Slaying Web3 Product Demons & Building a Strong Community

In the world of Web3, new and innovative projects are constantly emerging, each with its own unique approach and vision. One such project that has been making waves in this space is Raid Guild, "a decentralized collective of mercenaries dedicated to slaying Web3 product demons." What does that mean you ask? Well, I had the pleasure of chatting with "benedictvs", who shared his insights into what Raid Guild represents and how it operates. It is important to note that Ben speaks as a member of Raid Guild, not for Raid Guild.

This wasn't my first interaction with Ben; we previously co-authored a blog post and discussed Raid Guild on a CharmVerse Twitter Space. Engaging with Ben is always enlightening, and I'm thrilled to introduce this collective and its mission to a wider audience.

Nurturing Innovation within Web3

When we refer to Raid Guild as a collective, what we really mean is that it operates as a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). For those unfamiliar with DAOs, please check out our What is a DAO blog post. While Raid Guild initially started as a Dev agency for hire, it has evolved into a social club as well. Ultimately, Raid Guild's goal is to "slay moloch", facilitating global communication and coordination in the Web3 landscape with a seamlessly functioning infrastructure. To do this, Raid Guild members unite to discuss prevailing Web3 issues and collaborate on solutions for clients. You might wonder why Raid Guild chose the DAO structure over the conventional agency model. For this community of Web3 enthusiasts, the choice was clear. The DAO structure allows members to collaborate, pool resources, and collectively establish goals and rates, free from the hierarchical constraints of traditional organizations, all of which enhance the efficiency of their work. Raid Guild's goal goes beyond just completing projects. It aims to build a sustainable and supportive community within the Web3 ecosystem. The guild provides a sense of belonging and support for individuals exploring Web3, offering a stable and friendly environment amidst the sometimes chaotic world of crypto.

Joining Raid Guild: A Commitment Journey

Engagement is a central objective for all DAOs, but Raid Guild relies on this engagement to complete projects and meet its goals. An extensive onboarding process has been designed to ensure that members grasp how the community functions and what is expected from each of them. While Raid Guild is a social club, it is also dedicated to finding infrastructure solutions for clients and itself.

Joining Raid Guild is not as simple as buying a membership token. Membership in the DAO entails the privilege of participating in its governance, requiring prospective members to not only commit to the community but also thoroughly understand its dynamics. Raid Guild employs a cohort onboarding process, initiated by expressing interest in joining the DAO through the website. Once accepted into a cohort, members participate in educational sessions and a hackathon-type event where they choose a project affiliated with the DAO. This allows prospective members to interact with Raid Guild members, hone their skills, and assess their alignment with the community. After the cohort phase, they progress to an apprenticeship, a 60-day period during which they must either engage with an external client in a "Raid" or work on the DAO infrastructure in a "Raid Guild Improvement Protocol" (RIP). Completing one of these within the stipulated timeframe demonstrates dedication to the community, the ability to deliver, and adherence to Raid Guild's values. Subsequently, prospective members, or Apprentices, can submit a proposal for official DAO membership. The members then vote on this proposal, and upon approval, the individual pays a tribute that grants them shares of the Raid Guild DAO on DAOHaus and official DAO membership. This elaborate process ensures commitment and personal investment in the DAO.

The Power and Versatility of the Raid Guild Membership

Raid Guild introduced a proprietary utility token, the "RAID token," which plays a crucial role in ecosystem governance, such as signalling and member tipping. This token enables them to make decisions collectively and facilitate the onboarding of new participants by requiring a member to stake 50,000 RAID to vouch for an Apprentice. Meanwhile, Raid Guild's governance structure is based on membership shares. When you join Raid Guild, you deposit tribute (crypto assets), which grants you 100 membership shares. Voting power can be increased by earning voting shares through contributions to the Guild's work. Both crypto-features highlight that Raid Guild not only consults on Web3 technology, but makes extensive use of it too.

