In this episode of Latest Development, Dirt is joined by Jemmy, co-founder of MonkeDAO, to explore how one of Solana’s earliest NFT communities has grown into a powerhouse for builders, investors, and local chapters worldwide. Jemmy shares the origin story of MonkeDAO, from Discord chats during the SMB mint to forming Monke Ventures, the Foundry incubator, and Banana Stand.
They discuss how the DAO scaled beyond community roots, why social + human capital are as valuable as financial backing, and how MonkeDAO is building a long-term flywheel for projects, members, and the wider Solana ecosystem. Jemmy also talks about navigating decentralized venture structures, supporting builders through grants and incubation, and the growth of 25+ local chapters across the globe.
⏱ Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: Meet Jemmy & the origins of MonkeDAO 02:00 – Early SMB days: Discord chats and the first community nucleus 06:00 – From collectors to builders: why MonkeDAO spun off new initiatives 09:15 – Launching Monke Ventures: decentralized syndicate investing 14:00 – Structure & governance: keeping the model sustainable 19:15 – Build with MonkeDAO → Foundry: evolving into an incubator 23:00 – Banana Stand: powering community flywheels & user testing 27:30 – Local chapters: 25+ cities building real-world presence 30:15 – Long-term vision: NFTs as membership to a Web3 country club 34:25 – Closing thoughts & reflections on four years of MonkeDAO
