Voting Neuron Grants – Season 2

Governance NNS Governance
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BTW @BIKETACO, I hope you’ll be applying, particularly for the SNS & Neurons Fund topic. TACO DAO seems to be uniquely positioned for evaluating product-market-fit etc for other SNS tokens.

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Working on the TACO DAO application now!

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No, feel free to move ahead with the suggested approach. As long as we have at most one post per entity applying for the grants for a topic, all is good.

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Moritz,

I sent you a DM last week via this forum software, but you must have been very busy; no problem. Here I am sending my question in public since many folks are interested in this Neuron Grant program.

As you may remember, I have been building software for the Internet Computer for over two years now. Satoshi Notes uses the IC to share notes online and sell them for Bitcoin via ckBTC. We will finally go live in September or late August this year.

We know the IC fairly well, since we use it to spawn canisters, manage them, move tokens around for Bitcoin, and publish content via programmable code. We use Rust primarily now, but we can program in Motoko too.

This development experience, and in addition the experience I gained while working for DFINITY in California, for both the Security Team, dealing mostly with code security, and the Data Center Team growing the IC subnets and nodes, has given my team a solid understanding of the IC architecture and its Operating System.

The reason I am writing to you now is because I am sure we can deliver quality reviews for the Voting Neuron Grants season 2, especially in these two areas:

  • Protocol Canister Management

  • and IC OS Version Election

The only limitation we have is that we are a small team of two people, including me.

Could we apply as a team of two people, or should we apply as individuals instead?

Cheers,

Joseph Hurtado
Founder Satoshi Notes
CTO Granata Consulting

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Hey DFINITY team and everyone in the community,

I’m Dexter (bitel911 on the forum, @dehypokrietdehypokriet on X), and I’ve been diving deep into ICP stuff since early 2022 and on the forum since 2024. I’m throwing my hat in for the Voting Neuron Grants Season 2 specifically the SNS & Neurons’ Fund and Service Nervous System Management topics, applying as an individual. Look, I get it the SNS space has had its share of headaches, like those exploits that suck value out of the ecosystem and leave everyone frustrated.

It seems like we’re all pushing for more accountability to make things fairer, and that’s exactly why I’m stepping up. I’ve got a real passion for this, and I’d put in way more than the suggested 0.75h/week on SNS & NF just to make sure we’re backing real projects, not the ones that vanish like Seers or Cycle Station did.

A Bit About Me and Why I’m Here:
I’ve chatted directly with Lara from DFINITY Governance back in May 2024 about getting more involved as a known neuron. We talked about how some proposal topics feel overwhelming in scope, and I suggested ways to break them down – like adding “simple terms” sections that expand with a click, or even AI tools to ask questions about proposals. Lara mentioned how known neurons could help by digging into the tech side while explaining it simply to others, building trust and followers that way. It felt right, you know? Independent voices keep things balanced.

Then in April, I sent Lara some solid feedback on fixing the Neuron Fund (NF). I broke down the big issues: projects grabbing funds without delivering, zero real oversight, and NF money going to stuff that doesn’t help the whole ecosystem. My ideas? For SNS raises over 1 ICP, demand a business plan showing real ROI and set deadlines with audits. For NF, require full team doxxing, limit it to true benefits like locked liquidity on DEXes or token buybacks, ban using it for dev costs, and tie everything to SMART goals. Milestone funding was a favorite of mine release cash in stages based on actual progress. Lara said a lot aligned with what DFINITY was thinking, and they noted it for community chats. (I’ve got the full convo saved if anyone wants to see.)

On the forum, I posted about tackling ICP’s liquidity messes with “Addressing ICP’s Liquidity Challenges: A Case for GLDT Denomination” (Addressing ICP's Liquidity Challenges: A Case for GLDT Denomination - #3 by bitel911). I pushed for using gold-backed tokens in SNS to stop dumps and tie into real assets. That sparked ideas in the “SNS Liquidity Pools Design” thread (SNS Liquidity Pools - Design), where they reference stuff like setting initial liquidity params in CreateSNS calls to prevent token hoarding think projects like ICPex, Fomo, Estate, FuelEV gaming the system.

@dehypokrietver on X (@dehypokriet), I’ve been calling out exploits to protect the space. Like my thread on BoomDAO (https://x.com/dehypokriet/status/1919304974074290561) – they minted 2.5B tokens (25% of supply) with barely any voting power, leading to a huge dump (price tanked ~70%, charts attached). Lara clarifying “open” proposal mechanics in the forum. That led to DFINITY tweaking SNS params for better safety.

Same with ICPEx (https://x.com/dehypokriet/status/1902488554665632026) flagged their TVL dropping from $200k (~40k ICP) during the SNS sale, pulling 135k from NF with shady missing txs. Right after, Lara’s motion to pause the NF dropped (Motion proposal to pause the Neurons' Fund).

And in this thread (https://x.com/dehypokriet/status/1904616761280061767), I analyzed SNS raises vs what they delivered – GLDT pulling 783k ICP/$7.2M but flopping, Yuku with 176k ICP/$2.9M and crap liquidity, Trax/Sonic/ICLighthouse as straight value sucks. I praised the NF pause and asked what folks think to get real changes.

My solutions might’ve inspired some fixes, even if they landed a bit different – that’s cool, as long as we’re moving forward.

Neuron Info:

  • Neuron ID: 16781982801159042389 – It’s known, with ICP staked 8Y non dissolving
  • Neuron Account: 66b68cf509378120b54b650a2623570eed2806116da3a30d18644bf684b53f6d

Why These Topics Fit Me, and My Plan:
Together, SNS & Neurons’ Fund plus Service Nervous System Management give the full SNS view – funding/launch vetting and core canister upgrades.

My NF ideas, liquidity posts, and exploit calls make me ready for the economic side in SNS & NF

  • SNS & Neurons’ Fund (I’ll do more than ~0.75h/week): Jump on forum launches with reviews in 3 days, chase missing details, flag reds like over-NF grabs or bad tokenomics run Tokenomics Analyzer on sns_init.yaml, follow guidelines, and drop final reviews/votes
    Building on my feedback, I’ll push for milestones and real ecosystem wins to block extractors.
  • Service Nervous System Management (~1.5h/week): Check canister types/hashes, scan commits high-level for API shifts/quality/vulns/alignment, deep-dive some, and present one big proposal monthly in calls changes, impacts, fixes. I’ll ask questions on DFINITY props if unclear.

Commitments: 90%+ proposal coverage, manual votes, forum evidence posts
Currently I have not fully done a SNS review but I will submit one today for the CLOAD SNS application as I have been in close contact with them, you can judge my review based on the one I will submit
[Upcoming CLOAD SNS decentralization Sale - #24 by bitel911]

Like Lara said, NNS needs diverse community voices, not insiders. I’m just a guy working with the ecosystem for a stronger internet.

What do you think – does this align with what the grants aim for? I’m open to questions, brainstorming, or sample reviews to show my style.

Cheer@dehypokriet,
Dexter (bitel911)
[@dehypokriet on X]

P.S. Quick note on my process: I’ve got diagnosed autism and dyslexia, so I brainstorm raw thoughts/research first, then run 'em through Grok-4 for spelling/grammar tweaks. Keeps it authentic to me. I’ve saved the raw versions on my PC happy to share if anyone questions if it’s AI-written or whatever. Just my way to contribute clearly!

