The Scientific Renaissance
Distributed patronage for science—because building the future should be something we do together.
The Idea
Big leaps in human progress happen when people invest in shared capability: tools, labs, methods, and the time to test what might work.
A Scientific Renaissance is simply this: many people funding the “hard middle” where ideas become prototypes, and prototypes become useful, durable technology.
The Arc
Then
The original Renaissance flourished through patron networks—many supporters enabling artists and natural philosophers to take risks, pursue new methods, and build work that outlasted them.
Now
Modern science has never been more capable—yet the path from “it works in a lab” to “it helps people” is often slow, expensive, and structurally underfunded.
Next
Distributed patronage returns: small support from many people builds stable research capacity—so practical science can become real tools for everyone.
Why Patronage Matters
The problem
Too many good ideas stall between discovery and real-world use. The proof exists, but the bridge to a usable prototype isn’t always funded.
Why it happens
The “hard middle”—validation, durability, safety, manufacturing reality—takes time and resources, and it often doesn’t fit traditional funding lanes.
How we fix it
Patronage funds the middle directly. It builds shared capacity so scientists can test, iterate, and deliver outcomes that improve life.
We are human agency in a world of ideas. We choose to build, not just think.
The Math
Distributed support becomes real infrastructure: time, equipment access, partnerships, and proof-of-concept throughput.
That’s stable capacity: multiple scientists, lab access, materials, and prototypes—built for public benefit.
What Distributed Patronage Enables
For science
- ✓ Stable capacity to validate ideas
- ✓ More room for intelligent risk
- ✓ Honest iteration (what worked, what didn’t, what’s next)
- ✓ Focus on durability, access, and public benefit
- ✓ A pipeline from PoC → prototype → deployment
For members
- ✓ Participation in building shared infrastructure
- ✓ Visibility into progress and learning
- ✓ The ability to suggest priorities and topics
- ✓ Outcomes designed to be accessible, not exclusive
- ✓ A home for people who want the future built
Researcher Capacity
A renaissance isn’t just ideas—it’s time, tools, and the dignity to do the work well.
What we want more of
- ✓ Time to think deeply and test carefully
- ✓ Access to equipment and materials when needed
- ✓ Prototypes and validation—not just papers
- ✓ Work that serves real human needs
How MAAD supports it
- ✓ Distributed funding for consistent capacity
- ✓ University partnerships to run PoCs fast
- ✓ A modular approach so work compounds
- ✓ Public-benefit as a design requirement
A Human Bet
This isn’t a thought experiment. MAAD is being built by working scientists and collaborators who believe the future should be constructed— not merely predicted.
We’re putting real time, real work, and real skin in the game to prove distributed patronage can build research infrastructure that serves everyone.
Join the Scientific Renaissance
Support the work, follow the builds, and help create a world where useful science becomes useful reality.
They said it was a mad idea. Maybe it is.
But we’re a little MAAD—and we’re building anyway.
If you are too, welcome to The MAAD House.