All you need to know about Cardano's community-led organization.
https://www.cardanonewsletter.com/ | April 18, 2024.
Introduction
At the heart of the Cardano ecosystem lies Intersect, an organization driven by its members and devoted to sculpting the trajectory of Cardano's journey. Established to safeguard Cardano's continuity and propel its evolution, Intersect stands as a bastion of innovation, fostering collaboration, and driving impactful change within the community.
Empowering Pillars of Progress
Intersect's mission is anchored in five fundamental pillars:
Community Empowerment: Serving as a catalyst for community growth and development, orchestrating vibrant gatherings, hackathons, and conferences to foster innovation and collaboration among Cardano enthusiasts worldwide.
Governance Excellence: Upholding the principles of decentralized governance, Intersect champions Cardano's community-led decision-making processes, ensuring that every voice is heard and every opinion valued.
Technical Advancement: Driving the execution of Cardano's Technical Roadmap, spearheading the development of cutting-edge solutions and features that propel the platform forward.
Stability Assurance: Committed to ensuring the seamless operation and reliability of Cardano's infrastructure, Intersect diligently oversees system continuity, guaranteeing the platform's trustworthiness and resilience.
Collaborative Innovation: Facilitates open-source collaboration among developers, fostering a culture of innovation, and driving forward the development of core technologies that underpin the Cardano blockchain.
Governance and Inclusivity
Guided by principles of transparency and inclusivity, Intersect's governance structure is designed to reflect the diverse perspectives and interests of its members. The organization empowers its members to play an active role in shaping the strategic direction and priorities through a governing board and specialized committees.
Furthermore, Intersect operates within a regulatory framework conducive to innovation and progress. Since the incorporation in Wyoming, USA, it’s commitment to accountability and ethical conduct is reinforced by an advisory body working group, dedicated to enhancing community engagement and oversight.
Sustainable Growth and Funding
To sustain its operations and drive impactful initiatives, Intersect relies on seed funding provided by esteemed members such as Input Output Global and EMURGO. These resources are allocated strategically to support Cardano's governance processes, fund technical development, and advocate for the platform's long-term sustainability.
The plan is to seek community approval for future funding endeavors, ensuring that every decision reflects the collective will of the Cardano community.
Membership and Engagement
Intersect extends an open invitation to Cardano enthusiasts worldwide to become Founding Members and actively contribute to the platform's growth. As Founding Members, individuals have the opportunity to shape Cardano's future, access grant opportunities, and forge meaningful connections within the community.
This is achieved through regular Town Hall meetings and an annual member gathering, providing members with a platform to voice their opinions, share ideas, and participate in key decision-making processes.
Driving Innovation and Impact
As stewards of Cardano's continuity and vision, Intersect leads by example, driving forward critical initiatives aimed at enhancing the platform's functionality and impact. From overseeing technical services to managing open-source repositories and supplier contracts, the goal is to remain steadfast in its commitment to advancing Cardano's mission: Democratizing finance and empowering individuals worldwide, the future of blockchain technology.
Intersect Committees: Steering Cardano's Future
Intersect, as a community-led organization, ensures that the future of Cardano remains firmly in the hands of its members. The backbone of this member-driven governance lies in its standing committees, each focusing on key areas essential for the platform's advancement.
In 2024, Intersect introduced seven standing committees, each one tasked with critical functions necessary for steering Cardano's growth and development. While designed to be permanent fixtures, these committees remain flexible to adapt to evolving objectives and community needs.
Civics Committee
It ensures accessibility, fairness, and transparency within Cardano's governance framework. Among its responsibilities are ratifying the constitution, maintaining off-chain discussions, and monitoring on-chain voting tools.
Membership and Community Committee (MCC)
The MCC manages memberships, facilitating community engagement, and organizing educational events, empowering members to contribute meaningfully to Cardano's growth.
Technical Steering Committee (TSC)
The TSC ensures that decisions are grounded in sound technical expertise. It coordinates the delivery of development services, evaluates proposals from the community, and advises on protocol parameters and updates.
Parameter Committee (PC)
As a subcommittee of the TSC, the PC focuses on setting and updating Cardano's protocol parameters. Through four advisory groups, it provides technical recommendations to safeguard the blockchain's long-term sustainability across economic, security, and network considerations.