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Here is my first SNS launch review
https://forum.dfinity.org/t/upcoming-cload-sns-decentralization-sale/55093/24?u=bitel911

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CO.DELTA △ - Participant Management & Node Admin

Voting Neuron Grant Application

  • Topic: Participant Management & Node Admin

  • Total Team Size: 9

  • Specialist Team Size: 3

  • We’re different △ - verifiably decentralised, high quality, publicly shared proof of due diligence, provided by experienced members of the community, for the community. CO.DELTA has no hierarchy. All team members are co-owners of the neuron, the fund dispersal canister, and all other aspects. This is enforced by threshold consensus. Each specialist sub-team within CO.DELTA thereby acts as a distinct entity covering their respective topic.

Specialist Team Members

Name:

Alex Lorimer

Applied Topic(s):

Participant Management & Node Admin, SNS & Neurons’ Fund, Subnet management & API BN Management

Why Participant Management & Node Admin:

These topics are fundamental to the sanctity and intengrity of the decentralised infrastructure running the IC, and the promise of deterministic decentralisation. As with all topics that I cover, if elected I will build and refine tooling to better understand and visualise the utilisation, arrangement and distribution of node providers, their nodes, data centers etc. across the IC, automatically fact-checking a range of claims and detecting topology weaknesses. I’ve been a very active member in discussions and proposals in these topics; attending meetups, appraising and helping to shape initiatives, and writing up analysis at important junctures. Here are some examples:

About me:

I’m an experienced full-stack software developer, with an MSc in Computer Science and a ResM (research masters) which focused on mass-participatory design. I’m passionate about Web3 governance, and I’m dedicated to improving tooling, as well as processes and procedures relating to NNS participation. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The IC is the solution, and I’m very driven to help it succeed. I’m also heavily staked in the IC. I’m devoted to securing that long-term stake, and that of all other ICP stakers. I regularly review IC code and have received numerous bug bounties in the IC ecosystem. I’m also extremely active in governance matters and regularly post reviews, and vote on a range of topics. I’m always looking for opportunities to build tooling for the topics that I focus on in order to improve reliability, robustness and attention to detail.

Name:

Donna Powell

Applied Topic(s):

Participant Management & Node Admin, SNS & Neurons’ Fund

Why Participant Management & Node Admin:

Toward the end of 2024, I identified warning signs related to Node Provider independence, which led me to conduct deep dives into the entire system. Since then, I’ve played a key role in driving the improved KYC initiative currently being piloted and introducing a new clustering methodology.

My company, Dragginz SARL, has also been approved as a node provider, should there be demand for additional nodes. Completing this process has given me valuable insight into how node provider documentation and onboarding could be significantly improved.

At a minimum, I believe reviewers should confirm an applicant’s identity through public records, check for connections to existing node providers, and verify the technical capability to manage nodes. These simple steps would reduce centralization risk and strengthen the IC’s integrity.

I want to apply everything I’ve learned to ensure node providers are well supported and truly reflect the decentralized, sovereign nature the IC network is meant to embody.
In addition, I believe there needs to be greater transparency in discussions among existing node providers. I will strongly advocate for moving these communications away from the current private Matrix channels and into the Dfinity forums, where they can be publicly visible and open to community oversight.

About me:

Hi, I have been active in the Internet Computer (IC) ecosystem since genesis and participated in the seed investor round. I’m also building on the IC as one of the creators of Dragginz and the Toko Marketplace/NFT maker. Before that, I spent over a decade involved in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While I am not a developer, I bring strong analytical skills, experience and passion to the table. The Internet Computer’s technology drew me in because it offers something rare - code as an unbiased, incorruptible source of truth. The potential applications are vast, with the power to make systems fairer and more transparent. Seeing such potential misused for personal gain is deeply frustrating, and I’m committed to putting in the time to help protect the technology and give it the best chance to fulfil its promise.

Regardless of the grant outcome, I will actively review proposals in these areas and continue beyond the grant period. In the past, these topics did not receive the attention they deserved, and I am committed to ensuring that gap is closed.

If CO.DELTA is awarded a grant, I will donate any rewards I receive to initiatives developing tooling for the Internet Computer ecosystem.

Name:

Malith Hatanachchige

Topics Applied:

Participant Management & Node Admin
Subnet management & API BN Management
Application Canister Management

Why Participant Management & Node Admin

I applied for Participant Management & Node Admin because, as a node provider, I’ve worked end-to-end from the technical side to understanding the user experience. This gives me a clear perspective on how proposals affect both operations and participants, and it allows me to guide proposers in correcting submissions when needed.

Notable contributions

  1. Built several tools for NPs to help diagnose and monitor node performance.
  • IC Node Dashboard for Grafana
  • iOS XDR Rewards Widget
  • IC Netprobe (ping monitor for NPs)
  1. Shared detailed downtime reports so reviewers can make informed decisions quickly, whether to keep a node online or replace it to protect subnet health.
    Incident report & recommendation
  2. Active discussion on forum regarding performance based reward : Performance Based Node Rewards - #22 by MalithHatananchchige
  3. Wiki Updates on IPv6 migration with HSM key deployment update

About me:

Hi, I’m Malith. I’ve been working in software and infrastructure for over 13 years, across everything from frontend/backend development to AI/ML and large-scale infrastructure for Web2, Web3, and AI inference workload. I’ve been part of the ICP community for the past two years, contributing by building useful tools for node providers, actively participating in the AI Technical Working Group, and operating as a node provider covering the South Asia region. And, as a Subnet Management & API BN Management reviewer, I’ve reviewed over 120 proposals.

My voting principle has always been to respond quickly, even if it’s to reject, while keeping my decisions fair and focused on the long term, so people can move forward with their tasks faster. To support this, I’ve built automation tools to handle background fact checking and research, which I then manually double check. Before casting my vote, I make it a point to consider the bigger picture.

In the blockchain industry as a whole, ICP is setting a strong precedent for driving mass market adoption of DApps, and the progress so far has been remarkable. I believe that supporting ICP by ensuring the safety and integrity of the community is crucial, as it allows the core team to focus on advancing the ICP and accelerating meaningful change.

I have been continuously contributing to the community, and I intend to maintain the same effort beyond the grant period.

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CO.DELTA △ - Service Nervous System Management

Voting Neuron Grant Application

  • Topic: Service Nervous System Management

  • Total Team Size: 9

  • Specialist Team Size: 3

  • We’re different △ - verifiably decentralised, high quality, publicly shared proof of due diligence, provided by experienced members of the community, for the community. CO.DELTA has no hierarchy. All team members are co-owners of the neuron, the fund dispersal canister, and all other aspects. This is enforced by threshold consensus. Each specialist sub-team within CO.DELTA thereby acts as a distinct entity covering their respective topic.

Specialist Team Members

Name:

Remco Sprenkels

Applied Topic(s):

Sns And Community Fund, Service Nervous System Management, Protocol Canister Management

Why Service Nervous System Management:

I have practical experience working with SNS deployments, from configuration and launch to post-decentralization governance. I occasionally review the SNS codebase as part of my work on Toolkit, which involves integrating SNS-related functionality such as proposal handling, parameter adjustments, and canister lifecycle operations. I also occasionally speak with people involved in improving the SNS to clarify technical details and better understand upcoming changes.

