Establish the ParaSwap Growth Working Group (PGWG) - Application

Research and Discussion
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Background

In the Project Miro Roadmap - A DAO Beyond Aggregation post presented by @Laita, which sets out the vision and direction of the protocol and its DAO in the near future, it was proposed that funds be allocated to be managed directly by the DAO for community building purposes, to have a real impact on the ecosystem, and specifically to empower the DAO to “development of future initiatives that will support the growth of the ecosystem”

This comprehensive vision was presented as a formal proposal through the PIP-56: Implementation of the Project Miró Roadmap and Migration proposal, which coincided with the above and established the empowerment of the DAO and the allocation of funds to be managed directly by the DAO for tasks that have a tangible impact on the Protocol.

This proposal has been approved by the DAO by a large majority, in what was the highest participation vote in the DAO’s history, with almost 365M PSPs voting.

ParaSwap Growth Working Group (PGWG)

In accordance with the above, the empowerment received by the DAO through the approved PIP-56, and the discussions at the Community Calls on Thursday 24th October 2024 and Thursday 12th December 2024, we propose that the DAO engage, collaborate and provide support with @Laita and ParaSwap @foundation in developing initiatives to support the growth of the ecosystem, for which, as a first step to address this scope, we have formed the ParaSwap Growth Working Group (PGWG), which will have the following roles, tasks, scope, responsibilities and internal organisation.

Mandates

The PGWG will execute the following mandates:

  • Benchmarking: Research and analyse what is being done in other DAOs on growth and marketing.
  • Identify initiatives: Identify initiatives in which the DAO can contribute to ParaSwap’s growth.
  • Create Growth Plans and Framework: Research and suggest clear plans and framework for the DAO’s growth initiatives, focusing on improving the ParaSwap brand and building strong partnerships in the ecosystem.
  • Collaborate with Stakeholders: Collaborate and consult with @Laita and the ParaSwap @foundation, which leads the growth efforts for Project Miró, ensuring alignment with their goals.
  • Reach DAO Approval: Ensure that all proposals and associated budgets are presented for DAO governance approval before execution.

It is clarified that the PGWG will not execute any growth or marketing actions or request a budget for them. Its main task will be to provide a framework for the DAO to execute the growth tasks that are identified and to follow the right path.

Duration

The PGWG will be established for a period of one month from the moment its integration is completed, and shall deliver by the end of its term the outcome of its work consisting of. This period may be extended by a further month if necessary and if the extension of the work so requires.

Budget

Budget or remuneration is currently expected for the members of the PGWG. When the PGWG delivers the final result of its work, it will request retroactive compensation from the DAO based on the number of hours worked by its members, the extension and the quality of the work done.

Composition

The PGWG will be composed of between 3 and 5 members to ensure a diversity of perspectives while maintaining operational efficiency.

The final number of members will be defined according to the number of applicants interested in being part of the working group.

Members

  • Zero members: The group will initially be composed of the two community members who have shown genuine interest and offered to help with the growth tasks, and who had the initiative and have worked on this post to formalise and channel the tasks through an organised DAO structure:
  • The remaining 1 to 3 members -to achieve the number of 3 to 5 members in total- will emerge from the application process set out below (individuals or organizations can apply), whereby interested parties can apply to select the most solid and professional candidates with the best track record.

Application

A 7-day application period is hereby opened for those interested - individuals or organisations - in being part of the PGWG:

  • Tomorrow, Tuesday 4th February 2025, starts a 7-day period to apply in this thread.
  • Applications close on Tuesday 11th February 2025.

If you wish to apply for a position in the PGWG, please comment on this post by completing the below application template.

We appeal to honesty, trusting that individuals or organizations who apply possess the necessary expertise and skills in the areas of growth, marketing, and related fields whether in ParaSwap and/or any other protocols/ aggregator/intents product, ensuring they can make concrete and valuable contributions to the working group.

