Science & Technology

How Quadratic Funding Could Finance Your Dreams | Kevin Owocki | TED

What if your $1 donation could result in a $100 contribution to a cause you believe in? That’s the promise of quadratic funding: a new kind of crowdfunding model that uses math to distribute funds based on the number of contributors, rather than the amount given. Gitcoin founder Kevin Owocki dives into the principles and…

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What if your $1 donation could result in a $100 contribution to a cause you believe in? That’s the promise of quadratic funding: a new kind of crowdfunding model that uses math to distribute funds based on the number of contributors, rather than the amount given. Gitcoin founder Kevin Owocki dives into the principles and pitfalls of this approach to philanthropy, where “many small donors are more powerful than one large donor.” (Recorded at TED2024 on April 18, 2024)

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38 Comments

  1. @avon-ever

    October 5, 2024 at 7:00 am

    first

  2. @SehrusGallery

    October 5, 2024 at 7:05 am

    Secound

  3. @Krishnaseva143

    October 5, 2024 at 7:07 am

    I won because my birthday is on December 28 2017❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

  4. @Pokeridgy

    October 5, 2024 at 7:21 am

    Why would a wealthy donor donate large amounts when the donation might be used to a high percentage for something the donor does not care about?

    • @Wombat7777777

      October 5, 2024 at 7:26 am

      exactly, where are the incentives for that party?

    • @ninic83

      October 5, 2024 at 7:44 am

      Tax write offs

    • @finnvF

      October 5, 2024 at 8:10 am

      The rich donors money wouldn’t be used in a different project. That project would just get less extra finds of there match pool.

    • @Wombat7777777

      October 5, 2024 at 9:45 am

      @@ninic83 Makes sense but then rich donors need to be forced to participate in such schemes or no tax writeoff for them.

    • @Wombat7777777

      October 5, 2024 at 9:46 am

      @@finnvF exactly in such an extreme case like what he showed in his example there is almost no incentive for big donors to participate unless forced

  5. @jackmen4

    October 5, 2024 at 7:27 am

    Soon as I read “quadratic” :

    Pop goes the weasel!!!!

  6. @kasim7929

    October 5, 2024 at 8:01 am

    Can some math expert tell how’s this different from normal crowd funding and vote allocation stuff.

  7. @B.Whittaker

    October 5, 2024 at 8:10 am

    All the teachers lied about using quadratic formula frequently in life, so I’m skeptical about this so-called ‘quadratic funding’ 🤔

  8. @riverspirit7

    October 5, 2024 at 9:00 am

    Ducet math and poor directional assumptions to drive your financed wealth distribution to finance your dreams is grift…
    This is cool because it hides compelled chatity..

  9. @NaomiD.Norris

    October 5, 2024 at 9:10 am

    I’m retired at 27, went from Grass to Grace. This here reminds me of my transformation from a nobody to good home, honest wife, $35k biweekly and a good daughter full of ❤️ I’m forever grateful Rose M Elaine

    • @RandyDerrickDean

      October 5, 2024 at 9:12 am

      I’m highly inspired.
      Please spill some sugar about the bi-weekly stuff you mentioned.

    • @JonahD.Potter

      October 5, 2024 at 9:13 am

      I started with a miserly $1500. The results have been mind blowing I must say TBH!

    • @JoshuaBrockJerry

      October 5, 2024 at 9:15 am

      How can someone get connection to that Woman y’all speaking bout !!!?

    • @JonahD.Potter

      October 5, 2024 at 9:16 am

      🇺🇸+𝟏𝟖𝟔𝟒

    • @JonahD.Potter

      October 5, 2024 at 9:16 am

      𝟕𝟖𝟒

  10. @f.e.5691

    October 5, 2024 at 9:39 am

    In summary, the quadratic funding is in between the democratic voting system (each vote has the same power, regardless how much money the voter has) and the standard crowd funding system (where more money means more power, regardless how many voters)

  11. @zettaiengineer4202

    October 5, 2024 at 9:43 am

    Knowing the formula, donors will tend to anonymize and fragment contributions. That cancels the motivation for many “philanthropists” who donate to virtue signal or put their name on a building.

    • @Atom224

      October 5, 2024 at 2:59 pm

      That’s why it will probably be authorized by blockchain. But you could still bribe some random persons to vote with your money for a small percentage of it.

  12. @Alygel

    October 5, 2024 at 10:02 am

    Hi❤

  13. @Alygel

    October 5, 2024 at 10:02 am

    0:49 hey, it’s fantastic🎉

  14. @joelpichette

    October 5, 2024 at 10:30 am

    Quadratic financing is called money creation by the banks (or hyperinflation)

  15. @therailcarmover

    October 5, 2024 at 12:12 pm

    Digital pyramiding

  16. @tomastx

    October 5, 2024 at 1:03 pm

    Sounds like communist propaganda, but okay.

  17. @akee1618

    October 5, 2024 at 2:10 pm

    Donations must be ideology based and not equality based.

  18. @idventure6036

    October 5, 2024 at 2:40 pm

    This is just socialism hidden in math. Not even good math, but fool some people. He is just a scam like most “crypto bro”. Don’t smoke and do math. How did he get invited to TED?

    • @idventure6036

      October 5, 2024 at 3:09 pm

      Lets say someone wants to fund getting one apple and some one else an apple tree? Likely there will be no funding for the tree and no apples can come out of many small investements that wants to buy apples. Many want one apple but few an apple tree but if there are no apple trees there are no apples. Most people are regular consumers and so this will not work for new inovations or improving a community in the long run.

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    October 5, 2024 at 3:10 pm

    I’m so happy I made productive decisions about my finances that changed my life forever. I’m a single mother living in Birmingham uk, bought my second house in August and hoping to retire next year at 41 if things keep going smoothly for me..

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  20. @pfopdoodle

    October 5, 2024 at 4:11 pm

    Can the big donor just donate so hundreds of times?

  21. @MegaBaellchen

    October 5, 2024 at 6:21 pm

    Okay so what is the incentive to give donations if you cant decide what it is being spent on?

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