Reconfirmation of GCP Council Appointees

[coinflip]

The Tally vote (link) for establishing the GCP Foundation laid out a process for the creation of the initial GCP Council (Council) to govern and oversee the setup and mobilization of GCP. As part of that process three council members were elected and two members are to be appointed by the GCP Working Group (WG) who are subject to reconfirmation by the DAO.

On behalf of the council let me apologize for the delay in coming to the DAO to commence the reconfirmation process for the two council nominees by October 10th; the early days of October between the induction of a new council appointee and the conclusion of the WG’s scope, we couldn’t meet the intended dates.

Below is a timeline of activities up to commencing the reconfirmation vote and proposed next steps to complete the process of reconfirmation of the nominated council members.

Timeline of Activity

June 10	Tally Vote to form GCP is executed
June 17	Interim Transparency Committee (ITC) is setup to provide oversight until the formation of the Council
June 20	WG Nominated Tim Chang and Andrew Green to Council
June 22	Nominations open for elected council positions
August 1	Elections conclude and the Council is now constituted
August 27	Andrew Green resigns from Council and WG commences search for alternative council nominee
September 15	WG connects council member with John Kennedy who is being considered to be appointed onto the council
September 26	WG confirms John Kennedy as their appointee to the council, with a plan to announce on October 1, 2024.
September 30	WG is sunsetted, concluding their formal contribution to the GCP Foundation
October 3	DAO is provided an update that John Kennedy is the new nominated member to the Council
October 11	This governance forum post you are reading, commences the reconfirmation process of the two WG nominated Council members

Proposed Reconfirmation Process

October 17	Start snapshot Votes for reconfirming appointed Council members
October 22	Proposed AMA with the appointed council members
October 24	Conclude snapshot Votes reconfirming appointed Council members

Depending on the outcome of the reconfirmation vote, the council will continue with a board of 3, 4 or 5 members. The Council will not nominate or fill any vacancy at this time if any member isn’t reconfirming, but look to a DAO election to fill one or both seats if needed.

Elections (if required)

November 1	Close of Council Nominations
November 6	AMA with Council candidates
November 7	Start of snapshot vote for electing one or two open Council positions
November 14	Conclusion of snapshot and deemed election of top one or two candidates respectively

In addition to the proposed AMA and forum thread with bios for the appointed members, both Tim Chang and John Kennedy are available for discussion with delegates as are the elected council members.

Telegram Handles

Tim Chang - @timechange7

John Kennedy - @commercejohn

David Bolger - @David_Cocora

Greg Canessa - @gregcanessa

coinflipcanada - @coinflipcanada

Any questions on the reconfirmation or election process can be directed to @coinflipcanada on behalf of the Council or @Patrick McCorry on behalf of the Arbitrum Foundation. The above process for reconfirmation and election can be updated based on DAO feedback leading up to the reconfirmation votes on October 17th.

Additionally the Council wants to thank the GCP Working Group and all its members for their service over the course of this year; their collective efforts were instrumental in making this program possible. Their final activity in proposing John Kennedy as a nominee to the council reflects the effort to ensure they fulfilled and concluded their responsibilities to the DAO prior to handing off the program.

Edit Notes:

• references to Ratification have been updated to Reconfirmation
• date of AMA has been updated to be during voting
• Corrected link for Patrick (Arbitrum Foundation)

[Larva]

Happy to see the updates! Thanks!

As disclosed, Tim Chang has extensive experience in venture capital and game development, And John Kennedy has huge knowledge about not only the web3 ecosystem but venture, gaming, and strategy. So I am confident that they will perform their duties well. More importantly, it is time for the GCP to move forward, and there are already many proposals that reflect the slow pace of progress. Stop procrastinating and move on!

[JoJo]

Looking forward for the vote so we can cementify the council.

For the change from Andrew to John, to me is positive:

• we are still talking about one of the 2 positions nominated by the WG, so they indeed had the mandate to appoint the person they deemed the best for the role
• John has relevant experience, being previously Head of Product at AWS GameTech
• we are talking about a person that is way closer to the DAO than Andrew was.

Regarding Tim, I had the brief pleasure to work with him during the interim council, and feels like he is great in fulfilling the role of council member with his numerous years of venture and gaming experience.

Them, plus the 3 already elected members, are to me the best choices to move forward with the oversight and advisory of the GCP.

[GFXlabs]

Will the Working Group members will abstain from voting? Since this is a ratification of their own decisions?

[Djinn]

Thanks Coinflip!

Tim Chang and John Kennedy are both experienced, committed Council members who will be invaluable to the success of the GCP and growth of gaming within the Arbitrum ecosystem.

