PIP-XX - Velora Governance Task Force
Abstract
Given the current stage of the DAO, which is experiencing a process of revitalized activity and the incorporation of professional contributors across various areas, we observe the need for a governance participant who is neither a core developer nor an incentivized delegate, to guide the DAO in the long-term and ensure that incentives remain aligned. And we want to contribute to this effort.
This proposal aims to transition our role and responsibilities in the DAO from our current role as delegates and DIP Program Managers to a more comprehensive and integral role with more scopes and responsibilities that will allow us to be more deeply committed and involved in the governance of the DAO.
During the proposed period, we will take on a variety of tasks and responsibilities aimed at improving the DAOâs decision-making processes, increasing both the quantity and quality of activity, strengthening Velora DAO, and adequately preparing the DAO to face the imminent challenge of implementing Project MirĂł.
Goals & Review
1.- Introduction - Motivation and Rationale:
One of our first actions upon formally joining the DAO at the beginning of the last quarter of 2024 was to conduct an in-depth research and analysis of the challenges facing both the Protocol and the DAO. Based on our findings, we produced a comprehensive report that not only outlined the current situation but also identified key actions needed to address these challenges and to reverse the situation. Our goal was to help steer the DAO toward becoming a pivotal force in the success of the Protocol.
As delegates we tried to address some of them, proposed and implemented some of the ideas outlined therein that have achieved the intended positive impact and have helped to begin to reverse the state of the DAO that we have shared with the community. However, after taking these important steps over the past six months, we recognize the limitations of what we can achieve within our current role as delegates, but to deepen the changes we have been proposing in the DAO requires taking on a role that involves greater coordination and management faculties, as well as increased responsibilities. Expanding our scope would allow us to more effectively implement the structural improvements we have been advocating for and ensure their long-term impact. We remain committed to the vision and objectives outlined in the report, and based on that, there are several key areas we would like to address and further develop.
Our goal is to enhance the DAOâs structure, resilience, and decision-making processes, ultimately building a stronger, more resilient, and economically sustainable DAO that serves as a driver for the protocolâs growth. The DAO is embarking on the ambitious process of implementing Project MirĂł, which will bring numerous changes and improvements to the protocol.
At the current stage of Velora DAO ongoing governance revamp, thereâs an expressed need to keep escalating operations and frameworks -when needed- to remain aligned with a DAOâs long-term vision, rather than being swayed by short-term shifts in participation. We are proposing to transcend being âdelegatesâ and establish a formal role that allows us to serve as an objective and impartial third party to the greatest extent possible.
The definition of a mission and vision and keeping an internal consistency requires extra efforts that demand some operational roles to evolve and to increase their scopes of work. The formalisation of a DAO âFacilitator/Governance Task Forceâ role becomes a clear need to pursue a long-term perspective tied to increase predictability and set expectations between the different stakeholders from a neutral point of view.
The one-year proposed agreement will give the team the chance to continue to implement, experiment, test, adjust and streamline the governance processes alongside the DAOâs growth and changing needs. The length of this âmandateâ will also help accumulate knowledge, including an understanding of historical decisions, past challenges, and the rationale behind key governance structures, allowing for the anticipation and mitigation of potential inefficiencies while paving the way for future teams or individuals to step into the âGovernance Facilitatorâ role.
We believe this is the right time to take this step and contribute greater value and impact to both the DAO and the protocol.
Some specific aspects that we would like to address from now on:
- Formally assign the role and tasks of a Governance Facilitator. Currently, these role/responsibilities are being informally managed by the Laita Labs with our support from SEED in certain areas, such as monitoring delegate activity and coordinating efforts with key stakeholders we have introduced to the DAO.
- Facilitate and coordinate the discussions and efforts among stakeholders to define a strategic vision and mission for the DAO, considering its direction and objectives.
- Oversee and coordinate the alignment and prioritization of the strategic proposals needed for the DAO to drive the protocolâs growth and coordinate efforts accordingly.
- Keep optimal coordination and improve synergies between the DAO actors, including Laita, the Foundation, Service Providers, and partners.
- Participate in the development and design of the workflows and framework development that the DAO requires for service providers and grants, just to name an example.
- Facilitate and guide the process of establishing a dedicated treasury management structure with a defined framework to professionalize the DAO`s financial oversight.
2.- ParaSwap/Velora <> SEEDGov:
Since we joined ParaSwapâs governance, we have taken several steps in a short period to address some of the issues outlined in our above-mentioned post. In this regard, and in some cases in coordination with the ParaSwap Foundation, we proposed significant changes that were supported by the DAOâchanges that, given the DAOâs stage and level of activity at the time, carried certain risks. These included taking the initial steps to establish a delegate program to attract new participants and talent to the DAO, as well as reforming the proposal lifecycle framework.
