RAZ Finance: Decentralized Impact

RAZFinance.io is a stakeholder engagement network and due diligence tool that makes it possible for:

PROJECT OWNERS to measure and manage integrated impact-financial data and performance.

INVESTMENT FUND AND ASSET MANAGERS to find verified impact, ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) as well as sustainability-driven investment opportunities. 

INDIVIDUALS to finance stakeholder-verified impact, ESG and sustainability outcomes.

A new, more conscious, generation of investors and stakeholders expects meaningful progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals alongside positive impact and ESG outcomes.

By 2025, 1/3 of global assets under management, representing 53 trillion dollars, will be classified as "Sustainable" and "Environment, Social and Governance" investments.

Although regulations are emerging that mandate disclosures, self-reported data just isn't enough anymore.

It's time to raise the bar.

On July 1st 2021, BlackRock published a report on the economic impact of action or inaction, towards realizing the UN SDGs, which found an overlap between outcomes and financial performance of as much as 70%.

Particular matching was seen in categories which are directly relevant to climate change, responsible production and consumption, sustainable construction, and waste management.

While for climate change and gender equality, the cost of not achieving the SDGs is far greater than the cost of action. 

Our team's drive to build RAZ is to make it possible for talented founders to realize their potential based on tangible, verified, technology-driven data.

We believe the RAZ approach will open doors for funding to be channeled towards world-changing environmental innovation, and progress across all SDGs, through an investment lens that removes discrimination and location-based barriers.

RAZ transparently records progress according to

Impact themes and metrics | ESG strategies | Sustainability targets and indicators | Capital allocation

commitments | Economic outcomes

Results from each initiative can be transformed into digital assets to facilitate:

• Impact verification
• DeFi-driven data trading
• Reduced risk for investors
• Increased investment liquidity
• Faster and more efficient due diligence
• Secure access to integrated impact and financial data
• Opportunities for purpose-driven companies and projects to access capital more efficiently
• a RAZ market for impact, ESG and sustainable investing opportunities

Although capital inflows are changing the investment landscape, inadequate solutions exist to answer,

"how do investment strategies driven by ESG, sustainability and impact lead to economic benefit?"

and

"how do we know that positive change is being catalyzed by our capital"?

RAZ answers both questions. 

RAZ is being developed to become the first decentralized stakeholder engagement and impact verification network

Where we are now

• Impact Themes and Initiatives are customized according to:

1. The goals of companies, initiatives and their funders

1. Impact metrics and standards established by the RAZ community

• The platform records action steps and progress across ESG, sustainability or impact initiatives

• Project Stakeholders, including: investors, team members, employees, suppliers, customers, verification experts and intended beneficiaries can verify and influence outcomes

• Engagement is incentivized through gamification, points, awards and ranks

• Details on the capital allocated, and deployed, to each initiative involved in the realization of an Impact Theme can be provided

• Each company and organization that utilizes the platform onboards members from their own stakeholder groups

• Data privacy: RAZ subscribers remain in control of how their data is accessed and utilized.

 Project Owners maintain control and ownership over their data, and can set access levels for their projects, inclusive of:

• Publicly viewable
• Accessible to the $RAZ community and open for feedback
• Limited to the project's stakeholders

The community influences due diligence, impact-financial assessment, measurement and management practices through evolutionary, increasingly decentralized, governance. 

Stakeholders: | verify and rank products, companies, projects and initiatives | engage with projects on an individual or group level |

Stakeholders are rewarded for participatingin a project that leads to: | products being added to the RAZ marketplace | funding and investment catalyzed by the platform |

Contributions are valued based on outcomes achieved, and reflected as Reputation Scores that shape the influence of individual stakeholders and community members.

RAZ + Catalyst

With the Project Catalyst and Cardano community, RAZ can facilitate engagement according to best practices across impact measurement and management, due diligence, and sustainable development goal realization. As our network becomes increasingly decentralized, a pilot project with the Cardano Catalyst community would add value to projects seeking to ensure their integrated economic, environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes are stakeholder-verified.

