Aura Maxis: BarryLime, Béguin, CheesySweets, cryptocomical, Matt | Alfafa or Spanky?, Mattgene, James K, Jeffery, JoJo and Yakitori.
In July, despite being a summer month, it was a hectic period. We saw the launch of Aura on several L2s, such as Polygon PoS and Optimism, and the setup for Gnosis Chain. Subsequently, much of Maxis’ work focused on supporting these expansions. This support included reviewing governance proposals, assisting the community on Discord, and introducing new community functionalities related to the L2. They also continued testing the UI/UX of the Aura website.
In addition to these tasks, Maxis maintained their ongoing responsibilities, such as monitoring and moderating our community channels (Discord, Telegram). They also provided governance analysis and recommendations on the Aura and Balancer Governance Forums.
Towards the end of the month, Maxis drafted and released several proposals, specifically the Code of Conduct and the AIP 38 to fund Maxis for Q3 2023. This AIP received favorable votes from the community, and we deeply appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us.
During this month, we also made efforts to find a new Korean translator for Aura. We succeeded in this endeavor and welcomed danielkds12 onboard at the end of the month. Welcome aboard!
1. Governance Activities:
Governance activity this month has been predominantly focused on the Aura ecosystem compared to the previous month. While Maxi continues to provide support and initiate discussions about several BIPs (such as the Three Rocks SP foundation proposal and the funding proposal for Balancer OpCo team), the majority of the work was directly related to Aura. This work specifically involved supporting the Polygon deployment AIP, contributing to the aura incentives AIP and drafting and publishing the proposal to establish Aura and Balancer the Stargate main liquidity hub on Arbitrum. Additionally, we released the Code of Conduct of Aura Maxi.
Below is a breakdown of all the proposals that Aura Maxis either published or assisted in drafting, or participated toward after the publication, along with their objectives and outcomes.
[BIP-352] Funding Proposal for the Integrations Team (Three Rocks)
- Summary: This proposal discusses the funding for SP Three Rocks.
- Objective: The goal is to bootstrap an SP that would take over the responsibilities of the Integration Team following the sunset of the Orb.
- Outcome/Update: The proposal was approved.
[BIP351] Funding Proposal for the Balancer OpCo - Product Team - FY23 Q3 through FY24 Q1
- Summary: This proposal discusses the funding for the Product Team of OpCo.
- Objective: The goal is to address the Product Development component within OpCo in terms of both finance and scope.
- Outcome/Update: The proposal was approved.
[AIP-38] Aura Maxi SP - Q3 2023 Budget Proposal
- Summary: This proposal discusses the funding for Aura Maxi for Q3 2023.
- Objective: The goal is to finance the SP for the upcoming quarter while reviewing the results achieved to date.
- Outcome/Update: The proposal was approved.
- Summary: This proposal discusses the expansion of Aura on Polygon
- Objective: The goal is to expand Aura first on Polygon PoS and then on zkEVM to enable users to deposit BPTs on Polygon and leverage the cross-chain veBAL delegated boost, as well as all the other known element of the Aura ecosystem
- Outcome/Update: The proposal was approved.
[AIP-40] Gnosis Chain Deployment
- Summary: This proposal discusses the expansion of Aura in Gnosis
- Objective: The goal is to expand Aura first on Gnosis to enable users to deposit BPTs on Gnosis Chain, providing access to the cross-chain veBAL delegated boost, as well as all the other known element of the Aura ecosystem
- Outcome/Update: The proposal was approved.
[AIP-42] Maximizing Value of Aura LP Incentives & Bootstrapping L2s
- Summary: This proposal discusses change in the emissions of Aura
- Objective: The goal is to cut the emissions of the protocol while using the Aura, in the Aura protocol treasury, to skew emissions toward protocols that bring value to the ecosystem and help bootstrapping new L2s
- Outcome/Update: The proposal was approved.
Make Aura and Balancer the STG Liquidity Hub on Arbitrum
- Summary: The goal is to enhance the current present of Stargate in Arbitrum
- Objective: The goal is to replace the current 50/50 STG/USDC.e Balancer Pool with a 50/50 STG/bb-a-USD pool, to increase the base yield
- Outcome/Update: The proposal is still on open discussion and has yet to be published for voting
Aura Maxis interfaced with the Aura delegates:
- Circulated Balancer governance vote recommendations; and
- Coordinated and updated the Aura delegates’ vote reasoning on the Balancer Delegates’ Thread
2. Protocol Support/Growth Activities:
Now an established role, Aura Maxis currently serves as the primary responder on Discord concerning Partnerships, Support, and Governance channels.