This work gives me familiarity with the SNS architecture, common change patterns, and potential areas of risk. While I have not yet performed formal SNS management proposal reviews, the overlap between my current work and the review process means I am already accustomed to reading through SNS changes, understanding their purpose, and considering their impact on governance and interoperability.

About me:

I am a developer with around 10 years of experience, starting in frontend development and later moving into fullstack work. I have followed the Internet Computer since 2018 and have been developing on it since genesis in May 2021. Over that time, I have worked on various projects within the IC ecosystem, covering areas like governance systems, canister architecture, and automated proposal execution.

I currently lead the development of a governance and project management platform on the IC that supports multiple governance models, secure canister lifecycle management, and integrations with other services. This work has involved reviewing upgrades, designing state migration strategies, and ensuring compatibility across different IC components. My experience gives me a practical understanding of both the technical and governance aspects of the Internet Computer.

Name:

Gabriel Nicola

Applied Topic(s):

SNS & Neurons’ Fund, Protocol Canister Management, Service Nervous System Management

Why Service Nervous System Management:

I have extensive hands-on experience with SNS governance and technical implementation, having been directly involved with one of the most complex SNS operations to date. As part of the Dragginz project, we were the first SNS to successfully execute a token dilution event — minting additional tokens, disbursing them proportionally to all existing SNS-1 holders, changing the token symbol, and adapting the SNS settings to align with Dragginz’s requirements.

This operation required deep understanding of SNS mechanics and careful coordination of multiple proposal types. To properly test everything, I had to set up a complete local SNS replica with the exact settings of SNS-1, including taking snapshots of all current token holders and recreating the entire governance state locally. This let me test the minting and distribution logic extensively before executing on mainnet — which was crucial since no previous project had attempted such a comprehensive transformation of an existing SNS.

Through this experience, I gained intimate knowledge of SNS proposal validation, canister upgrade processes, and the critical importance of verifying build hashes and API compatibility. I understand how proposal text must align precisely with actual code changes, and I’ve seen what happens when governance parameters need adjustment after deployment. Building the local testing environment also gave me deep insight into SNS initialization parameters, token economics, and how different SNS canisters interact.

My technical background in multi-canister architecture and System API exploration gives me the ability to conduct thorough code reviews.

This combination of pioneering SNS governance experience, technical knowledge, and practical understanding of how SNS changes affect live projects positions me well to review SNS management proposals with focus on technical accuracy, security implications, and operational feasibility.

About me:

I have over 11 years of coding experience, including work in banking solutions where precision, reliability, and strict compliance were essential. This background taught me to review code and systems with a strong focus on security, which is important for protocol-level canister management.

Since joining the IC community in 2020, I’ve been active in both development and governance, building canisters, contributing libraries, reporting bugs, and assisting the community. My work includes early Motoko projects, multi-canister system designs, and large-scale Rust applications like Dragginz and the Toko Marketplace. I’m passionate about building secure, scalable, and maintainable canister-based systems and sharing that knowledge with the community.

Name:

Gautier Wojda

Applied Topic(s):

IC OS Elections, Application Canister Management, Service Nervous System Management, Protocol Canister Management

Why Service Nervous System Management:

I am involve in Origyn and goldao SNS, 2 of the biggest sns done on ic.

I was strongly involve in the Origyn sns migration (Origyn had his own implementation, and was migrate to SNS last year)

I have strong knowledge in SNS in general, and want to participe and follow more this topics, to follow development and new features, to make sure when we update canisters, nothing on Goldao or Origyn will broke due to a breaking change.

What i can bring is my web3 dev knowledge. I’ve built and audited numerous backend canisters, including complex services that use stable memory, chunked data, token standards, and indexing. I’ve reviewed some DFINITY projects and community libraries (like asset canisters, ICRC interfaces, etc).

Icrc7 nft

Icrc3 lib

Storage canister

Icrc3 announce

Icrc7 announce

About me:

I’m a backend and infrastructure specialist with 7+ years of experience. I’m currently co-CTO of GoldDAO and Origyn, and I manage Dfinity nodes for Extragone and DEF. My past work includes kernel development (FreeBSD bootloader/kernel security) and cybersecurity. I’ve been building on the IC for 2+ years, mostly with Rust, and sometimes Motoko.

Notable contributions:

Latest and biggest contribution to IC is the first production ready ICRC7 & ICRC37 NFT implementation, but i also worked on a lot of differents subjects for dfinity. Check my profile for more (icrc3 and stuff like that)

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CO.DELTA △ - SNS & Neurons’ Fund

Voting Neuron Grant Application

  • Topic: SNS & Neurons’ Fund

  • Total Team Size: 9

  • Specialist Team Size: 4

  • We’re different △ - verifiably decentralised, high quality, publicly shared proof of due diligence, provided by experienced members of the community, for the community. CO.DELTA has no hierarchy. All team members are co-owners of the neuron, the fund dispersal canister, and all other aspects. This is enforced by threshold consensus. Each specialist sub-team within CO.DELTA thereby acts as a distinct entity covering their respective topic.

Specialist Team Members

Name:

Donna Powell

Applied Topic(s):

SNS & Neurons’ Fund, Participant Management & Node Admin

Why SNS & Neurons’ Fund:

Since the launch of the SNS, my husband and I have participated in most raises. While there have been success stories such as KongSwap, DecideAI, Neutrinite, and Taco Dao, not all projects have met expectations.

Earlier this year, it became clear that the SNS dashboard had become crowded with inactive projects, many appearing designed primarily to extract value from SNS participants and the Neuron Fund. Those active on the forum at the time know this was an issue both and I championed. Our advocacy contributed to several SNS takeovers and repurposing, highlighted critical flaws in project setup, and ultimately led to the temporary pause of the Neuron Fund.

Although much work remains, there are encouraging signs of progress. I believe SNS projects and Neuron Fund participation can still have a strong future, but only with stronger oversight and clear accountability for every SNS. The recent launch of Caffeine has introduced a new wave of projects with significant potential. I propose directing Neuron Fund resources toward these initiatives, combining funding with technical assistance.

I want to play an active role in shaping this future, using my experience to help prevent past mistakes. I also advocate ending the promotion of SNS projects that have acted questionably (whether via Dfinity newsletters, social media, Oisy, or the dashboard). Our focus should be on projects that create value, not extract it. This is essential to ensuring newcomers have a positive experience and are motivated to remain engaged with the Internet Computer ecosystem.

About me:

Hi, I have been active in the Internet Computer (IC) ecosystem since genesis and participated in the seed investor round. I’m also building on the IC as one of the creators of Dragginz and the Toko Marketplace/NFT maker. Before that, I spent over a decade involved in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While I am not a developer, I bring strong analytical skills, experience and passion to the table. The Internet Computer’s technology drew me in because it offers something rare - code as an unbiased, incorruptible source of truth. The potential applications are vast, with the power to make systems fairer and more transparent. Seeing such potential misused for personal gain is deeply frustrating, and I’m committed to putting in the time to help protect the technology and give it the best chance to fulfil its promise.

Regardless of the grant outcome, I will actively review proposals in these areas and continue beyond the grant period. In the past, these topics did not receive the attention they deserved, and I am committed to ensuring that gap is closed.

If CO.DELTA is awarded a grant, I will donate any rewards I receive to initiatives developing tooling for the Internet Computer ecosystem.

Name:

Remco Sprenkels

Applied Topic(s):

SNS & Neurons’ Fund, Service Nervous System Management, Protocol Canister Management

Why SNS & Neurons’ Fund:

I have hands-on experience helping to launch multiple SNSes, giving me practical insight into the full lifecycle from configuration to decentralization. My work on Toolkit, a governance and project management platform for the IC, regularly involves SNS-related functionality such as proposal execution, parameter adjustments, and canister lifecycle management. I understand how the Neurons’ Fund supports decentralization and have the technical background to evaluate proposals for upgrade safety, sustainability, and alignment with community and ecosystem goals.

About me:

I am a developer with around 10 years of experience, starting in frontend development and later moving into fullstack work. I have followed the Internet Computer since 2018 and have been developing on it since genesis in May 2021. Over that time, I have worked on various projects within the IC ecosystem, covering areas like governance systems, canister architecture, and automated proposal execution.

I currently lead the development of a governance and project management platform on the IC that supports multiple governance models, secure canister lifecycle management, and integrations with other services. This work has involved reviewing upgrades, designing state migration strategies, and ensuring compatibility across different IC components. My experience gives me a practical understanding of both the technical and governance aspects of the Internet Computer.

Name:

Alex Lorimer

Applied Topic(s):

SNS & Neurons’ Fund, Subnet management & API BN Management, Participant Management & Node Admin

Why SNS & Neurons’ Fund:

This topic is pivotal to a healthy and vibrant SNS ecosystem on the IC, one which investors and users can have faith in. I’m keen to build better tooling for performing SNS & Neurons’ Fund reviews, informed by my extensive experience reviewing these proposals for over a year, and my experience building and using similar tooling for Subnet Management reviews. I’m proud of each and every review, and I do my best to go above and beyond. Here are some notable examples:

  • 137563 - An SNS launch that would have allowed dev VP to be easily jacked up above 50% after a very short vesting period (due to initial parameters using a very short dissolve delay, and a dissolve delay bonus that significantly increases VP)

  • 137503, 136969 - SNS launch proposals that violated terms of the syndication period, and either would be heavily centralised at genesis, or had not established a mechanism for sharing value with investors/governance participants

  • 136443 - An SNS launch that would have been heavily centralised

  • 135902 - An SNS launch proposal that highlighted weaknesses in the Neurons’ Fund. Shortly after this the Neurons’ Fund was suspended as an option for all new SNS launches.

  • … there are many, many more. Please consider browsing.

About me:

I’m an experienced full-stack software developer, with an MSc in Computer Science and a ResM (research masters) which focused on mass-participatory design. I’m passionate about Web3 governance, and I’m dedicated to improving tooling, as well as processes and procedures relating to NNS participation. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The IC is the solution, and I’m very driven to help it succeed. I’m also heavily staked in the IC. I’m devoted to securing that long-term stake, and that of all other ICP stakers. I regularly review IC code and have received numerous bug bounties in the IC ecosystem. I’m also extremely active in governance matters and regularly post reviews, and vote on a range of topics. I’m always looking for opportunities to build tooling for the topics that I focus on in order to improve reliability, robustness and attention to detail.

Name:

Gabriel Nicola

Applied Topic(s):

SNS & Neurons’ Fund, Protocol Canister Management, Service Nervous System Management

Why SNS & Neurons’ Fund:

I have practical experience with SNS launches from both developer and governance perspectives. During the Dragginz project, I set up and tested complete local SNS environments, replicating SNS-1’s exact configuration to understand the launch mechanics, token distribution, and governance setup process. This gave me hands-on insight into how SNS initialization works, from the technical implementation to the tokenomics configuration.

Understanding developer neuron allocation is crucial when reviewing SNS proposals because it directly impacts governance security. When developers allocate too many tokens to themselves or their controlled entities, they can maintain disproportionate voting power that allows them to control the dapp and access treasury funds, undermining the decentralization goals of the SNS. The ICP community has seen cases where substantial treasury funds were moved quickly due to poor initial tokenomics design or excessive developer control. (cough BoomDAO cough)

Having worked through the entire SNS setup process locally, I understand the technical nuances of the sns_init.yaml configuration, the Tokenomics Analyzer tool, and how different parameter choices affect long-term governance health. My experience with multi-canister architecture and SNS governance gives me the perspective needed to evaluate whether proposed projects have sound technical foundations and reasonable governance structures that protect community interests while enabling sustainable development. This combination of technical SNS knowledge, governance experience, and understanding of the security implications makes me well-positioned to provide thorough reviews of SNS launch proposals and Neurons’ Fund participation decisions.

About me:

I have over 11 years of coding experience, including work in banking solutions where precision, reliability, and strict compliance were essential. This background taught me to review code and systems with a strong focus on security, which is important for protocol-level canister management.

Since joining the IC community in 2020, I’ve been active in both development and governance, building canisters, contributing libraries, reporting bugs, and assisting the community. My work includes early Motoko projects, multi-canister system designs, and large-scale Rust applications like Dragginz and the Toko Marketplace. I’m passionate about building secure, scalable, and maintainable canister-based systems and sharing that knowledge with the community.

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CO.DELTA △ - Protocol Canister Management

Voting Neuron Grant Application

  • Topic: Protocol Canister Management

  • Total Team Size: 9

  • Specialist Team Size: 3

  • We’re different △ - verifiably decentralised, high quality, publicly shared proof of due diligence, provided by experienced members of the community, for the community. CO.DELTA has no hierarchy. All team members are co-owners of the neuron, the fund dispersal canister, and all other aspects. This is enforced by threshold consensus. Each specialist sub-team within CO.DELTA thereby acts as a distinct entity covering their respective topic.

Specialist Team Members

Name:

Remco Sprenkels

Applied Topic(s):

Sns And Community Fund, Service Nervous System Management, Protocol Canister Management

Why Protocol Canister Management:

I have worked extensively with canister-based architectures on the Internet Computer, including governance systems and cross-canister integrations. My work on Toolkit involves interacting with protocol-level canisters such as the ledger and governance canister, ensuring compatibility with governance processes, and following changes in canister APIs and behavior.

I occasionally review relevant codebases to track changes that could impact Toolkit’s integrations and workflows, and I am familiar with assessing how such changes might affect both technical functionality and ecosystem compatibility. This background aligns closely with the review process for protocol canister proposals, where understanding their implications on core system canisters is critical.

About me:

I am a developer with around 10 years of experience, starting in frontend development and later moving into fullstack work. I have followed the Internet Computer since 2018 and have been developing on it since genesis in May 2021. Over that time, I have worked on various projects within the IC ecosystem, covering areas like governance systems, canister architecture, and automated proposal execution.

I currently lead the development of a governance and project management platform on the IC that supports multiple governance models, secure canister lifecycle management, and integrations with other services. This work has involved reviewing upgrades, designing state migration strategies, and ensuring compatibility across different IC components. My experience gives me a practical understanding of both the technical and governance aspects of the Internet Computer.

Name:

Gabriel Nicola

Applied Topic(s):

SNS & Neurons’ Fund, Protocol Canister Management, Service Nervous System Management

Why Protocol Canister Management:

I’ve been actively involved with the Internet Computer ecosystem since 2020, starting with pre-genesis testing and working with Motoko in its early stages. During this time, I created the first mini-big map example — a project specifically designed to showcase multi-canister architecture and how it can be applied to advanced canister design and interaction patterns. I also developed other small libraries to extend and refine these concepts.

My experience goes beyond just building application logic — I’ve experimented directly with the IC’s WASM modules and WASI interfaces, gaining insight into how the runtime executes canister code and interacts with the host environment. I’ve explored the System API that DFINITY uses for canister management, including inspecting and working with methods for inter-canister calls, stable memory, certified variables, and cycles accounting.

Over the years, I have tested new IC features, reported bugs directly to DFINITY, and, whilst helping others in the community, I’ve learned a great deal myself — deepening my understanding of both the technical and governance aspects of the network. My development work spans both Motoko and Rust, and I’ve been building in Rust for nearly four years on production projects like Dragginz and the Toko Marketplace, both of which rely heavily on multi-canister architecture for scalability and modularity. This combination of high-level design experience and low-level understanding of the IC’s execution model puts me in a strong position to review protocol canister proposals with a focus on security, maintainability, and real-world applicability.

About me:

I have over 11 years of coding experience, including work in banking solutions where precision, reliability, and strict compliance were essential. This background taught me to review code and systems with a strong focus on security, which is important for protocol-level canister management.

Since joining the IC community in 2020, I’ve been active in both development and governance, building canisters, contributing libraries, reporting bugs, and assisting the community. My work includes early Motoko projects, multi-canister system designs, and large-scale Rust applications like Dragginz and the Toko Marketplace. I’m passionate about building secure, scalable, and maintainable canister-based systems and sharing that knowledge with the community.

Name:

Gautier Wojda

Applied Topic(s):

IC OS Elections, Application Canister Management, Service Nervous System Management, Protocol Canister Management

Why Protocol Canister Management:

I’ve built and audited numerous backend canisters, including complex services that use stable memory, chunked data, token standards, and indexing. I’ve reviewed some DFINITY projects and community libraries (like asset canisters, ICRC interfaces, etc).
I’m also closely working with frontend eng for Goldao and Origyn, and even if i’m not frontend specialist, i know how it work/can review for security purpose thoses topics.
I reviewed several protocol-level proposals with CodeGov and enjoyed contributing with a critical lens to the foundation of the Internet Computer. My experience in kernel development, backend infrastructure, and Dfinity ledger internals gives me the ability to audit protocol-level changes thoroughly.

Example 1
Example 2
etc…
Icrc7 nft
Icrc3 lib
Storage canister

Icrc3 announce
Icrc7 announce

About me:

I’m a backend and infrastructure specialist with 7+ years of experience. I’m currently co-CTO of GoldDAO and Origyn, and I manage Dfinity nodes for Extragone and DEF. My past work includes kernel development (FreeBSD bootloader/kernel security) and cybersecurity. I’ve been building on the IC for 2+ years, mostly with Rust, and sometimes Motoko.

Notable contributions:

Latest and biggest contribution to IC is the first production ready ICRC7 & ICRC37 NFT implementation, but i also worked on a lot of differents subjects for dfinity. Check my profile for more (icrc3 and stuff like that)

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Wow, seeing all the expertise here from established developers and teams, I am not sure if my junior developer level can compete with the masterclasses showcased, I know that the people selected for the grants will be of the highest quality, good luck to everyone even if I can not make this round, I will keep contributing to build up my portfolio :heart:

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CO.DELTA △ - Application Canister Management

Voting Neuron Grant Application

  • Topic: Application Canister Management
  • Total Team Size: 9
  • Specialist Team Size: 3
  • We’re different △ - verifiably decentralised, high quality, publicly shared proof of due diligence, provided by experienced members of the community, for the community. CO.DELTA has no hierarchy. All team members are co-owners of the neuron, the fund dispersal canister, and all other aspects. This is enforced by threshold consensus. Each specialist sub-team within CO.DELTA thereby acts as a distinct entity covering their respective topic.

Specialist Team Members

Name:

Ethan Gregory Celletti (Gekctek)

Applied Topic(s):

Application Canister Management

Why Application Canister Management:

I have deeper expertise and hands-on experience with application-level canisters compared to lower-level protocol or systems work. My focus on building comprehensive Motoko libraries and full-stack IC applications gives me practical understanding of canister lifecycle management, resource optimization, and common deployment challenges developers face.

About me:

Freelance Motoko developer focused on building robust library infrastructure to mature the Motoko ecosystem. Decade of Web2 fullstack experience, now working full-time on IC ecosystem development. I want to contribute to governance because I recognize the critical importance of strong institutions in decentralized systems and want to help shape something I fundamentally believe in. My goal is building independent institutions that can collaborate with rather than depend solely on Dfinity.

I’m committed to rigorous governance processes - proper procedures must be followed, declared changes must match implementations, and decentralization remains the highest priority. I believe rejection of proposals is necessary when standards aren’t met, as shortcuts today create worse precedents tomorrow.

Name:

Gautier Wojda

Applied Topic(s):

IC OS Elections, Application Canister Management, Service Nervous System Management, Protocol Canister Management

Why Application Canister Management:

I’ve built and audited numerous backend canisters, including complex services that use stable memory, chunked data, token standards, and indexing. I’ve reviewed some DFINITY projects and community libraries (like asset canisters, ICRC interfaces, etc).
I’m also closely working with frontend eng for Goldao and Origyn, and even if I’m not frontend specialist, I know how it work/can review for security purpose those topics.

Icrc7 nft
Icrc3 lib
Storage canister

Icrc3 announce
Icrc7 announce

About me:

I’m a backend and infrastructure specialist with 7+ years of experience. I’m currently co-CTO of GoldDAO and Origyn, and I manage Dfinity nodes for Extragone and DEF. My past work includes kernel development (FreeBSD bootloader/kernel security) and cybersecurity. I’ve been building on the IC for 2+ years, mostly with Rust, and sometimes Motoko.

Notable contributions:

Latest and biggest contribution to IC is the first production ready ICRC7 & ICRC37 NFT implementation, but i also worked on a lot of different subjects for dfinity. Check my profile for more (icrc3 and stuff like that)

DFINITY forum: Profile - Gwojda - Internet Computer Developer Forum

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gautierwojda/

GitHub: Gwojda · GitHub

Name:

Malith Hatanachchige

Topics Applied:

Participant Management & Node Admin
Subnet management & API BN Management
Application Canister Management

Why Application Canister Management

With 13+ years in software and infrastructure, and two years actively contributing to ICP, I bring both the technical knowledge and operational discipline needed for reviewing and voting application canisters. As a Subnet Management & API BN reviewer and a node provider, I understand the real-world impact of application canister changes. My approach combines automated fact-checking with manual verification, making sure proposals move forward without delays while protecting the network’s integrity.

About me:

Hi, I’m Malith. I’ve been working in software and infrastructure for over 13 years, across everything from frontend/backend development to AI/ML and large-scale infrastructure for Web2, Web3, and AI inference workload. I’ve been part of the ICP community for the past two years, contributing by building useful tools for node providers, actively participating in the AI Technical Working Group, and operating as a node provider covering the South Asia region. And, as a Subnet Management & API BN Management reviewer, I’ve reviewed over 120 proposals.

My voting principle has always been to respond quickly, even if it’s to reject, while keeping my decisions fair and focused on the long term, so people can move forward with their tasks faster. To support this, I’ve built automation tools to handle background fact checking and research, which I then manually double check. Before casting my vote, I make it a point to consider the bigger picture.

In the blockchain industry as a whole, ICP is setting a strong precedent for driving mass market adoption of DApps, and the progress so far has been remarkable. I believe that supporting ICP by ensuring the safety and integrity of the community is crucial, as it allows the core team to focus on advancing the ICP and accelerating meaningful change.

I have been continuously contributing to the community, and I intend to maintain the same effort beyond the grant period.

DFINITY forum
LinkedIn
GitHub

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Voting Neuron Grant Application - Zenith Code

Hi Everyone - I am Manvick, founder of Zenith Code LLC, and my team is excited to apply for the “IC OS Version Election” and “Protocol Canister Management” grant. We have been actively involved in the IC community since mid 2022. We have in-depth knowledge of creating dapps on ICP including but not limited to writing smart contracts in Motoko and architecting/designing multi canister apps on ICP. We are a node provider on the ICP network and review IC OS version election proposals. We also have a flagship leetcode style product dedicated for learning ICP and Motoko for helping students and new software engineers easily learn Internet Computer.

Our ICP Learning Product

Node Provider: https://dashboard.internetcomputer.org/provider/pa5mu-yxsey-b4yrk-bodka-dhjnm-a3nx4-w2grw-3b766-ddr6e-nupu4-pqe

Topics

  1. IC OS Version Election
  2. Protocol Canister Management

Team Grant

We are a team of 6 software engineers

Reviewers

  • Manvick
    • Software Engineer by background with over 8+ years of experience in large scale Distributed systems and applications with 5+ years of experience in blockchain technologies.
    • Actively worked on Nutanix distributed software defined storage and I was responsible for designing and developing the service which provided deduplication, data resilience, and fault tolerance in the node cluster.
    • Education: Master’s in Computer Science from Texas State University, USA
    • LinkedIn: Manvick Paliwal - Software Engineer | Ex-Amazon | LinkedIn
  • Yuvika Khardenavis
  • Ipsita Parida
  • Harsh Patni (Ex Microsoft Software Engineer)
  • Vishal Kumar
    • 8+ years of experience leading software development teams in agile frameworks over various technology stacks.
    • Education: Master’s in Computer Science from Texas State University, USA
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishalkumarmg/
  • Yamini K

Relevant Experience and Technical Knowledge

  • Operating nodes for years on ICP (Zenith Code LLC).
  • Relevant experience in installing IC OS and monitoring nodes.
  • Strong understanding of the ICP infrastructure layer.
  • As a development shop in the ecosystem, we have assisted various projects in setting up their proof of concept and MVP.
  • Actively contributed to writing dapps in Motoko for in-house purposes.
  • Over 7 years of experience in web3 and large-scale distributed systems.
  • ICP enthusiast with a deep understanding of its core technology and architecture.
  • Experience in designing large-scale distributed systems for storing user data across multiple nodes in RF-2 and RF-3 production clusters.
  • Worked on the design and development of NDFS (Nutanix Distributed File Storage), similar to Google File System and blockchain data storage.
  • Our flagship Internet Computer/Motoko learning platform https://zenithcode.ai/

Current VNG Participation

Team members reviewing this topic are Manvick, Yuvika and Ipsita. We have been regularly reviewing the IC proposals for the last one year. Our reviews can be found here https://forum.dfinity.org/tag/IC-OS-election

Some recent reviews link

Why we want to be a voting neuron

  • We, already review IC OS version election proposals for over a year now.
  • We are committed to long term decentralization of Internet Computer
  • Our team has the right required skill set to review IC OS Version Election and Protocol Canister Management Proposals.
  • We want more people to follow our neuron on the above topics as we work close to infrastructure and application layer.

Contributing to Long term success of Internet Computer

  • Zenith Code is already a node provider in the Internet Computer Ecosystem.
  • We have been reviewing IC OS version election proposals for over a year now.
  • We have been actively working on a leetcode style Motoko/Internet Computer learning platform. https://zenithcode.ai/

Why are we interested in the topics we apply for

  • Our team is expert in Cryptography, Blockchain, Firmware Design OS level programming.
  • We want to continue to expand our team’s knowledge by reviewing the IC OS Version Election and Protocol Canister Management Proposals.

Why would be remaining a voting neuron in long term

We are committed to long term growth of the IC network. We already contribute in the following ways and are looking to expand our impact to grow IC.

  • We are a node provider in the IC eco system
  • We review IC OS version election proposals
  • We are actively developing leetcode style coding platform https://zenithcode.ai/

Our voting principles

Core Principle: Decentralization

  • Definition and Relevance: The Nakamoto Coefficient measures the number of entities that must collude to control a system. A higher coefficient signifies greater decentralization and, consequently, a more secure and resilient network.
  • Application to Voting: Applying this principle to voting within the IC ecosystem, we emphasize the need for a diverse and decentralized set of voters to prevent centralization and ensure fair representation of the community’s interests.

Ensuring Robust Decentralization

  • Diverse Voting Participation: By adhering to decentralization principles, our voting approach aligns with the IC community and foundation. This means advocating for broad participation across various stakeholders to avoid power concentration.

Evolving with Community Decisions

  • Adaptive Voting Strategy: Our commitment to evolving voting strategies based on community discussions reflects a dynamic approach to maintaining and enhancing decentralization. We plan to formalize a process in which we will actively listen to community inputs and adapt our voting accordingly.
  • Continuous Improvement: By aligning future voting with community conclusions on decentralization, our approach ensures that the network remains resilient to centralization risks, analogous to maintaining a high Nakamoto Coefficient.

We are eager to contribute to the ICP community in a structured and impactful way. Thank you for considering our application. :pray:

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Application for the topic: Application Canister Management as a solo endeavor

I Jefri, known in the ecosystem as cyberowl, am a seasoned software developer with a strong focus on the IC. I have extensive experience in blockchain development, particularly with Motoko and JavaScript, drawing from prior work with concurrent languages like Elixir and Erlang that follow the Actor model. I have contributed to diverse projects, including a file uploader pattern for JS, Rust, and Motoko as part of an ICDevs.org bounty, which is designed to scale to millions of files, a GitHub-like platform for designers, and a time capsule app that won 1st in the VetKeys hackathon. My code has been adopted by other developers.

Here are some of the reviews I contributed with Codegov for IC-OS:
Proposal to Elect New Release RC 2025-03-27
Proposal to Elect New Release RC 2024-12-06
Proposal to Elect New Release RC 2024-11-14

I am motivated to become a voting neuron because of my deep passion for the IC and its community. This enthusiasm initially drove me to learn about and contribute to the IC ecosystem, and it continues to fuel my unpaid involvement in reviewing Governance and SNS & Neurons’ Fund proposals. Serving as a voting neuron aligns perfectly with my ongoing commitment to actively shape and support the protocol’s development.

I plan to remain a voting neuron long-term, even after the grant ends, as my contributions stem from genuine interest rather than financial incentives. I intend to keep building on the IC in ways that suit my strengths—focusing more on practical development than forum discussions, though I’ve participated in those as well—and will selectively continue engaging with topics that excite me.

I follow core voting principles centered on promoting decentralization, ensuring long-term ecosystem sustainability, prioritizing security and innovation in proposals, and aligning decisions with the broader ICP community’s best interests while avoiding conflicts of interest.

