Discovering the Power of Gitcoin Grants Quadratic Funding
I have always been driven by a deep passion for creating platforms that support people and projects aligned with my interests. Specifically, I am passionate about areas such as **social impact, women's empowerment, leadership, and leveraging technology for the greater good**.
When I first discovered Gitcoin grants, it reinforced my belief in the transformative power of web3. It enables the creation of direct channels of support to communities, benefiting public goods, as well as the overall well-being of our planet and communities. The concept of quadratic funding emerged as a game-changing tool for those of us working on global solutions, allowing us to significantly amplify our impact on a massive scale. Quadratic funding is vital for humanity's collective efforts to combat the tipping points and potential doomsday scenarios we currently face. What fascinated me even more was how it leveled the playing field, particularly for individuals in the global South or founders in disadvantaged urban areas. This funding mechanism breaks away from the traditional mold of VC-backed startup founders, making social entrepreneurship more accessible to a wider range of people.
Moreover, the democratization of funding through community engagement that highlights the value of every contribution, no matter how small, serves as a meaningful symbol of support and signal that other larger investors can see and use to validate even more funding. This concept to me is a new magic in the world that gives me hope and strength to keep up the good fight. 
Inspired Actions: Amplify Technology and Founders
Motivated by this vision, I leveraged my existing organizations and platforms, including More Women in Crypto (a group I co-founded), my column at Grit Daily, as well as my personal and professional channels on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms, to shine a spotlight on the magic of quadratic funding with a focus on the early pioneers using web3 for good and participating in the Gitcoin grant process. I featured the stories and projects of several female founders such as Paige Donner, Contessa Louise Cooper, Jade Katz, Ariella Coller-Reily, and Day Sanchez.
To foster meaningful engagement, I organized various virtual and IRL events and conversations, ranging from metaverse meetups and LinkedIn audio sessions to Zoom meetings, Twitter Spaces and IRL meetups at the NFT Boutique. These platforms provided a diverse set of channels for these inspiring founders to share their experiences and expand awareness about the Gitcoin grant process. In fact, I dedicated an entire article to highlighting the experiences of Jade and Contessa, as Women using ReFi to change the world, with a special emphasis on Gitcoin and quadratic funding.
After participating in the Gitcoin Grant 15, I continued to connect with other Latam Impact founders through ReFiDAO Founders circles. These founder meetings also led me to connect to the Capital Institute, where I introduced John Fullerton to the concept of quadratic funding, and I hope something will come of this soon, perhaps the ability for someone at Gitcoin to connect more formally or present to the next cohort of students participating in the Regenerative Finance course by Capital Institute (happy to make more introductions). 
By leveraging my voice and platforms, I aimed to contribute to the mission of creating a more inclusive and impactful web3 ecosystem, where diverse voices and projects are recognized, supported, and given the opportunity and funding to thrive.
