Lisk DAO Seasons Strategy

Proposals General
1

This proposal builds on the Lisk DAO constitution and leverages insights from conversations and workshops with key stakeholders.

Abstract

To streamline the effective governance of Lisk DAO and its treasury spending in line with Lisk and Superchain priorities, we propose the adoption of a Lisk DAO Seasons Strategy. Each Season will provide focus and process for Lisk DAO and consist of a 4-5 month period that closely aligns with Optimism Seasons to increase efficiency and alignment further.

Motivation

Aligning Lisk DAO’s strategy and operations with the priorities and processes of the Optimism Collective will help Lisk DAO to better position itself and have a bigger impact.

Rationale

With an initial 45M LSK allocated to Lisk DAO and up to 100M additionally allocated from 2027 onward based on a future Lisk DAO vote, Lisk DAO must establish processes and evaluation mechanisms for coordinating its resources and growing its ecosystem. Seasons, by design, provide a comprehensible roadmap for DAO coordination and contribute to streamlining voting and funding processes.

The Lisk DAO seasons will help Lisk DAO better understand its capacity for funding growth and help decide on the 100M LSK token burn. With that decision projected to take place later this year, now is the right time to kickstart the first Lisk DAO Seasons.

Specification

The LiskDAO seasons follow a comparable structure to the Optimism Seasons. Each Lisk DAO Season should be submitted as a General LiskDAO proposal following the regular Lisk DAO voting guidelines.

The below elements should be included in a Lisk DAO Season proposal:

Season Theme: The overarching theme or priority for this specific season. Examples of themes include “Governance resiliency” and " Real-World Growth.”

Season Intents: A breakdown of the high-level strategic goals for this season, inspired by Optimism Intents. Each season should consist of 1-5 Intents that define priorities. Each intent should define a clear, measurable goal, for example, “Interoperable Stage 1 chains doing $250m per month in cross-chain asset transfers”.

Some intents may exist across multiple seasons to support long-term thinking and meaningful progress. This could be seen as Lisk DAO’s core and should closely resemble its mission to provide Web3 founders with the most attractive ecosystem to realize their products, which are focused on real-world use cases in high-growth markets.

Season Budget: A description of all projects, their respective funding sources, who is responsible for budget allocation, who evaluates its impact, and when it is evaluated. An example based on the Token Allocation section in the Guide to Season 7 of Optimism is created below.

Project Budget Fund Who selects projects? (Module I) Who evaluates impact? (Module H) When is impact evaluated?
Example Grant Program 1M LSK Lisk DAO Treasury Lisk DAO Grants Council Lisk DAO Grants Council Regularly throughout Season

Start and End Date: ​Each season will have a clear start and end date. We propose that each Lisk DAO season start approximately two weeks after the beginning of each Optimism Season so there is enough time to adjust the Lisk DAO season strategy to the Optimism Collective’s priorities and operations. It may also be beneficial to end each Lisk DAO season one to two weeks before the end of the Optimism Season.

As a result, Lisk DAO will have a relatively long period between Seasons (about six weeks). To ensure continuity and enough resources for good reporting and season strategy creation, a small Bridge Period budget should be requested to ensure key teams, such as a strategy and/or Treasury Council, can uninterruptedly contribute to Lisk DAO. The Bridge Period budget should be requested as a separate Funding proposal before the end of a season. Below is a visualization of the approximate Lisk DAO season timelines for 2025.

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Season Structure Description and Diagram
Each season proposal should include a description and visual diagram of the proposed organizational structure, including the different sub-organizations such as Councils and main season programs. Below is a simple example of a Season Structure Diagram.

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Action plan

  1. Gather final input from the Lisk ecosystem on the Seasons approach
  2. Submit the Season Strategy Proposal to Lisk Governance for approval
  3. Update the Lisk Governance Docs to outline the Seasonal approach
  4. Collaborate with the Lisk Ecosystem to create a proposal to fund Lisk DAO Season 1
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Hey everyone!
We are happy to share this draft for a new proposal with you, which suggests to implement theme-based seasons for the LiskDAO.

The goal behind this new strategy is to make the DAO more impactful by assigning seasonal budgets to councils of selected individuals, who then use the budget to achieve the intents the current season consists of. Each season, including the season theme, intents, and members of the councils, will be a separate proposal that needs to be approved by the members of the LiskDAO.

To ensure that the assigned budgets are spent in an intended and impactful way, we also included requirements to evaluate the impact of spendings and to create season reports, which will provide needed transparency for the DAO members, to make informed decisions.

