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The ai16z Creator Fund

The ai16z Creator Fund is an initiative designed to support and empower developers, creators, and community members who are building the future of autonomous AI agents.

The Story Behind the Fund​

The ai16z Creator Fund was made possible by the generosity of Elijah, a significant holder of ai16z tokens. Elijah has pledged to donate a portion of his holdings, reducing his ownership from 16% to 5%, to establish a dedicated fund that will support promising developers and creators.

Here's when the community learned about who the top holder is:

The Donation

"So a ton of people have been asking (justifiably) who the heck I am, why do I have 16% of ai16z supply, and what I’m going to do with it.

It started by @shawmakesmagic tweeting about some agent he built called @degenspartanai, a recreation of a legend on twitter. I put a bunch of my SOL in there because I had been following Shaw and really thought he was building something great. Almost immediately all of that became close to worthless. Degen’s tweets seemed too “human-like” to be real anyway - so I figured I got scammed.

So I DM’ed shaw, not because I was angry, but I was genuinely curious why he might have scammed me. I ended up sending him a google meet, which turned into an hour long conversation about what he was actually building, and me realizing twitter is usually a misrepresentation of the people you think you know. Shaw is just inspiring. Someone who is completely dedicated to accelerating the world for the better, and not optimizing for optics or money - just building.

I put back the remaining SOL I had sold and kept supporting Shaw in anyway I could. He was really busy so I just stuck around in his discord. (We also did a twitter spaces if you're interested: https://x.com/shawmakesmagic/status/1848553697611301014). I was in awe, especially in a space filled with Larps and chatgpt copy/pasters.

When he launched ai16z I didn’t even flinch. I had 80 SOL in my wallet and just pressed buy. It resulted in me owning 17% of it, which I didn't even want. I immediately sent Shaw and another team member some coins because they didn’t even get a chance themselves to buy any! I also sent some of my friends some coins at a discount so they could hopefully benefit as well.

As for the remaining of my 16%, im lowering it to 5% and donating the remaining 11% to a new ai16z initiative. A locked fund that vests over time to support promising developers and creators, and helps solve liquidity issues via potential OTC deals that benefit the DAO and bring in new partners. This story isn't about me, its about the amazing things this community is building.

Accelerate.

The donated funds will be held in a dedicated wallet (9YnQdCWDAQRfQYm5HvRzoPgc5GRn8fyhsH2eru8nfsxG) and distributed via Streamflow token vesting contracts. This approach ensures that creators receive a steady stream of ai16z tokens over time as they hit milestones and deliver value to the ecosystem.

Benefits and Vision​

The ai16z Creator Fund aims to:

  • Bootstrap and reward an ecosystem of innovative creators building on ai16z
  • Give creators the runway to focus on their work without worrying about short-term token prices
  • Put Elijah's tokens to productive use in growing the ai16z community, rather than through a one-time event
  • Reduce the risk of token dumping by aligning creators' interests with the long-term success of the project
  • Bring more talent and energy into the ai16z ecosystem to drive innovation and adoption

By providing ongoing sponsorship and recognizing creators' efforts, the fund will help cultivate a thriving community of builders who will take ai16z to the next level.

Next Steps​

We are currently working on finalizing the details of the ai16z Creator Fund, including:

  • Determining the size of the creator fund and the length of vesting schedules
  • Establishing a transparent creator grant application and selection process
  • Integrating Streamflow to manage token vesting contracts for selected grantees
  • Preparing to announce the first cohort of funded creators and share their exciting projects with the community

Stay tuned for more information on how to apply for grants from the ai16z Creator Fund. In the meantime, creators and developers are encouraged to start brainstorming ideas and preparing their applications.

A Note on Liquidity​

In addition to the Creator Fund, we are also exploring OTC (over-the-counter) deals to onboard new partners and use the funds to lock in more liquidity for the ai16z ecosystem. This approach will help ensure a healthy and sustainable token economy as we continue to grow and evolve.