Introducing Plebes: Governance Beyond Capital

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What is Plebes?

In March 2024, DAOs peaked at $45.5B AUM (DeepDAO.io), yet most still rely on Token-Weighted Voting (1 token = 1 vote)—a rule that can translate capital into political power and enable last-minute swings or opportunistic capture. Plebes DAO is our response: built on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), it is two things at once. First, an ethos—a community of communities that funds open-source tools, AI projects, creative work, and public goods through daily Ordinals auctions on ICP, creating a steady, grassroots treasury and an inclusive on-ramp. Second, a governance experiment—a live lab that runs stake/burn logic, eligibility layers, and anti-fragmentation rules in production (Phase One), then offers these as modular GaaS components so DAOs from any chain can re-interpret the results of votes in their own systems (Phase Two).

We believe that TWV acts as an incentive surface—linear and liquid in ways that can compress coalitions and increase short-horizon influence. The first practical step is to generate counterfactuals: compare raw tallies with alternative outcomes under different governance adjustments. As Plebes evolves, we’re developing fairness-oriented filters (modular, optional) so communities can observe how tweaks might shift results and participation—moving the debate from theory to measurable practice on ICP’s modular canisters. Thanks to Chain-Key cryptography, Plebes can bridge participants across Bitcoin, Solana, and EVM without traditional bridges, positioning ICP as a catalyst for a truly multichain community of communities.

The name “Plebes” reflects our roots and intent: from Latin plebeius—the common people, the backbone of society—and widely used in Mexico with pride. It signals that ordinary people, when organized, achieve extraordinary things. And “One Plebe, every day, forever” captures the mechanic: an infinite, daily collection of Reserved Ordinals on ICP (off-Bitcoin tokens granting the right to inscribe in Bitcoin blocks). In practice, ICP acts as a scalability layer for Bitcoin Ordinals, while holders gain voice and vote in the DAO—continuous auctions that onboard Bitcoin and multichain communities into Plebes.

Project highlights

Plebes is a funding ethos and a governance experiment. It channels daily Ordinals auctions into a treasury that supports open-source, AI, creators, and public goods, while simultaneously testing modular, non-plutocratic governance on ICP (eligibility layers, stake/burn, anti-fragmentation). Target users: Web3 communities, DAOs, builders, researchers, artists, and civic-minded groups seeking fairer, scalable participation—not just speculation.

Web3 advantages

Plebes is blockchain-native: it experiments beyond “1 token = 1 vote” and automates treasury/governance on-chain. Its modular filters aim to let any DAO observe counterfactual outcomes and adjust power distribution—something conventional Web2 coordination tools don’t provide. ICP’s Chain-Key makes the model multichain-friendly without fragile bridges.

How is it built

  • Languages: Motoko & Rust on ICP

  • Canisters:

    • AccessControl (dev): stake_tokens(), burn_tokens() (80/20 burn/treasury), validate() (eligibility)

    • ProposalHub (planned): proposal creation & metadata

    • VotingEngine (planned): tally logic / alternative mechanisms (modular)

  • Frontend/UX: Next.js SPA served from a frontend canister; Internet Identity login (passwordless); gasless feel

  • Interoperability: Chain-Key for native cross-chain actions; ckBTC for auctions/value flows

  • Design choices: modular, auditable components; reproducible experiments; progressive adoption by external communities

Internet Computer superpowers

  • Chain-Key Cryptography: native cross-chain signatures—no traditional bridges

  • ckBTC: smooth Ordinals-style auctions with BTC-adjacent flows

  • Scalable canisters: fully on-chain automation for treasury and governance

  • Internet Identity: seamless, passwordless auth → Web2-like UX on Web3 rails

Go-To-Market strategy

  • Narrative: pixelated chihuahuas + “governance beyond capital”

  • Daily auctions: habitual, simple onboarding and sustainable funding loop

  • Community of communities: councils, participation incentives, cross-ecosystem integrations

  • Alliances: early trial with Meta Pool (bonding curve sold out in ~40 minutes); expand across ICP/NEAR/EVM

Monetization

  • Daily Ordinals auctions → treasury

  • Protocol fees for on-chain governance actions (native token)

  • GaaS licensing of modular components for DAOs/communities

  • Grants coordination aligned with community outcomes

Status of the project

Resources

Future Plans

  • Launch staking flow & progressive eligibility layers (Phase One)

  • Ship proposal system & DAO governance layer

  • Extend multichain reach (BTC, Solana, EVM) via Chain-Key

  • Package as GaaS (Phase Two)

  • Grow the community of communities via councils & partnerships

Videos