There is a subtle but critical difference between GRC and other distributed computing platforms such as Golem etc.
With GRC, anyone can make a project and have it computed for free. The Gridcoin DPOR protocol then rewards crunchers with GRC. With competitors, an individual or entity must pay upfront for computing power. This creates massive limitations regarding who has access to the distributed computing power of the NN -- if I need to raise 1 million dollars, most likely through a risky ICO, before I can crunch, I'm not going to create my project. But if I can make my project and then get it processed for free, or even complete part of my project and begin that processing while developing the rest of my project... count me in!