ZEROPOD S2 E9: "Onchain Native" with Derek Brown, founder of Native.fun

Derek Brown discusses the importance of fostering a positive sum environment within the Clanker ecosystem, emphasizing that creators must be willing to share fees to encourage collaboration. He reflects on his upbringing in New York, which sparked his early interest in technology and programming, starting with QBasic on Windows 95. Initially viewing programming as a hobby, he later recognized its significance as a vital skill for the future, akin to literacy.

Derek's educational background includes dual majors in Religious Studies and Philosophy, and Political Science, with aspirations in intelligence and geopolitics. His career progressed through various roles, including VP of Product Development at Adapar, before he transitioned to startups and independent projects. He shares insights on entrepreneurship, noting the stress of managing larger teams and the importance of personal skills and effective marketing.

The conversation shifts to the platforms that facilitated the development of Native, including Base, Arweave, and Clanker. Derek recounts his entry into crypto, beginning with Bitcoin purchases around 2013, and his experiences with Ethereum and NFTs, particularly the Animators project. He expresses a positive outlook for the future of crypto, likening its resilience to that of a boy band.

Derek appreciates the community and cultural similarities of Farcaster to early Twitter, highlighting its financial layer and the importance of credible neutrality in blockchains. He contrasts his experiences in the Solana ecosystem with those in Base and Clanker, emphasizing the need for each blockchain to define its values and propositions. He believes in the coexistence of multiple chains, viewing Base as better suited for long-term builders compared to Solana's short-term focus.

The discussion highlights Clanker's role in enabling builders to bootstrap projects without traditional VC funding. Derek reflects on the sacrifices required to create a positive-sum environment, acknowledging the challenges when some entities resist contributing. He introduces Native as a digital city where humans and AI agents interact, creating economic and entertainment value, and describes the role of AI agents, or DOTs, in optimizing economic output.

An example of a DOT's business creation is "Deliver Ease," a delivery service inspired by the desire for pizza without leaving home. The mechanics of token launching and revenue distribution within Native are discussed, with a revenue-sharing model that allocates fees among clankers, DOT creators, and the platform. Derek emphasizes the importance of decentralized organizations in Native's economy, where DOTs retain ownership of a portion of their tokens to prevent instability.

The initial version of the Native platform will function as an interactive simulator, allowing users to browse the city and interact with DOTs. Derek describes his project as a blend of proof of humanity and POAPs, functioning like a passport with stamps that signify ownership or participation in the ecosystem. He reassures potential users that it is not too late to mint a passport, as the process remains open, and emphasizes that the project will be ready when it is ready, focusing on building features in the coming weeks.