Early Days of Ethereum

Chelsea Palmer is a community organizer who became a central figure at DCTRL Vancouver, the basement hackerspace that served as the cradle of Vancouver's blockchain ecosystem. She co-founded Carpe Lunem, an events association that orchestrated blockchain-related activities in the city.

Arriving at DCTRL

Chelsea first visited DCTRL in December 2014 when a friend was playing a DJ set at the space. She was finishing her master's degree on the social theory of technology at the time:

"My first experience of the spot was when it was more of a hacker space. My friend was playing a DJ set here in December 2014. I was finishing my master's degree on the social theory of tech, and while I found everything that was going on there really interesting, I knew I wouldn't complete my thesis if I didn't focus in on that. The next summer, I came back."

Community Building

Chelsea became one of DCTRL's most dedicated organizers, championing its ethos of being free, welcoming, and publicly accessible. She was protective of the space's counter-cultural character:

"I get a bit bulldoggish about it, because I think that the private sector is riding on the wave of blockchain, and beginning to co-opt the technology. Because this basement space is so weird and special, we've avoided that. Anyone who cares more about money than people comes down here and never wants to return. We haven't experienced what a lot of other spaces in blockchain have gone through, with Wall Street financiers coming in and taking charge. We are literally underground."

She focused on outreach and making blockchain accessible to newcomers:

"We specialize in outreach at DCTRL. We try to connect with people that are super new to the technology. What I like most about our community here is that it's always been free, welcoming, and publicly accessible."

Broader Ethereum Community

Chelsea was active in the wider Ethereum community, attending and organizing events. In October 2018, she hosted a discussion on radical exchange economics with Glen Weyl and Bob Summerwill at Microsoft's Vancouver offices.