End of Q3 2025 Update

As Q3 wraps up, we’re proud to share the progress ValleyDAO and our ecosystem have made in funding, scaling, and connecting breakthrough biotech projects for climate and sustainability. From Hempy’s hydrophobic hemp fibers to our latest investment in Tattva’s carbon-negative materials and community growth through events like Bytes for Bites, ValleyDAO keeps expanding!

Project Milestones

Hempy

Hempy reached a major milestone in hemp material science.

We’ve unlocked a brand-new property of hemp, hydrophobicity. Not only have we successfully softened the fiber, but Hempy’s enhanced fibers can now repel water and resist absorption.

One of hemp’s few drawbacks has been how easily it soaks up and retains water. Lab testing confirms that our upgraded fibers are now more suitable for outdoor wear, performance gear, and technical apparel, where water resistance is key.

We also successfully scaled up our enzyme treatment process 6-fold, paving the way for spinning trials and materials testing later this year.

We’re hiring: Entrepreneur in Residence

To embark on the next chapter of the hemp revolution, ValleyDAO is looking for a mission-driven Entrepreneur in Residence to lead the commercialization of HEMPY, a sustainable textile project redefining hemp-based fashion through patent-pending enzyme technology. The role involves bringing HempKnit™ technology and the HEMPY brand to market, shaping strategy, securing partnerships, and building the foundation for a new biotech startup at the intersection of sustainability, fashion, and innovation.

📩 Apply by sending your CV and a short cover letter to people@valleydao.bio

Coming soon: A limited-edition Hempy Hoodie drop, with each buyer receiving $50 worth of $HEMPY tokens. Keep an eye on our channels for the launch date.

Hempy’s innovation continues to prove that sustainable, high-performance fashion is not only possible, it’s already happening.

Tattva

ValleyDAO community approved the funding proposal for Tattva, investing £50,000 ($67,000) in equity to support their mission of modernizing industry with carbon-negative biomaterials.

Tattva’s core innovation, Stromate, is a photosynthetic biomineral that grows in just seven days, locking in ~1 tonne of CO₂ for every 4m³ produced. With fire-safe (Euroclass A1) properties and 60% lower unit costs at pre-pilot scale, Stromate is redefining how we think about construction materials.

Tattva is already collaborating with Tata Steel, TBI, and Studio biocene, and has secured over €1.3M in grants and venture funding to accelerate development.

FORGE

We kicked off the $FORGE branding campaign, inviting the ValleyDAO community to help shape the identity of our biomining and synthetic biology token.

Community members shared their input through a branding questionnaire, and one lucky participant won $100 worth of $FORGE for their contribution.

As we finalize the brand - now evolving into “Biomined” - and prepare the communications rollout, $FORGE will take its place as the next major token in DeSci, powering real-world biotech and climate innovation.

ValleyDAO x Bytes for Bites Hackathon

In September, we joined the Bytes for Bites Hackathon, hosted by the Bezos Earth Fund and Imperial College London, as an official partner.

Participants were given exclusive access to Phlo, ValleyDAO’s AI-powered research and innovation platform, to develop, de-risk, and prototype their biotech ideas using purpose-built tools.

It was incredible to see the next generation of scientists and founders harnessing DeSci tools to turn bold ideas into viable research.

Phlo: Evolving the AI Platform for Biotech

Phlo continues to grow as the go-to AI assistant for research translation and project development in biotech.

This quarter, we launched:

Build Mode: for structured, step-by-step project execution and sprint planning.
Work Package AI: to generate actionable, lab-ready work packages.

Next up:

Migrating the core architecture to Responses API
Integrating GPT-5 models for deeper reasoning
Enhanced memory and cross-feature context
Personalized onboarding for new users
Fundraising toolkit upgrades
Introducing Technoeconomic Analysis features to help identify commercially viable methods, processes and technologies

Phlo is becoming the backbone of decentralized biotech innovation, bringing powerful AI support to every scientist, founder, and builder in the ecosystem. Now that the first proof-of-concept is taking shape, we’re ramping up business development efforts to start bringing in our first customers.

Ecosystem and Community

ValleyDAO’s mission continues to attract researchers, entrepreneurs, and DeSci builders around the world. Our community is now stronger than ever, with record engagement across X, new collaborations, and a growing number of funded projects.

We also launched our new website, featuring an interactive overview of all our funded and supported projects!

Check out ValleyDAO’s website!

Proof of DeSci

We released four insightful episodes exploring the intersection of AI, biotech, climate innovation, and open science.

Episode 7, “Winning with Phlo: How AI Tools Empower Biotech Builders” dives into how Phlo is accelerating founder workflows in DeSci.

Episode 8, “BIO V2, DeSci Summer & Market Insights” unpacks Bio protocol’s next stage and the dynamics behind current momentum in the decentralized science space.

Episode 9, “Building the Future of DeSci: Lab Automation, Climate & Culture” features a conversation on how enabling infrastructure, culture, and automation will unlock the next wave of biotech breakthroughs.

Finally, Episode 10, “Student Biological Data Competition 2025” spotlights the upcoming competition aiming to empower students to share open datasets, practice reproducible science, and gain visibility in their early careers.

Get Involved

ValleyDAO is leading the charge in decentralized science, and we invite you to join us in this groundbreaking journey. With $GROW tokens, you can get involved in funding research projects, gain exposure to the success of those projects, and have a voice in the future of DeSci. Whether you’re a researcher, enthusiast, or investor, there’s a place for you in our growing community.

We’re offering $GROW incentives for contributors with domain expertise in:

Oleaginous yeast
Food tech
Computational biology for metabolic engineering
Cell-free workflows

We’re also looking for beta testers for Phlo who want early access to our research co-pilot.

If you or someone you know is interested in shaping the future of climate biotech and DeSci, please reach out or forward this update. Let’s keep building.