In recent RetroPGF funding rounds, one issue keeps coming up: well-marketed projects often overshadow the ones making the biggest impact. While visibility helps raise awareness, public goods funding shouldn’t reward flashy campaigns over essential contributions that keep ecosystems running.
So how do we fix this? How can funding focus on true value instead of promotional hype?
That’s where Deep Funding comes in. Backed by Vitalik Buterin and key Web3 partners like VoiceDeck, Gitcoin’s Allo Protocol, Open Source Observer, Drips, Pairwise, and Eval Science, this new initiative uses advanced AI to measure real impact—not marketing buzz.
By prioritizing data-driven decisions over subjective judgments, Deep Funding aims to ensure that the projects driving the Ethereum ecosystem forward get the resources they deserve.
This could revolutionize public goods funding, not just for Ethereum but for Web3 as a whole.
Let’s explore how it works and why it matters.
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Marketing Bias in Public Goods Funding
The Visibility Trap
In web3 public goods funding systems, well-promoted projects often overshadow essential ones. This creates a trap where critical infrastructure—like cryptographic libraries or dependency management tools—is ignored. These projects, which form the backbone of Ethereum’s ecosystem, struggle to get the funding they deserve.
The Resource Drain for Builders
Builders often face a tough choice: focus on their work or spend time on marketing. Instead of creating value, they’re forced to run costly campaigns to secure resources. This divide wastes time and energy, often rewarding projects with better marketing rather than greater impact.
The Problem: Marketing Over Merit
Current public goods funding systems rely heavily on human decision-making, which is susceptible to biases, time constraints, and knowledge gaps. Evaluators often lack the capacity to fully analyze a project's impact across interconnected ecosystems. As a result, they lean on surface-level indicators like popularity or branding. This approach often rewards projects with strong promotional efforts over those providing essential yet less noticeable contributions, leading to inefficient use of resources.
Enter Deep Funding: AI as the Equalizer
Deep Funding leverages two core technologies—Deep Graph and Deep Learning—to reimagine how impact is measured:
1. Deep Graph: Mapping Interconnected Contributions
Instead of evaluating projects in isolation, Deep Graph analyzes their relationships within the ecosystem. By mapping Ethereum’s 40,000+ open-source dependencies, it uncovers how foundational infrastructure and collaborative synergies drive value. This "networked impact" approach ensures that even low-visibility projects receive the recognition they deserve for their vital roles.
2. Deep Learning: Precision and Scalability
Deep Learning uses advanced AI models to assess the graph's data and allocate funding effectively. The AI engine works alongside a jury of human experts who validate its outputs through spot-checking. This hybrid approach ensures fairness while eliminating the inefficiencies of manual evaluation.
The Deep Funding Process
Mapping Dependencies
Deep Funding begins by creating a detailed graph of Ethereum’s open-source dependencies. Nodes represent individual projects, while edges show their connections.
Weighting Contributions
AI allocators assign weights to each dependency, determining their relative importance. Questions like "How critical is dependency A compared to dependency B?" guide this process.
Human Validation
A jury of experts reviews random sections of the graph to validate the AI's assessments, ensuring alignment with human judgment.
Fund Distribution
The AI model that aligns most closely with human validation determines the final funding allocations, distributing $250,000 to impactful projects.
Benefits of AI-Driven Funding
Eliminating Bias
AI removes subjective preferences, ensuring that funding decisions are based purely on measurable impact rather than marketing or personal relationships.
Highlighting Foundational Work
Projects like cryptographic protocols or developer tools, often overlooked by traditional methods, gain recognition for their essential contributions.
Efficiency and Scale
By automating data analysis, AI handles large-scale evaluations quickly and accurately, freeing up human evaluators to focus on strategic oversight.
How Deep Funding Partners Drive Change
The success of Deep Funding relies on collaboration among leading Web3 organizations:
Gitcoin - ops and data science
Pairwise - app for the comparisons between dependencies
Open Source Observer - the unweighted graph, preparing data in the competition, providing the github dependency data to pairwise
Drips - sending out the funding to repos once weights are decided
Voicedeck - program manager, communication, etc
Eval science - hosting a weekly seminar series for the community
Pond - competition platform for the contest
Vitalik Buterin – Leading the mission
Join the movement
Deep Funding demonstrates the transformative potential of AI in creating a fairer, more efficient funding ecosystem. By eliminating the need for marketing and focusing on measurable impact, it paves the way for a more inclusive Web3 future.
Be part of this revolution - explore deepfunding.org and see how you can contribute to reshaping public goods funding for the better.