Several specific tasks emerged during the month. A new partnership with Chainalysis was finalized with Aura Protocol. Chainalysis will provide incident response services in the unfortunate event of an attack on the Aura protocol. With their expertise, Aura Maxi delved deeper into the specifics of the services offered and how they could benefit the protocol.
With the aim of expanding Aura’s presence in new communities, we sought potential contributors fluent in the Korean language. After posting a targeted announcement, and actively searching across various media channels, we shortlisted a few candidates. Ultimately, we onboarded danielkds12, who began contributing in early August.
Activities Undertaken:
- Contributed to relevant forum discussions and groups to provide support and share insights
- Filtered and answered partnership proposals on Discord;
- Reached out several candidates for the Korean translator role, and selected one;
- Reached out to or engaged with the following protocols: Delorean Entangle Protocol, Vendor Finance, Stader Labs; and
- Communicated upgrades/news about the Aura protocol.
3. Community and Content Activities:
As anticipated, the majority of Aura Maxis’ activities centered around engaging with the Aura community regarding the expansion to new L2s. This was especially in relation to understanding how L2 operates within all major components of Aura, specifically AuraBal and voting incentives. Additionally, there were efforts to address UI-related questions about APR numbers. In general, support was provided to help users understand the different APRs and how to optimize strategies across various L2s. The overarching goal remains to raise awareness about how the Aura protocol will function on different chains.
Simultaneously, preliminary efforts were made to set up Zealy quests. This initiative aims to further engage the community in exploring Aura on new L2s. We believe this will be a positive driver for both the expansion of Aura and increased community involvement on non-mainnet chains.
Activities Undertaken:
- Moderated and maintained Discord and Telegram channels, answered questions, maintained Discord bots, and facilitated communications with other contributors;
Provided constant support for community in relation to L2 questions and other community inquiries; - Explored several quest tools and started setting up Zealy;
- Provided support in Discord and content for both Twitter and the main aura website in foreign languages (Chinese).
4. Internal Activities:
As highlighted in the last month report, we continued our discussions on how to enhance our engagement with international communities to further expand the reach of the Aura ecosystem. The primary focus was on finding a Korean-fluent contributor to maintain a robust presence on both Twitter and Discord. After several interviews and thorough research, we identified danielkds12 as an exceptionally motivated candidate for the role. He was onboarded into the Maxi group at the end of the month and began actively working in early August.
Another significant task was the formulation of the Code of Conduct. While we, as Maxi, will always champion the Aura ecosystem and act in its best interests, some members also hold roles in other DAOs. It was, therefore, crucial to draft and publish an internal code of conduct. This code mandates all Maxi members to adhere to specific guidelines, particularly concerning undisclosed conflicts of interest. We anticipate that this Code will evolve, with additions and refinements made over time as new situations emerge. We hope it can serve as a model for any new Service Provider within the Aura ecosystem.
Activities Undertaken:
- Drafted, discussed and published the Code of Conduct of Maxi
- Conducted regular SP meetings to align on objectives and progress;
- Managed the Coordinape reporting and voting.
5. Financial Summary and Transactions:
The activity was only on allocating stipends according to [AIP-28] for the Aura Maxi Service Provider (SP) contributors. All the multisig transactions are here, with a detailed breakdown below.
Transactions conducted by the Aura Maxi multisig:
The following is a list of transactions for the month of June 2023, from the Aura Maxi multisig wallet.
- Transaction 7:
- Type: transfer
- Amount: 7933 Aura
- Purpose/Category: disburse stipends to SP contributors
- Transaction hash: tx 7
Conclusion
The Maxis team continues to fortify its role as a stalwart advocate and supporter of the Aura protocol. A significant portion of their dedication has been channeled towards Aura’s core operations. This includes facilitating a seamless expansion onto new blockchain chains, which involves a blend of meticulous governance work and proactive community engagement. Moreover, the team has been instrumental in broadening Aura’s marketing footprint, reaching out to international communities and establishing a presence in other DAOs.
The primary mission of Aura Maxis is to catalyze and nurture the growth of Aura. This growth is intrinsically linked to a community that is not only engaged but also passionate about the protocol’s vision. Furthermore, a flourishing ecosystem is vital to ensure that Aura remains at the forefront of the decentralized space. We invite all stakeholders to peruse the proposed actions. Your insights, questions, and contributions are invaluable to us, and we encourage an open dialogue to further refine and enhance our collective efforts.