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DAO Experimentation Program – Cohort 2 (DEP 2 Docs) | 2026

Concept Note

Estimated reading: 6 minutes 907 views

Overview

The DAO Experimentation Program (DEP) is Kambria’s open innovation initiative exploring how decentralized communities can co-create real social impact using collective intelligence, transparent coordination, and co-ownership.

After Cohort I proved that diverse participants can collaborate effectively through DAOs, Cohort 2 expands the experiment toward regeneration and sustainability.

DEP 2 focuses on designing DAOs that not only deliver impact but also test models for self-regenerating funding - a key milestone toward Kambria’s long-term vision of becoming a sustainable, interconnected network of DAOs.

Purpose

Cohort 2 continues Kambria’s mission:

To explore how global citizens can co-create, govern, and execute community-impact projects through decentralized methods.

This cohort deepens the experiment by introducing the key question:

Can decentralized communities create social impact and design financially regenerative micro-models that sustain themselves beyond the seed fund?

General Design Principles

Each DAO in DEP 2 is designed around three balanced pillars:

1. Social Impact

Clear, measurable outcomes that uplift communities, preserve culture, or support learning and well-being.

2. Regeneration / Sustainability

Test simple funding models such as revenue, sponsorships, membership, crowdfunds, or small events to regenerate ≥ $3,000.

3. DAO Governance

Experiment with decentralized decision-making on:

  • Budget allocation 
  • Pricing and revenue strategies 
  • Partnership formation 
  • Value distribution and community participation 

Kambria provides seed funding and goals, while DAOs determine how to execute and sustain their projects.

Cohort 2 - Project Themes (4 DAOs)

Cohort 2 consists of three pre-defined DAOs and one DAO proposed by participants.

1. Cultural & Creative DAO

Impact Goal:

Create and share 400 cultural or creative expressions — stories, songs, artworks, performances, or workshops.

Regeneration Goal:

Regenerate ≥ $3,000 via:

  • Ticketed performances 
  • Digital content sales 
  • Craft merchandise 
  • Sponsorships from cultural or tourism organizations 

Approach:

Seed funding supports artists, storytellers, and local performers hosting both online and offline events.

2. Exchange DAO

Impact Goal:

Facilitate 500 meaningful real-time 1–1 online exchange sessions on the Capacity Exchange (CED) platform.

Regeneration Goal:

Regenerate ≥ $3,000 through:

  • Donation-based or low-cost 1–1 sessions
  • Membership or subscription experiments
  • Institutional partnerships (universities, NGOs, youth/learning communities)
  • Sponsored “exchange initiatives”
  • Cross-DAO thematic collaborations

Approach:

The Exchange DAO pilots CED-powered peer-to-peer capacity exchanges, where participants connect in real-time 1–1 online sessions to exchange skills, knowledge, life experiences, and personal insights across a wide range of domains (languages, communication, academic support, personal growth, career sharing, creativity, wellbeing, digital tools, and more).

The CED model uses dynamic roles:

  • Guide (service provider): shares expertise, support, or perspectives 
  • Explorer (service receiver): seeks help, learning, or inspiration 

Participants can switch roles freely, promoting a circular and equitable learning ecosystem.

In DEP 2, the DAO experiments with:

  • Designing and testing new 1–1 session formats 
  • Onboarding and supporting volunteer Guides & Explorers 
  • Establishing quality standards for meaningful interactions 
  • Creating learning templates, scripts, and reflection flows 
  • Documenting insights to inform the future CED product roadmap 
  • Testing regenerative pathways around 1–1 online exchanges 
  • Collaborating with other DAOs for thematic exchanges 

This design reflects the core value of CED: everyone has something to offer and everyone has something to learn, enabling a global peer-to-peer exchange ecosystem.

3. KAT Tokenomics DAO

Impact Goal:

Apply and pilot a multi-stakeholder KAT Reward & Privilege Framework, involving DAO members, partners, ambassadors, volunteers, customers, and KAT holders.

