A. Delegate Address
Aretagov.near
B. Forum Username
Areta
C. Twitter Username
Areta_io
D. Website
/www.areta.io/
E. Target Voting Participation
100%. We have the track record in other DAOs, and intend to do same in NEAR.
F. History of Interactions with NEAR Protocol
While we are not yet direct contributors to the NEAR ecosystem, we have closely monitored developments in the ecosystem, especially the launch of House of Stake. We have also remained in constant contact with key NEAR stakeholders to discuss ideas on where the most impact can be unlocked for NEAR governance.
G. History of Governance Participation (in NEAR or other ecosystems)
Areta is an active delegate and key governance contributor to Arbitrum, Aave, ZKsync, Safe, Uniswap and Polygon. We specialize in helping foundations and DAOs establish and grow decentralized governance structures. We have led some of the following key initiatives as core governance contributors to some of the leading DAOs:
- Uniswap Foundation Security Subsidy Fund: Launch of the $1m subsidy fund to optimize security investment and ecosystem growth in Uniswap.
- Arbitrum Security Subsidy Fund: Development of up to $2.5m fund to strengthen protocol security by subsidizing security costs for Arbitrum ecosystem projects.
- Delegate Incentive Program: Design of ~$250k delegate incentive program in alignment with launch of Polygon’s revamped governance.
- Contributor Efficiency System: Design of the Contributor Efficiency System in SafeDAO to efficiently track and manage grantees of over $1m till date. .
- Operations Trustee: Trustee to dYdX’s Operations Trust.
H. Top 3 Priorities for the NEAR Ecosystem
- Builders: enabling smart capital activation for channeling resources towards builders and projects that contribute the most to long-term ecosystem growth.
- Governance: establishing well-designed governance frameworks that ensure streamlined operations, effective decision-making and accountability.
- Community: empowering community-driven initiatives, allocating resources to projects that best align with the collective vision for House of Stake.
I. Reasoning for any past votes in the NEAR Ecosystem
We have not voted yet. However, as NEAR delegates, we commit to communicating the rationale behind all our votes.
J. Conflicts of Interest
Areta currently does not have any material conflicts of interest. We agree to keep the NEAR community updated should any conflicts of interest arise. Our work in other DAOs is solely focused on supporting structural projects that are advancing the overall DAO space, are open-sourced across DAOs and will not influence any decision-making.
K. Hypothetical Delegate Scenario
1. What additional information would you need from the proposers to make an informed decision?
Proposal 1: Incentives for DeFi Users
- What protocol metrics will be prioritized? (e.g., TVL, transaction volumes)
- What are the target DeFi protocols?
- What are the costs, KPIs and projected outcomes?
- How will mercenary capital / farming be minimized / prevented?
- What type of users / user activity will be incentivized? (e.g., new or existing users; liquidity providers or traders);
- Will there be a vesting or lock-up schedule for incentives?
Proposal 2: Marketing Subcommittee
- How will members of the subcommittee be selected? (e.g., open nominations / elections?)
- What are the required qualifications for subcommittee members?
- What accountability mechanisms will be used to keep the subcommittee in check?
- Will the subcommittee be tasked with developing a marketing plan / strategy for NEAR protocol?
- What are the KPIs and target outcomes?
- Will there be a requirement for community feedback or House of Stake approval?
- Will the subcommittee execute the marketing plan by themselves?
- What are the timelines for execution?
Proposal 3: Protocol-Owned Liquidity
- What will be the target DeFi protocols and why?
- What is the budget, costs, KPIs and projected outcomes?
- What are the steps taken to mitigate risks and losses?
- Who will be responsible for executing / managing the POL position?
2. What key metrics would you evaluate to support or reject the proposals?
Because all proposals are aimed at stimulating on-chain activity for NEAR, we will rely on strictly on-chain growth metrics to determine whether we will support or reject the proposals:
- Projected growth in TVL, DAUs, UAWs, and transaction volumes for NEAR;
- Estimated costs
3. How would you ultimately support and vote for these different proposals?
- Proposal 1: Incentives for DeFi Users
- FOR: If the proposed program will sustainably incentivize long-term usage of the NEAR protocol.
- Proposal 2: Marketing Subcommittee
- FOR: If there is a proven track record of subcommittee members, a well-defined organic marketing strategy, and it does not come at a significant cost.
- Proposal 3: Protocol-Owned Liquidity
- FOR: If there are strict risk management measures and clear potential for driving on-chain activity.
L. What is your motivation for being a NEAR Delegate
We see a deep alignment between Areta’s core value proposition and expertise and the specific needs of NEAR in its governance journey. Our aim is to focus on excellent DAO participation with robust, defensible analysis of proposals through a structured voting process while simultaneously applying our deep institutional knowledge and strategic governance expertise to offer proactive DAO governance solutions aimed at nurturing the NEAR ecosystem for the long term.
Our core tenets as NEAR delegates are as follows:
- 100% Voting Participation - we are deeply invested in the ecosystem and our goal is to meaningfully support its direction via thoughtful, educated governance decisions.
- Independent and Impartial Voting - our voting is strictly informed by critical analysis and years of experience and is not based on bias or external influences.
- Communication of Voting Rationale - we will communicate the rationale behind our votes through frequent updates to this thread, making us accountable to the community.
M. Anticipated delegation support
N/A
Self-Assessment Criteria
Score: 9/10
A. Experience (2/2)
Areta specializes in helping foundations and DAOs establish and grow decentralized governance structures. Our core focus is setting up systems for effective capital allocation to support ecosystem growth. Our connected investment bank with deep strategic expertise, enables us to serve our partners holistically, rather than working in isolated governance silos.
We have had the privilege to work for some of the leading companies and DAOs in the crypto space (Safe, Uniswap, Aave and dYdX). Examples of our work include managing a larger Aave delegation, setting up key contribution initiatives for SafeDAO, leading the first cross-ecosystem growth initiative for Uniswap and Arbitrum, and crypto-native transactions like the first acquisition of Coingecko or the sale of Solscan to Etherscan.
B. Diversity of Perspective (2/2)
Areta’s deep institutional knowledge, strategic governance expertise, and experience working for some of the leading DeFi DAOs (Arbitrum, Aave, Uniswap, ZKsync) allows us to bring a unique and diverse perspective to House of Stake.
C. Alignment with NEAR Ecosystem (1/2)
There is a deep alignment between Areta’s core value proposition and expertise and the specific needs of NEAR in its governance journey. We have closely monitored developments in the ecosystem, especially the launch of House of Stake. We have also remained in constant contact with key NEAR stakeholders to discuss ideas on where the most impact can be unlocked for NEAR governance.
D. Governance Engagement (2/2)
Areta is an active delegate and key governance contributor to Arbitrum, Aave, ZKsync, Safe, Uniswap, Polygon and Scroll. We maintain active forum communications of our voting activity in all our delegate ecosystems, and we are among the few incentivized delegates in Aave and Arbitrum. Besides leading several growth initiatives across ecosystems, we have also held key governance roles including serving as members of the ArbitrumDAO Procurement Committee, Uniswap-Arbitrum Working Group, and dYdX’s Operations Trust.
E. Conflicts of Interest (2/2)
Areta currently does not have any material conflicts of interest. We agree to keep the NEAR community updated should any conflicts of interest arise.
