We would like to provide additional context on the feedback that was initially shared with @maxlomu when he was drafting this proposal, and which reflects the views of all AAEs, as coordinated by the OpCo.
Overall, we believe the initiative could be valuable and appreciate the effort that has gone into it. As outlined in the proposal, the Arbitrum Foundation would be happy to serve as a technical service provider, helping to assess the quality and robustness of the underlying technology of projects applying to the program, and the OpCo would be keen to support on the operations side.
That said, from a broader ecosystem perspective, we do not believe that such an initiative being undertaken from an individual or team that’s external to the existing AAEs that focus on ecosystem support is sensible.
There is a lot of context to consider when thinking about a program like this, from the teams’ needs to the process to be followed, so this effort is fruitful. For the DAO to undertake such an initiative without the accompanying context would be a waste of effort and resources.
At the same time, we believe that the Arbitrum Foundation’s ecosystem team, alongside Offchain Labs’ business development team, can likely address any high-impact opportunities without requiring a separate program with additional funding from the DAO.