Zuzalu Retreat Spawns Vitalik Buterin's Idea for 'Zu-Villages' Grants

• Zuzalu: An Inspiration for New Grant Program, Zu-villages
• The Pop-up City Movement and Technological Projects
• Available Funds and Qualification Criteria
• Uncertainty about Zuzalu's Continuation
• Grants Allocation and Contribution
• The Legacy of Zuzalu

Zuzalu: An Inspiration for New Grant Program, Zu-villages

Zuzalu, a two-month, invitation-only event initiated last year in a seaside hamlet of Montenegro by Ethereum$2,315 -2.42% blockchain co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has inspired a new grant program. The program's objective is to encourage spinoff events known as Zu-villages.

The Pop-up City Movement and Technological Projects

The program aims to support the growth of the pop-up city movement and back technology-driven projects," as noted on a post on Gitcoin$1.41 -5.38%. Gitcoin is a blockchain-focused crowdfunding platform for open-source software projects that has previously received backing from Buterin.

Available Funds and Qualification Criteria

Approximately 250 ETH (amounting to about $590,000) is earmarked for distribution to participants as part of a matching program in the first quarter of 2024. To qualify for these matched funds, teams must include at least one member who was invited to and participated in Zuzalu the previous year, for a minimum of one week.

Uncertainty about Zuzalu's Continuation

Whether Zuzalu will be taking place this year, and if so, when and where, has not been specified in the proposal. An Ethereum Foundation official was contacted for Buterin's comments as well as those of Zuzalu organizers. However, the Zuzalu organizers chose not to comment until after the funding round concludes.

Grants Allocation and Contribution

Qualification for the Q1 2024 grants will occur over two rounds: an events round with a 166.5 ETH matching pool, and a technology round with an 83.5 ETH matching pool. It's indicated in the blog post that there will be one program each in Q1 and Q2 this year.

Buterin is reportedly contributing a substantial amount of ether (ETH) tokens to this grant program, according to an email sent by a Gitcoin representative. However, subsequent correspondence clarified that there is no record of Vitalik committing funds. The representative clarified that Buterin is involved, but it is unknown whether he personally provided the matching funds. The original email did not specify the amount of ETH.

The Legacy of Zuzalu

Zuzalu, co-created by Buterin, had an atmosphere reminiscent of a glorified camp, with discussions on blockchain-focused topics like cryptography, tracks on longevity, daily cold plunges in the Adriatic Sea, and evening dinner-dances. Nonetheless, the event, attended by approximately 200 people, remained mystifying to a broader crypto community, and wasn't publicized apart from the many participants who posted selfies with Buterin on Twitter.

There is speculation that the creators behind Zuzalu hope that similar pop-up events will take place in different parts of the world. A blog post on Gitcoin about the grants program states, "Our aspiration for the current year is to see a proliferation of events inspired by Zuzalu, contributing to the growth of the pop-up city movement."

Edited by Jonathan Stoker