Exploring the Mysterious FWB DAO: A New Chapter in World Creation

Friends With Benefits (FWB) may sound misleading at first, but it is actually a DAO organization that is redefining its own meaning.

When people first heard about FWB, many might have had a bias against it. However, as more and more people mentioned this organization, especially after news broke of it receiving a $10 million investment (valued at $100 million), people began to reassess this unique community.

To gain a deeper understanding of FWB, I joined their Discord server to start learning.

The Essence of FWB

FWB is a private club with over 2,000 members. Joining requires passing a strict identity verification and purchasing a membership worth nearly ten thousand dollars. Members can not only participate in club activities but also take part in operational decisions, giving the club characteristics of a DAO.

The main activity venue for FWB is Discord, which has over a hundred channels covering various fields such as learning, art, creativity, trading, and life. At first glance, it may seem like just a large chat group, but in reality, it is much more than that.

According to the community manifesto, FWB is positioned as a convergence of technology and culture, bringing together a unique group of individuals pursuing a bright future. They believe that in the web3 world, data and assets should be controlled by their creators, and open knowledge can benefit society. FWB gathers creators, rebels, artists, thinkers, and doers to discuss and shape the future together.

A video blogger described FWB as: "A group of random people on the internet, meeting, communicating, and collaborating on various interesting projects, including music production, digital art, learning about cryptocurrency, or just gathering to enjoy good times."

The Threshold for Joining FWB

Joining FWB is not easy. First, you need to fill out a detailed application form, which includes personal background, professional experience, interests, and hobbies. The application form is reviewed by a member committee consisting of 15 people, mainly composed of members with an artistic and creative background. The current application rejection rate is about 60%.

After the initial screening, a certain number of community tokens need to be purchased as a "ticket", priced at around ten thousand dollars. This makes FWB, to some extent, a high-end club in the crypto version.

Composition of FWB Members

The composition of FWB members is quite unique. Experts in cryptocurrency are in the minority; more are creative workers, artists, and traditional entrepreneurs, but they are all passionate about web3.

Activities and Services of FWB

FWB provides a rich variety of online and offline activities and services:

1. Online events: Five themed events are held weekly, covering creative exchanges, Web3 discussions, investment analysis, and more.
2. Offline Events: Organizing large gatherings periodically, such as a series of events in places like Miami, Paris, and others.
3. City subDAO: Allows joining specific city sub-communities with a lower threshold.
4. Other services: including city guides, summaries, private materials, and special benefits for projects.

FWB Products

Although FWB is not primarily positioned for productivity, it has gradually developed some products:

1. Weekly Digest: Summarizing important community discussions and social dynamics.
2. Semi-finished products: Exploring culture, Web3, and thoughts on the future.
3. Gatekeeper: An application used to verify on-chain identities.
4. Gallery: NFT display and auction platform.
5. FWB University: Web3 training product (in preparation).

FWB's Organizational Structure

As of the latest funding round, FWB has only one full-time employee but boasts over 2000 members, including about 200 active contributors and 31 core contributors. The organizational structure is divided into seven directions:

1. Editorial Team: Guiding community culture and external output.
2. Membership Team: Responsible for member review and benefit expansion.
3. Product Team: Design and develop products needed by the community.
4. City Team: Manage the city SubDAO.
5. Event Team: Plan and organize offline activities.
6. Cooperative Team: Responsible for ecological cooperation.
7. DAO Team: Manages basic operations, strategy, and finance.

Future Outlook of FWB

FWB is a diverse and complex community. It is both a high-end club and a platform for thinking about the future. Members here can not only enjoy social fun but also collaboratively discuss how to create the next version of the world.

Although the operation of FWB seems loose, this free atmosphere has precisely fostered many innovative projects and new DAOs. The core values and history of the community often exist in the minds of key members rather than in detailed documentation.

The recent investment of ten million dollars received by FWB will be used to further expand the community. As stated in their proposal, this funding will help FWB "develop the suburbs of digital cities" and explore new cultural creation and funding models.

The future development of FWB is promising. It is trying to bring strangers on the internet together and redefine the way culture is created and funded. As they say: "Let's open a new chapter together, and we will ultimately succeed."