If you know your way around Web3, you’re probably aware of the multitude of DAO’s - decentralized autonomous organizations - all with different aims and flavors. There are some focused on the more serious side of things i.e. protocols, grants, and investing while others are more creative and community-focused i.e. networking, collecting art and supporting the community. Enter PleasrDAO an art-collecting meets investing DAO, with a focus on community and supporting social causes through NFT purchases and other means. And yes, I know what you're thinking. That's a terrific name for a DAO. I couldn't agree more.
The impetus for the name and creation of PleasrDAO started with a singular purpose and maybe not surprisingly, a singular tweet by the founder of PoolTogether Leighton Cusack on March 25th 2021:
“Anyone want to create a quick DAO to bid on this???”
Seemingly on a whim, one of the most interesting and innovative DAO's was born.
The "this" that Leighton was referring to was a video created by digital artist, pplpleasr for the decentralized financial (DeFi) exchange platform Uniswap. By then, pplpleasr had gained notoriety for creating informational videos that capture the spirit of a DeFi project and its brand. Once the Uniswap NFT dropped, she explains that her life was never the same:
“What I never saw coming was my Internet friends forming a DAO . . . through which they and other fans could support my work. And then my life blew up (in a good way).”
It should be noted that the proceeds of this NFT purchase (estimated to be $525,000) went the #StandWithAsians movement, a cause chose by pplpleasr herself.
It was the first but certainly not the last NFT to be bought by this passionate community of artists, collectors and DeFi leaders and the start of a mission to positively impact (and please) their community.
Now PleasrDAO with its 75+ members has
“evolved and elevated its mission to collect digital art that represents and funds ideas, movements and causes.”
From purchasing Edward Snowden’s only known NFT “Stay Free” to purchasing a vial of blood and accompanying NFT from a founding member of PussyRiot (yes, you read that right), they’ve stayed true to that mission.
And what better way to honor their mission than to purchase an image that some claim to be “the mona lisa of the internet”? Even if you're a total Web3 noob, you've seen or heard of doge and doge coin (“to the moon!”). This famous shiba inu image is one of the most prolific memes of our time; my favorite band even used this iconic dog in the art for their last tour. #AMAZING
So where did Doge come from?? Humble beginnings. Kabosu, Doge’s name in the non-digital world, was a rescue dog. His lucky owner, like any good dog owner, posted pictures of her cute pup on her blog in 2010. The internet world clung to one picture in particular and arguably the most culturally important meme was born.
In 2013, Doge served as inspiration for the first memecoin ever created i.e. Dogecoin, which has since spurred 250+ memecoins (as of December 2021). In July 2021, Kabosu’s owner minted an NFT from the original picture and put it up for auction. For $4 million PleasrDAO became the proud owner of this relic, where it has since been transformed into fractional art, thereby allowing community ownership. Now, anyone can own a part of this relic by buying tokens aptly named $DOG here.
What’s next for this art collecting, community-building empire ? Well if purchasing the only copy of WuTang’s last album is any indication, their mission extends far beyond the digital art space. From launching a DAO to free Ross Ulbrict to supporting up-and-coming artists and causes while creating value for their members, you can be assured their future will continue to please. And hopefully that includes finding a way for all of us to listen to that Wutang album #wutangforevor
For more info, follow @PleasrDAO and @ownthedoge on Twitter.