Insights from Ecosystem Growth Summit: Web3 Growth Trends Unpacked

At the recent PGF Power Hour, Sejal Rekhan and Owocki examined the technical mechanics of public goods funding, with particular attention to protocol-level infrastructure. **Key Discussion Points:** - How protocol-embedded tools create sustainable funding mechanisms for open ecosystems - The role of civic experimentation in developing new funding models - Technical approaches to maintaining public goods without relying on traditional funding sources The conversation builds on ongoing discussions about how ecosystems that prioritize public goods funding gain competitive advantages, a theme previously explored in conversations with Vitalik Buterin on the Green Pill podcast.

Griff Green and Kevin Owocki closed the weekend discussing a philosophical shift in how we think about Ethereum's purpose. **Key Points:** - Code positioned as a "primitive for infrastructure of belonging" rather than purely technical tool - Discussion spanned pluralism to localism frameworks - Core message: Ethereum's architecture serves connection alongside innovation The conversation represents a maturation in blockchain discourse—moving beyond purely technical or financial narratives toward social coordination infrastructure. This heart-centered approach suggests Ethereum's long-term value proposition may lie as much in enabling community coordination as in enabling transactions.

The Learn Vibe Buildathon, organized by @UnforcedBreath, brought together teams to work on programmable allocation design systems. **Key outputs from the event:** - ZK voting architectures - Reputation systems - Retroactive funding mechanisms The buildathon focused on creating tools and frameworks that enable more transparent and efficient resource allocation in decentralized communities.

The d/acc Design Workshop, led by @omniharmonic and @mathildawrites, focused on creating resilient funding architecture to protect public goods from epistemic collapse. **Key Focus Areas:** - Defensive acceleration principles applied to funding structures - Protection mechanisms for regenerative research - Non-extractive capital allocation models This workshop builds on Gitcoin 3.0's evolved approach to funding critical infrastructure across 20 domains, spanning from physical defense to digital coordination systems.

Gitcoin served as founding sponsor for EthBoulder, a community-governed Ethereum gathering held February 13-15, 2026 in Boulder, Colorado. The event demonstrated what happens when Ethereum communities receive resources for self-organization: - Grassroots organizing led by community members - Collective problem-solving approaches - Infrastructure development that strengthens the broader ecosystem Gitcoin positioned this sponsorship as practical application of their mission to help communities coordinate around public goods. The gathering operated on principles of open collaboration rather than top-down organization. The experiment tested whether providing resources and support—while maintaining community governance—could create sustainable models for Ethereum ecosystem development.