Open Source Committee (OSC)
The OSC formulates an open-source strategy for Cardano, promoting collaboration and innovation within the ecosystem by defining open-source practices and overseeing pilot projects.
Budget Committee (Proposed)
Still in development, it aims to provide transparency and oversight of Cardano's operating costs by collating expenses and preparing annual budgets for community review.
Backlog Committee (Proposed)
The Backlog Committee, also in the conceptual stage, is envisioned to manage Cardano's development scope and roadmap. It will oversee a pipeline of development initiatives, ensuring alignment with community priorities and efficient resource allocation.
Working Groups
In addition to standing committees, Intersect facilitates various working groups initiated by members to address specific needs or goals. These groups support the objectives of standing committees, provide specialized expertise, and foster collaboration both within and beyond the Cardano community.
Roadmap Updates: Guiding the Path Ahead
Intersect's roadmap for 2024 serves as a guiding framework for stakeholders, outlining historic milestones, key events, and significant decision points. These updates provide stakeholders with a clear understanding of Cardano's development trajectory and instill confidence in its future direction. Notable additions to the roadmap include the upcoming Chang hard fork, the inaugural Annual Members Meeting (AMM), and the Constitutional convention, all of which signify significant strides towards achieving minimum viable on-chain governance.
The Chang hard fork represents a culmination of years of collaborative effort, marking a pivotal moment in Cardano's journey towards decentralized governance. With the integration of delegated representatives (DReps), Cardano will transition into the age of Voltaire, laying the groundwork for a self-sustaining blockchain ecosystem.
Ensuring Infrastructure Stability Throught Intersect
At the core of Cardano's resilience lies the concept of continuity—an ongoing effort to maintain the blockchain infrastructure through technical advancements and upgrades. Intersect, through its delivery assurance function, has spearheaded the development of joint continuity plans in collaboration with seven suppliers. These plans encompass critical components, including the implementation of CIP-1694 governance technology, enhancements in ledger memory storage, and peer-to-peer network management.
Community engagement plays a crucial role in defining and funding continuity work, with Intersect facilitating a transparent process for stakeholders to contribute to the Cardano treasury. Through the creation of a community product backlog, Intersect ensures that the community's priorities are reflected in essential development initiatives.
Intersect Ecosystem Process Development Workshop
A recent ecosystem process development workshop convened by Intersect showcased the power of collaborative innovation. Bringing together members of Intersect's Civics Committee, subject matter experts, and representatives from IOG and the Cardano Foundation, the workshop yielded significant progress in developing governance mandates and fostering ecosystem collaboration.
From charting a clear path for governance processes to sharing invaluable insights from diverse perspectives, the workshop exemplified the spirit of community-driven innovation at the heart of Intersect.
Governance Board Meeting: Ensuring Strategic Oversight
Intersect's governance board convenes monthly to provide strategic oversight and ensure the organization remains inclusive and community-driven. Recent meetings have covered a wide range of topics, including internal governance structures and operational updates. Additionally, the formation of a new advisory board working group underscores Intersect's commitment to fostering effective governance practices.
Community Tooling & Funding Opportunities
In a testament to its commitment to community empowerment, Intersect has introduced new funding opportunities and grants categories aimed at expanding community governance tooling and fostering local meetups. Past grant awards have facilitated core technology development within the Cardano network, paving the way for greater integration and innovation.
Last Updates and News
Intersect's participation in global events such as the Teamz Web3 and AI Summit underscores its commitment to fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the blockchain community. Additionally, community-led workshops and meetups provide valuable opportunities for stakeholders to engage directly with the governance processes shaping the future of Cardano.
In other news, Cardano's testnet environment SanchoNet continues to evolve with the integration of the latest Cardano node release. The recent release of cexplorer.io on SanchoNet provides stakeholders with enhanced visibility into governance actions, furthering transparency and accountability within the ecosystem.
We must also highlight that the GovTool, a crucial component of Cardano's governance infrastructure, has undergone upgrades to incorporate the latest node release and DBSync version. This update enables further testing of governance features outlined in CIP-1694, reinforcing Cardano's commitment to decentralized governance.
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