In these early days of the blockchain industry, wild claims are thrown around left and right, whether it's that " " or that it can " ." Another claim is that blockchain can be a powerful tool for social good, spread by the likes of and . Let's separate the wheat from the chaff and ask, is "crypto for good" legitimate, or just another speculation? blockchain will capture $10 trillion by 2027 eradicate poverty IBM Stanford Dis-intermediation Creates Access If you're creating a new technical product or service, you'll need one or more (USPs) to be successful. Whether right or wrong, the commonly held belief is that blockchain mainly offers these two USPs: . Unique Selling Propositions Trustlessness and decentralization Both of these phenomena also have the potential to increase , as they both are — with intermediaries typically being gatekeepers that limit . This is fundamentally The same goes for applications of blockchain like crypto. In the words of Olawale Daniel: access tools for dis-intermediation access why blockchain can be a tool for social good. “Blockchain technology is coming to replace the old, rotten system of governance around the world. Embrace it!” We've all experienced the concept of " ," or simply the existence of obstacles to get into a certain field. Many times, barriers to entry exist, at least in part, to increase quality, whether it's college admissions applications or nightclub guest-lists. barriers to entry An Example: Solar Energy However, barriers to entry can quickly become unjust, preventing, for instance, entrepreneurs in developing countries . Indeed, even today it is for African startups to raise money. Startups are created to , whether they're financial, social, or both, like with South Africa's , which was built for a simple cause: from raising capital extraordinarily difficult solve important problems The Sun Exchange "Make an impact while you earn." Solar energy is a massively valuable, yet underutilized resource. As a sustainable energy source, it's becoming an increasingly important alternative in the face of carbon emissions and air pollution. However, there's a for solar adoption, especially in emerging markets. The purchase, installation, and maintenance of solar can be out of reach for those in developing countries. barrier to entry The Sun Exchange aims to solve this through peer-to-peer solar leasing, offering cells for sale at , then installing the system after all cells are sold. Cells owners then receive monthly payments — it's a system for doing good and doing well. just around $6 each In , their Founder Abraham Cambridge expressed the fundamental motivation behind working in solar: an interview "Climate change is the most imminent threat to humanity." As discussed by , . Rural Bangladesh families alone are spending on climate change. Clearly, innovative solutions are in dire need. an Inc. article climate change is a $26 trillion opportunity $2 billion a year Combining Financial, Social, and Environmental Opportunity An additional point of discussion can help bring wide-spread appeal to these ideas: The financial benefits of social good. Rather than seeing as some sort of social mandate, which excludes traditional profit-first thinkers, we need to see it as a core part of . Looking at the numbers, this is a massive financial opportunity. doing good doing well This is where companies like come in, which offers an "Emerging Markets Solar (EMS) Fund" to invest in solar infrastructure projects in emerging markets, done via the Sun Exchange. (Disclaimer: I'm a consultant at Invictus). Invictus Capital is a tokenized fund, which expands investing beyond the tycoons, making it accessible to people around the world. Andy Singleton wrote about them extensively . Beyond greater accessibility, tokenized funds can also have . EMS here greater liquidity The EMS fund creates opportunities for everyday people, not just wealthy investors, to contribute to meaningful solar projects and make money doing it. In conclusion, phrases like "crypto for good" and "blockchain for impact" aren't just green-washing, they're massive financial opportunities that are largely untapped.