If $RAZ is launched as a Cardano-native asset, the growth of the RAZ network would continue to benefit Catalyst projects and teams, alongside their digital and local communities.

From Q2 of 2022 and beyond:

• Project Owners will be able to list on the RAZ market to qualify for investment, grants and donations
• Impact outcomes will be correlated to resulting revenue across the timeline of the project or investment
• The decentralized network and mobile app launch will facilitate cross-project collaboration
• App, services and funding support will extend to additional currencies managed by the RAZ DAO treasury
• The RAZ wallet will enable swaps of $RAZ and partner tokens to community currencies investment, support and donation to impact-verified projects
• The RAZ shop and wallet will catalyze stakeholder access to impact-verified products, essential goods and services, education and healthcare across emerging markets and beyond
• Integrated reporting will correlate capital allocation to economic, social and environmental outcomes, alongside financial return

See more details on our Roadmap page at: https://razfinance.io/roadmap

Where we want to be and how we can build with Cardano:

Throughout the first quarter of 2022:

• Proof of existence creating can be automated on the Cardano blockchain. We intend to transform action steps, proof points and verification events into a blockchain-driven "digital time capsule". On-chain data is secure and associated with stakeholders' digital identifiers.
• Data will be securely stored off-chain through decentralized solutions. Due diligence will be facilitated by oracles and smart contracts.

With the support of the community, $RAZ can launch as a Cardano-native token to catalyze the realization of the following outcomes: 

• Individuals and pods will be able to earn $RAZby engaging with projects, referring active community members, making conscious purchases and supporting initiatives. 

Project Budget:

$10,000 Token Minting

$RAZ will be minted on the Cardano blockchain with a circulating supply of 42,000,000 at initial release, and 78,000,000 following an ICO. These funds will facilitate the transfer of tokens to our first private investors, network members and stakeholders, team, partners and advisors. 

$10,000 Team and Operations during a 6-month pilot program focused on Catalyst project data management.

$7500 Proof of Existence integration and data management to facilitate decentralized document storage

$2500 $ADA deployment to facilitate $RAZ transfers that support KYC and referral processes.

Deliverables:

• $RAZ minting as a Cardano-native asset. Integration of wallet addresses with stakeholder profiles on the existing network platform. 

• Provision of Project Owner Dashboard Setup and 6-month Subscriptions to up to 20 Catalyst-funded projects. Customization of dashboards for impact data collection according to best practices such as those established by the B Impact Assessment https://bimpactassessment.net/ and the Global Impact Investing Network's IRIS Impact Metrics catalog https://iris.thegiin.org/metrics/ as well as project-specific metrics. 

• Integration of RAZ Finance with a Cardano-based proof of existence solutionto automate the hashing of project/impact theme/initiative data inputs that prove action steps were taken, and documents were provided, in accordance with a specific project timeline. Technical integration to focus on documents being stored in unaltered form to facilitate transparent due diligence and proof of capital allocation towards specific outcomes. 

• $2500 in $ADA provided directly to $RAZ stakeholders to facilitate referrals and the onboarding of 500-1000 new network participants. A minimum of 700 active members of the RAZ network by September 2022.

• Establishment of an NFT market on the RAZ network that facilitates the deployment of funding to impact-verified projects through the sale of NFTs minted on Cardano and associated with data collected by the RAZ platform.

Auditability

• Our project's progress towards initiatives that adapt impact measurement and management best practices to a decentralized environment is being publicly tracked here: https://impact.razfinance.io/impact-themes/

• We have made all our business development, decentralization, and digital asset creation-related financial data publicly available here: https://impact.razfinance.io/impact-themes/decentralized-impact-finance/ 

• In keeping with these transparency practices, all Cardano Catalyst stakeholders engaged with RAZ will receive access to the RAZ impact platform and be able to track, influence, and engage with our deployment of the $30,000 in $ADA we are requesting for this project. 

Our journey

RAZ is creating a dynamic digital ecosystem that incentivizes meaningful contributions to the verification, authentication and transparency of impact, ESG, sustainability and economic data.

