Personal Information
Discourse ID: @Sasha
Twitter: x.com
Country of Residence: United States of America
Educational Background:
(USA) B.S. in Computer Information Mgmt w/ minor in Business, Honors Program
(Ukraine) Valedictorian, high school
Professional Background:
- 15 years - software development (from startups to Intel and Fidelity);
- 5 years - CEO of esports team Gankstars (3x world champions, hired/managed ~100 people);
- 6 months - venture partner/startup mentor at crypto accelerator for Stacks, a Bitcoin L2 chain (partnered for $168M follow-on funding)
- 2 years - crypto/nft degen, an ex-ape/cool cat/etc.
Hobbies: writing a fantasy novel about nfts, working on an indie web2.5 game, traveling.
Nomination Statement
Concise statement on why you are running for the Special Council
Never minced my words, always championed transparency.
It would suck if this DAO failed completely. We need a special council focused on 1) attracting great devs/projects, 2) properly and timely communicating with ApeCoin holders, and 3) not snapping back at DAO participants who ask legitimate questions. This Ivory Tower bs has to end.
I want to be a plain-English point of contact for anyone passionate about the DAO and its potential. I believe the primary job of the Council - besides the obvious job of protecting the DAO/Foundation from legal/regulatory threats - is to help turn the trickle of talented developers into a powerful stream, cut expenses (our legal fees are out of control), and find a way for DAO to become self-sustainable.
It took Special Council two years to even issue a statement that projects can return money/profits to the DAO. This is unacceptable and a new sense of urgency is needed on the Council.
Yes, I will work full-time hours.
Motivation
Details on your motivation for becoming an ApeCoin DAO Special Council member
As a long-time ecosystem participant (I received ApeCoin airdrop) who had contributed hundreds of hours to this DAO this year, I’m both concerned about the slow progress on the aforementioned issues and inspired by the hard work of some of the DAO participants who are trying their best to right this ship. I feel we mustn’t give up; we must do our best to turn around what is one of the best-funded DAOs in the space.
Rationale
Share relevant experience and skills that will bring value to the ApeCoin community
I’m an initiative-taker and a mentor, having built software used by tens of millions and co-founded both a business (a 3x world championship-winning esports org where I hired/managed almost 100 people) and an accelerator (where I mentored 12 startups). I understand what builders need and how the DAO can best assist them because I’m a builder myself, not a politician (or, worse, a professional consultant).
I worked for both startups and multi-billion dollar multinational corporations. I’ve helped crypto startups find product-market fit, connect with lawyers, think about their tokenomics, prioritize features, and hire. I know how to think big, zoom out, and deal with complex issues.
In the evenings, I’m a regular degen who loves video games, memes, and making brief appearances in ApeFest moshpit videos.
Specifications
Further describe relevant experience, including crypto and governance participation, and/or ideas for DAO improvement
Other than my relevant experience in organization management I already described, you may look up my participation in the DAO to see detailed and thorough responses, sober analysis, and no-nonsense constructive criticism. Earlier this year I had the most likes of any forum contributor on a 12-month rolling basis.
Priorities
Help create a strong funnel of devs into the DAO
Who is responsible for cultivating this funnel in real, measurable terms? What are our goals/KPIs here? All of our salaries (SC, working groups, etc.) are self-serving unless we help the DAO finance many worthy projects.
DAO self-sustainability
Publish full & detailed guidelines on how projects can return money/profits to the DAO and focus on other initiatives that would make DAO self-sustainable.
Cut/reduce expenses to leave more money for projects/builders
Transparency
Actually talk to the community on all channels, answer their questions and concerns in a respectful way, and improve/create access to all key information about DAO operations.
Concluding Statement
Summarize your statement as to why you are the best choice for Special Council
Love you all! The nft community is my family and no matter the outcome of this election, I’m incredibly grateful and happy to be here and I wish whoever gets elected the absolute best.
Multiple qualified applicants and torn on how to vote? I’m sure we’ll have applicants who will only commit to working part-time, who will emphasize their connections or large followings. We’ve elected a few of those in the past.
If you feel they’ve done a great job - awesome, keep voting same people in.
If you do not - vote for me (or another candidate) who runs purely on experience, demonstrated passion for the DAO, a track record of participation, and caring for the DAO enough to commit full-time hours to what is one of the most important positions in the DAO space.
