Founder, angel investor & startup consultant
My name is John Ellison
Working towards a regenerative future.
Also an artist, musician, podcaster and filmmaker.
The Journey
From Ashes to Regeneration
Finding my way as a founder, a father and a leader in the age of AI and climate collapse. Believing that technology can be used to build sustainable solutions for people and the planet.
Builder
Founder & technologist
Built products, raised capital, scaled teams. UX at Clearleft. Led product at Peak Democracy (acquired by OpenGov) and founded Goodery (acquired by Sumit Jain). Learned the craft of turning vision into working software.
Evangelist
ReFi thought leader
Shaped the regenerative finance narrative. Co-founded ReFi DAO, grew Toucan Protocol, wrote the definitive "What is ReFi?" essay. Built movements, not just products.
Sabbatical
Music, spirituality, and adventure
Stepped back to step forward. Released music as John Dass, travelled 854km to Maha Kumbh Mela, explored the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern consciousness.
Integrated
AI Transformation
Returned with synthesis. Technology in service of transformation. AI as a tool for human flourishing. Regeneration as economic, ecological, psychological, and spiritual principle.
The Whole Person
Beyond the Work
Father, husband, musician, surfer, seeker. Integrating ancient wisdom and modern technology. The through-line: Regeneration as the only viable option.
Surfer
Finding flow in the ocean. The best ideas come between waves.
Musician
Recording as John Dass. Songs about transformation, vulnerability, and the sacred.
Father
Loving life as a father of two incredible young boys.
“We are not regenerating nature.
We are nature regenerating itself.”
Professional Journey
Built to Transform
Two decades of shipping products, scaling teams, and building movements. BJ Fogg Behavior Design trained (Stanford). Pattern recognition across industries.
Acquired by OpenGovPeak Democracy
Product Manager
Civic tech platform empowering community engagement in local government decision-making.
2016-2018
AcquiredGoodery
Founder
Circular economy grocery connecting local growers with consumers through weekly organic produce subscriptions.
2020-2022
Series AToucan Protocol
Head of Growth
Carbon tokenization infrastructure bringing carbon credits on-chain for transparent climate action.
2021-2022
50+ Local NodesReFi DAO
Co-founder
Global coordination network for regenerative finance, catalyzing the movement through community building.
2022-2024
Seminal Work
“What is ReFi?” — The definitive explainer that shaped the regenerative finance movement. Published on Mirror.xyz in 2022, widely cited in investor pitches, university curricula, and industry discourse.
Read the essayThe Artist Side
Music as John Dass
During my sabbatical, I explored music as a form of spiritual inquiry. John Dass is the artist—vulnerable, seeking, expressing through sound what words cannot capture.
Listen on Spotify as John Dass
Documentary: Pilgrimage
854km sacred walk from Ujjain to the Ganges for Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. A hybrid documentary combining video, essay, and daily updates—exploring the integration of technology with ancient Hindu pilgrimage.
Read the full seriesWhat I'm Doing Now
The Integrated Return
After a year of sabbatical, I've returned to building—this time with AI Transformation as my focus. Helping companies not just adopt AI tools, but truly transform how they work.
I'm building in public with AI, sharing what I learn on my Substack. Real-time documentation of a regenerative entrepreneur's journey with Claude, vibe coding, and the frontier of human-AI collaboration.