VitaDAO is a science DAO searching for the secret of longevity. If you don’t know how DAO can benefit scientists, I strongly recommend you to check out our last article!

I like to start getting to know a DAO by diving straight in their discord, provided they use discord as the base for community engagement. Of course, this approach is not a one-size-fit-all. For DeFi DAOs, it’s much more important to first understand the technicality behind the actual protocol. VitaDAO discord has a list of 20 roles that a new user can select from, indicating strong diversity in member backgrounds. As it should be, everyone is the ultimate beneficiary of science. There’s also an open channel for scientific project pitching, members of the VitaDAO are attentive to each and every pitch with a strong focus on commercial possibility. Continuing education is another strong focus. It is encouraged that members apply for fellowship grants to attend conferences and labs. The first round of fellowships was also co-sponsored by Vitalik Buterin. In Vitalik’s most recent article on DAO governance, he also mentioned VitaDAO as a “newer type of DAO organized around performing various tasks around a particular theme”. In my opinion, this type of DAO has the most potential to become mainstream in our society as they are not just a group chat with a group wallet but an organization with strong consensus.

VitaDAO is split into multiple independent working groups, a common practice in many DAOs. According to their website, VitaDAO has funded over 14+ longevity research projects and deployed $2.5M+. VitaDAO as an investor is looking for “moonshots” or “homeruns” — potential revolutionary contribution to science. On their website, you can clearly see the projects that have received funds along with all the background information. What’s really unique about VitaDAO is their use of IP-NFT. IP-NFT is a unique benefit that can only be achieved by a DAO. An IP-NFT is a tokenized intellectual property asset. Check out the first research organization in the USA to fund research via an IP-NFT here. It also provides a pretty good explanation on IP-NFT. VitaDAO first raised 5m via token sale from the public in 2021. Notable investors include Pfizer, which invested 500k in 2022.

Albeit ambitious, VitaDAO still has some limitations. For example, it is specifically stated that researchers should have access to appropriate facilities for the work they propose. Given that VitaDAO has limited funds, it is understandable that funds of great magnitude such as for buying an entire laboratory won’t be so easily granted, while corporate and national donors have a much higher tolerance for risk. As boldly stated in our previous article, Science DAO will reduce scientists’ reliance on universities and the intellectual property will belong to the DAO. Currently, given its size restraint, VitaDAO or science DAO in general still has to work with universities in a sponsored research agreement which states that the intellectual property belongs to the DAO. So, in that sense, VitaDAO is closer to a “corporate sponsor”. VitaDAO is committed to funding research with the highest commercial ability that can bring huge economic value because having to negotiate with universities is not ideal. VitaDAO needs to have profit-generating IP to be self-sustainable. It is a race with time. But, I am confident that more people will see the virtue of science DAO and want to become part of it.