These changes were structural and carried inherent risks, requiring us to carefully assess their impact. For this reason, we did not find it logical to receive compensation for roles such as DIP Program Manager or as delegates. If these initiatives had failed, the DAO would have rightly questioned paying for something that yielded negative results or had no meaningful impact.
The DAOâs approval of our initiatives was already a great vote of confidence, for which we are deeply grateful.
Since becoming part of ParaSwapDAO, we have made calculated decisions, choices that, fortunately, have resulted in the positive outcomes we envisioned when we first proposed them.
This is a brief summary of the positive impact of some of our initiatives:
- Governance Improvements: A more structured proposal lifecycle that provides greater transparency and strengthens the decision-making process, helping to avoid the negative consequences of malicious or harmful PIPs, whether due to error or bad faith.
- ParaSwap Growth Working Group (PGWG): We promoted the creation, organization, and selection of members for this temporary structure, which will take the first steps in identifying needs, formalizing a structured action plan within a defined framework, and enabling the DAO to contribute to ParaSwapâs growth. The PGWG was fully integrated in mid-February and is currently actively working.
- Delegates Program & Engagement:
- The first Delegate Trial Program launched in December 2024 resulted in 12 active delegates participating in ParaSwap governance, many of whom have recognized experience and track records in numerous DAOs. Additionally, it provided an opportunity for members of the ParaSwapDAO community to apply as delegates, finding in this program a suitable platform to contribute more actively and add value. Today, a little over 3 months since the launch of the first program, there are 15 active participating delegates.
- New members have joined, and former members who were evidently eager to participate but couldnât find the right space have returned to activity, which they have fortunately now found.
- This has increased the resilience and strength of the DAO, helping deter governance takeover. The VP has been better distributed among more actors, reversing the previous high concentration.
- For a more in-depth analysis of this topic, please read our report on the subject.
- Given the success of this trial program, we have promoted the launch of the first cycle of the ParaSwap Delegate Incentives Program that started in March to take a step forward and deepen this path.
- Community Calls / AMAs: We organized and hosted 3 highly attended Community Calls / AMAs where important topics were opened for debate. The community was very receptive to this proposal, the number of participants gradually increased, as did the diversity of participants representing different interests - delegates, stakers, investors, users, members of Laita and the Foundation, etc. - which led to an increase in the quality and breadth of the debate in each call. This confirms our initial impression that there is an active and eager community within ParaSwap wanting to learn more about the current status of the protocol and its DAO. We aim to deepen and standardize this approach.
In summary, when we joined the DAO the overall activity was almost non-existent, but with our intervention the DAO was able to make rapid progress in generating activity, debate, engaging talent, generating the first key structures and strengthening processes.
In the last few months, and especially with the recent events related to Bybitâs request to ParaSwapDAO for the return of 44.67 wETH, it has become clear to us that this increased activity in the DAO and the engagement of professional delegates is essential for the health and strength of the DAO, as more participation, more voices, more visions and more debate strengthens the DAO itself and the decisions that are taken in general and in this very relevant case in particular.
3.- New role - Scope - What we offer:
We have more ideas to implement and now feel more confident in the DAO and its community, which has been receptive to the initial direction we proposed. With Project MirĂł entering its early implementation phase, the protocol is set for significant changes and improvements. These will also bring major challenges, requiring the DAO to be better prepared and more organized.
To support this evolution, we propose redefining our role to provide a structured service to the DAO, deepening our commitment and responsibilities. Our goal remains the same: to strengthen the DAO, enhance its activity, and help it become a driving force behind the protocolâs growth. We believe the DAO has immense potential and want to contribute by coordinating efforts to accelerate its transformation.
Our Planned Actions:
- Commit to propose governance actions to help define Velora DAOâs priorities within operations, and community engagement. Our focus will be on fostering better decision-making, strengthening DAO structure, raising the quantity/quality of debate, attracting talent, increasing partnerships, and identify areas where the DAO can actively collaborate to support and drive the protocolâs growth.
- Act as a liaison and coordinate efforts with the Foundation, Laita Labs, service providers, partners, working groups, committees, task forces and any other future roles or stakeholders. This includes focusing on community engagement, understanding user needs and aligning the DAOs perspective on strategic proposals. The goal is to translate these efforts into actionable plans while also ensuring their effective execution.
- Support and promote the creation of task forces, committees, and/or working groups with well-defined scopes and structured frameworks, ensuring their coordination with other DAO structures as DAO deems necessary to fulfill its purpose. Strengthening these initiatives will help establish more predictable and robust structures, fostering effective collaboration among stakeholders to drive the growth of both the DAO and the protocol.
- Continue improving governance processes by evaluating and updating governance parameters and decision-making mechanisms to enhance the DAOâs security, refining and improving the PIP lifecycle, implementing on-chain voting, and revisiting quorum and PSP thresholds, integrating more automated tools to track delegate participation metrics accurately, among others initiatives.
