Podcast
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September 24, 2024

How Blockchain is Fueling Regenerative Finance: A Look at Coral Tribe NFT and ReFi Hub

Michel Gagnon
Michel Gagnon
CEO of Stun&Awe

I recently had the chance to chat with Christian Chengne and Avery Schwartz, co-founders of Coral Tribe NFT and ReFi Hub, two ventures at the intersection of blockchain and sustainability. Their mission? Use blockchain technology to drive real-world environmental impact through regenerative finance (ReFi). In simple terms, they’re showing how you can make money while saving the planet.

What is Coral Tribe NFT?

Coral Tribe NFT is a blockchain project focused on environmental regeneration, particularly coral reef restoration. The project began as an art initiative that raised over $1 million through NFT sales, with a significant portion funding coral planting efforts in areas like Indonesia and Spain. Coral Tribe combines art, community, and impact by directing resources to projects that rebuild vital marine ecosystems.

A key feature is the community fund, where 50% of NFT sale revenue is invested in businesses that deliver both environmental impact and financial returns. By blending sustainability with business, Coral Tribe seeks to create a regenerative economy, using blockchain to drive real-world change.

Coral Tribe NFT

The Role of ReFi Hub

ReFi Hub, on the other hand, is a marketplace for sustainable investments. It's designed to make real-world assets, like loans or equity in eco-friendly businesses, accessible to a global audience. ReFi Hub aims to democratize access to financial markets, especially for small businesses in developing economies, where access to capital can be tough. By tokenizing these assets, they allow investors to buy smaller portions, making it easier for anyone to participate.

Christian and Avery’s Journey

Both Christian and Avery come from diverse backgrounds—Christian in design and art, and Avery in conservation. Their passion for the environment, combined with a keen interest in the possibilities of blockchain, led them to create these projects. Christian shared how his early experiments in digital art and NFTs opened his eyes to the potential of decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain, while Avery’s conservation work pushed her to find faster, more impactful solutions beyond traditional environmental studies.

Avery on Merging Profitability and Sustainability:
“There's often a false choice between choosing sustainability and choosing profitability. We’re trying to dispel that through both of our products.”

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Building the Projects

One of the key challenges they faced was the technical complexity of building on blockchain. Since neither Christian nor Avery had a technical development background, they had to invest heavily in finding the right development team. Their advice? Don’t skimp on development resources—this is an area where you need trust and expertise. By working with trusted developers and agencies on a milestone basis, they were able to manage their budget and ensure progress without compromising quality.

Regenerative Finance and Tokenization

Regenerative finance is about more than just making money; it’s about creating a financial system that assigns value to protecting the earth. By integrating blockchain, ReFi Hub is able to tokenize real-world assets, allowing for more transparency, accessibility, and liquidity in investments. This model enables fractional ownership, meaning people can invest in small portions of assets they might not otherwise have access to, like sustainable businesses in emerging markets.

Christian on Tokenization:
“Tokenization of real-world assets increases accessibility. People can buy in much smaller portions than they usually could. It's all on the blockchain, and it creates transparency, liquidity, and a new way to trade and invest in impactful assets.”

Overcoming Challenges

One of the biggest hurdles for blockchain projects like Coral Tribe and ReFi Hub is overcoming the public’s fear of crypto. The founders are well aware of the skepticism surrounding blockchain, especially given the number of scams in the space. However, they believe that with proper education and transparent platforms, blockchain can become a trusted tool for driving sustainability.

Looking Ahead

While blockchain and regenerative finance still face challenges, the future looks promising. As Christian noted, “We’re making incredible strides in both regenerative finance and real-world asset tokenization. Industry leaders like Larry Fink of BlackRock believe that, within our lifetime, everything will be tokenized.” This recognition highlights the growing momentum behind blockchain technology and its potential to revolutionize both finance and sustainability.

Key Takeaways:

  • Regenerative finance (ReFi) integrates sustainability with financial returns.
  • Coral Tribe NFT funds environmental projects through NFT sales.
  • ReFi Hub tokenizes real-world assets, making it easier for people to invest in sustainable businesses.
  • Building a Web3 project requires a strong development team and a clear vision.
  • Overcoming fear of crypto and tokenization will be key to wider adoption in the future.

Christian on Regenerative Finance:
“Regenerative finance can be applied to a million things. This is one of them, but you might see it across ecosystem restoration, carbon credits, loans to businesses, equity, et cetera.”

Here's what we covered:

02:35 From Art to Ecosystem: The Story Behind Coral Tribe NFT

04:05 ReFi Hub: The Future of Sustainable Investment Platforms

07:24 Beyond Profit: The Rise of Regenerative Finance

09:31 Tokenizing the Planet: How Real-World Assets Go Digital

11:24 Inside ReFi Hub: How It’s Shaping the Future of Finance

14:51 Picking the Right Partners: How ReFi Hub Chooses Businesses

17:23 Christian’s Leap into Blockchain: From Creative to Crypto

25:40 Avery’s Evolution: From Conservation to ReFi Visionary

30:18 Building ReFi Hub: The Blueprint for Blockchain Success

30:59 Breaking Into Web3: Your Guide to Getting Started

33:10 The Power of the Right Dev Team: Why It’s Non-Negotiable

35:17 Show Me the Money: The Business Model Behind ReFi Hub

37:08 Lessons from the Frontlines: Web3 Challenges and Wins

41:01 Behind the Scenes: How the ReFi Hub Team Operates

44:28 Growing the Tribe: ReFi Hub’s Marketing and Community Strategy

48:48 The Road Ahead: How ReFi and Blockchain Will Transform the Future

55:14 Jumping into Web3? Here’s the Top Advice from the Founders

Where to find Christian and Avery:

Where to find Michel: