ACI Delegate Communication Thread

About ACI

Established in early 2023, ACI stands as one of the driving forces within the Aave ecosystem. As the primary delegate of the Aave DAO, ACI is deeply committed to turning ideas into tangible results. With a strong focus on implementation, ACI leads key initiatives such as the Frontier Staking Program, the Skywards Program, the Dolce Vita Program, the Merit Program, and the Orbit Program. ACI are also active delegates in numerous other DAOs including: Arbitrum, Lido, Gnosis, EtherFi, ZKsync, and Ethena.

ACI is not just about voting on proposals—our team actively contributes code and expertise to realize governance initiatives. We bring hands-on experience from managing Aave’s most critical programs, ensuring that governance processes are smooth, efficient, and impactful. We have extensive experience working with many of the Service Providers in the DeFi governance space and have an internal team of developers, governance experts, and risk analysts.

Delegation address: 0xC0C38e9601EBe707279727Bf6292f67e719a475d
Twitter: x.com
Website: https://www.aavechan.com/

[Non-Constitutional] Funds to Bolster Foundation’s Strategic Partnerships Budget
Date: 1/10/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: Requests 250M ARB with few specifics on how the funds will be allocated or which partners will be pursued. We believe a more structured plan with clear goals and milestones is necessary before committing this amount.

ArbitrumDAO strategic “Off-site” (online) updated proposal
Date: 2/10/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: An online off-site is relatively low-cost and makes it easier for delegates around the world to participate. It should help the community align on priorities without the logistical hassle of a physical event.

Enhancing Multichain Governance: Upgrading RARI Governance Token on Arbitrum
Date: 2/10/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: This upgrade doesn’t require DAO funds and can improve RARI’s functionality on Arbitrum. We support proposals that bring added utility to the network at no direct cost to the treasury.

[Non-Constitutional] Arbitrum DAO Delegate Incentive Program
Date: 8/10/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: Delegates invest significant time in governance work. This incentive program compensates them fairly, encourages greater participation, and incentivizes more informed decision-making.

Fund the Stylus Sprint
Date: 8/10/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: Stylus could significantly expand development on Arbitrum. Although 5M ARB is a large sum, if it’s allocated properly (with specific goals/milestones), it can spur innovation and bring more projects to the chain.

LTIPP Retroactive Community Funding Selections
Date: 11/10/24
Link
Vote: Do Not Fund
Rationale: We do not believe this funding is appropriate.

Establishing a DAO Events Budget for 2025
Date: 11/10/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: 1.5M dollars per year for events feels disproportionate without a clear breakdown of how funds would be spent or what outcomes to expect. We’d prefer a more measured budget and detailed justification.

(V2) Arbitrum Research & Development Collective
Date: 17/10/24
Link
Vote: Do Not Fund the ARDC
Rationale: Gauntlet’s involvement is a sticking point. We value R&D but prefer to avoid partnerships that carry reputational or operational risks tied to Gauntlet.

[Non-Constitutional] Arbitrum Token Swap Pilot Program
Date: 18/10/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: Token swaps help diversify the treasury and can bolster relationships with other protocols on Arbitrum. Reducing single-token exposure is typically beneficial for DAO stability.

GCP Council Re-Confirmation Vote for Tim Chang
Date: 18/10/24
Link
Vote: Reconfirm Tim Chang to GCPC
Rationale: Tim Chang appears qualified, with no community objections. Ensuring continuity in the GCP Council should help maintain stable operations.

GCP Council Re-Confirmation Vote for John Kennedy
Date: 18/10/24
Link
Vote: Reconfirm John Kennedy to GCPC
Rationale: John Kennedy likewise has the necessary background. Re-confirming experienced council members maintains consistency and makes use of existing expertise.

(V2) Arbitrum Research & Development Collective
Date: 29/10/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: As with previous ARDC proposals involving Gauntlet, we remain opposed due to reputational concerns. While R&D is important, we prefer different teams or structures that don’t raise the same issues.

Establishing a DAO Events Budget for 2025
Date: 29/10/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: Same reasoning as the Snapshot version—1.5M/year for events is excessive absent clear objectives, metrics, or a cost breakdown.

Adopt a Delegate Code of Conduct & Formalize Operations
Date: 1/11/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: Establishing formal guidelines for delegates improves transparency and accountability. Clear responsibilities and codes of conduct help the DAO remain professional.

Restitution For Extensively Delayed ArbitrumDAO Minigrant Winners
Date: 20/11/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: We believe this spend will lack impact for the DAO and we do not support the initiatives being funded.

Hackathon Continuation Program
Date: 23/11/24
Link
Vote: In favour, no onchain mechanism
Rationale: There’s a very reasonable argument that further spend is not a good thing for the DAO but in this instance we believe that the builder community could benefit from being nurtured and provided with financial resources in the hope that new protocols and innovation emerges. We do not believe the onchain mechanism provides good value for money.