Application Template

  • DAO-recognized Name:
  • Individual or Organization?:
  • Time Zone:
  • Background and/or skills:
  • What can you contribute to the Growth Working Group?
  • What is your motivation for applying to this working group? (max 3 sentences):
  • List your past or current association, history, role and contributions to the ParaSwap protocol or DAO:
  • Briefly describe any other DAO working groups or teams in which you currently participate or have participated in the past:
  • Conflict of Interest Declaration:

Next Step

Once the 7-days application period is closed, and according to the number of applicants presented, we will contact all applicants to coordinate the final composition of the PGWG and the distribution of tasks and responsibilities.

In case there are many applicants, we will call for a vote in order for the DAO to decide who they consider to be the best candidates.

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Hello SEEDGov,

I am unfortunatly not enough qualified for this position, but I fully support the initiative.
If in any case, i can help for an easy task, i will be happy to participate. (But I guess that now with AI, I am not useful anymore)

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DAO-recognized Name: Avantgarde Finance
Individual or Organization
Time Zone: CET
Background and/or skills:
Avantgarde is a DeFi-native asset manager that specializes in non-custodial, on-chain strategies and advisory services for a range of DAOs, Foundations, institutional investors and crypto natives. We have been active in DeFi since 2016, notably as co-founders of on-chain asset management protocol Enzyme, and bring extensive investment and operational experience at firms such as Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Valour, and Genesis to help DAOs and Foundations optimize treasury management strategies, improve financial sustainability, and support long-term growth. Our combined experience as both builders and users of on-chain asset management infrastructure also give us a unique perspective on operational best practices for enabling DAOs to allocate treasury assets efficiently within DeFi.

What can you contribute to the Growth Working Group?:
As an early DeFi participant and active delegate in a number of major DAOs, we have a wide network of relations across the industry and significant experience in business development (both on the protocol and service-provider level) and are already upselling Paraswap where possible and as opportunities present themselves. Research and analysis is also part of our bread and butter, and we already have a good working relationship with the key stakeholders.

What is your motivation for applying to this working group?:
With significant skin in the game, it is very much in Avantgarde’s interest to see Paraswap succeed. We bring extensive experience in DeFi and believe we can continue to contribute to Paraswap in a meaningful way. The Growth WG prove a great focused outlet for this,

List your past or current association, history, role and contributions to the ParaSwap protocol or DAO:

  • investor/token holder
  • active in governance
  • on the Paraswap GovCo multisig
  • integrated Paraswap into Enzyme
  • regularly make biz dev intros and connections to the Paraswap core team
  • published Paraswap research report focusing on competitive dynamics, user activity, and token utility. See The Evolving DEX Aggregator Landscape

Briefly describe any other DAO working groups or teams in which you currently participate or have participated in the past:

  • The Uniswap Bridge Assessment Committee: Performed due diligence and provided recommendations on bridges and bridge-agnostic solutions for the Uniswap DAO. Results can be viewed here.

  • Arbitrum Treasury and Sustainability Working Group: Contributed with research on risk reduction in DAO treasuries. Report available here.

  • Rootstock Collective Shepherds Group: Rootstock is a Bitcoin L2 where we serve as 1 of 5 Rootstock Shepherds, whose job is to oversee protocol upgrades and advise on the decentralisation of the DAO.

Conflict of Interest Declaration:
Avantgarde is actively contributing and working with a number of chains across the wider Ethereum ecosystem, and is currently also a delegate on Uniswap, Compound, Safe, Morpho, and Rootstock. We will look to leverage our network and experience from these ecosystems, and will diligently disclose any conflicts of interest should any such situation arise.

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DAO-recognized Name:

Proof of Growt

Individual or Organization?:

Organization

Time Zone:

UTC -3

Background and/or Skills:

  • Expertise in growth strategies, marketing, and community engagement for decentralized projects.
  • Strong skills in design, UX, and storytelling, ensuring clear, compelling communication and user-friendly experiences.
  • Active participation in DAOs and governance processes.
  • Deep understanding of decentralized ecosystems and user adoption strategies.

What can you contribute to the Growth Working Group?

