ZABAL UPDATE 19 - The ZAO Newsletter

TH Boulder

TH Boulder was not just about being there.

It was about testing systems in the wild.

And Incented played a real role in that.

First — thank you to @Incented for the support and for making it possible for me to be at ETH Boulder and contribute from Carrot Castle and beyond.

But more importantly:

Thank you for building tools that reward actual participation.

What Incented Enabled

At ETH Boulder, we didn’t just talk.

We ran live incentive loops.

Right now we have 4 active campaigns running:

Each campaign:

This isn’t theoretical token utility.

It’s active coordination.

Why This Matters

Most communities talk about engagement.

Incented lets us measure and reward it.

Instead of:

“Great clip.”

“Cool playlist.”

“Nice design.”

We get:

Submit → Vote → Distribute → Surface signal.

That loop compounds.

At ETH Boulder, I saw firsthand how powerful it is when participation is financially recognized — even in small amounts.

Small rewards.

Clear rules.

Transparent voting.

It changes behavior.

Bigger Picture

ZABAL is layering:

These are not isolated experiments.

They’re pieces of a larger system.

Incented is helping make participation tangible.

And that matters.

What’s Next

Update 20 will be a deeper ETH Boulder recap.

I’m still digesting.

Still synthesizing.

There’s a lot to unpack — conversations, infrastructure shifts, new relationships, long-term positioning.

That deserves clarity, not rush.

For now:

Thank you Incented.

Thank you builders.

Thank you ETH Boulder.

Let’s keep building signal.

— ZABAL