Dune: The Data Must Flow | The Generalist

Omnichain is the future. Or, perhaps, the present. The emergence of Solana has spawned a wave of chain-specific projects. Dune will need to support consumer desire to understand the data behind these initiatives better. The company’s upcoming “Dune Engine v2,” internally dubbed “Arrakis,” seeks to do just that. 

Tokenize with caution. At first blush, Dune seems perfectly suited to a token. It has a thriving community doing meaningful work to benefit the ecosystem. Though they’re not opposed to the possibility of a native currency, Haga and Olsen are wary of doing so too soon.

Wizards make magic (and money). At the center of Dune’s “figure-eight flywheel” are the platform’s creators, better known as “wizards.” These data analysts create the dashboards that consumers view. In the process, they construct a resume of their skills, get paid via bounties, and discover professional opportunities.

Lean into what’s unique. Dune 1.0 offered paid dashboards of crypto data. Investors pushed back on that premise, given the availability of blockchain information at no cost. Rather than fighting, Haga and Olsen recognized the wisdom in this feedback. Dune 2.0 leaned into this characteristic.

Run lean, and persevere. If Dune’s burn rate had been higher, the company almost certainly would have failed in the dead of crypto winter. Instead, founders Fredrik Haga and Mats Olsen spent conservatively, giving them the chance to flourish in better conditions.