LinksDAO Is Changing The Game of Not Just Golf
NFT + DAO = The Foundation to Buy a Top US Golf Course
The world of golf might never be the same again after the very successful launch of LinksDAO’s first NFT membership sale. Over $10M raised through memberships on chain in just a few hours on the basis of a group of people coming together to buy one of the top golf courses in the US.
The project in itself is highly interesting, and we will take a look at some of the parts that makes LinksDAO a fascinating case study in the making from a standpoint of the power of NFTs and DAOs, but what might be more thrilling is that this cutting edge web3 project might be a big help the whole industry to go mainstream.
CNBC, Golf.com, Hypebeast and a number of other mainstream media outlets jumped on the opportunity to report on the news. Even though CNBC chose to sprinkle some FUD with the headline “This DAO says it raised $10.4 million in 48 hours selling NFTs. Next, it’s planning to buy a golf course”. It’s kind of funny that they add the word “says” when you can literally go look it up on the Ethereum blockchain and track every single transaction. There is still some ways to go before the mainstream publications get to even a basic level of understanding of web3.
LinksDAO will undoubtedly move the needle here though. Golf is a massive movement, around 24.3 million Americans play golf regularly. And what’s more important in this context is that golf is a lifestyle. The social hierarchies between memberships, courses, equipment, brands, players, tournaments etc, is an intricate anthill that has developed for hundreds of years. If you’re into golf - you’re usually deep into golf. The fact that mainstream outlets homed in on LinksDao’s first raise is telling. This will become a storyline in golf press and mainstream press that will develop with every move this DAO makes. When the day comes for the actual acquisition of a golf course I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s WSJ first page news.
In addition to the built in properties of the golf lifestyle movement, it’s clear that LinksDAO already has some great and deep connections within the community of elite golf players. As they are setting up the infrastructure there are already hints that some big golf names might show up in digital community meetups to start, and much more moving forward. The step towards having someone like Phil Mickelson or Tiger becoming a member and/or ambassador seems not unlikely to happen. The developments of LinksDAO might very well be one of the main drivers for the mainstream population (and thereby the constantly snoozing mainstream media) to wake up to the extreme powers of web3 and the revolution that is already underway.
The team behind LinksDao are pioneers of web3 media, having founded The Block, and recently launched FloorNFTs and prior to that come from the world of Fintech, founding and building The Button and led the mobile initiative at Venmo. Having an experienced team is critical when undertaking something as big as this, and we have full faith in these guys.
Follow their progress by joining their Discord and/or follow them on Twitter.
LinksDAO Utilizes The Power of Launchpad 2.0
Just before the holidays, Studio TBD released our first white paper in preparation for our own Membership token sale. A holistic scientific white paper that describes how NFTs and DAOs will disrupt the consumer brand startup process forever. Elevator pitch: Through web3 technology and culture, any startup can raise cash, find its community, explore market fit and create an army of ambassadors in one go through a NFT membership sale.
A token launch from LinksDAO is coming in 2022 and there are already other plans for fundraising being discussed. LinksDAO is a perfect case study on how Launchpad 2.0 can be utilized and we’re very excited to follow the journey.
LinksDAO is an interesting experiment in other ways too. First off they decided to invite the community to shape the plan from a very early stage. A Google Doc was introduced to the community at the start, where the community could write suggestions directly into the draft of what then became the LinksDAO offering/white paper.
The community also was able to vote on what kind of memberships the DAO would offer up for sale, and how many. Moving forward the team is encouraging the community to be involved in every step of the way of this crazy journey, especially when it comes to what golf courses to bid on. LinksDAO is not just a venture utilizing Launchpad 2.0 - it’s like they added a reality show component to it as well, where everyone can follow what’s going on in real time, and even affect the outcome. The future just called to say it wants its soul back.
Studio TBD DAO is excited to be a minting member of the LinksDAO. We’ll follow this story as it moves forward and will look to invest more in this fascinating project over time.