Startup Spotlight #182: DAOHQ
The world’s first marketplace for decentralized autonomous organizations.
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I got the chance to speak with Emmet Halm and Lucas Chu, co-founders of DAOHQ, about what they’re working on at their startup, and any advice they have for emerging entrepreneurs.
DAOHQ is a one-stop shop to find, invest, & participate in decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Lucas Chu is a Harvard dropout. He previously built Erevna.us, an international education non-profit, and conducted big data research for Opportunity Insights, the Census Bureau, and Steve Ballmer. Emmet Halm is also a Harvard dropout. He previously built an edtech startup, tutoring company, and viral marketing agency. Proud coffee-maxi, traveler, cook, reader, and fitness enthusiast.
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Startup Spotlight: DAOHQ
Problem: Finding, investing, & participating in decentralized autonomous organizations is fragmented & has high barriers to entry. There’s no user-friendly aggregation of data & platform to interact with DAOs.
Market: DAOs have grown from a $10M to a $16B market in two years. We’re still in the very early innings of DAOs becoming the default structure for internet-native organization.
Solution: DAOHQ aggregates core financial & qualitative DAO data & allows anyone to invest & vote in DAOs with crypto or their bank account. If DAOs are the new corporation, we’re building the new NYSE.
Team: Emmet Halm & Lucas Chu were Harvard classmates who dropped out to build DAOHQ. We have three more full time team members & an internal contributor DAO of 20 people from all 5 continents.
Recent Success:
Halm and Chu: We’ve been really successful attracting great people to help us build DAOHQ. From the early days we were fortunate to meet advisors, investors, & friends who are excited about our vision & want to be part of our journey. It’s telling that the majority of our full time team came from Discord & word of mouth. There are an uncanny amount of times when Lucas & I need something, the perfect person appears in our life. We’re extremely grateful for our teammates & love working with them everyday (& in all time zones!).
Recent Struggle:
Halm and Chu: Learning to say “no.” Coming from college, the culture is to take on as much as possible & spread yourself thin. Thus, it’s been difficult to say no to new opportunities & ideas in order to double down on our roadmap. For us, it’s a balance of being open to new ideas, while also being ruthless about how we’re spending our time & how it relates to our core objectives.
Founder Advice:
Halm and Chu: Take care of your body. If you want to perform at your max, you need your hardware & software at full capacity. Lucas & I emphasize getting at 7-8 hours of sleep, working out together, & eating quality foods. It’s helped us go hard & keep a positive attitude in stressful situations.
Two Cool Founders You Should Know About:
Halm and Chu: Here are two founders you should check out next!
Marco Antonio Ribeiro and Kaledora Kiernan-Linn, Cofounders of Ostium: Ostium is an on-chain commodities exchange.
Michael Riley, Founder of Maslo: Maslo is Uber for privately cooked meals.
Who should I profile next? Leave your suggestion in the comments:
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If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out my other work on LinkedIn. Follow me on Twitter @fredsoda, on Medium @fredsoda, and on Instagram @fred_soda.
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