Designing and operating the reporting and information function
Date: 30/11/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: We believe the funding request is disproportionate to the work being proposed.

Arbitrum Hackathon Builder Continuation Program
Date: 3/12/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: There’s a very reasonable argument that further spend is not a good thing for the DAO but in this instance we believe that the builder community could benefit from being nurtured and provided with financial resources in the hope that new protocols and innovation emerges.

Arbitrum D.A.O. Domain Allocator Offerings) Grant Program - Season 3
Date: 4/12/24
Link
Vote: Renew with 5 domains
Rationale: The first 2 grants programs increased visibility and participation. For a DAO with a treasury the size of Arbitrum’s we believe it needs to be spending to generate new protocols and on-chain activity.

[NON-CONSTITUTIONAL] Arbitrum Onboarding V2: A Governance Bootcamp
Date: 5/12/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: A good extension of the V1 at a reasonable cost, increased governance participation from informed people is good for the entire space.

ARDC (V2) Supervisory Council Election
Date: 6/12/24
Link
Vote: Jamesbkh
Rationale: James has been helpful in the past and we believe he will do a great job in this role.

ARDC (V2) Research Election
Date: 6/12/24
Link
Vote: Llama Research & Castle Capital
Rationale: This pairing seemed to have the strongest plan and complementary skill sets.

ARDC (V2) Risk Election
Date: 6/12/24
Link
Vote: Nethermind
Rationale: Nethermind has an established track record and mature approach to risk. Their clarity and depth in the application made them our preferred option.

ARDC (V2) Security Election
Date: 6/12/24
Link
Vote: OpenZeppellin
Rationale: OpenZeppelin is well-respected in the security and auditing field. Their expertise is a strong fit for the role.

Unifying Arbitrum’s Mission, Vision, Purpose (MVP)
Date: 12/12/24
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: Agreeing on a clear mission and vision helps align community goals and shape strategy. This proposal is a net positive for focussing the DAO.

Partner with ETH Bucharest 2025
Date: 13/12/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: We don’t oppose event sponsorships generally, but this particular request didn’t seem to align with normal DAO processes or provide sufficient detail on ROI.

OpCo – A DAO-adjacent Entity for Strategy Execution
Date: 13/12/24
Link
Vote: Against
Rationale: A separate entity can help with routine tasks, but 22M ARB is substantial. We’d have preferred a more scaled-down approach with defined deliverables.

[Constitutional AIP] Activate Arbitrum BoLD + Infura Nova Validator Whitelist
Date: 7/1/25
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: We believe this is an important step forward for technical and security progress.

Non-Constitutional: Stable Treasury Endowment Program 2.0
Date: 10/1/25
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: This is good for the DAO from a treasury management, strategic, and operational perspective. We would have liked to see this done under the existing treasury management structures as it could then be managed more holistically taking into account other onchain stablecoin yield opportunities such as sUSDe, aUSDC, and similar. We hope to see this program taken up under the Treasury Management Committee in the future.

Arbitrum D.A.O. Season 3 Elections - New Protocols and Ideas
Date: 15/1/25
Link
Vote: Uthred
Rationale: He has broad experience and we think that in contrast to the other applicants he has the right approach for assessing grants of this category. We do however believe he could have some beliefs about what category of protocols may be more promising (e.g. DeFi, AI, Gaming etc). This isn’t an extreme concern and we believe his broad and proven experience is a benefit to his application.

Arbitrum D.A.O. Season 3 Elections - Education, Community Growth, and Events
Date: 15/1/25
Link
Vote: SEEDgov
Rationale: They have extensive experience within Arbitrum DAO and the broader space. We believe they are a strong applicant and a “safe pair of hands” for this role.

Arbitrum D.A.O. Season 3 Elections - Dev Tooling on One and Stylus
Date: 15/1/25
Link
Vote: Juandi
Rationale: Previous experience in a similar role at Arbitrum is a positive signal, we believe his experience is very relevant for this role. It would be good to hear any vouches or recommendations from colleagues in his previous Grant Allocator role.

Arbitrum D.A.O. Season 3 Elections - Gaming
Date: 15/1/25
Link
Vote: Flook
Rationale: The team’s experience seems highly specific to the role and would be valuable in assessing grants for gaming on Arbitrum. One concern we have is that there is a chance for serious conflicts of interest to arise given his position in running a Web3 gaming studio with focus on Arbitrum, we’d like to hear how he plans to manage these.

The Watchdog: Arbitrum DAO’s Grant Misuse Bounty Program
Date: 17/1/25
Link
Vote: For
Rationale: With such an emphasis on grant giving within Arbitrum, and the large cost of this, it makes sense to have a way of checking that funds are not misused. This seems to be a sensible, cost effective way of achieving this objective.