Applicant / Nominee Information
- Full Name: A.J. Warner
- Contact Information: Twitter: https://x.com/ajwarner90
- Current Occupation: Chief Strategy Officer; Offchain Labs
- Country of Residence / Time Zone: USA/ EST
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:
Response: If I have to choose one, I believe the Business Development, Venture Building, and Strategy & Operation category would describe my experiences best. I have spent the last 4.5 years at Offchain Labs building out and contributing to the Arbitrum ecosystem. I have been doing business development for Arbitrum since the first alpha testnet and am intimately familiar with the key stakeholders, developers, investors, infrastructure providers, capital allocators and other key contributors to the Arbitrum ecosystem. In the early days of Arbitrum, I was responsible for establishing the direction for the growth of Arbitrum, and am currently still leading the Partnerships team at Offchain Labs, the organization contributing the majority of Business Development resources to the Arbitrum platform.
I think I have been fortunate to establish my personal relationships throughout the space in my time in the industry and will be able to draw from those relationships and my broader community to continue to serve the Arbitrum DAO to the best of my abilities.
- Describe your network and reputation within the blockchain/technology industry. Have you previously represented a crypto brand and/or navigated DAO governance:
As touched in the above bullet, as the business lead at Offchain Labs, I have built a strong network in the crypto industry with leaders across many different verticals. I have a reputation for being collaborative, emphathetic and results oriented to try and find positive outcomes for all stakeholders. I have been navigating DAO governance in Arbitrum informally over the last two years, and have been working with many key stakeholders in the Arbitrum ecosystem. Me and my team have also navigated DAO governance for different partners that we have collaborated with in onboarding to Arbitrum.
- Detail your experience in advisory, governance, and/or oversight roles:
I played a key role in establishing the Arbitrum DAO’s governance when control of the protocol was handed over to the community. Many of the different control mechanisms were ideas that I contributed to. I currently oversee the OCL partnerships team which is responsible for the majority of onboarding of projects into the Arbitrum ecosystem.
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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:
I have not formally participated in any programs in the Arbitrum DAO but I was one of the key individuals that assisted in the formation of the DAO’s structure and I work closely with the Arbitrum Foundation, delegates and other key members of the DAO. This has allowed me to have unique insight into the operations of the DAO. -
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:
I think the OpCo should be prioritizing acting as the connective tissue between the DAO and the operational execution occurring in the Arbitrum ecosystem. OpCo can play a number of roles effectively to ensure that the Arbitrum DAO continues to evolve as a world-class organization and platform.
- Coordinating with operating entities within the Arbitrum ecosystem to ensure they have sufficient resources and are properly managing and delivering on their roles and responsibilities.
- Participate in strategic thinking and planning on new initiatives for the DAO and building out the proper business plans for their execution.
- Be the conduit for delegates to input into the operations of the DAO.
- Develop new business lines for the Arbitrum DAO to build out that can leverage the success of Arbitrum
Additional Information (Only complete if relevant)
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Please share any other relevant information that supports the applicant/nominee:
The following individuals would likely be good references if you would like to learn more about my ability to contribute in this role: -
Steven Goldfeder, CEO of Offchain Labs
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Coinflip Canada, Contributor to GMX and Arbitrum DAO
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Matt Fiebach, Co-Founder, Entropy Advisors
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Krzysztof Urbański, Governance Lead at L2Beat
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Soby, Co-Founder of Ex Populus and Contributor to Xai
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Jill Gunter, Co-Founder of Espresso Systems
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 work at Offchain Labs an entity that contributes to Arbitrum Ecosystem but also undertakes other initiatives that are outside the scope of solely focusing on Arbitrum (e.g. Prysm, Tandem).
The overwhelming majority of my crypto holdings (greater than 95%) are $ARB, $BTC and $ETH but I do own a small amount of other tokens as well, the only one of which could be considered a competitor to Arbitrum is $SOL.
- 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:
No payments received from the DAO, but I do have a salary I receive from Offchain Labs.
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/No
Yes and I understand the contingencies.