OpCo - OAT Applications & Nominations

Applications for DAO programs
3

Application Form

Applicant / Nominee Information

  • Full Name: Marc Zeller
  • Contact Information: @Lemiscate on Telegram
  • Current Occupation: Founder of ACI, service provider and largest delegate to Aave DAO
  • Country of Residence / Time Zone: France/CET

Nominator Information (Only complete this section if you are nominating someone else for the role)

  • Nominator Full Name: N/A
  • Your Relationship to the Nominee: N/A
  • Why Are You Nominating This Person: N/A

Applicant / Nominee Qualifications and Experience

  • Identify one of the domains described within the Desired Qualifications section in the OpCo - Oversight and Transparency Committee (OAT) Application Process Overview forum post in which you have the most experience and describe that experience:

    Business Development, Venture Building, and Strategy & Operations: I have extensive experience in Business Development, Venture Building, and Strategy & Operations. As the largest delegate and leader of ACI, the Growth Service Provider to Aave DAO I have had significant impact on driving the strategy and operations of the DAO overseeing incredible growth and increased operational efficiency over several years. In order to deliver value to Aave DAO I built a team of developers, governance experts, and risk analysts at ACI and managed these internal operations alongside broader Aave DAO strategy, Business Development, and Operations.

    Outside of Aave, I am a frequent angel investor across DeFi, Governance, and broader Crypto focussed ventures, often acting as advisor providing guidance on strategy and business development. I also have an interest in broader non-business community development and to further this cofounded Ethereum France in 2015 the organizer of the Largest European Ethereum community conference, the EthCC.

  • Describe your network and reputation within the blockchain/technology industry. Have you previously represented a crypto brand and/or navigated DAO governance:

I am a leading voice in the DeFi and DAO governance sectors. With almost 100,000 Twitter followers, millions of dollars worth of voting power in several DAOs, and a strong network across DeFi and broader Crypto, I have a strong reputation for being a straight talking, no-nonsense proponent for responsible long term development of the Crypto industry.

As stated in other sections of this application I have experience in Aave DAO and several other DAOs.

  • Detail your experience in advisory, governance, and/or oversight roles:

    I am the founder of the Aave Chan Initiative (ACI), a leading service provider for the Aave DAO and the largest delegate. My introduction to the crypto ecosystem began in 2015 with the co-founding of Ethereum France and the organisation of the EthCC conference in Paris. Marc’s diverse experience spans roles at Consensys and Coinhouse, the first French-regulated CASP.

    In 2019, I was pivotal in the launch of Aave, joining EthLend to prepare for Aave V1 in 2020. In 2022, I established the ACI, which now boasts a dedicated team of eight. The ACI is renowned for its innovative products, including Skyward, Orbit, Frontier and Dolce Vita.

    Alongside these roles, Marc has been an active ecosystem multisig signer, advisor and participant in many ecosystem protocols over the years.

  • Have you previously contributed to the Arbitrum DAO? Describe any relevant experiences through which you’ve gained an understanding of the DAO’s current structure, contributors, and programs:

    ACI, led by myself has recently increased involvement in Arbitrum DAO. We are now an active delegate and also a core member of the Aave Protocol Embassy, with approximately 3 million $ARB in voting power across owned and delegated tokens. We have a strong understanding of the current state and structure of the DAO and are highly aligned with ensuring its continued success and improvement.

  • Given the scope of OpCo is relatively broad in its current form, describe how you view OpCo’s role within the DAO and what it should accomplish to deem the entity a success over the next 3-5 years:

    OpCo should serve as the operational hub that converts Arbitrum DAO’s governance decisions into concrete actions. Its success over the next 3-5 years would be measured by:

    • Demonstrating the ability to implement DAO initiatives efficiently, with clear outcomes that advance ecosystem goals and persist through contributor transitions.
    • Using allocated funds responsibly while delivering measurable value that justifies the operational structure, proving more cost-effective than alternative coordination methods.
    • Successfully bridging decentralised governance with operational effectiveness, creating scalable systems that maintain transparency while reducing friction in the DAO’s ability to accomplish its objectives.

Additional Information (Only complete if relevant)

  • Please share any other relevant information that supports the applicant/nominee: N/A

References (Only complete if relevant)

If contacting references proves hard, I can put you in touch through Telegram, please contact me to facilitate this if needed.

Disclosures

  • Please disclose all of the applicant’s/nominee’s actual and potential conflicts of interest, including but not limited to financial, personal, DAO governance, and professional:
    • I am founder of ACI which is a service provider to Aave DAO
    • ACI is an active delegate in several DAOs including: Scroll, ZKsync, Gnosis, Ether.fi, Aave.
    • I have significant financial holdings of the following:
      • ETH
      • AAVE
      • ARB
      • BTC
      • LINK
      • GHST
      • FLUID
  • Please disclose all active contributor roles and payment streams related to the Arbitrum DAO that the applicant/nominee, and entities that they have a professional or financial relationship with, has and is receiving:
    • I am the founder of ACI which is enrolled in the Arbitrum Delegate Incentives Program.
    • ACI is a service provider to Aave DAO which may receive grants and token for incentives to be distributed on Aave.

Declarations

  • The applicant/nominee understands that any offer to join and hold a position in the OAT is contingent on:
    • Successfully completing as well as maintaining updated all relevant non-disclosure agreements, KYC requirements, and other necessary documents
    • Not being a direct representative or full-time employee at network competitors (e.g., Solana, Polygon, Optimism)
    • The person as well as any companies with which the person maintains a professional or financial relationship to relinquish any and all contributor roles within the Arbitrum DAO that were obtained through an official election or ratification process conducted via Snapshot or Tally
    • The person as well as any companies with which the person maintains a professional or financial relationship to abstain from becoming an internal employee for OpCo, entering into service provider contracts with the entity, or applying for any contributor role within the Arbitrum DAO that requires an official election or ratification process through Snapshot or Tally
    • The person as well as any companies with which the person maintains a professional or financial relationship to relinquish positions on other DAO initiatives’ or DAO-adjacent entities’ oversight committees or any other positions comparable in nature
    • Being aligned with the community values listed in The Amended Constitution of the Arbitrum DAO, following the Code of Conduct for delegates, being committed to prioritizing the Arbitrum DAO’s needs, and acting in absolute good faith and utmost honesty to fulfill their duties to the best of their abilities.
  • If nominating someone else, the nominator confirms that the nominee is aware of their nomination and the essential details related to it
  • The applicant/nominator confirms that they have read and understood all the content within this form and that the information submitted is accurate and complete: Yes
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