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Noah Schwartz

Basic Info​

  • Location: Berkeley/Oakland area, California
  • Role/Occupation: Trader, Philanthropist, Founder of Schwartz Foundation
  • Met: 2021 when Gary was building Dream DAO
  • Daily Routine: Trading in mornings, Foundation work in afternoons

Professional Background​

  • Active trader (completes trading by afternoon daily)
  • Founder and head of the Schwartz Foundation (family foundation)
  • Deep involvement in crypto/Web3 space, particularly DAOs and governance
  • Previously involved with Nouns DAO ecosystem
  • Focus on charitable giving and innovative governance structures

Schwartz Foundation Details​

  • Fully established 501(c)(3) family foundation
  • Recently resolved legal disputes that had temporarily encumbered operations
  • Multiple years of runway with "good amount of working funds"
  • Some assets still in real estate (apartment buildings) pending liquidation
  • Mission: Innovative charitable giving with focus on democratic governance and community ownership

Key Projects & Interests​

Vinyl Record Library & Cultural Center​

  • Pet project to create a library/resource center for vinyl records
  • Planned for Oakland or Berkeley location
  • Focus on dance music initially
  • Innovative model combining:
    • Physical library where records can be borrowed
    • Cultural center with events, lectures, concerts
    • Curator-driven governance (curators who build collection get access)
    • NFT integration for digital ownership tracking
    • Educational programming and community building

Reformed DAO Model ("New Nouns")​

  • Attempting to "repair" the Nouns DAO model with significant improvements
  • Design objectives:
    • Accommodate charitable/institutional funds
    • Eliminate adversarial incentives
    • Minimize friction for capital flows
    • Enable fiduciary compliance
  • Currently finalizing entities and smart contracts with Ray Guild
  • Vision: Bridge crypto economics with traditional charitable giving

Grant-Making Activities​

  • Exploring opportunities with Indonesian organization
  • Supporting East Oakland church farmers market project
  • Engaging with local art galleries (501c3s)
  • Seeking local IRL projects for pilot implementations

Philosophy & Approach​

Governance Philosophy​

  • Strong believer in "exit to community" models
  • Horizontal distribution of agency over top-down structures
  • Democratic coordination for resource allocation
  • Focus on creating fraud-resistant, sustainable systems
  • Interested in permissionless structures that can still meet institutional requirements

Working Style​

  • Prefers generative, collaborative discussions
  • Afternoon sessions for strategic thinking and planning
  • Values peer-to-peer relationships over hierarchical management
  • Has "strong feelings about some certain things" but aims for self-running systems
  • Seeks balance between input/guidance and operational independence

Connection to Gary​

Historical Context​

  • Met in 2021 during Dream DAO development
  • Noah admired Dream DAO's focus on youth, civics, and governance
  • Felt Dream DAO had elements he wished Nouns had borrowed
  • Recognized Dream DAO as "closer than Nouns to something that could have turned into something quite interesting"

Current Opportunity​

  • Seeking operators to help execute Foundation projects
  • Ian Wylie Hedrick suggested Gary as potential collaborator
  • Looking for someone with:
    • DAO/governance experience
    • Civic tech background
    • Mission alignment
    • High agency and independence

Collaboration Framework​

  • Offering high-agency operator role
  • Emphasis on peer collaboration vs. employment
  • Flexible on remote vs. in-person (preference for Bay Area presence)
  • Compensation to be discussed
  • Focus on generative work and project execution

Strategic Value & Collaboration Areas​

  • Bridge between crypto/Web3 and traditional philanthropy
  • Access to funding for innovative governance experiments
  • Platform for testing democratic coordination models
  • Network in Bay Area crypto/philanthropy ecosystem
  • Resources for pilot projects and community initiatives

Key Quotes​

  • "I always felt that Dream DAO had all this stuff that I wished that Nouns could have borrowed from"
  • "What does it take for charitable funds to flow into the DAO...you think a lot more carefully from a fiduciary point of view"
  • "We need operators"
  • "The main thing is just to kind of try to be generative and find [solutions]"
  • About vinyl library: "Try to handle or think about access in a maybe different way from a museum or archive that's on lockdown"

Personality Traits & Communication Style​

  • Thoughtful and philosophical about governance
  • Detail-oriented regarding legal/structural requirements
  • Iterative approach to project development
  • Values deep strategic discussions
  • Cautious about commitments ("I hate to even say stuff like that")
  • Interested in bridging traditional and crypto worlds

Recent Developments (as of November 2025)​

  • Legal disputes with Foundation resolved
  • Actively building out vinyl library project with Ian
  • Finalizing new DAO protocol design
  • Expanding grant-making activities
  • Seeking additional operators for project execution

Potential Next Steps​

  • Discuss specific operator role parameters and compensation
  • Explore how Gary's experience could support Foundation projects
  • Consider pilot project collaboration
  • Connect on vinyl library community building
  • Share insights on DAO governance improvements

Notes & Observations​

  • Genuine interest in innovative governance models
  • Substantial resources available for experimentation
  • Values alignment around democratic participation
  • Preference for concrete, local impact alongside systemic change
  • Thoughtful about incentive design and sustainability

Transcripts​

transcript-iddateone-line-summary
2025-11-20-foundation-vinyl-library-collaboration2025-11-20Foundation collaboration meeting on vinyl library project and reformed DAO models