RAZ is developing a market to make it possible for all community members to access verified investment opportunities across the sustainable production and impact-focused technology sectors.

Project stakeholders include:

Investors | Founders and Leaders | Team Members and Employees | Customers | Suppliers | Community Members | Data Verifiers | Contributors and Reviewers

Stakeholders across the RAZ network itself are: 

Investors: Equity and token holders. Their influence is based on a combination of:

- the governance rights associated with $RAZ

- network-level reputation and engagement

Contributors: Pods, businesses and organizations involved in the network's development.

Project Owners: Stakeholder pods managing individual RAZ dashboards, data privacy and access controls. Pods can manage projects for privately held business entities and organizations.

Ranking is based on individual contributions

RAZ Network Stakeholders:

Leaders https://razfinance.io/stakeholders/leaders/ are engaged with the governance of the network while contributing to projects and pods

Architects https://razfinance.io/stakeholders/architects/ participate in pods, network governance and development without engaging with projects

Pods are groups of value-aligned individual $RAZ holders. Pods contribute to RAZ development and governance.

The Network https://razfinance.io/network/ is inclusive of all $RAZ holders and facilitates connections according to values-based alignment

$RAZ token launch, private sale and ICO

with $RAZ, individuals can:

- Shop for impact-verified products https://razfinance.io/commerce

- Support stakeholder-approved companies and causes by: Donating | Lending | Investing

- Earn through making conscious purchases, supporting initiatives, engaging with projects and referring active community members

For Project Owners and Asset Managers, $RAZ utility extends to:

- Subscription discounts for holders seeking to launch a project on RAZ.

- Rewards, compensation and incentivization for project stakeholders, impact-financial data auditors and verifiers.

- Capital deployment to verified opportunities.

- Impact-verified carbon and sustainability credits.

- Stakeholder-approved support and advisory, including impact assessment, measurement and management.

For the Catalyst Community, RAZ presents an opportunity for Cardano dApps and projects to benefit from a gamified, decentralized, impact-financial data verification platform.

RAZ is working towards stakeholder-verified impact-financial data becoming the foundational asset that facilitates transparent investment and liquidity across the ESG, sustainability and impact landscape.

Join us in leading the evolution of impact finance.

Leadership and Co-Founders

Miriam Davidovic | Co-Founder - Governance, Impact Data, Blockchain and Decentralized Finance

Miriam founded Roshem Impact in 2017, a Certified B Corporation recognized as being among the "Best for the World™" in the Workers Impact category for 2021. The company provided web development, policy and governance, communications and impact management solutions to purpose-driven companies. The team created, and exclusively focused, on RAZ based on the unmet market need for stakeholder-driven, integrated, impact and financial data management. Miriam leads data management, verification, blockchain and impact-financial integration initiatives across the RAZ platform and network. Her leadership experience spans across the USA, Canada, Serbia and Israel as related to impact finance, impact measurement and management, information technology, marketing, intellectual property, purpose-driven corporate governance, due diligence, Environment, Social and Governance policy and practice.

Raphael Bitterman | Co-Founder - Strategy and Business Development

At RAZ, Raphael brings together an ecosystem of aligned, mission-driven, pioneers at the intersection of impact and finance. He manages investor relationships and partnerships with leaders across the ESG, blockchain, and DeFi, impact tech, agricultural tech, sustainable and regenerative business landscape. He is a licensed attorney in Israel with 20 years of Intellectual Property law experience. For 19 years, he worked in the diamond and jewelry space to develop market access opportunities through technology, while driving sales and operating tenders. At this time of transition to a global regenerative economy, he is focused on how emerging technologies can drive digital transformation. Through RAZ, he seeks to influence the achievement of world-changing positive outcomes that drive financial growth, decentralization and increased prosperity for all stakeholders.

