Small seeds – why funding new ideas matters
summary
Prototype Fund reports 387 projects funded over 8 years with €16.6M total and grants up to €47,500, using a lightweight funding application, hour-based payments and hands-on coaching rather than milestone policing. Funded outcomes include Drip (local-only period tracking), several Nextcloud apps, Follow the Grant (used to analyze ~5 million medical articles) and an open-source MLS messaging implementation. Changes focus on funding more than code, interdisciplinary teams, access to networks and a network of small, resilient funds.
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chapters (7)
- 0:00Introduction to funding small ideas
- 1:49Why fund innovation and small projects
- 6:05About prototype fund
- 13:11Success beyond surviving projects
- 15:14Improving prototype fund
- 20:53Call for diverse funding networks
- 21:36Q&A session
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