I wanted to give each nominated Council member a huge shoutout and share their bios!

Tim Chang

Tim Chang is one of the most respected venture capital veterans in North America and we were all thrilled to have him onboard. Recommended by leadership from Pirate Nation, Orange DAO, and other executives from web3 and web2, the opportunity to bring in a strong perspective from outside the confines of the DAO gives us a unique superpower most ecosystems do not have.

A bit about his background!

Tim previously led consumer technology investments at Mayfield Fund, focusing on next-gen Commerce & Marketplaces, Communities, Health & Wellness, Gaming and Digital Media, and has been named to the Forbes Midas List and the AlwaysOn Power Players of top investors, as well as receiving the Special Achievement award from the Gamification Summit for his work in leveraging game design thinking. Tim has led early stage investments in Grove Collaborative, Tonal Fitness, Fitmob/Classpass, Iridigm Display, Playdom, ngmoco, Basis, AdChina, Moat, and Pillow creating more than $2.6B in total exit value. His current board seats include Alignable and TRIPP VR. He holds an MBA with honors from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a MSEE/BSEE from the University of Michigan, where he received a departmental scholar fellowship. Tim has also been an active and avid investor in Web3/blockchain since 2014, helping to establish and invest in early crypto hedge funds, as well as advising and supporting multiple web3 gaming startups.

Outside of his passion for venture and startups, Tim is also a proponent of healing and flourishing of Mind, Body and Spirit, and serves on the non-profit boards of California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and Ecoversity, and formerly served on the nonprofit boards of Little Kids Rock, NorthStar.guide, Gray Area Arts and Reimagine Death, as well as advising Transformative Tech Lab, Consciousness Hacking, Building Bridges, Near Future Summit, Edmund Hillary Fellowship, GoldHouse, Berklee School of Music, and other efforts to uplevel Capitalism with greater consciousness, regenerative models and inclusive stakeholding. His impact efforts include supporting MAPS and co-founding Northstar.guide to ethically commercialize psychedelic medicine, and he is dedicated to supporting Men’s Work, greater financial literacy for Women and Girls, ethical design principles for AI and tech products, regenerative agriculture/Permaculture, and fostering Conscious Community in Miami.

John Kennedy

The GCP working group and other game builders met John several times while he was co-facilitating across Arbitrum Hack Humanity events in Denver and Brussels. John’s enthusiasm, patience, and knowledge about not only the web3 ecosystem but venture, gaming, and strategy gave us a lot of confidence he would be an amazing Council Member. His experience as a venture capitalist and his tenure at AWS game tech help round out the Council from an infrastructure and VC point of view.

More about John Kennedy below!

John, formerly Head of Product at AWS GameTech, left last year to launch SprintReview AI—an AI-driven performance management platform for software engineering teams. At AWS, John successfully pitched the CEO on transforming Amazon’s Lumberyard into a cutting-edge open-source 3D game engine. He secured a team of over 100 top game engine developers to build Open 3D Engine (o3de.org), a modular, extensible, and high-performance 3D engine featuring a new renderer, visual scripting tool, and physics engine. Additionally, John spearheaded the launch of several high-revenue AWS services, enabling game developers to seamlessly serve hundreds of millions of players with capabilities for streaming, multiplayer servers, and cloud storage.

As a Core Partner at Underscore VC, John has advised numerous early-stage startups on product development and go-to-market strategies. His executive experience spans multiple high-growth startups, including Platform.sh and Acquia. John continues to mentor Series A-C startups, sharing his expertise in scaling businesses.

This year, John co-facilitated Arbitrum’s two GovHack events in collaboration with Hack Humanity at EthDenver and EthCC. Each event drew over 200 participants and resulted in the creation of 48 new governance proposals.

[rickjohanson]

Hey all,
Want to drop a line of support both John and Tim for the GCP Council because of my personal experience collaborating with them individually and their incredible track records/deep expertise in areas crucial to GCP’s growth.

Tim’s experience leading consumer tech investments at Mayfield, mastery level understanding of the VC landscape, along with his involvement in innovative gaming/consumer/blockchain startups positions him perfectly to help guide GCP’s venture strategy.

John brings invaluable product leadership experience from AWS GameTech and a deep understanding of gaming infra. His hands-on involvement with GovHack and strong relationships within Arbitrum’s ecosystem showcase his ability to drive innovation and community growth, both essential for GCP’s future. In a short time, John has played a key role in shaping our perspective.

Both John and Tim share a deep understanding of the transformative potential the GCP has for Arbitrum, game developers, and players alike.

[raam]

I think the wrong Patrick was tagged in the post above

@stonecoldpat is the Patrick from the Arbitrum Foundation

[coinflip]

updated … thank you for catching that.

