Last Monday, Zerion joined more than 30 teams in the DeFi space to publicly voice our commitment to core values of our ecosystem. The plan was to launch a creative campaign where we put the interoperable nature of Web3 front and center by “permissionlessly” sharing tweets from other protocols, and reinforcing the trustless nature of DeFi as whole.

In the wake of recent crashes in centralized finance, the case for DeFi has never been stronger. The smart contracts and open-source code that governs decentralized protocols have proven to outperform imperfect humans who are incentivized to convince their users to trust them based on arbitrary reasoning.

“DeFi is a solution to a financial system that has failed the people for decades, if not centuries. DeFi represents a chance to build a new, open, transparent, and composable one. The path to adoption is still long, and DeFi builders must remain united to achieve our common vision.”

- Julien Bouteloup, Founder Stake DAO.

Born out of an idea from our friends at Element and Yearn, the campaign took on mind of its own as teams from all over the world joined in.

We even got roasted by Gabriel Haines:

Coordinated entirely on shared docs, Figma templates and Telegram, this campaign needed zero calls, syncs or face to face encounters to come to life. It developed in a truly 24-hour cycle with all contributors chiming whenever they had ideas or were on the clock.

“I think this is a great example of what "decentralization" means in terms of human capital and how those who operate in this space are able to make something like this work. We are all in different parts of the world, working for different projects and still able to make it happen. Not only from a logistical POV but from an ideological perspective which is even less easy. Everyone puts their ideas and thoughts and we got along.”

- Maria Magenes, Marketing Lead Oasis.app

Another hallmark of this campaign was that it allowed newer, lesser known projects to state their support to pillars and principles of DeFi.

"In the traditional finance world, competition often takes center stage. But in the DeFi space, we see a different story being written. The co-marketing campaign with other DeFi protocols showed us the power of unity and how working together towards a common goal can lead to greater advancements and growth for the entire ecosystem. It's a testament to the true spirit of decentralization and the difference it can make in finance."

- Gabriel Gruber, Founder Exactly Protocol

Katia Banina, Head of Product at Bebop highlighted that it was a great opportunity to see diverse and complimentary perspectives on the campaign from different projects. The result was a good balance of creating suspence on crypto Twitter, while keeping legal and individual branding considerations in check. Importantly, it became clear that further collaboration between project in DeFi is not only possible, but will also be very fruitful.

This campaign exemplified the core tenants of decentralization, interoperability and open frameworks that define DeFi today. All participating teams felt a common purpose and mission that gave weight to the experiment as whole.

“We're building DeFi to replace the status quo financial framework. Historically, the traditional financial framework creates moats and introduces opacity, reducing economic freedom and making markets less efficient and safe. Leveraging the composability of this new technology, we can democratize and provide more equitable, safer, and transparent financial tools and products to reach a global audience.”

- Jared Grey, Head Chef Sushi

As we look to move forward from a tumultuous 2022, its vital we reinforce the pillars that make DeFi different from the status quo.

“There is something special happening in Decentralized Finance. This campaign celebrates what makes DeFi different from the systems it seeks to replace - executed in a way that could only work in this space. We hope it will serve as yet another reminder that, in the wake of CeFi blow-ups, DeFi stands apart not only through its technological composability but also its shared values.”

- Draper, CMO Yearn.

Zerion is proud to stand beside teams from across the DeFi landscape to highlight these values and look keep building for the future.

All Participating Projects

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