- Promote discussions and facilitate the process for the creation of a structured grant program to support DAO initiatives, ensuring it provides resources for interested projects.
- Establish a more efficient service provider selection process, ensuring that providers align with the DAOâs objectives and contribute effectively to its needs.
- Moderate the forum to avoid spam and resolve conflicts. Also reporting to the DAO any improper action by any of the team members. (we request for admin/mod credentials and permissions).
- Monitoring the compliance of proposals requiring periodic reporting and ensuring those involved to comply with such reporting.
- Ensure proposals progress through their lifecycle by communicating votes and outcomes, engaging with Velora DAO delegates to address queries, facilitating submissions, providing advisory support for drafting and review, and ensuring compliance with voting requirements.
- Analyze voting patterns and anticipate results to identify potential risks.
- Being in charge of starting the different electoral processes to renew the positions in due time and form.
- Organizing regular Community Calls, AMAs and/or meetings for specific purposes, generating reports based on both including transcripts, recordings, or a summary of what was discussed at each meeting.
- Drafting quarterly reporting on DAO activity
- To be a signer of the various multi-sigs that may be created to manage budgets, to make payments to service providers, contributors and others. It will also exercise oversight over payments and drive accountability if required.
- Continue attracting top talent and key industry players to the DAO and the protocol and develop DAO Growth initiatives to increase activity and participation in the DAO.
- Conduct governance experiments to identify the most effective mechanisms for collective decision-making and contributor rewards.
- The above-mentioned roles absorb the DIP Program Manager role, as has been outlined, and we will continue to develop it as we have done so far.
- With the focus on driving the DAO forward and contributing to an informed, engaged, and active community, weâll commit to exploring initiatives to expand participation and attract talents that make up the Velora growth. The rather technical nature of the protocol demands for applicable knowledge on intent infrastructure, DeFi and partnerships and weâre set to attract those contributors with the right set of governance rails.
4.- SEEDGov - About us
SEEDGov is a dynamic and evolving vertical within the SEED Org ecosystem. We are no longer a delegation team as we were in our origins, we have grown, we have evolved, today we are much more. We have specialised in different governance in collaborating closely with Foundations and core teams in redesigning their DAO governance, frameworks and operations. In this link you can see the different roles and responsibilities we have and have had throughout the ecosystem.
We are a truly multidisciplinary team with diverse skills, including data analysts, tokenomics specialists, researchers, financials, devs, node specialists, marketing, community, and other profiles, and the whole team will be at the disposal of Velora DAO, not only the assigned team that will dedicate full time to the proposed task. We also involve the community by creating spaces to gather interested parties, promote dialogue, attract talent, and build in public.
After evaluating past methodologies and assessing the current state of governance in ParaSwap, the SEED team concluded in November 2024 that opening a delegation in ParaSwap was the most suitable approach at that time. Establishing a delegation was the right mechanism to promote diverse voices and active community participation, allowing us to be receptive to improvement proposals and build transparently. Moving forward, we recognize the need to engage more deeply with the protocolâs governance. This decision reflects our commitment to long-term collaboration and the understanding that our role within the DAO is evolving as the ecosystem continues to change.
5.- Deliverables and commitment
- Deliver quarterly reports, 4 reports in total, reporting on the status of the DAO and its activity and the delegate participation.
- Organize and host monthly or bimonthly Community Calls - as circumstances require - to discuss and update on protocol developments, DAO activity, delegate and community participation in voting and proposals, new partnerships and alliances, and other current topics, with the goal of transitioning to regular monthly Community Calls when the DAOâs activity justifies it.
- Maintain at least ten active delegates who bring value and diversity of views to the DAO.
Means
This proposal does not require any additional Velora, external product or development.
Implementation Overview
We do not foresee any potential negative outcome of the present proposal and it is not expected for the DAO to derive any associated implementation action. The duration of the proposal will be of 12 months after its approval.
Time of Implementation
1 year, from April 2025 to March 2026, with a reevaluation period at 6 months in September 2025, during which the DAO may revoke or modify the agreement through a vote if deemed necessary.
A one-year term with a six-month review is appropriate for the proposed role given its scope and responsibilities. Since the tasks involve prioritizing initiatives, discussing proposals with the community, implementing them, measuring their impact, and making necessary adjustments, it is essential to have enough time to effectively execute each of these phases.
The six-month review serves as a checkpoint to assess initial progress, identify any necessary adjustments, and ensure that the work remains aligned with the established objectives. This structure provides a balance between flexibility and continuity, allowing initiatives the time needed to create impact while maintaining a control point to optimize their development.
The reports to be delivered, their content and KPIs have been detailed in the sections âNew role - Scope - What we offerâ and âDeliverables and commitmentâ above, we therefore remit to them.
