‍Ivie Satijn Selected Among Cohort of 30 "Ethereum CMOs" to Build Educational Infrastructure for Traditional Finance

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Somma founder Ivie Satijn has been awarded 9.123 ETH (approximately $34,000 USD) by Octant and the Ethereum Foundation to create The Institutional Guide to RWA Standards. The grant, distributed through Octant's Epoch 9 program, represents both validation of past contributions to the Ethereum ecosystem and investment in critical infrastructure for institutional adoption.

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The funding will enable development of a comprehensive educational resource designed specifically for traditional finance decision-makers (CFOs, CTOs, and compliance officers) who are evaluating tokenization strategies but lack clear guidance on Ethereum's RWA (Real World Assets) token standards.

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"If we want to reach mass Web3 adoption, we need to address institutions first," Ivie explained. "This report will bridge the knowledge gap between Ethereum's technical capabilities and TradFi decision-making needs."

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Octant Epoch 9 – Ethereum's Most Rigorous Creator Selection

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The Competition

Octant Epoch 9 represents a significant moment for Ethereum ecosystem funding. In collaboration with the Ethereum Foundation's Strategic Funding Coordination team, the program evaluated over 450 applications to select just 30 projects focused on "growing Ethereum through storytelling and content."

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The selection process was highly competitive:

• 757+ hours dedicated to review phases over four weeks
• Minimum of four reviewers per application
• Four distinct review phases with cross-checking and deep evaluation
• Multiple evaluation criteria including past work, content formats, target audiences, and execution quality

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Ivie’s project finished 7th among the 30 selected grantees, a competitive positioning that reflects both the strength of her proposal and her established track record in institutional Web3 communications.

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Notable Co-Recipients: Ethereum's Leading Storytellers

The cohort Ivie joins represents some of the most influential voices and builders in the Ethereum ecosystem:

• Zach XBT (@zachxbt) - Renowned blockchain investigator and transparency advocate
• pplpleasr (@pplpleasr1) - Digital artist and DeFi creative director
• Nader Dabit (@dabit3) - Developer advocate and educator with massive reach
• David Z. Morris (@davidzmorris) - Veteran crypto journalist and analyst
• SheFi (@shefiorg) - Women-focused Web3 education organization
• Vincent Van Meenen (@0xBlixa) - Literary author exploring crypto culture

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John Stark from the Ethereum Foundation described all selected participants as "Ethereum CMOs", a designation that speaks to their collective responsibility for communicating Ethereum's value proposition to the world.

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Building at the Institutional Edge Since 2022

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The Ethereum Foundation's investment in Ivie is based on a proven track record of building bridges between institutional finance and Web3 infrastructure.

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The Tokeny Years: Enterprise Blockchain and ERC-3643

Ivie's institutional Web3 journey began at Tokeny, where she rose from marketing intern to marketing manager. She helped position the company to attract institutional players, such as ABN AMRO and contributing to its eventual acquisition by Apex Global Group.

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Building the ERC-3643 Community

As the first community manager for the ERC-3643 Association, she built the brand from scratch: design, website, educational webinars on RWA tokenization, and conference meetups at events like EthCC. The work earned recognition when Deloitte named the association "Initiative of the Year 2024."

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Centrifuge and Content Creation

Ivie expanded her reach as a content creator, producing institutional-focused materials for Centrifuge, RWA Summit, and Anemoy Capital, demonstrating the ability to adapt institutional messaging across platforms while maintaining technical accuracy.

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Shaping Tokenized Vault Standards

When the ERC-4626 Alliance sought to rebrand into the Tokenized Vault Foundation, evolving from a crypto-branded association to a more institutional initiative encompassing ERC-4626, ERC-7540, and ERC-7575, she led the creative direction.

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"Interestingly, ERCs always surrounded me" Ivie Satijn noted.

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Why This Track Record Matters

The Ethereum Foundation doesn't fund aspirations, it funds proven capability. Ivie Satijn's background demonstrates three critical competencies for institutional Web3 work:

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1. Technical literacy: Deep understanding of ERC standards and their practical implications
2. Institutional fluency: Ability to communicate in the language that CFOs, compliance officers, and risk managers understand
3. Execution capability: Track record of building communities, brands, and educational resources that achieve measurable impact

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The 9.123 ETH grant serves dual purposes: recognizing value already delivered to the ecosystem, and investing in the next critical piece of infrastructure.

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The Vision – Institutional Guide to RWA Standards

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The Institutional RWA Challenge

Real World Assets represent a multi-trillion dollar opportunity for blockchain technology. Tokenizing securities, real estate, commodities, and other traditional assets promises increased liquidity, fractional ownership, and programmable compliance.

