Cardano Foundation Delegation Strategy: Cardano Developer and Builder Delegations
An initiative to improve ecosystem representation in support of inclusive governance
One of the declared goals of the Foundation’s vision for Cardano governance lies in a robust, diverse engagement by a multitude of stakeholders within the ecosystem. As we lay out in more detail below, we have identified one key shortcoming in this area. In response to this shortcoming, the Foundation is adopting a new delegation strategy to empower Cardano developers and builders.
Supporting diverse community engagement
Delegated Representatives (DReps) are the primary decision makers in Cardano governance. As governance has evolved in the past year, the Foundation has identified what it believes is a lack of representation of Cardano developers and builders. This lack of representation poses a challenge in at least two key respects:
- •First, it conveys too little importance and recognition to those people and companies that spend their days making technical contributions to various parts of Cardano.
- •Second, the recent challenges in the Intersect budget process are exacerbated when the people that best understand the technology do not feel they have sufficient standing to speak up.
Consequently, the Cardano Foundation has decided to make seven delegations of 20 million ada each to selected DReps (see below) that we believe represent Cardano’s developer and builder community. Our delegation to these DReps aims to empower them to participate more meaningfully in governance and have their voices heard. The Foundation is committing to these delegations until at least the end of 2025, which aligns with the current Net Change Limit (NCL) period. After that time, we will reassess the impact and outcomes of this initiative with the hope of extending it.
While we do assess philosophical alignment for DRep selection, further outlined below, these delegations come free of any specific expectation regarding voting outcomes—the Foundation is not telling these DReps how to vote. We will not provide a manual for voting or expect that decisions be aligned. Our delegation is intended as an act of empowerment based on these DReps’ demonstrated history of sound, reasoned decision-making, and building within the Cardano ecosystem.
The Foundation’s only expectation for the committed delegation period is that the selected DReps exercise their own best judgment on each proposed governance action and do not behave unethically or contrary to the principles of Cardano. We fully expect and accept that there will be disagreements with the Foundation on diverse issues.
How were these DReps selected?
The following criteria guide our DRep selection process:
- •Technical Contributions: Firstly, we assess DReps’ sustained contributions and technical advancements to Cardano, prioritizing those who have continuously built on and supported the blockchain.
- •Behaviour Consistent With Our Cardano: Secondly, we assess DReps for their understanding and behavioural consistency with the core principles expressed in Our Cardano. Their publicly expressed views and votes should resonate with these principles.
- •Governance Track Record: Thirdly, we assess a DRep's history of governance engagement, prioritizing those who have shown consistent participation and thoughtfulness.
- •Voting Power: Finally, we delegate to DReps without significant control of the total voting power at the time of our delegation, to further decentralize decision-making power.
Who are the selected DReps?
The Foundation completed all seven delegations in the same transaction: 858690c0a36231ccce2dae196dd0be4f035e10542093a5e934af95c857e64c9f
Creators of Tempo, an on‑chain governance hub that lets DReps publish rich profiles and chat with delegators.
Website
DRep ID: drep1y2eu92qwy875nlslg3ahlh0hy5vhzpkrjay88ptvdp0z6cqm9h25x
Open‑source shop behind the Whisky, Vodka and Gin dev kits, publishing governance tooling, and now standing in as a data‑driven DRep.
Github
DRep ID: drep1yfjez5zup0gystdvc933w2mn8k64hcy3krvc2namluwjxdcfhm8wd
Social‑impact DAO championing Extended Quadratic Funding on Cardano, pairing grassroots micro‑donations with matching pools so public‑good and open‑source projects receive resources in proportion to broad community support.
Website
DRep ID: drep1ytcv4ax77s0enqef56qjflf4d8zjgxulukme9uf5p8cfaagysjppn
Solo analyst running ChangWatch.com, a real‑time dashboard tracking DRep voting power, MAVs, and other governance metrics.
Website
DRep ID: drep1yglrf4el8gghum239fggvfrau25k2576y4dvcz65r2ukj8sqpsc2k
CEO of DripDropz, Cardano’s rewards‑distribution layer that at one point drove 5% of all on‑chain transactions.
Website
DRep ID: drep1ytzshxuma6cwrnlv2ucyclfqw3k4nu4nuudmh2z87j9hncsk9dhy4
Co‑founder of Blink Labs, leading the push for Go‑based Cardano node and other open‑source infrastructure projects.
Website
DRep ID: drep1yfa8r8r36x7x05htftce7qhafrn5nzzr6vazy95pzy6y5dqac0ss7
Core developers of Mesh, the open‑source TypeScript SDK and multisig framework powering many Cardano dApps.
Website
DRep ID: drep1yv4uesaj92wk8ljlsh4p7jzndnzrflchaz5fzug3zxg4naqkpeas3