Nouns at Appcon Milan
Summary
We're asking for 22k USDC to fund:
- A year-long, 3D mural in an iconic location in Milan
- A showcase of Nouns apps, art, and merchandise at Appcon 2025 (April 7-13)
Our goal is to use Milan Design Week’s global stage to present Nouns as a leading creative force in Ethereum alongside key players like Farcaster and Coinbase — with the Ethereum Foundation also supporting the event — attracting tens of thousands of new users to the ecosystem.
We also aim to return at least 7.5k USDC to the DAO through:
- Nouns merchandise, toys and skateboard decks sold on Slice, both IRL and online — in collaboration with Benjamin Latsko, Based Nouns, Bigshot Toyworks, and boards.wtf
- A generative onchain NFT art collection
Importantly, the give-back mechanic pioneered here will be replicable by any Slice merchant after the event, making it easy for anyone to contribute to the DAO and for the Nouns community to promote aligned stores and products.
As the founder of Slice and being based in Milan, I want to make this event a success in Italy and surface the best of Ethereum to the world. I believe Nouns can be instrumental in driving adoption while also greatly benefiting from a central role at this event.
A separate Gnars DAO prop to fund a noggles rail as part of the showcase has recently passed, and after Appcon it will be donated to the local community for installation in a skate park. The two proposals have been kept separate to allow Gnars and Nouns DAOs to focus on their respective missions, and if this one passes the overall presence of Nouns would significantly increase.
Success metrics
- Nouns items sold and USDC amount sent back to the DAO
- Visitors introduced to Nouns and interacting with the showcased app (NounSwap)
- Visitor wallet addresses and email contacts shared with Benjamin for post-event Nouns remarketing
- (Post-Event) Number of people and communities engaging long-term with Ethereum and Nouns
- (Post-Event) Number of merchants adopting the Slice give-back mechanic to share sales profits with the DAO
Differences from Prop 760
Following the community’s largely positive feedback, this revised proposal includes:
- More activities and a higher expected amount of USDC returned to the DAO
- A generative NFT collection with part of the proceeds going to the DAO
- Details on the Noggles Rail, already produced and part of the event showcase
- Confirmation of Appcon support from the Ethereum Foundation
- Direct visitor interaction with NounSwap to onboard new users
- A reduced funding request, thanks to merch no longer needing on-site customization
What is Appcon?
Appcon is the first event dedicated to showcasing the top Ethereum apps and experiences to a non-crypto audience. It takes place on April 7-13 during Milan Design Week—the biggest annual design event in the world—offering activities, talks, and interactive experiences to over 50k visitors.
For more information, visit the Appcon Event Page or the Appcon website.
Proposal Details
1. Mural, 1 year (15k USDC)
Objective: Commission a year-long mural by emerging local artists that becomes a cultural landmark. This installation will symbolize the city’s adoption of Ethereum and feature an NFT minting experience during Appcon.
- Location: BAM park/Stecca socio-cultural center, next to the "Vertical Forest" skyscraper — one of Milan's most frequented areas.
- Duration: The mural will remain on display for one year, until the next Milan Design Week.
- Artists: renown muralist Alice Lotti will lead a team of talented artists of the ISIA Urbino—one of the leading graphic design and visual communication institutes in Italy
- Concept: Abstract geometries and elements combine to visually depict the core aspects of Nouns and Ethereum (decentralization, permissionless, peer-to-peer, collaborative, etc). The use of shapes and colors is designed to spark conversation and public interest.
- NFT Collection: During Appcon, a generative NFT collection related to the mural (with fully onchain art) will be open for minting in person at the venue and online, with part of the profits going back to the DAO.
- Cost breakdown: Funds cover site expenses, lodging and food for a week for 6 artists-in-residence, and all necessary materials (paints, supplies, etc.)




2. Nouns Showcase at Appcon (7k USDC)
Objective: Feature Nouns apps, art, and merchandise at Appcon to educate newcomers about Ethereum and onboard them to the Nouns ecosystem.
Showcase details:
- Apps: Have visitors interact with NounSwap to discover and interact with the Nouns ecosystem.
- Art and design: Display Nouns video productions on screen
- Merchandise:
- We'll sell Nouns merchandise, toys and skateboard decks on Slice, both IRL and online — in collaboration with Benjamin Latsko, Based Nouns, Bigshot Toyworks, and boards.wtf
- DAO Giveback mechanic: 50% of the profits will be returned to the DAO treasury. We estimate that selling 400 t-shirts will generate approximately $7.5k for the DAO.
- Costs breakdown: Venue set up, shipping and handling of physical items, merch production
Additional notes:
- After the event, we'll share visitor wallet addresses and email contacts with Benjamin for post-event Nouns remarketing.
- Fattybuthappy will join us in Milan to oversee the showcase, engage with the audience and host public talks about Nouns.