I am interested in Application Canister Management because II enables completely passwordless authentication using biometrics like Face ID or fingerprints, while ensuring user privacy by generating a unique, unlinkable identity for each dapp. V2 I think is even better and I want to be part of that. I also want to be part of the interface I use the most which is the NNS.

I’m passionate about building products people :heart:, privacy, and true decentralization.

8 year gang, zero dissolve delay and have successfully encouraged others to join as well.

Cyberowl’s Forum Profile
Cyberowl’s GitHub

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CO.DELTA △ - IC OS Version Election

Voting Neuron Grant Application

  • Topic: IC OS Version Election
  • Total Team Size: 9
  • Specialist Team Size: 3
  • We’re different △ - verifiably decentralised, high quality, publicly shared proof of due diligence, provided by experienced members of the community, for the community. CO.DELTA has no hierarchy. All team members are co-owners of the neuron, the fund dispersal canister, and all other aspects. This is enforced by threshold consensus. Each specialist sub-team within CO.DELTA thereby acts as a distinct entity covering their respective topic.

Specialist Team Members

Name:

Zane

Applied Topic(s):

IC-OS Version Election

Why IC-OS Version Election:

IC-OS Version Elections are in my opinion one of the most important aspects of governance on the IC, no matter how many nodes the network has or how carefully the providers are vetted, if a few malicious lines of code were to sneakily make their way into a release, the consequences would be catastrophic. Since Dfinity is the main contributor to the protocol, this issue might not be very pressing right now, but as the project grows, so will the number of external contributions and the incentives to attack the network.
Over the last two years I’ve been diligently doing code reviews for this topic, specializing in the Execution/Runtime layers of the stack, my motivation to perform this kind of work is to ensure the credible neutrality of the IC isn’t compromised as well as to gain better knowledge of the protocol’s inner workings so I can actively contribute to it, hopefully paving the way towards a future where the foundation isn’t the only organization pushing the IC forward.

Some of my previous reviews:

About me:

I discovered the IC in 2021 and have been actively involved with the ecosystem since. Prior to this, I worked as a full stack developer across diverse environments, from conventional Web2 companies to leading a small team tasked with scaling infrastructure for one of Italy’s largest gaming communities, this experience in particular introduced me to the complexities of distributed systems and sparked my interest in them.
My primary focus over the past three years has been on IC canister development using both Rust and Motoko. During this time I’ve built public utilities, supported teams in delivering their projects and used my technical knowledge to assist the local hub during community events such as crypto conferences and workshops, helping to expand awareness and adoption.
Since the beginning, I’ve been actively engaging in governance discussions and, as of 2023, started performing code reviews on technical topics.

Name:

Gautier Wojda

Applied Topic(s):

IC OS Elections, Application Canister Management, Service Nervous System Management, Protocol Canister Management

Why IC OS Elections:

I’m managing nodes in ge1, ge2 since 3years, and helped for the deployment in es1. It’s important for me to follow the development of ic-os topics for this reason.
I started to review IC-OS ~1month ago with codegov, and i stopped to do it freely before new election and working with co.delta. I enjoyed doing it and i know how important it is to follow the development here to make sure no malicious stuff are added.

Example 1
Example 2
etc..

About me:

I’m a backend and infrastructure specialist with 7+ years of experience. I’m currently co-CTO of GoldDAO and Origyn, and I manage Dfinity nodes for Extragone and DEF. My past work includes kernel development (FreeBSD bootloader/kernel security) and cybersecurity. I’ve been building on the IC for 2+ years, mostly with Rust, and sometimes Motoko.

Notable contributions:

Latest and biggest contribution to IC is the first production ready ICRC7 & ICRC37 NFT implementation, but i also worked on a lot of differents subjects for dfinity. Check my profile for more (icrc3 and stuff like that)

Name:

Rok

Applied Topic(s):

Subnet Management & API BN Management, IC OS Version Election

Why ICOS Version Election:

Version elections ensure that the software running on every replica node in the IC network is reviewed before being released to production.
I see this as a natural extension from managing subnet topology into deeper aspects of consensus, routing, and cryptography - ensuring both security and reliability.

About Me:

I’m Rok. I’ve been working as a software developer for over 9 years now. I first came across the IC in 2017, being in an ICO list. I received an airdrop of 100 tokens in 2021 and started following the project. Over time I stumbled on things like passkeys in 2022, and later the first chain-key integrations in 2023. Around then I found a dapp called Taggr — which was the thing that pulled me into governance and the more technical side of the IC. From there I started reading proposals, doing code reviews, and eventually building a few features.

Earlier this year, Alex reached out and asked if I wanted to help with Subnet Management reviews and form a decentralized group. Five months later we were already covering API BN Management as well, had grown to 9 reviewers, and now running in elections for all topics.

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CO.DELTA △ - Subnet management & API BN Management

Voting Neuron Grant Application

  • Topic: Subnet management & API BN Management
  • Total Team Size: 9
  • Specialist Team Size: 3
  • We’re different △ - verifiably decentralised, high quality, publicly shared proof of due diligence, provided by experienced members of the community, for the community. CO.DELTA has no hierarchy. All team members are co-owners of the neuron, the fund dispersal canister, and all other aspects. This is enforced by threshold consensus. Each specialist sub-team within CO.DELTA thereby acts as a distinct entity covering their respective topic.

Specialist Team Members

Name:

Alex Lorimer

Applied Topic(s):

Subnet management & API BN Management, Participant Management & Node Admin, SNS & Neurons’ Fund

Why Subnet management & API BN Management:

These topics are foundational to deterministic decentralisation, which the IC depends upon. I have been iteratively improving tooling for performing Subnet Management reviews over the last year, most recently encompassing API Boundary Node Management proposal reviews. I’ll soon also finish removing a dependency on the IC API, ensuring all metrics come from verifiable sources. Other work-in-progress tooling includes a decentralisation step optimiser. I’ve been conducting subnet management proposal reviews as an elected reviewer since the end of last year. I’m proud of each and every review, and I do my best to go above and beyond. Here are some notable examples:

  • 137677 - A proposal that would have left the subnet in a vulnerable state during synchronisation (due to proximity to the consensus threshold)
  • 136565, 136566 - My first API Boundary Node Management reviews
  • 135248, 134971, 134674 - Detailed analysis of public/private subnet changes
  • 133444 - A proposal that would have unwittingly left the subnet with fewer nodes
  • 134256, 134318 - Another example of catching things that others missed
  • … there are many, many more. Please consider browsing.

About me:

I’m an experienced full-stack software developer, with an MSc in Computer Science and a ResM (research masters) which focused on mass-participatory design. I’m passionate about Web3 governance, and I’m dedicated to improving tooling, as well as processes and procedures relating to NNS participation. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The IC is the solution, and I’m very driven to help it succeed. I’m also heavily staked in the IC. I’m devoted to securing that long-term stake, and that of all other ICP stakers. I regularly review IC code and have received numerous bug bounties in the IC ecosystem. I’m also extremely active in governance matters and regularly post reviews, and vote on a range of topics. I’m always looking for opportunities to build tooling for the topics that I focus on in order to improve reliability, robustness and attention to detail.

Name:

Malith Hatanachchige

Topics Applied:

Participant Management & Node Admin
Subnet management & API BN Management
Application Canister Management

Why Subnet Management & API BN Management

I’ve reviewed over 120 proposals in Subnet Management & API BN Management. My reviews are based on independent tools and direct infrastructure experience, which helps catch issues and improve the quality of decisions.

