Poi, a new era for the impact economy.
For reasons that have become obvious, we are bumping up against the limits of the current system. As it creates (a lot of) wealth, it generates inequality, exclusion, stress and unease, pollution, global warming and an increasing scarcity of natural resources.
Faced with this, positive rebels of all shapes and sizes are emerging — from associations and responsible companies to citizen movements — and inventing new ways to approach agriculture, the economy, education and even energy.
Initiatives like these, with explicit social or environmental objectives, are scattered all around the world. They form, along with those who finance them, what is called the impact economy.
This is no flash in the pan. This growing economy is a breeding ground for the emergence of a new society capable of responding to today’s biggest challenges. According to the World Economic Forum, the impact economy could reach one trillion USD by 2020.
A common framework to go further, together
However, to reach these goals, the impact economy will need a structure, a large-scale network, and tools capable of pulling together all these actors to truly bring about systemic change throughout the world.
This framework should meet the following characteristics:
- Access and transparency of information, not only to raise awareness about deserving initiatives, but also to bring clarity to an ecosystem where it’s easy to get lost in a growing number of organizations and interventions.
- Impact measurement, in order to provide as many people as possible with actionable feedback on the impact of our everyday actions. An exhaustive view is necessary not to police people, but instead to bring them autonomy and control over their own impacts — very powerful intrinsic motivational factors.
- Redistribution of value, because in a world where 8 men own as much as half the world population, we need a fairer and more collaborative model. A model that recognizes the contributions of everyone, and redistributes the value created accordingly.
- Shared governance, because it’s not about money — it’s about involving everyone in the common project, and giving power to each person in order to create a living structure with evolving rules that reflects all its contributors.
These 4 characteristics are the foundations of our vision to support and bring resilience to the impact economy through a clear and engaging framework. Because we have to admit, the challenge today is no longer so much about just becoming aware or just taking action. The real challenge is to live both through a more holistic experience, at once both individual and collective, that helps us be responsible for the impact of our actions both on our health and that of our communities and environment.
The Impact Economy in the era of Blockchain.
This vision, which just a few years ago contained technically unsolvable problems, has become more achievable than ever with the advent of Blockchain, a technology that makes it possible to create transparent, secure databases without a central body of control. It thus gives the power to issue money (cryptocurrency) without going through banks, to carry out transactions without going through payment networks like VISA, all in a secure way. It’s a revolution. But blockchain is not the important thing.
The real power behind blockchain and cryptocurrencies is that they make it possible to publish rules that allow money to be distributed based on how different behaviors advance a community’s goals. With these new rules, what is good for the whole network, not just the few at the top, is what guarantees the network’s sustainability, its resilience and ultimately its purpose.
This revolution is on a scale never seen since the advent of the Internet. It opens many new verticals (energy, health, real estate, tourism, etc.) to disruption. And it is up to us to make good use of it.
At Poi, we strongly believe that money should be distributed to those who contribute to the common good.
So what if we could design a system that would totally change the economic landscape by stimulating, funding and rewarding positive actions?
Poi, the first impact cryptocurrency.
Poi is a decentralized ecosystem that aims to boost the advent of the impact economy. Using blockchain technology, Poi stimulates local economies by certifying and rewarding positive behaviors through a unique protocol: The Proof of Impact.
A dedicated app store
It all starts with the Poi app store, which gives you a central place to discover apps that both create impact and meet the needs of everyday life, whether it’s to get around town, find a responsible merchant near you, surf the Web, or make a donation to a charity.
Proof of Impact
Once you start using apps, our embedded protocol, Proof of Impact, certifies positive behaviours by measuring the impact of these everyday activities (mobility, consumption, eco-friendly behaviors, skill-sharing, etc.) using different criteria defined by experts in sustainable development goals (local production, ethics, social inclusion, etc.).
A positive behavior gauge
These behaviors are reflected in an impact gauge specific to each user. Like a “nudge”, the impact gauge is a vehicle for popular education. Its mission is to help people make the right decisions by helping them not only to understand the consequences of their actions, but also to help guide them to go further.
POI, The first impact currency
Based on this gauge and thanks to the Proof of Impact protocol, the positive externalities generated (and the data behind it) by the behaviors of all stakeholders are rewarded with the first impact cryptocurrency, the POI.
POIs can then be used at local merchants, donated to local projects or resold to organizations connected to the Poi Network, which can use them to access services provided or to access the certified data collected.
Through this process, Poi aims to give life to a new financial architecture for the common good. Day by day and little by little, Poi is capable of connecting all types of organizations together to grow the new impact economy — one that truly values the daily consequences of our actions.
By giving back to people the power to track, understand and be rewarded for the positive impact of their actions, Poi provides a framework to boost the emergence of a new society capable of responding to today’s biggest challenges.
Poi. The Proof of Impact.
If you are interested in our work, subscribe to our Medium publication, subscribe our newsletter, and follow us on social media.
If you think you can help us with ideas, tips or links, contact us at hello@poi.app, we look forward to hearing from you!
Allan and the whole Poi team.
Did you like this article ? Give us 50x more love👏 ❤️