Proof of Growth brings a structured, data-driven approach to marketing and growth in decentralized ecosystems. Our expertise allows us to:

  • Conduct benchmarking and research on successful growth strategies from other DAOs.
  • Design structured growth plans and frameworks to improve ParaSwap’s brand positioning.
  • Develop branding and messaging strategies that ensure clear, compelling communication to both new and existing users.
  • Leverage design and UX expertise to enhance the user experience and improve community engagement.
  • Collaborate effectively with ParaSwap DAO, ParaSwap Foundation and Laita Labs to ensure alignment and execution feasibility.
  • Provide insights on community engagement and best practices for increasing adoption and awareness.

What is your motivation for applying to this working group?:

ParaSwap has long been a key player in the DeFi aggregator space, and we believe it has the foundation to strengthen its position even further. Our motivation is to help shape and define clear growth frameworks that allow the DAO to amplify its reach, re-engage its community, and reinforce its leadership in the ecosystem. We aim to contribute actionable strategies that drive meaningful results and long-term sustainability for both the protocol and its governance model.

List your past or current association, history, role, and contributions to the ParaSwap protocol or DAO:

We have been active ParaSwap users and have followed DAO discussions and governance proposals.

Our team has experience in analyzing DAO structures, benchmarking governance best practices, and contributing to community engagement strategies. We are eager to apply this knowledge to help shape a structured and effective growth framework for ParaSwap DAO.

Briefly describe any other DAO working groups or teams in which you currently participate or have participated in the past:

We have actively contributed to various DAOs and web3 projects:

  • Proof of Humanity DAO – Governance participation, research, and strategic contributions.
  • Fork DAO – Community-building, Governance and structural improvement discussions. Community Management.
  • Audius & Tezos Domains DAO – Strategic insights and governance discussions. Community management.
  • Música W3 – Collaboration in IRL events and discussions around the intersection of music and blockchain.
  • Newtro Arts – Participation in Web3-native art initiatives, including collaboration in IRL events exploring digital ownership and decentralized artistic communities.

Conflict of Interest Declaration:

At Proof of Growth, we currently have no conflicts of interest related to our participation in ParaSwap DAO. However, we are fully committed to transparency and integrity. Should any potential conflict arise, we will immediately disclose it and take appropriate measures to align with the best interests of ParaSwap DAO.

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DAO-recognized Name: PGov
Individual or Organization: Organization
Time Zone: UTC -5

Background and/or skills:

  • 4+ years of governance experience
  • Delegate for various blue chip defi protocols and L2s
  • Contributed to growth teams at various teams and web3 projects
  • Active currently in relevant roles with protocols including Uniswap, Compound, Optimism, Arbitrum, etc.

We are a team of dedicated governance enthusiasts who have been in the governance space pretty much since it started and would love to apply what we have learned over the years to Paraswap.

What can you contribute to the Growth Working Group?

As an active participant across various DAOs, we have a wide scope on the current state of affairs across Defi and can utilize our networks to help grow the DAO in this role significantly. We will use our overarching goals to provide as much long term sustainable value as we can:

  • Growth: Our decisions are primarily focused on the growth of the protocol. This often results in how to spend money efficiently, but even more importantly and objecting for unreasonable spends and knowing when to vote no.

  • Transparency: Clear communication with votes and explanations of reasoning, and an equivalent demand for proposals to do the same. Too often we see thousands, if not millions, being rolled up together and glossed over during proposals.

  • Accountability: Too often once a decision is done, having proper accountability becomes an afterthought. Whether it’s a DAO promise or a grant or a new program, once a DAO votes something in, we forget about it. Our goal with PGov is to both continue to check in on these decisions as well as ensure that there are proper channels set up to ensure accountability.

What is your motivation for applying to this working group?:

We have extensive experience in governance and similar roles. This group has a great proposal and vision, and we would love to help contribute to the growth of Paraswap!