Notable contributions

  1. Highlighted the lack of a proper validation method for Nakamoto Coefficient calculations when reviewing a new US application subnet. This feedback supports Dfinity in defining better parameters for country-based topology.
    → Discussion
  2. Helped with quick adoption of vetKey deployment while ensuring proper validation.
    → Discussion 1
    → Discussion 2
  3. Early tooling and reviews for subnet proposal validation.
    → Example

About me:

Hi, I’m Malith. I’ve been working in software and infrastructure for over 13 years, across everything from frontend/backend development to AI/ML and large-scale infrastructure for Web2, Web3, and AI inference workload. I’ve been part of the ICP community for the past two years, contributing by building useful tools for node providers, actively participating in the AI Technical Working Group, and operating as a node provider covering the South Asia region. And, as a Subnet Management & API BN Management reviewer, I’ve reviewed over 120 proposals.

My voting principle has always been to respond quickly, even if it’s to reject, while keeping my decisions fair and focused on the long term, so people can move forward with their tasks faster. To support this, I’ve built automation tools to handle background fact checking and research, which I then manually double check. Before casting my vote, I make it a point to consider the bigger picture.

In the blockchain industry as a whole, ICP is setting a strong precedent for driving mass market adoption of DApps, and the progress so far has been remarkable. I believe that supporting ICP by ensuring the safety and integrity of the community is crucial, as it allows the core team to focus on advancing the ICP and accelerating meaningful change.

I have been continuously contributing to the community, and I intend to maintain the same effort beyond the grant period.

DFINITY forum
LinkedIn
GitHub

Name:

Rok

Applied Topic(s):

Subnet Management & API BN Management, IC OS Version Election

Why Subnet management & API BN Management:

Subnet management is essential for maintaining proper decentralization - what we call ‘deterministic decentralization’. ‘Deterministic’ means we can explicitly calculate the Nakamoto Coefficient (NC) for network nodes across different characteristics.
We measure NC based on a pre-agreed target topology, assess provider quality, and monitor clusters - groups of nodes potentially controlled by a single beneficiary.

For the past six months I have been conducting these reviews. My future goals include improving sourcing, moving away from the IC API, and maintaining a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of subnet health.

About Me:

I’m Rok. I’ve been working as a software developer for over 9 years now. I first came across the IC in 2017, being in an ICO list. I received an airdrop of 100 tokens in 2021 and started following the project. Over time I stumbled on things like passkeys in 2022, and later the first chain-key integrations in 2023. Around then I found a dapp called Taggr — which was the thing that pulled me into governance and the more technical side of the IC. From there I started reading proposals, doing code reviews, and eventually building a few features.

Earlier this year, Alex reached out and asked if I wanted to help with Subnet Management reviews and form a decentralized group. Five months later we were already covering API BN Management as well, had grown to 9 reviewers, and now running in elections for all topics.

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Happy to hear that you consider applying. You can split the work of reviewing amongst two people, but this would not make you eligible for a team grant. Team grants require at least three reviewers doing the work, so with two reviewers you would only be eligible for the individual grant.

1 Like
39

Got it Moritz, thanks.

I will apply individually then later today.

Next iteration we will have a team in place.

40

You’ll be able to convert your grant into a team grant as soon as you add a third person. You don’t have to wait until Season 3. There were two conversions in Season 1 and DFINITY honored both.

2 Likes
41

Voting Neuron Grant Application - Joseph Hurtado

Topics:

  • Protocol Canister Management & IC OS Version Election

Type of Application:

- Individual

Personal Introduction and Relevant Experience

Hello Moritz, DFINITY Team, and the great IC Community,

I have been an active member of the ICP community for years. I think I am one of the few independent developers and founders who actually worked inside DFINITY during 2021, where I had the pleasure of witnessing the Genesis event from California on May 7, 2021.

The time I spent at DFINITY was particularly valuable for the two topics I applied for, because I was the Tech Project Manager for two key teams, the Security Team, and the Datacenter Team.

I have worked with Lara Schmidt, Robin Künzler, and many others who were part of the Security Team at the time. Some, such as Jens Groth, have left, but their contributions and knowledge have convinced me that the IC is a powerful and needed blockchain technology for the world. It also showed me in great detail the importance of code security for a critical piece of software such as the IC, especially the Protocol Canister Management area and the IC OS Version Election.

The datacenter team was also eye opening, as I witnessed and help build the sub-nets and the automation behind the IC OS deployment that are now part of the daily operations of the Internet Computer.

In 2023, I presented a project to DFINITY to build a different kind of note-taking application, one that would allow anyone to publish their ideas in the IC, and also sell those notes for Bitcoin. The project is called Satoshi Notes. I got funded with a small team and got an MVP done and delivered last year. However, I decided to spend additional development time to make sure the software was fully ready and bug free. I expect it will be released in September.

The development of Satoshi Notes was demanding, and I learned how DAPPs work inside canisters, and across canisters, the sophisticated design of the BTC canister, the ckBTC implementation, and how to publish files seamlessly in the IC.

All this relevant experience acquired while working with the IC has given me confidence that we can be good reviewers for the topics we have chosen. Rust is the main language we use for Satoshi Notes canister software, and that is an advantage for the topics we intend to review, that said, we also know Motoko.

Technical Knowledge

  • I am a developer, tech project manager, and founder with over 15 years working in the software industry in the US and Canada.

  • I have strong technical architecture knowledge and programming experience in a variety of languages, including Rust, Motoko, Assembly language, C, Python, and many others.

  • I am both a Computer Science graduate, and a Business Graduate, that is why my experience led me to consulting and to lead teams.

Reasons for the Topics Selected

All this experience and technical know-how motivated me to apply for the two topics where I am sure I can make a positive difference to the code quality and security of the IC: Protocol Canister Management & IC OS Version Election

Important Links

Motivation for Becoming a Voting Neuron

I truly want the IC to become the leading blockchain alternative to the centralized Clouds, and to win the hearts of blockchain developers everywhere.

Having solid, reliable, bug free software is critical for this to happen, and both the IC OS, and the Protocol Canister Management are key areas to make sure this happens.

I have the depth of experience working in software security, datacenter operations, and software development to provide valuable reviews that will make sure DFINITY and the IC are successful in this endeavor.

Long-Term Commitment to the Success of ICP

Having worked once at DFINITY, and also knowing many of the people in the ecosystem who are builders and believers of a better decentralized future, to help achieve this is one of my goals.

ICP empowers Bitcoin to be a real powerhouse, and I want this to happen long-term. Better money -Bitcoin- meets a better decentralized Cloud, the IC!

The company I led is committed to building in the IC for the long haul, and this means we want the ICP to be successful, because as they are successful, all of us independent software makers and consultants will also be successful.

Voting Principles

Above all, honesty, transparency, and good-faith so that DFINITY can continue to deliver what I belief is the best blockchain for decentralized app developers in the world.

Next, attention to detail regarding code, potential bugs, and software quality,. so that we can spot what perhaps the team could have missed.

And finally, openness to discuss and welcome opinions from the community and DFINITY, so that every vote is truly valuable and welcome.

Final Words

Thank you for considering me for this valuable effort. DFINITY and the IC community will be successful, and I am glad to be considered one of the people who helped make this happen.

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