I am excited to hear your feedback and comments regarding the Lisk DAO Seasons Strategy! If you have any questions just shoot :slight_smile:

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Ok. Always watching out for the Lisk ecosystem. Very bullish on Africa.

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To be honest, we don’t have a DAO at the moment. All the power is in the hands of the team, and the community has no real decision-making ability, except for sabotaging votes. Unfortunately, not everyone realizes this, which is quite sad.

That said, I support the proposal. However, it doesn’t really matter unless the team holds no more than 20-25% of the total voting power—only then can it be considered a true DAO.

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I have a few questions:

  1. Can unused funds from one season be allocated to the next season, or must they be returned to the treasury?

  2. Is there a plan to create an “experimental season,” similar to what Optimism is currently implementing, where the DAO can test new governance models or funding mechanisms?

  3. How can it be ensured that budget decisions in each season do not cause excessive volatility in the price of LSK?

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Of course it must, people votes only for current season, not any future seasons.

agree with that

no ways

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GM @FujiAR - great to have you participate here.

  1. All leftover funds will be returned to the Lisk Treasury by July 31st, 2025. The Grants Council aims to be rigorous in its review and will only allocate grants to projects that have a clear potential to add long-term value to the Lisk Ecosystem. Detailed insights on the approved grants will be included in the mid-season and post-season reports.
  2. We like the idea, but given how early LiskDAO governance is, we feel like this initial Season 1 itself can be seen as the “experimental season”. Adding additional experiments here might negatively influence the effectiveness of the proposed Season 1 scope.
  3. This season will showcase the impact funding Lisk Ecosystem initiatives will have on the price of LSK. Currently, the Lisk Treasury only holds LSK - so there is no alternative option in terms of allocated ecosystem rewards in other tokens. Season 1 will function as a benchmark, from which the Lisk ecosystem can decide to accelerate or decrease LSK flowing into the ecosystem.
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I got it

Thank you jashh

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The following reflects the views of L2BEAT’s governance team, composed of @kaereste and @Sinkas, based on their combined research, fact-checking, and ideation.

We’re voting FOR the proposal.

We see the Lisk DAO Seasons Strategy as a great way to keep everyone focused on the right priorities, maintain a consistent workflow, and ensure funding decisions are tied to clear goals. We agree that a six-week window should be used for reporting on results, adjusting strategies, and coming up with new ideas for the next season. This will help the community stay organized and respond quickly to changes or challenges.

We like the idea of having each season define a theme and identify 1-5 core “intents” tied to that theme. This setup makes it easier to unite the community around specific goals and keep everyone moving in the same direction. It’s also good to see that some intents can stretch across multiple seasons, so teams can work on bigger, longer-term objectives without squeezing everything into just a few months.

Finally, we appreciate that each season is tied to a fixed budget right from the start. That adds clarity and ensures everyone understands how much funding is available and what it’s meant for. Overall, we believe this seasons-based approach will help Lisk DAO grow in a more structured, purposeful way, while giving the community plenty of flexibility to adapt and improve.

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Thanks for the Proposal,

While I appreciate the effort behind the Lisk DAO Seasons proposal and its potential to streamline governance, I must express my reservations about voting for it in its current form and will be voting NO. As a developer on Lisk Ecosystem deeply committed to Lisk’s mission, I believe we can—and must—do better to ensure our DAO truly serves its community, especially those in Emerging Markets (EM).

Lack of Representation
One of my primary concerns is the ** absence of representation for Black developers and local EM developers** in the governance process. Lisk’s marketing has prominently featured African and EM communities, yet this proposal fails to ensure their voices are heard in decision-making. I worry this could be mere marketing theater—raising funds under the banner of inclusivity without allocating real resources to impactful projects in these regions. Without local voices, how can we ensure grants go to high-impact projects that address critical issues like financial access in EM?

Centralized Governance
The proposal states that Season 1 will be operated by a hand-picked team from Super Studio, Superchain Eco, and Lisk, with community elections only considered for future seasons. This approach feels like a theater of decentralized governance rather than the real thing. If we’re building a DAO, shouldn’t the community have a say in who leads it from the start? Relying on an external team like Superchain Eco, while skilled, risks prioritizing their interests over ours. True decentralization demands community input from day one.

No Clear KPIs
Moreover, the proposal lacks clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure success. Without defined, measurable goals, how can we ensure accountability or assess whether Season 1 achieves its objectives? We need concrete metrics—like funding X number of EM-led projects or achieving Y in economic activity—to prove our commitment to growth and impact.

