Technology shapes society. Those at the forefront of technology are beholden to posterity to shape an accessible and just world via technological advances. The Cypherpunks of the 20th century knew the importance of privacy and individual agency, and they fought valiantly to preserve such personal freedoms.
Today, the concept of Solar Punk, the latest iteration of technopunk, is pervasive throughout web3; while initially focused on global conservation and sustainable energy, the movement has evolved past its environmental roots. Contemporary Solar Punks are focused on fostering inclusive, positive-sum communities, building cooperative networks, and creating tools for social progress.
Rather than focusing on the potential negatives technology could bring about, tyrannical corporations, resource gaps, etc., as their predecessors did, Solar Punks are focused on creating a utopic future through technology. Solar Punks aim to craft a more egalitarian society through cooperation and intentional decision-making.
Sturdy
Sturdy works to maintain such standards set forth by the Solar Punk mission. Partnering with various protocols across web3 and aligning incentives for all users are integral to moving the protocol forward.
Sturdy is the first positive-sum DeFi lending protocol, allowing users to borrow stablecoins with no interest while providing substantive, transparent yield for stablecoins lenders. Sturdy accomplishes this by staking deposited collateral (e.g. Curve LP tokens and ETH) into third-party protocols like Convex and Lido. The staking yield is periodically harvested and distributed to stablecoin lenders. By redistributing the returns from staking, Sturdy provides users with real yield.
This starkly contrasts the mechanics of other lending protocols, which pit borrowers against lenders. Typically, lending protocols charge borrowers a fee for taking out a loan; the interest is passed on to lenders in the form of yield, to incentivize them to deposit their assets. Thus, lending protocols must walk the line between attracting depositors with attractively high yields, while not hindering borrowers with exorbitant fees.
Sturdy flips this model on its head. Just as no-loss lotteries redefined the relationship between participants, Sturdy’s mechanics simultaneously enable borrowers to pay less and lenders to earn more. By generating real yield for users, Sturdy circumvents the zero-sum mechanics of most lending protocols which pit lenders against borrowers.
By working with staking platforms and yield protocols, Sturdy is enmeshing itself and helping to strengthen existing connections within web3. Through providing real yield via transparent means and making it easily accessible to any user, Sturdy has positioned itself well within the ethos of the web3 Solar Punk movement.
Sturdy relies upon cooperation and interaction between various protocols rather than insulating itself and its users. While some protocols issue tokens with no clear use-case and engage in gimmicks and ponzinomics to produce profits for their earliest users, Sturdy works in tandem with some of the most prominent protocols in the space for the benefit of all users and the system as a whole.
Just as lending is central to any DeFi strategy, Sturdy, and its positive-sum ethos, is central to the potential of Web3.
As Scott Moore, co-founder of Gitcoin, put it, ‘Ethereum is Solar Punk, but Only if We Choose It.’ It is crucial to support innovative tech, working to better our world and make opportunities more accessible. You can try to get in early with protocols that feature Lambo-counters and other lofty promises, and you might make some quick cash (probably not), but if you want to go further, we must go together via community-focused protocols, such as Sturdy. Join the positive-sum revolution and get to lending on Sturdy today!