Additional Deliverables:

  • Integration pilots inside 3 Cohort 2 DAOs

  • MVP web dashboard visualizing KAT flows

Regeneration Goal:

Support DAOs in designing regenerating value loops through token-based participation models.

Approach:

Co-design DAO specific configurations, dashboard development, pilot integration, and ecosystem-wide evaluation.

4. Participant-Proposed DAO

Participants propose their own project ideas during the application phase and finalize them at the Kickoff Event through DAO-wide voting.

Each proposed DAO must include:

  • An Impact Goal (clear, measurable) 
  • A Regeneration Goal (≥ $3,000) 
  • A simple execution plan aligned with DEP 2’s decentralized process to demonstrate feasibility 

Mechanisms to Ensure the Regeneration Goal

DEP 2 introduces a structured support system to help DAOs experiment realistically with sustainability.

1. Make the Regeneration Goal Explicit

  • Both goals (Impact + Regeneration) are announced together at kickoff. 
  • Documented clearly in each DAO’s charter. 
  • Kambria seed funding is framed as risk capital for testing sustainability - not a grant. 

2. Transparent Progress Tracking

DAOs publish biweekly updates on:

  • Impact count 
  • Regeneration progress 
  • Partnership status 

Using simple dashboard templates ensures clarity and shared accountability.

3. Structured Team Roles for Regeneration

Encourage small working groups such as:

  • Sales & Distribution 
  • Sponsorship Outreach 
  • Event/Session Production 
  • Content & Marketing 

This helps participants explicitly contribute to sustainability efforts.

4. Recognition Tied to Regeneration Effort

Evaluation highlights not only impact results but also:

  • Attempts at regeneration strategies 
  • Experiments conducted 
  • Creativity and problem-solving in revenue/collaboration models 

Example badges:

  • Fundraising Pioneer 
  • Community Builder 
  • Sales Driver 

5. Lightweight Incentive Design

Because DEP remains experimental:

  • No complex tokenomics 
  • Focus on learning and authentic engagement 
  • Future opportunities prioritized for DAOs that attempt sustainability 
  • Regenerative thinkers may receive leadership roles in Cohort 3 

Use of Regenerated Funds

Purpose

Ensure all regenerated funds strengthen the DAO model and support future cycles.

Reinvestment Rules

  • Funds remain in each DAO’s treasury 
  • Used as seed capital for future cycles 
  • Directed toward scaling what works 

Recognition & Prioritization

  • DAOs that regenerate ≥100% of seed funding receive priority for: 
    • Continued participation 
    • Future co-funding 
    • Leadership opportunities 
  • DAOs that attempt regeneration but do not reach the target are still recognized 
  • DAOs that demonstrate no effort become lower priority for future cycles 

Kambria Sustainability (Long-Term Vision)

DEP 2 supports Kambria’s phased evolution toward a regenerative ecosystem:

Future Cohorts (3, 4+)

Organizer Model (Cohort 3):

DAOs may self-organize or engage Kambria as Organizer Partner (e.g., $500/month/DAO).

Co-Organizer & Shared-Revenue (Cohort 3 - 4):

Shift toward shared governance, shared revenue, and framework licensing.

Self-Organized Network (Cohort 4+):

Kambria becomes a Meta-DAO that:

  • Curates standards 
  • Sustains token flows 
  • Facilitates knowledge exchange 
  • Anchors ecosystem-wide collaboration 

DEP 2 introduces the building blocks - regeneration, sustainability logic, and tokenomics - that future cohorts will expand upon.

Cohort 2 in the Bigger Picture

Cohort 2 is a transition cohort:

  • Impact + regeneration combined 
  • Tokenomics experimentation introduced 
  • Partnerships built 
  • New frameworks piloted 
  • Pathway toward sustainable DAOs initiated 

It serves as the bridge between early experimentation (Cohort 1) and scalable, regenerative DAO ecosystems (Cohort 3+).