At the start of each month, the Grants Lab team has an hour-long meeting that primarily focuses on strategy and progress against our goals. This month, we focused on our 2024 strategy as well as how we’re pacing against our Q2 goals. I’m linking the presentation here, as well as including an AI-assisted summary of the notes for anyone interested!
Link: Grants Lab Monthly_May24_Forum.pdf - Google Drive
Overview:
The meeting at Gitcoin discussed the significance of GMV and network effects for success, emphasizing GMV as a key metric for growth and value creation. It aligns with the mission to fund Web3 initiatives while tracking contract sizes, pipeline commitments, customer numbers, and activated rounds for progress assessment. Measuring network effects, like market expansion, is crucial to recognize the growing value from more participants.
There was a commitment to financial sustainability through increased GMV without losing focus on supporting public goods funding in Web3. The 2024 strategy aims to maintain a focus on Web3 and EVM initiatives to solidify Gitcoin’s position in the industry before diversification. The meeting outlined key points related to market strategy, product development, strategic goals, innovation pipeline progress, and investment in culture and technology.
Improving GTM and enhancing product quality were core discussions. Strategic goals included initiatives in Web3 and EVM, grants programs, and improving core products. The meeting emphasized rapid prototyping of ideas, collaborations with partners, and smart bet strategies to drive GMV growth.
Efforts to foster high-performance teamwork, encourage collaboration, and iterate structures were highlighted. The meeting showcased achieved strategic milestones and ongoing innovative pipeline advancements. Organizational development initiatives aim to enhance market presence and product excellence across multiple domains within the company, ensuring long-term success while staying true to Gitcoin’s core values.
Notes:
Grants Canvas
CoachJ introduced the Grants Canvas as a new piece of content that will be introduced at EthCC. The goal is to educate grants managers.
ethCC Logistics
Meg Lister and Jess discussed setting up forms for headcount and budget allocation. Mentioned creating a form to gauge interest in certain initiatives.
Financial Reviews
Meg Lister highlighted the importance of more financial reviews with the team. April financial report reviewed.
Goals and Metrics
Team discussed GMV goals and the significance of understanding business goals.
Encouraged engagement and understanding the importance of GMV in the overall strategy.
Q2 Progress Review
Meg Lister noted the creation of a doc and strategy for Q2 goals shared with the team. Emphasized market focus and the need for to be excellent at our core focus (Grants Stack GTM & product) to ensure short-term success & long term growth opportunities.
Sales Pipeline and Metrics
Daniel Schuman detailed pipeline restructuring for better tracking against GMV goals.
Introduced a weighted GMV metric as a “vibe check” and the use of simple CRM for detailed breakdowns.
Strategic Initiatives
Kevin Owocki discussed exploring ways to leverage Allo v2 for capital allocation.
Highlighted the importance of strategic context for proposals aligned with team goals.