Gabriel Shapiro, a prominent crypto lawyer, aims to transform crypto governance through his innovative firm MetaLeX. With a mission to "BORGify" crypto governance, MetaLeX recently secured $2.75 million in seed funding, led by Cyber Fund, valuing the company at $27.5 million.

In the early days of cryptocurrency, the mantra "code is law" dominated discussions. However, legal complexities have since rendered this notion obsolete. Despite this shift, significant opportunities remain in bridging the gap between legal frameworks and decentralized technologies. MetaLeX, a hybrid law firm and tech company, steps into this space, focusing on the complexities that arise as crypto projects strive for decentralization.

Unlike traditional businesses, many crypto projects aim to decentralize, granting tokenholders control over budgets and core operations. This journey is often fraught with challenges, as evidenced by the struggles of major DeFi players like SushiSwap, which face difficulties maintaining their ethos while avoiding arbitrary decisions.

MetaLeX, founded by Shapiro, aims to address these issues with a unique approach. Described as a "business-to-business, crypto software-as-a-service" company, MetaLeX is developing standardized, smart contract-based processes to help decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) operate effectively on-chain. Shapiro envisions these DAOs as Cybernetic Organizations, or BORGs, governed by smart contract-enforced rules embedded in their charters.

"What makes them unique is the way they mandate smart contract functionality in their operations," Shapiro explained in an interview with CoinDesk. "That makes them 'cybernetic.'"

MetaLeX's first product will be an operating system designed for DAOs, enabling them to BORGify their governance processes. This includes mechanisms for grantmaking, emergency shutdowns, and venture investments. According to Shapiro, interest in the MetaLeX OS is high, with numerous crypto projects joining the waitlist, including two notable "blue chip" projects—one a layer-2 blockchain and the other a traditional DeFi DAO.

"They both want to fully BORGify their operations," Shapiro stated, although he declined to identify the projects by name.

The process of BORGification is not straightforward for every crypto project. Projects that have already launched tokens and established DAO governance processes pose more significant challenges compared to pre-token projects, Shapiro noted.

MetaLeX itself is structured as a combination of a Delaware corporation (the tech company) and a Texas limited liability partnership (the law firm led by Shapiro and Alex Golubitsky). Clients have the flexibility to engage with one or both entities. Shapiro hinted at the possibility of MetaLeX eventually developing its own token, potentially evolving into a legal protocol requiring governance by its customers.

"It will probably take a while before we get to that point. But ultimately, I think it will get there," he said.

As MetaLeX continues to innovate at the intersection of law and decentralized technology, its efforts to standardize and streamline crypto governance could have far-reaching implications for the future of decentralized finance.