Launching Sushi Studios
A Decentralized Brand Licensing & Incubator Framework
Overview
As part of my Head Chef candidacy proposal, I highlighted a framework to continue horizontal product development without encumbering the Sushi DAO Treasury called Sushi Labs, now relabeled to Sushi Studios. Why does Sushi need a framework like Sushi Studios? Historically, Sushi has issued grants from the DAO Treasury to facilitate the ongoing development of its ecosystem. Unfortunately, the current grant system limits Sushi’s market distribution & innovative spirit due to its limited capacity. Grants brought us Shoyu, Sushi’s marketplace; Kashi, the lending product; MISO, a decentralized launchpad; & several other incubated projects. Yet, these products came at the cost of the productivity & resources of the core product team maintaining the Sushi DEX. Sushi Studios aims to relieve these issues & empower the ecosystem with new & innovative products outside the Treasury’s scope.
Licensing
Sushi Studios will receive a royalty-free license in perpetuity for the use of the Sushi brand. Therefore, it should empower teams to create innovative products via its brand, & Sushi DAO will limit grants to initiatives that directly impact the DEX product stack.
Business Model
Through licensing the Sushi brand IP, Sushi Studios will give builders access to Sushi to provide complimentary products that bring value to the Sushi brand, ecosystem, & stakeholders. Furthermore, it will aim to subsidize these products through token offerings, equity, revenue sharing, etc., where applicable. In addition, the Sushi community will have access to crowdfunding, airdrops, exclusive token utility, & more.
Goals
We will enact the Sushi Studios framework to accomplish the following:
- First, create an efficient way to empower external product teams that want to leverage the Sushi brand to develop protocols without requiring Sushi DAO Treasury funding.
- Help creates an inclusive product ecosystem that brings value to all Sushi stakeholders.
- Authorize independent token economies allowing the bootstrapping of liquidity, fundraising, & distribution of new product launches.
- Help further decentralize the Sushi DAO by establishing a complimentary legal entity to empower the Sushi DAO to license its brand name & identity.
- Finally, maintain the continuity of the Sushi DAO to remain autonomous & independent of large capital contributor influence that may hinder its decentralized ethos.
Summary
Sushi Studios will continue the product growth mission started by the Sushi DAO, but in a compartmentalized & risk-averse manner to the DAO Treasury by creating a secondary funding approach within a novel licensing framework. It will aid in the distribution of the Sushi brand, grow ecosystem value, & promote decentralized product innovation. Additionally, it will promote a multi-token ecosystem, empower Sushi with primitives to build value, & allow external teams to build within a globally established crypto brand representing DeFi’s best values. I am happy to answer any questions & respond to feedback regarding this framework.