Misalignment with Lisk’s Mission
While aligning with Optimism Seasons may offer efficiency, I question whether it serves Lisk’s unique mission. Our focus is on EM markets, and our Seasons should reflect that. Blindly following another project’s timeline risks diluting our identity and priorities. Shouldn’t our strategy be tailored to the needs of EM developers and founders?

Final thoughts
Given I had plans on joining the steering committee, I would include few things. Champion an inclusive, decentralized, and impactful approach that empowers every member of the Lisk community:

1. Establish a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force
This task force will ensure meaningful representation for Black and Emerging Market (EM) developers, actively working to remove barriers and create opportunities for underrepresented voices. By fostering a governance structure that reflects our global community, we’ll ensure decisions are made with the full breadth of our ecosystem in mind.

2. Transition to a Community-Driven Election Process for Season 1 Operators
True decentralization starts with giving the community a voice from day one. By moving to a nomination and election process, we’ll empower our members to shape the future of Lisk DAO. This shift will build trust, increase engagement, and ensure leadership reflects the will of the people.

3. Define Clear KPIs Through a Collaborative Community Workshop
Accountability is key to our success. Together, we’ll host a workshop where the community helps define measurable goals (KPIs) that align with Lisk’s mission. This ensures we’re not just setting targets but building a shared vision of success that everyone can rally behind.

4. Design Seasons Around Lisk’s Mission with Flexible Timelines
Our Seasons should be as dynamic as the markets we serve. By tailoring each Season to Lisk’s mission and the unique needs of EM communities, we’ll stay responsive and adaptable. Flexible timelines will allow us to pivot when necessary, ensuring we meet the real-world demands of our ecosystem.

5. Host Monthly Town Halls for Transparency and Two-Way Dialogue
Engagement doesn’t stop at elections. Through monthly town halls, we’ll keep the community informed and, more importantly, listen to your ideas and feedback. These sessions will be a space for open dialogue, ensuring the DAO evolves with your input.

Sincerely,
East_African_Dev

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Hi @East_Africa_Dev,

Thanks for sharing your perspective in such a structured way. Happy to engage further and hopefully find a way for you to feel better represented and empowered!

Representation: Ibrahim, who’s part of the Grants Council is based in Kenya and has participated in the Lisk ecosystem and multiple programs. It would be great to connect you with him, if you’re not already, to allow him to pull on your and other EM builders expertise and context when making grant decisions. What’s the best way for him to contact you?

Centralized Governance: The process of sourcing, electing and streamlining any operating group in a DAO system takes a long time. The option we had now was to spend multiple weeks/months on an election process - which could result in the same group of people being elected or the elected individuals not having the right balance of experience and skillset to execute this season effectively. We’re all for creating contributor paths that allow for anyone to become part of operation roles, however right now optimized for efficieny (which governance seems to agree with).

Allignment of interest: Superchain Eco is 100% commited to supporting the development of the Superchain and it’s OP chains. Our team has all engaged with the Lisk ecosystem previously, and we stake nearly half of the LSK we earned through contributions for the full 2 year duration. We want to success together and see this as a next step in our collaboration and commitment.

KPIs: Given this is the first season we don’t have a clear benchmark of numbers. We did clarity what we will measure with the Intents. After this first Season we should have a clear benchmark to be able to set specific goals.

Lisk’s Mission: This strategy aims to serve the Lisk Ecosystem and nothing else. However - to increase the opportunities for Lisk builders to earn additional support and incentives, especially within the Superchain, we believe timing around Optimism Season is the right approach (as did Governance as seen by the vote outcome). However as you can see our Intents and funding buckets are tailored to Lisk’s objectives and mission.

We like the idea of hosting Town Halls - we’ll host a first one later this month and would love for you to be there!

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I appreciate this bold voice on behalf of Africa.

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Thanks, could you provide calendly/Telegram/Email to superchain team? Happy to reach out over email!

@kakoozavian - Appreciate this a lot! Hope it empowers more emerging markets developers/users to be active in the Lisk governance as I believe that Lisk can truly be something incredible!

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Indeed, I hope it does I am yet to engage more of the community here @Decentracode, in Lisk governance.

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Gm Gm
Ibrahim here, based in Nairobi. I have been part of both the Kenyan Web3 Ecosystem and Lisk as a builder for the last year or so, and I am now part of the Grants Council. @East_Africa_Dev (and any other builders in the Emerging Markets)you can reach out to me on Telegram (@OxMisthios). Here to properly represent our interest within the Lisk ecosystem and help accelerate Promising projects.

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Great. Let me get in contact as well.

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Lisk DAO proven worthy funding by diluting investors money. Season 1 airdrop was cool. Keep doing good job and 100M tokens to DAO. Cool strategy.

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