kode

carlos

Starting this off with maioazul.com

Maioazul is the project I always knew I’d come back to build. It’s my way of giving back to the island that shaped me, not just with ideas, but with action, care, and long-term commitment.

For the past 1.5 years, we’ve been laying the groundwork for something that feels both deeply personal and urgently needed.

Through the foundation we’re opening up new paths for local talent, funding blue economy projects, supporting cultural work, and building infrastructure that puts community first.

Some cool things we did last year:
- Supported grassroots ideas with microgrants
- Backed local beach sports + culture events
- Ran +++ workshops on sustainability

Big plans ahead for Q4 25' and ‘26. Can’t wait to share more soon.

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Some facts about Maio island:
- ~8,000 people
- Oldest + most preserved island in /capeverde 
- Rich marine life and untouched coastline
- Peaceful, wild, and quietly breathtaking

+++ Fun fact: In the 1800s, Maio was a key exporter of “white gold”, salt shipped to Brazil and England. A small island quietly powering global trade. Also pirate Francis Drake was once a frequent "visitor".

Continuing my series on cool things I’m building (outside crypto).

Well, this one is crypto, but this time I’m approaching it differently. Bringing people onchain without them knowing they’re onchain.

Kôdè (then Kôdè hype) was born in 2020 as a series of experiments in tokenized creation. It was one of the earliest attempts to bridge onchain votes with physical merch - what I called collective curation. Funny enough the site still works: https://vote.kodehype.com/

The idea was simple: holders of the swagg token could vote on what merch would make it into the Kôdè collection.

Kôdè is probably the most recognizable word in Creole. It means the youngest member of the family or (mostly used) someone you hold dearly (your partner, your homie, your person). The brand was always rooted in authenticity and essence, hence the name of the first collection: Essence.

Now I’m picking up those early experiments—tokenized access, community curation and bringing them into a new phase, built around that same essence that feels lost in today’s world.

Excited to bring it to life this time with @vladsilva / Starting in Cabo Verde, aiming to make it a global statement.

Art Diretor, digital artist,  graphic designer