraint proves both the user and the media are real.

Scarcity. Publishing requires real-world presence, preventing automated spam. Content becomes rare, highly valuable, just like experiences.

Zero-cost user acquisition. The physical frames serve as landmarks in high-traffic hubs. They naturally draw crowds and onboard users for free.

A better connection between business or the real world and people.

The frame.

Frame has a simple yet unique design. This is because it needs to be easily recognisable and eye-catching.

The frame. 3D Model

The frame. Physical model. Scale 1:20

The frame. AI-Rendered model.

Interaction flow.

It is estimated that the initial phase will take 7 months to complete. In the initial phase, we will deploy a lite version of the network. The frames will be installed in airports due to minimal authorization requirements and high visitor traffic, specifically at the four busiest airports in Europe.

Country	Airport	Visitors (millions/2025)
France	Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport	72,02
Italy	Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport	51
Poland	Warsaw Chopin Airport	20,5
United Kingdom	London Heathrow Airport	84,48
		228

It is a given that this social mechanism will gain traction and have a significant positive impact on society. The goal is to see how great that traction and impact will be. To see how justified a potential expansion of the network would be and to identify the most effective strategy for doing so.

In addition to the growth we will see from the frames we have installed, we will implement a voting system where users will be able to vote and suggest new locations for installing frames. This will give us:

1. New users who have joined to vote on where to install the frames.

2. Predictable increase in users and activity with each new frame.

3. Proof and encouragement for businesses or local authorities from people, consumers or potential consumers to install a frame within their area of responsibility.

As the network grows, this will allow us to implement financial mechanisms that will enable us to further stimulate this growth, with the main sources being: frame sales, subscriptions for frame owners, and a % of the services sold by frame owners on the platform.

Funding

	Amount ($)	Installement 1	Installement 2 (3 months)
Legal	12000	12000
Hardware	40000	40000
Software	265000		265000
Frames
Technical plan	6000	6000
Structure and stainless steel works	640000	320000	320000
Finishing (&research)	290000	180000	110000
Personnel	80000	30000	50000
Logistics	9600		9600
Installation	1000		1000
HR & Ops	90000	35000	55000
Finances	40000	20000	20000
Personnel overhead	60000	20000	40000
	1533600	663000	870600

To implement this proposal, 1.53M in stablecoins is required. This is roughly the amount requested by Gnosis LTD for marketing, so as well as being a social initiative, you could interpret it as a marketing campaign for GnosisDAO.

And, I think it would be a good idea for Gnosis LTD, as a trusted entity within the Gnosis ecosystem, if they have the capacity to do so, to facilitate the legal aspects and financial management. I haven’t spoken to the Gnosis LTD team about this, so I’ll wait for a reply from them here.

If the proposal is approved and if Gnosis LTD agrees to take on the legal aspects and financial management, then the funds requested in this proposal will be transferred to Gnosis LTD’s safe.

If the proposal is approved but Gnosis LTD is unable to take on these responsibilities, I will provide an account.

If the proposal is approved, GnosisDAO will own the network and based on the results of the initial phase, will decide whether, who and how the subsequent phases will be developed.

To put it simply, there are major problems there, problems that affect billions of people, and we can solve them, blockchain enables us to do so.

[vaciati]

In this proposal I’ve eliminated all the points of friction, so I hope we can have a constructive discussion!

[vaciati]

Moved to Phase 2

I’d appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

[Anzus_GemWallet]

The biggest question for me is the first-time visitor journey.

If someone encounters a frame at an airport with no prior crypto experience, what happens in the first minute after they interact with it? Creating an account or wallet, understanding what they received, and knowing how to return later all need to feel very simple.

The physical frame may get attention, but the mobile onboarding flow will likely determine whether that attention turns into retained users. It would help to show that journey clearly in the proposal.

[Kenk]

Hey, thanks for sharing.

Headline thoughts are that this is a pretty interesting marketing campaign but also a relatively expensive one, the $1.5m for Gnosis Ltd is annual budget for two products. Beyond this a B2C Social platform has high barriers to entry with significant resource typically needed to breakthrough and it’s not clear what the end goal is here.

Specifically to your question, I do not think Gnosis Ltd Legal or Finance team would be able to augment this proposal. Gnosis Ltd has recently streamline operations to focus on core products and this would be reversing those efforts.

Also activating in Airports requires authorization for access and approval on material use, so unsure if as you state it is a lower friction space. Approval by the airport is also stringent with brands competing for the space.

If you’d like to run through verbally you’re welcome to join on the Septembers ecosystem session, pencilled for Sept 10th.

[vaciati]

@Anzus_GemWallet

If someone encounters a frame at an airport with no prior crypto experience, what happens in the first minute after they interact with it?

The goal is to make onboarding simple, very simple, and familiar, without the need for any prior crypto experience. Account abstraction and passkeys make this possible.