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But institutional players face a significant barrier: Web3 remains largely inaccessible to those outside the crypto bubble. The technologies are inherently complex, and existing educational resources assume a level of blockchain fluency. Developer documentation is built for crypto-native audiences, while institutional decision-makers need practical frameworks that translate these innovations into their existing risk, compliance, and operational language.

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As a private banker confirmed recently, these technical discussions don't yet have a place in TradFi boardrooms. The knowledge gap isn't about intelligence, it's about accessibility. Without bridge resources that meet institutions where they are, adoption stalls despite genuine interest.

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Report Scope and Objectives

The Institutional Guide to RWA Standards will serve as the definitive bridge document, combining technical analysis with practical institutional insights across four critical Ethereum standards:

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Standards Covered:

• ERC-721: Unique, non-fungible digital assets
• ERC-3643: Compliant security token issuance
• ERC-4626: Tokenized vault standard
• ERC-7943: Modular standard for compliant tokenization

The team is actively researching additional standards to provide a comprehensive overview of all relevant tokenization standards in the market.

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Content Framework:

• Regulatory compliance mapping across SEC, MiFID II, and Basel III considerations
• Technical infrastructure requirements for custody, settlement, and audit
• Risk management protocols for evaluating operational, market, and compliance risks
• Asset class-specific guidance for different tokenization use cases
• Implementation case studies analyzing successful institutional deployments

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The report won't just explain what these standards are, it will provide the practical guidance institutions need to evaluate whether and how to implement them.

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Research Methodology

The report's institutional credibility rests on the following methodology:

• Primary source access: Confirmed collaboration with the actual creators of three key standards (ERC-3643, ERC-7943, ERC-4626). 
• Institutional interviews: Conversations with traditional finance professionals, from those actively implementing tokenization strategies to decision-makers evaluating the opportunity for their organizations.
• Regulatory analysis: Comprehensive review of compliance frameworks across jurisdictions, translated into practical guidance.
• Technical infrastructure assessment: Evaluation of operational requirements for institutional-grade implementation.

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The deliverable will be open-source, deliberately structured to avoid vendor bias and serve as a genuine public good for the ecosystem.

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Meet the Team: Ray Buckton

Ivie has partnered with Ray Buckton, who brings deep expertise that strengthens the project's institutional positioning.

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Buckton has built RWA.world into a definitive educational resource for Ethereum tokenization, developing a community of over 8,000 followers where he shares daily insights on institutional crypto adoption. His technical depth complements Ivie's institutional communications expertise.

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The partnership embodies the dual competency required for this work: deep technical knowledge of blockchain infrastructure combined with the ability to translate that knowledge into language that traditional finance professionals can use for decision-making.

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Expected Outcomes and Impact

Success for this project is measured in institutional adoption.

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Primary outcome: Traditional finance institutions have access to comprehensive, credible, practical guidance for evaluating RWA tokenization strategies using Ethereum standards.

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Secondary outcomes:

• Accelerated institutional adoption through reduced knowledge barriers
• Established reference standards for the emerging RWA sector
• Open-source resource that benefits the entire Ethereum ecosystem
• Educational framework that other projects can build upon

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The team will amplify impact through:

• Targeted PR campaigns reaching institutional decision-makers
• Social media strategy on LinkedIn where institutional professionals engage
• Educational webinars for TradFi audiences
• Presentations at industry conferences where traditional finance meets Web3

The goal is ensuring the insights reach the growing number of institutions seriously considering tokenization.

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An Invitation: Contribute Your Perspective

The strength of The Institutional Guide to RWA Standards will depend on incorporating real-world institutional perspectives.

If you're working on RWA implementation at an institutional level, we want to hear from you.

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Your insights on practical challenges, regulatory concerns, technical requirements, and decision-making frameworks will make this resource more valuable for the broader institutional community.

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How to get involved:

• Share your experience with RWA implementation
• Participate in interviews for case study development
• Provide feedback on draft frameworks
• Be featured as a thought leader in the emerging institutional tokenization space

Interested? Write an email to hello@sommamarketing.com. 

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The Institutional Inflection Point

We've moved past the question of whether traditional finance will adopt blockchain technology. The question now is how, and which institutions will lead.

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The Ethereum Foundation's investment in educational infrastructure like The Institutional Guide to RWA Standards signals recognition that quality documentation, clear standards, and institutional-grade communications will determine which ecosystems capture the tokenization opportunity.

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At Somma, we've built our practice on this thesis: institutional Web3 adoption requires institutional-grade communications. Not crypto marketing adapted for suits, but genuine fluency in both worlds.

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About Somma: Somma delivers high-impact B2B Web3 marketing for institutional audiences, specializing in helping Web3 organizations gain visibility with traditional financial institutions and enterprise clients.

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