2025 at Light Eagle have been about designing a workshop that explores a bold question:
What happens when families reimagine how they govern and invest, through shared values and decentralized collaboration?
During our sessions at FBN Impact Forum in Singapore and House of Impact in Helsinki we lived into this idea. Through role-based simulation, real-time decisions, and co-created governance, we are taking the first steps toward what is becoming the world’s first Family Office DAO.
This blog post is for those who want to go deeper.
Whether you joined the session, heard about it, or are simply DAO-curious, here you’ll find the materials, tools, and references that informed this experiment — from governance design frameworks and DAO case studies to reflections on legacy, power, and collaboration in the age of AI and Web3.
This isn’t a blueprint. It’s an invitation.
Let’s keep learning, questioning, and prototyping — together.
You can find the digital version of the printed materials used in the session here.
DAO Case Studies: What They Do, Why They’re Different, and What They’ve Achieved
| DAO | What They Do | What Makes Them Distinct from Traditional Models | What They’ve Uniquely Achieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧬 VitaDAO | Funds and governs early-stage longevity research via a global, tokenized community. | Offers collective ownership over biomedical IP, opening decisions usually made in pharma/VC. | Funded 20+ aging research projects and pioneered IP-NFTs for governing biotech collectively. |
| 🌐 Gitcoin DAO | Coordinates funding for digital public goods (e.g., open-source software, climate tools). | Uses quadratic funding to let communities, not institutions, steer large capital flows. | Allocated $60M+ transparently to thousands of projects, fueling a global public goods ecosystem. |
| 🏘️ CityDAO | Bought land in Wyoming to explore decentralized land governance using blockchain. | Lets anyone propose and vote on land use — a radical alternative to real estate ownership. | Became first legally recognized DAO landowner, inspiring network-state and on-chain city models. |
| 🔷 Optimism DAO | Scales Ethereum via a Layer 2 chain and governs ecosystem growth through community voting and public goods funding. | Pioneers retroactive public goods funding and rewards contributions based on impact. | Has become one of Ethereum’s largest L2 ecosystems and allocates millions through community votes. |
| ⚙️ Moloch DAO | Funds Ethereum ecosystem development through a minimal, member-curated governance structure. | Known for its simple contract architecture and “ragequit” exit option to ensure accountability. | Provided critical early funding for ETH2.0 and inspired the architecture of dozens of forked DAOs. |
Books
The Network State - Balaji Srinivasan
How to DAO - Mastering The Future of Internet Coordination - Owocki and Puncar
Notable Articles
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A Prehistory of DAOs by Kei Kreutler – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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The Eightfold Path to DAOism by Maria Gomez, Julia Rosenberg and Chun Poon – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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Moving Beyond Coin Voting Governance by Vitalik Buterin – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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Building and Running a DAO: Why Governance Matters by Tarun Chitra – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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An Old Dictator Appears by Kain Warwick – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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DAO Landscape by Cooper Turley – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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A New Mental Model for DeFi Treasuries by Hasu and monetsupply – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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Turing-Complete Governance by Saffron Huang – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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A Legal Framework for DAOs by David Kerr and Miles Jennings – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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Unlocking the Treasury by Larry Sukernik – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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Bootstrapping a Decentralized Autonomous Corporation Part I – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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Bootstrapping a Decentralized Autonomous Corporation Part II – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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Bootstrapping a Decentralized Autonomous Corporation Part III – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
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DAO Statistics (Coinlaw.io) – Read the Article Here or Listen to the Article Here
Glossary: Terms We Used and What They Mean
Here are some of the key concepts that came up during our Family Office DAO simulation. Whether you're new to this space or revisiting familiar ideas with fresh eyes, this glossary offers quick, accessible definitions.
TL;DR
Too Long; Didn’t Read — A short, no-fluff summary of a longer idea or document. Used to quickly share the core message.
DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization)
A digitally native organization governed by transparent, code-based rules and collective decision-making — not centralized executives.
Token
A digital asset used to represent access, voting power, identity, or value in a decentralized system. Tokens can be earned, given, or bought — but in our simulation, they were non-tradable and role-based.
Governance
How decisions are made. In DAOs, governance is decentralized and transparent — often driven by community votes and evolving participation rules.
On-Chain / Off-Chain
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On-chain: Logged on the blockchain, verifiable and immutable (e.g. a vote or transaction).
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Off-chain: Happens outside the blockchain (e.g. discussions, research) but can influence on-chain actions.
Unchained Decision
A decision made without formal voting — guided by dialogue, consensus, or mutual understanding. Common in early or experimental stages of DAO formation.
Quadratic Voting
A voting method where participants can allocate multiple votes to express stronger preferences — helping to reduce dominance by large token holders and support more nuanced outcomes.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
Blockchain-powered financial tools (like lending, saving, trading) that remove banks or middlemen — enabling open, permissionless, and programmable money systems.
Regenerative Finance (ReFi)
An impact-driven branch of DeFi focused on funding projects that restore ecosystems, support social equity, and regenerate shared resources.
Stewardship
The practice of holding and managing something (capital, land, values) responsibly — not just for profit, but for long-term well-being and purpose.
Protocol
A structured set of rules — often coded — that governs how a decentralized system works. In DAOs, protocols often replace traditional policies or leadership.