I didn’t say much about the app in the proposal because as I mentioned, the plan for this phase is to launch a lite version of the platform, which is more of a social initiative or a marketing campaign. For the initial phase, we will have the first frames, the frame software, onchain infra, the website (an explorer where anyone will be able to view all the photos and videos created using the frames). With only four frames launching the mobile app isn’t justified, even if there had been more frames, at the initial stage it would still have been right to focus on laying the foundation, measuring the impact and traction, and choosing the best strategies for potential expansion. So, in the initial phase the interaction flow with a frame will be: tap to start > select media type > create media and that’s it! + we’ll suggest that users visit the website, subscribe and vote/suggest where they’d like new frames to be installed. This will provide GnosisDAO with solid data to make decisions for the next phase (not about additional DAO funding, but about what (and whether) the next phase should be), a very strong incentive for businesses and other entities to install frames based on user suggestions, and data for potential external investors who will support the next phases.

@Anzus_GemWallet

knowing how to return later all need to feel very simple.

Everything will be very simple and familiar, and I’m sure people will come back and use the platform regularly, it’s not just about the unique experience of interacting with frames, real world, but also the value people get from this platform, which doesn’t exist and cannot exist on existing social media platforms. As a marketing tool, I’d expect word of mouth to come first and frames second.

@Anzus_GemWallet

understanding what they received

I assume you’re tlaking about crypto assets here. At the start of the mobile app’s launch, I don’t think it would be a good idea to include any financial investment tools as users might not understand them. Initially it would be more about the ability to deposit USD (purchase stablecoins) to buy services offered by frame owners and earn a percentage on the active balance. For frame owners i.e. businesses it would be okay to offer a wider range of financial tools right from the start (in line with current regulations)

@Anzus_GemWallet

It would help to show that journey clearly in the proposal.

I’ve got quite a few drafts for the app, so I’ve put a few together. This isn’t the final design, but it’ll give you an idea of what it is about and how it works

[vaciati]

@Kenk

this is a pretty interesting marketing campaign but also a relatively expensive one, the $1.5m for Gnosis Ltd is annual budget for two products

Yes, it is relatively expensive, but the cost is justified, not only because, as we can be sure, it will generate significant traction and impact, certainly greater than any ad campaign. And if we look at this as an annual budget, the cost of building the frames and the initial launch is high, the ongoing maintenance costs are very low and the traction is growing.

@Kenk

a B2C Social platform has high barriers to entry with significant resource typically needed to breakthrough

This social mechanism enables us to gain traction or overcome barriers with relatively limited resources. Even though, at the initial phase, the cost of frames, which accounts for almost 70% of the total budget, is high, for the next phase (of expansion), the cost of frames installed within the business premises will be much lower, using the same form factor but a different architecture.

@Kenk

and it’s not clear what the end goal is here.

Even if it is justified as a separate marketing campaign, the end goal is to build a social mechanism that solves all the problems that exist on social media and I’m not just talking about ai content, bots or spam, but also psychological issues such as doomscrolling, because this social mechanism encourages people to get out, travel and engage with the real world. We’re tackling huge problems and providing a solution for which there is huge demand. Not to mention the positive impact on society.

@Kenk

I do not think Gnosis Ltd Legal or Finance team would be able to augment this proposal. Gnosis Ltd has recently streamline operations to focus on core products and this would be reversing those efforts.

Got it. However, if the proposal is approved, I hope that Gnosis LTD will be able to validate the completed work before each instalment, as it won’t take much time or resources.

@Kenk

activating in Airports requires authorization for access and approval on material use, so unsure if as you state it is a lower friction space. Approval by the airport is also stringent with brands competing for the space.

The airport is one of the high-traffic venues where authorisation from a single entity is required, another venue with similarly high traffic would be public cultural spots, where at least three authorisations from different entities are required. This is more time-consuming and costly. About 1.5 years ago when I wanted to install just an art installation at Fiumicino Airport, they were quite open to the idea and generally supportive of social and cultural initiatives.

The last months I have been in contact with the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, and I am sure they would facilitate this initiative. However, I don’t see this as the most difficult part.

@Kenk

If you’d like to run through verbally you’re welcome to join on the Septembers ecosystem session, pencilled for Sept 10th.

Sounds interesting, I’ll join. Thanks.

[vaciati]

Given the lack of interest in this proposal, I will not be putting it to a vote (phase 3).

I have spent half a year looking for funding for this initiative, so I will now focus on what was originally planned, I will use my own funds to build only the art installation, without the social component.

Social media networks are an addictive vice, an imperfect system that we all use, even children from a very young age, and any legal restrictions will not help. However, this is not the problem with social media in general, but with the design and social mechanism on which they are based. This is because other social mechanisms have not been explored, mechanisms that by design would stimulate participation in the real world and a healthier social life.

I don’t know what it will be like in 10 or 20 years, but this excessive digital life of consumption changes the perception of happiness, sometimes and almost always with people being happy for the happiness of others, while any moments of happiness experienced by themselves in the real world are absent. Everything that is most beautiful in life passes them by.

And, now that almost everyone is focusing on building around whatever is trendy, be it AI or something else and the variables that lead to success are clear to everyone, that’s when something different, something extra is needed, as the initiative in this proposal, it stands in a unique position, not only involving a large number of people in the short term but also having a purely positive impact on society.

And I will work to build this social mechanism using my own funds, even if it takes me a long time, but if anyone beats me to it, I’ll be happy about that. Everything material is finite, and in the end it doesn’t matter, but sometimes we can do something good, something good for people, something good for everyone.

Thank you for your time.