Nemanja Tomanovic | Technology Development Project Manager

Nemanja developed the RAZ Finance Network platform razfinance.net and our Proof of Concept at razfinance.io He is an expert at online community management as well as front-end development. He has worked with Roshem Impact since 2019, and has created WordPress-based websites and community platforms for impact-driven initiatives across the e-commerce, advisory and consulting, trading, and sustainable business landscape. At RAZ, he manages priorities, workflows and HR related to the expansion of our in-house team, blockchain integration, data security and while ensuring our team meets and exceeds milestones and KPIs in accordance with investor expectations.

Advisors

Joshua Boles | CEO of Neo Flow Asset Management

As the CEO of Neo Flow, Joshua leads a multi-disciplinary investment management company focused on Digital Assets, Decentralized Finance, and Web 3.0 blockchain projects. The firm's relationships and blended investment approach have led to early access to the most advanced Digital Asset protocols and next-generation technology. His career history has included being a Senior Investment Advisor, Executive Director, Chief of Staff and Business Development leader working with federal clients and the Department of Defense. He has managed a Single Family Office for 10 years, with approximately 4,000 multifamily units in five US states including a portfolio of investments across the venture capital and private equity space.

Margaret Mondlane | Environment, Social and Governance

Margaret has over 20 years experience in environmental, social, governance (ESG), and project management consulting for private, public, and international clients for a multitude of industries. She has a Bachelor's degree in Natural Resources Management from Colorado State University, a Master's degree in Environmental Management from the University of Cape Town and a Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Colorado and Leeds Business School.

Ron Goldschlager | Chairman and Managing Director of the Hermal Group | Founder of Cusp Building Solutions

Full Biography: https://cusp.com.au/team/ron-goldschlager/

Background/Experience: Ron is a problem solver and an investor driving forward the development of the platform and network. He has an innate need and vision to improve the world for its people. His family have worked in the timber industry for more than seven consecutive generations. Ron has diversified his Hermal Group in Australia into the new world economy of sustainability. As timber has risen to the fore as a solution in the fight to tackle climate change, Ron has turned a forest-based raw material being sold as woodchips into the world's first plantation hardwood CLT. Cusp is the realization of Ron's vision to facilitate Australia becoming self-sufficient in timber production and to minimize waste in the timber supply chain. To this end, he is also creating a Bioenergy plant that can generate renewable electricity & heat from the biomass waste of the forest industries. Ron holds an honours degree in Chemical Engineering from Monash University. Cusp Building Solutions is just one of the many successful companies that form part of the Hermal Group, of which Ron is Chairman & Managing Director. These companies include Sullivan's Cove Distillery, Quip$mart, Mortim, CLTP and Cusp, Solarwood International, Hermal Bioenergy & Westernport Marina.

The Impact of RAZ

**Read more about the problem's we're solving and view our Theory of Change here:**https://razfinance.io/impact/ 

Read about our Governance and transition to a decentralized structure here: https://razfinance.io/governance/

Get to know our Stakeholder groups here: https://razfinance.io/network-stakeholders/ 

Explore our Codes of Conduct here: https://razfinance.io/codes-of-conduct/

Partner and Supplier Code of Conducthttps://razfinance.io/partner-and-supplier-code-of-conduct/

The provisions of this Code of Conduct set forth RAZ Finance expectations for all suppliers with whom the DAO conducts business. RAZ Finance expects that these principles apply to suppliers and their employees, parent, subsidiary or affiliate entities, and subcontractors. 

Stakeholder Engagement Code of Conducthttps://razfinance.io/stakeholder-engagement-code-of-conduct/

RAZ Finance Stakeholders include $RAZ token holders, our co-founders, development and governance team members, individuals and companies utilizing the RAZ Finance online platform, project owners, partners and extended network, suppliers, the ESG and impact investment community, shareholders of our partner companies and advisors in accordance with the geographic scope and location of a particular project or initiative. 

Our SDG goals:

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

SDG subgoals:

5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

5.1.1 Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination 

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

SDG subgoals:

8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

8.5.1 Average hourly earnings of employees, by gender, age, occupation and persons with disabilities

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

SDG subgoals:

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

12.6.1 Number of companies publishing sustainability reports

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

SDG subgoals:

1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

1.a Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programs and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

1.4.1 Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services