Andrew Yang Launches New DAO for AAPI Advancement

Former U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang has launched GoldenDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) issues.

The effort comes hot on the heels of Yang’s first foray into DAOs – last month, he announced Lobby3, a new organization advocating for Web 3 policies in Washington, D.C.

In recent months, the proliferation of DAOs has seen the adoption of use cases ranging from social clubs to investment syndicates to crowdfunding vehicles. It appears Yang’s GoldenDAO and Lobby3 are now pushing DAOs into the realm of social activism.

GoldenDAO’s site was revealed Wednesday, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shooting that killed eight people, including six Asian Americans.

GoldenDAO says its mission is to “collectively advance AAPI solidarity and empowerment through real world events and gatherings, and web3 infrastructure and initiatives.”

The group has identified seven broad initiatives for boosting the AAPI community, which include combating social injustice and hate crimes, destigmatizing Asian mental health issues and uplifting Asian culture and art.

Interested individuals can join GoldenDAO by purchasing a membership non-fungible token (NFT), with public minting slated for March 31.

The public mint includes 2,000 NFTs sold via last price Dutch auction, with prices starting at 1.28 ETH (approximately $3,600 in today’s ether prices) and decreasing to 0.88 ETH (approximately $3,350).

In addition, 888 NFTs will be offered in a whitelisted presale next week at 0.8 ETH each (approximately $3,000) for “individuals who show commitment to GoldenDAO initiatives.” An additional 200 NFTs will be reserved for individuals and partners who “show long-term commitment to GoldenDAO initiatives.”

This puts the total supply of GoldenDAO’s initial NFT drop at 3,088 and could put up to $9 million in the project’s coffers.

Holders of the NFT will gain access to GoldenDAO in-person meetups this year at NFT events in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, as well as all future events.