[jameskbh]

Hello!

While this may be a topic for the upcoming AMA, is it possible to add here a brief summary of the work done by those members (more relevant for Tim, I believe)? That could be relevant additional info for this preocess.

[JoJo]

I’m voting FOR to reconfirm the two appointed members of GCP, Tim and John.

I had the pleasure to know and work for a bit with Tim when I was in the Interim Committee. I can testify that he definitely brings on table the experience of a VC that has been investing in gaming, which, well, is probably one of the most meaningful way in which a committee member can contribute to the GCP fund.

With John, I only knew him from meeting him and working with him at GovHack in Bruxelles, and at the time of elections i discovered is important background in the AWS game tech. The experience with one of the most important infra provider, in gaming, already makes him a fit for the council; the fact that he is also actively involved in the DAO and his further experience in VC is a welcomed plus.

Glad we have both of them onboard!

[cp0x]

Hey!
Tell me, is there any information on why Andrew Green resigns from Council?
Maybe there are some problems with the council or the program that should be voiced?

[Djinn]

I think it was mainly because of his advisory with Treasure. But he did make a public statement on Twitter about this: x.com

[TodayInDeFi]

Voting FOR reconfirming both Tim and John

Rationale for Tim:

• His background and experience strongly align with the council’s objectives and the needs of the Web3 gaming ecosystem
  • Extensive Venture Capital Expertise
    • Tim Chang has a long and successful career in venture capital, particularly in the technology sector
    • His experience at Mayfield Fund, coupled with his impressive track record of investments demonstrates his deep understanding of identifying and supporting high-growth startups
  • Focus on Gaming and Web3
    • Tim Chang’s investment focus aligns perfectly with the GCP’s mission
    • He has actively invested in Web3 and blockchain technologies since 2014, specifically targeting promising Web3 gaming startups
    • This specialized experience makes him highly qualified to evaluate and guide gaming projects within the Arbitrum ecosystem
  • Strong Network and Connections
    • As a prominent figure in the venture capital and gaming industries, Tim Chang brings a vast network of connections to the GCP Council
    • This network can be leveraged to attract investment, partnerships, and talent to the Arbitrum gaming ecosystem

Rationale for John:

• Gaming Expertise
  • John Kennedy has extensive experience in the gaming industry, having served as the Head of Product at AWS GameTech
  • This experience makes him well-equipped to understand the needs of game developers and the challenges of building gaming infrastructure
• Venture Capital Insight
  • John Kennedy’s experience as a Core Partner at Underscore VC provides him with valuable insights into the venture capital landscape, particularly in the technology sector
  • It is crucial for the GCP’s goal of supporting the growth of Web3 gaming startups
• DAO Governance Experience
  • John Kennedy has demonstrated his commitment to DAO governance through his active participation in the Arbitrum community
  • He co-facilitated two Arbitrum GovHack events, which resulted in the creation of numerous governance proposals
  • This hands-on experience suggests his ability to contribute effectively to the council’s decision-making processes

[duokongcrypto]

Their experience is well suited to the current needs of the GCP and they bring important strategic support. I support the continued confirmation of their appointments to ensure the smooth progress of the GCP program!

[kuiclub]

Despite their strong backgrounds, consideration could be given to strengthening their interaction with the community in the future, so that the community is more aware of their work and involved in relevant decision-making, with the hope that enhanced community feedback and synchronized periodic evaluation of the performance of the Board members will ensure that their decisions continue to be in the long-term interests of the GCP and Arbitrum

[EzR3aL]

As I don’t know any of these persons its hard to make a decision within that timeframe. Im going to Abstain.

[Bruce]

# GCP Council Re-Confirmation Vote for Tim Chang #
I believe that Tim Chang’s experience makes him perfectly suited for his position at GCP, so there should be no doubt about the outcome of this re-confirmation vote. In addition to his extensive background in investments, Tim has been involved in the Web3 space for ten years, and his experience in gaming and digital media will further contribute to his role at GCP.

[Bruce]

# GCP Council Re-Confirmation Vote for John Kennedy #
It’s clear that John is highly qualified to join the GCP Council. The importance of game infrastructure development for the growth of the Web3 gaming industry cannot be overstated, and John’s expertise in organizing offline events and facilitating new proposals are valuable experiences that will greatly benefit his role at GCP.

[maxlomu]

Voting to reconfirm both appointees.
Their experience seems valuable, trusting the process of the GCP here and have not elements to think on the contrary.
Hope to see more tangible progress soon.

[Bob-Rossi]

Voting to reconfirm both. From the positive integrations I’ve had with both, as well as their background and experience, I think it’s a relative no-brainer to reconfirm.