š Overview
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Type: Case Study & Implementation Guide
Focus: Starting and growing a local ReFi node from first gathering to sustainable community
Prerequisites & Criteria
If you want to start a local node in your community, be sure to read the first guide below with an emphasis on the section titled āCriteriaā:
Key takeaways from this guide are:
- You must be an experienced entrepreneur
- You cannot start a node alone, you need at least one other entrepreneur
- You both must have a long-term commitment to realize the vision of regeneration in your community
- You must be willing to meet with leaders across public, private and third sector institutions
- You must maintain all finances with transparent accountability (using a public ledger ideally)
Overview
Weāll provide a high-level overview of your first six months starting a local node, with a more detailed breakdown of each step in the guide below. Hosting regular events is the core function of a local node, with everything else building on top of the community that emerges from these gatherings.
Implementation Timeline (First 6 Months)
- Gather your team
- Schedule your first event
- Design a 12-month event schedule
- Fundraise value-aligned capital
- Map your current regenerative society
- Co-create your Local Node canvas
- Publish a Local Node lite paper and roadmap
Note: These steps are just recommendations. Itās up to you as a local node leader to find the best route to building a regenerative society in your community. If there are more important activities and more valuable uses of your time, please do prioritize accordingly!
Implementation Guide
1. Gather your team
Running a local node can be a lot of work, but it can also be a lot of fun!
The best part is you canāt do it alone! So itās important to build a team that is passionate about the vision of regeneration in your local community and can contribute to events, partnerships, fundraising and product.
Invite people you know
Take time to write down a list of all the people you know who work in regeneration, impact, startups, social justice, finance, AI and web3. Focus on people you resonate with personally. Itās important to enjoy working with these people!
Pick a short list of 6-8 people that you think would be open for an initial meeting about forming a local node in your community. Be sure to pick people that have a proven track record for delivering value to society. You want consistent, committed contributors. Ideally youāve got some experienced entrepreneurs or angel investors who have great networks too!
š„ Resource: Check out the book āThe Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groupsā.
This book explores the elements that create successful teams, including trust, communication, and psychological safety. It provides examples from a variety of industries to illustrate how to cultivate a positive team culture.
Schedule an initial team meeting
Find a place to meet where you can discuss the idea of a local node, plan your first local event and build a rough roadmap for the year ahead. Put it in your calendar and send out a series of invitations to the people on your list. You can try something like this:
Hey [friend_name],
Iād like to run a series of monthly events here in [city_name] around the idea of kickstarting a local regenerative society. Given your background in [personalized_background], Iād love to have you there!
Iām looking to build a small team that can help me run monthly events, build partnerships with key local institutions and ultimately engage in land-based project development for regenerating people and nature.
It sounds like a lofty ambition, but the cool thing is there are already 19 other local communities doing similar work on ReFiDAO.comāan online community that is supporting this global network of regenerative societies.
Weāve got a few other people who have RSVPād already including [list_names_of_influential_people_you_invited]. If youāre interested let me know, Iāll drop you a calendar invitation!
Weāll have a 90-min meeting followed by a nice lunch at [regenerative_restaurant] on me!
Looking forward,
[your_name]
Plan for the meeting
The purpose of this initial meeting is to build a small team that can help you deliver on monthly events and create a community that can contribute towards a regenerative society. Youād be welcome to use a rough outline as follows below:
- Welcome
- Why are we here?
- What is a local node?
- Running events
- Big picture vision
- Roles and responsibilities
- Takeaways
We recommend appointing someone as a āscribeā to write down the notes from the meeting to send back to all participants and remind them of action points.
š„ We highly recommend eating food together when you meet!
Given the digital-first world we live in, most people suffer from a lack of deep in-person connection. By making a habit of eating and drinking together to enjoy the simple things in life, you can build stronger team bonds that will help you overcome hardship and work together to achieve audacious goals.
Capture moments from the team meeting
Itās important to take good photos of the initial gathering that you can use to celebrate this initial milestone of your local node. Weāre social creatures and we benefit from seeing other peopleās faces and recognizing that members of our community are involved in working towards the greater good of our society.
You can share on your own social media, and ultimately promote on your Local Node social accounts when they are live!
[Photo gallery section would go here]
We also recommend making a public announcement of who you are, what you plan to do and how people can get involved!
Mention key members of the local community and even announce the date of your first event!
2. Schedule your first event
[Content continues with detailed steps for scheduling and hosting the first eventā¦]
3. Design a 12-month event schedule
[Detailed guidance on planning annual event calendarā¦]
4. Fundraise value-aligned capital
[Steps for securing funding for node operationsā¦]
5. Map your current regenerative society
[Methods for ecosystem mapping and stakeholder identificationā¦]
6. Co-create your Local Node canvas
[Collaborative strategy development processā¦]
7. Publish a Local Node lite paper and roadmap
[Documentation and communication strategyā¦]
Impact & Outcomes
Community Building
- Formation of core leadership team
- Regular event schedule established
- Growing network of aligned stakeholders
Organizational Development
- Clear governance structure
- Transparent financial management
- Defined roles and responsibilities
Ecosystem Integration
- Connections with ReFi DAO network
- Partnerships with local institutions
- Integration with broader ReFi ecosystem
Lessons Learned
Critical Success Factors
- Experienced Leadership: Need proven entrepreneurs who can deliver
- Team Collaboration: Cannot be done alone - minimum 2 committed co-leaders
- Long-term Commitment: Building regenerative society takes sustained effort
- Cross-sector Engagement: Must engage public, private, and nonprofit sectors
- Financial Transparency: Public ledger accountability builds trust
Best Practices
- Prioritize in-person connection and shared meals
- Document and celebrate milestones publicly
- Build diverse, value-aligned team
- Maintain regular event cadence
- Focus on relationship building over transactions
Resources & Contact
ReFi Lisboa
- Location: Lisboa, Portugal
- Status: Active Local Node
- Contact: [Add when available]
- Social Media: [Add when available]
Related Resources
Case Study Version: 1.0 (Notion Draft)
Last Updated: October 3, 2025
Status: Mockup ā Needs Completion
Next Steps: Add specific ReFi Lisboa outcomes, metrics, photos, and contacts
Sync Note: This case study was extracted from Notion Content Database on October 4, 2025 and represents early-stage documentation. Full case study completion pending ReFi Lisboa team input. For latest version, see Notion page.