introducing no hotdog - an app for democratically funding cool nature and tech projects

I’m excited (and terrified) to be launching no hotdog — an app for democratically funding cool nature and tech projects. Our mission is to get more people involved in deciding our future. You can think of it like Tinder, but for world-changing projects, and when you “like” a project, you are voting for it to receive funding.

Here is how it works:

1. You purchase a membership, starting at $6/mo
2. Your money goes into a community pool
3. You swipe on projects in the app. Projects that get enough right swipes can win funding, paid out from the community pool
4. Winners agree to post updates, so you get feedback on the projects you’re supporting

There is not a continuous stream of projects to swipe on. Rather, projects are curated into thematic “drops”, with well-defined win-conditions, and released on a schedule. Some of these drops will be “open” drops, where anyone can apply. Others will be “closed” drops, where projects are curated by the no hotdog team or in collaboration with partner charities/funds.

How we help high-impact charities

1. Open submissions: Charities can apply, like anyone else, to “open submission” drops.
2. The Impact Fund: Members can opt in to send 10% of their membership to our high-impact charity portfolio. Right now this is FarmKind’s Impact Fund.
3. Partnerships: Charities or funders that want to bring their cause to the attention of our audience can sponsor a voting drop (i.e. a microgrant where our users decide the winner)

How you can help us (besides becoming a member)

If you support our mission, here are some things you can do to help us:

1. Download the iOS app and leave us a rating or review (find no hotdog in the app store -> rate and/or review).
2. Share us on social media
   1. Instagram
   2. tiktok
   3. Substack
   4. X
   5. LinkedIn
3. Have a collaboration idea? Let me know! Could be some cool opportunities here, e.g. if other microgranters want to collaborate on a voting drop.

This is experimental. I don’t know what will happen. We’ll change things as we go. But I’m really excited about this and I think our community would benefit from having some impact-oriented participants.