Budget & Cost Breakdown
Budget
The proposal requires a total budget of 180,000 USD, to be paid as follows:
- Fixed amount: 120,000 USD to be paid in USDC or ETH on a monthly basis of 10,000 USD per month:
- If paid in ETH:
- ETH will be transferred each month in quantity sufficient to cover the value of 10,000 USD
- The value of ETH to determine the amount to be transferred is calculated at the time each transfer is approved and executed
- USDC or ETH will be transferred within the last 5 days of each month.
- If paid in ETH:
- Performance amount: 1.8% of the revenue of the protocol up to a maximum of USD 60,000, to be calculated and paid on a quarterly basis up to a maximum of USD 15,000 per quarter, to be paid in PSP - or in the future new token it may eventually migrate to in accordance with Project Miro -:
- Every quarter from April 2025, SEEDGov will be paid 1.8% of the protocol revenue up to a maximum of USD 15,000.
- The source of truth for the calculation is the official ParaSwap analytics dashboard, especially the âRevenue - Last 90 daysâ chart. In the event that this dashboard ceases to function, other sources will be used and discussed with the DAO.
- Calculations and payments will be made in:
- The first five days of July 2025, for the first quarter April-June,
- The first five days of October 2025, for the second quarter July-September,
- The first five days of January 2026, for the third quarter October-December,
- The first five days of April 2026, for the fourth and last quarter January-March.
- PSP - or in the future new token it may eventually migrate to in accordance with Project Miro - will be transferred in those dates in quantity sufficient to cover the value in USD of 1.8% of the last 90 daysâ protocol revenue, with a cap of 15,000 USD per quarter.
- The value of PSP - or the future token that replaces it - to determine the amount to be transferred is calculated at the time each transfer is approved and executed
As indicated above, the first fixed monthly payment shall be made by the end of April 2025 and the first performance quarter payment shall be made in the first days of July 2025.
USD costs are fixed, meaning that if the price of ETH and/or PSP - or the future token that replaces it - increases, the USD costs will remain the same.
Payment Structure Rationale
The payment is structured this way because SEEDGov primarily needs to cover the monthly payroll of contributors assigned to the tasks with the budgeted funds. However, to demonstrate commitment to the protocol, a performance-related payment is established, so that a considerable part of our income is subject to and conditional on the future of the protocol. The 1.8% of the protocol revenue is not a random or arbitrary number, but because, according to the official ParaSwap Analytics dashboard, ParaSwapâs revenue over the last year (last 13 epochs = 364 days) was approximately 3 million USD. To reach the budgeted cap of $60,000 for the year, the protocol would need to increase its revenue by around 10%âa challenging target given the complexities and volatility of the crypto market. If the protocol maintains its current annual performance or experiences a decline in revenue, SEEDGovâs performance-based payments will remain well below the cap.
This approach balances SEEDGovâs budgetary needs to cover fixed monthly expenses while ensuring commitment and skin in the game toward ParaSwap/Velora.
Payment wallet
All payments will be transferred to the SEEDGov delegation wallet: 0x1a20c5106c11de13FE62ddE12BAdf5A04605A4b7
Payments may be made through any EVM-compatible chain, at the DAOâs discretion at any given time.
The GovCo @paraswap-govco will be responsible for calculating, approving and executing the corresponding monthly and quarterly transactions.
Cost Breakdown
This required amount covers SEEDGovâs operational expenses, not only of the team assigned to the specific tasks in ParaSwap/Velora, but, as mentioned in section â4.- SEEDGov - About usâ of the entire multidisciplinary team behind SEED Org that will provide assistance in different areas, such as data analysts, scalability, grants management, tokenomics specialists, researchers, financials, devs, node specialists, marketing, community and others.
Consequently, the resources to be allocated by SEEDGov to these proposed tasks are:
- 1 Sr Gov Analyst Full time
- 2 Sr Gov Analyst part time
- SEED Org Experts Interconsultation
If the workload requires it, SEEDGov will, at its own cost, hire additional resources to adequately carry out its tasks and responsibilities.
Risk Assessment
We do not understand that the proposal has cons, and the pros and positive impact on the rest of the community, the ecosystem and the protocol, as indicated, are:
- Formally assign the role and tasks of a Governance Facilitator.
- Align the strategic priorities and define a strategic vision and mission for the DAO.
- Achieve optimal and efficient coordination and synergies between the various actors and stakeholders of the DAO and the protocol.
- Efficiently organize the DAOâs processes by establishing dedicated structures and frameworks for key focus areas.
- Monitoring the compliance of proposals.
- Continue attracting top talent and key industry players to the DAO and the protocol.
- Encourage more active and quality participation in Velora governance.
- Strengthen and improve governance processes.
- Moderate the forum to avoid spam and resolve conflicts.
This proposal does not modify any code of the protocol, so no audits are required.