Built

Technology & Startups

Funding the Commons

CEO · 2023–present

Conference series turned institution turned incubator. Convening researchers, builders, and funders to design better mechanisms for funding public goods. 15+ events across four continents since 2021. Independent PBC as of 2023.

ReSource Network

Co-founder & CEO · 2020–2022

Mutual credit protocol on Ethereum. Celo Camp Batch 2 winner. Built blockchain-based trade credit infrastructure for decentralized business networks.

NuMundo

Co-founder & CEO · 2013–2020 · Strategic Advisor since

Platform connecting 1,000+ impact communities, ecovillages, and regenerative projects across 80 countries. Startup Chile and The Batchery alumnus. Revival underway.

Produced

16-year event production career spanning Guatemala to global conferences

Lead Producer

Cosmic Convergence Festival flagship

Co-founder & Creative Director · Lake Atitlán, Guatemala · 2012–2020

Annual gathering blending art, music, Mayan culture, and education for conscious living. 100% non-profit — all proceeds went to local social projects including a nutrition center, schools, and women's cooperatives.

Universal Dance Guatemala

Lake Atitlán · NYE 2011–2012

The gathering that became Cosmic Convergence. New Year's celebration at Lake Atitlán that marked the beginning of the festival series.

Cacao Convergence

Guatemala · 2018

A gathering exploring ceremonial cacao, permaculture, and indigenous plant medicine traditions. Organized with Finca el Porvenir and NuMundo.

Nu Living

Costa Rica · Part of NuMundo ecosystem

A digital nomad retreat combining remote work with immersive community living at regenerative land projects.

Nu Seed

Costa Rica · 2017 · Part of NuMundo ecosystem

A micro-festival concept — another event format we pioneered within the NuMundo network, testing smaller-scale gatherings as alternatives to the large festival model.

Core Contributor

Geo Paradise / Tribal Gathering

Panama · ~2013–2016

Produced the indigenous workshop area and West Coast bass music stage. Significant production work at one of Central America's largest multi-day gatherings.

Envision Festival

Uvita, Costa Rica · ~2012–2015

Ran the permaculture area at one of Costa Rica's flagship transformational festivals.

Institutional

Funding the Commons Event Series

15+ events · 4 continents · 2021–present

Conferences, hackathons, open-source developer residencies, and private institutional dinners. SF, NYC, Lisbon, Berlin, Paris, Taipei, Tokyo, Bangkok, Buenos Aires. Residencies in Berlin, Chiang Mai, and Buenos Aires.

Intelligence at the Frontier

Frontier Tower, San Francisco · 2026

Grants & Field Pilots

Grants Received

Gitcoin GCP-011

60,000 USDC · Passed on-chain with 4.72M votes in favor

Funding for the FtC hackathon and residency program.

Octant (Epochs 2–5)

~$87,000 across four funding epochs

Supporting FtC events in San Francisco, Tokyo, Bangkok, and the Chiang Mai builder residency.

Gitcoin Grants (QF Rounds)

~$20,000 across GG22 and GG24

Public goods tooling and The Commons platform.

Celo Public Goods (GG21)

Real World Builders program

Hosting Celo builders at FtC residency.

Crowdfunding

Project Nuevo Mundo Earth Odyssey

$22,601 raised · 102% funded · Indiegogo · 2013

Crowdfunded the six-month continental bus tour connecting regenerative communities across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. 22 econauts, two buses, nine impact centers visited.

NuMundo: A Network for the New World

$22,742 raised · 385 backers · Indiegogo · 2015

Crowdfunded the NuMundo platform launch — an online network connecting transformational travelers with impact centers, ecovillages, and regenerative projects worldwide.

All grant milestones tracked on Karma GAP.

Field Pilots

REFUNITE Uganda: Music & Blockchain for Refugees

Funding the Commons x REFUNITE · Kampala, Uganda

Partnership with REFUNITE deploying blockchain-based financial tools and music production training to Burundian and South Sudanese refugee communities. 173 direct beneficiaries, 8,500 indirect. 22 refugees opened crypto wallets for the first time. 47 trained in music production. 30 on-chain Bitcoin transactions via Fedi app.

Grants Deployed

Builder Basic Income Program

$10,000 matched 1:1 by Drips.Network

First grants awarded to Tomislav Mamic (Muqa.org — Municipal Quadratic Funding Initiative, incubated through FtC).

Advisory

Relay Funder

Advisor

Refugee support project.

Hyphen

Advisor · 2022–present

Carbon MRV. Chainlink grant recipient for GHG tracking oracle.

Gane Mobile

Advisor

Virtual mobile carrier delivering free mobile internet to Latin America.

Values Network

Advisor

Investments

Celo Scout Fund

Celo Foundation · 2022–present

Investing in mission-aligned founders building on Celo. Portfolio includes AlfredPay.

Side Projects

Cosmic Cacao

Founder · 2019

Ceremonial-grade cacao sourced from Guatemala.

Conscious Convergence

Programming partner

Collaborated with Cosmic Convergence to shape programming that honored the Mayan communities and place at Lake Atitlán.

Research

"Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua): Patterns of Human Rights Violations"

Beatriz Manz, WRITENET for UNHCR · August 2008

Research contributor, Nicaragua section. Conducted field research in Managua with CEPREV through UC Berkeley's Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program.

Education

University of California, Berkeley

BA, International Political Economy · 2004–2008

Concentrations in Global Poverty & Practice and Middle Eastern Studies.