Rite of Moloch

DAOs often struggle with establishing trust and ensuring that members are committed to the community's goals. Raid Guild actively manages multiple ongoing projects, making accountability a crucial aspect of its operations. In response to this need, they developed Rite of Moloch, an accountability protocol. This decentralized application (dApp) is designed to motivate members to fulfill their commitments by requiring them to deposit a bond that they forfeit if they fail to deliver on their responsibilities. However, if the task is completed, the bond is returned to the member. This innovative approach not only fosters commitment to projects but also prevents the abandonment of tasks, even in the face of potentially more lucrative opportunities.

Elevating Collaboration with CharmVerse

While Raid Guild is known for constructing its own infrastructure, it sought to enhance collaboration by exploring DAO tooling, which is when they discovered CharmVerse, a tool that has proved to be beneficial for various purposes. CharmVerse is an all-in-one web3 community operations platform. Think, Web3 Notion. While Raid Guild is a dev shop that often builds for what it needs, CharmVerse has proved to be beneficial for various purposes.

Ben highlighted the Member Directory as a standout feature. This directory allows members to have a better grasp of with whom they are collaborating. With the ability to search and identify individuals by wallet addresses, names, roles, and more, connecting with fellow Web3 community members has never been easier. By allowing members to link their Discord, X (formerly Twitter), and Github profiles, it streamlines the process of establishing connections and fostering communication within the community.

Token-Gating within the Raid Guild space has proven to be pivotal in creating a permissionless collaborative environment. This functionality leverages NFTs and custom tokens as keys, enabling the selective gating of specific sections within a space based on token conditions. Raid Guild effectively utilizes the RAID token, owned by members, and Soulbound tokens (SBT), distributed to cohort members to control access to restricted content, ensuring the security of sensitive information and providing a controlled environment for potential members.

CharmVerse also serves as a valuable productivity tool for Raid Guild. They make use of the CharmEditor to capture and organize meeting notes, as well as assign tasks to members, thereby enhancing accountability within the organization.

Building for Web3

The Future of Raid Guild entails continuing to make vital contributions to the web3 ecosystem. With the launch of new cohorts, iterations of existing projects like the "Rite of Moloch," and some other recent and upcoming project releases. Some notable projects are:

1. DungeonMaster: This CRM tool is dedicated to collecting leads generated, allowing members to express their interest in participating in specific Raids.

2. Smart Invoice (Linked to DungeonMaster): Serving as an integrated escrow infrastructure, Smart Invoice is designed to seamlessly track financial flows. It ensures transparent attribution of funds and guarantees that Raid Guild receives its deserved fee. This interconnected system enhances efficiency and accountability within Raid Guild's operations.

3. Fux: Raid Guild introduces "Fux," a productivity and focus application. Fux empowers individuals to gain insights into their work efforts, allowing them to visualize where their focus is most concentrated and where work is being delegated. It's a valuable tool for enhancing personal and collaborative productivity.

Pushing through the Bear Market

As we persevere through the challenges of the bear market, Raid Guild continues to incentivize members to contribute by bringing in work. The organization distinguishes between internal (RIPs) and external (Raids) projects. With specific roles tasked with bringing in work for which they receive a percentage kickback, the team is consistently brainstorming strategies to attract new clients.

Connections, Talent, & Scalability

Certainly, you could opt for a freelancer to address your needs, but there's a fundamental distinction. When working with a freelancer, you engage with an individual. In contrast, collaborating with Raid Guild offers the flexibility of having a small team or even up to 100 experts working on a project, tailored to its specific requirements.

Raid Guild offers checks and balances, a wealth of expertise, and a track record of constructing extensive Web3 infrastructure. They offer Web3 experts who are not only scalable but also deeply invested in ecosystem growth. Raid Guild combines a rich network of connections, a pool of talent, and the ability to adapt to your project's unique needs, offering a comprehensive solution.

Pioneering Web3 Innovation

Raid Guild stands as a shining example of a Web3 community that combines innovation, adaptability, and collaboration to tackle the challenges of the digital landscape. As it continues to expand and evolve, Raid Guild is set to leave a lasting impact on the Web3 ecosystem, empowering individuals to explore, build, and thrive in this dynamic space.