List your past or current association, history, role and contributions to the ParaSwap protocol or DAO:

  • Investor and token holder
  • Early user and airdrop recipient
  • Governance delegate
  • Worked with Paraswap team members on prior governance initiatives

Briefly describe any other DAO working groups or teams in which you currently participate or have participated in the past:

  • Uniswap Accountability Committee: Help maintain deployments of Uniswap across different chains, hold different service providers to the DAO accountable, manage operations and deliverables for the DAO
  • Optimism Grants and Milestones/Metrics Council: Ensure accountability and deliverables on grants for the DAO
  • Compound Governance Group: Steward for the DAO and manage the governance ecosystem.
  • Badger Treasury Council: Day to day work on treasury, growth, and financial operations management for the DAO.
  • Engagements with Arbitrum, Lido, Moonwell, etc.

Conflict of Interest Declaration:

PGov is actively involved in the governance across multiple defi protocols. As mentioned, we will leverage this experience and network and disclose conflicts of interest as they arise.

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DAO-recognized Name: DAOplomats

Individual or Organization: Organization

Time Zone: CET and IST

Background and/or skills:

DAOplomats are a seasoned crypto organization specializing in professional DAO governance, tokenomics, and community coordination since 2022. Our experience spans everything from proposing and building efficient governance structures to deep community-building initiatives—backed by industry-leading research and tooling. We’ve partnered with projects like 1inch, Gitcoin, Everclear, and BanklessDAO to refine their governance models, improve tokenomics, and catalyze vibrant communities.

As active professional delegates, we regularly contribute to major DAOs, including Uniswap, ENS, and Lido—as well as Layer 2 ecosystems like Arbitrum, Optimism, and ZKsync—ensuring we stay engaged at the forefront of emerging governance practices. This broad scope of hands-on experience with multiple protocols informs our holistic approach, allowing us to deliver tailored governance solutions that strengthen DAO ecosystems from the inside out.

What can you contribute to the Growth Working Group?

Benchmarking:
DAOplomats conducts cross-DAO research, delivering comprehensive analysis of marketing and growth strategies to guide ParaSwap’s strategic decisions.

Identify Initiatives:
With deep governance expertise and a broad DeFi network, DAOplomats can pinpoint high-impact growth opportunities and translate them into actionable proposals for ParaSwap.

What is your motivation for applying to this working group? (max 3 sentences):

  • Our background in major DAOs and Layer 2 ecosystems equips us to implement established governance methods and long-term growth frameworks.
  • ParaSwap is a leading DeFi aggregator, and we see an opportunity to strengthen its position.
  • By prioritizing transparent engagement, cooperative efforts, and community-driven initiatives, we can help strengthen ParaSwap’s brand and broaden its reach.

List your past or current association, history, role and contributions to the ParaSwap protocol or DAO:

We’ve been active ParaSwap users, early adopters and governance delegates. Our experience in assessing DAO frameworks and driving community engagement positions us to help shape a strategic growth framework for ParaSwap.

Briefly describe any other DAO working groups or teams in which you currently participate or have participated in the past:

  1. 1 inch recognized delegate group: Served in 1inchDAO’s Recognised Delegates Programme, helping design compensation models, accountability frameworks, and reporting structures to streamline governance decisions and support 1inchDAO’s growth objectives.

  2. Bankless DAO grants: Participated in BanklessDAO’s DAOstewards initiative, working on meta governance, multi-sig consolidation,

  3. Bankless DAO governance department:Supporting tasks like governance documentation updates, weekly department syncs, and constitution revamps. Also participated in other cross-functional initiatives focused on tokenomics, grants, and community-building.

  4. Rari Governance working group: Participated in Rari DAO’s Governance Working Group trial, focusing on strengthening governance processes, documentation, and delegate-led operations. Contributed to weekly progress reviews, dispute resolution protocols, and tooling improvements.

Conflict of Interest Declaration:

DAOplomats are active governance participants in multiple DAOs and Ethereum Layer 2. We might leverage our network to bring up proposals that benefit all stakeholders. We maintain a high level of transparency and will always disclose potential conflicts of interest before voting on proposals, ensuring our operations are always above board.

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DAO-recognized Name: Arana Digital

Individual or Organization?: Organization

Time Zone: Eastern Time

Background and/or skills:

We are a team experienced in DAO governance, operations, growth and research. Our members are deeply steeped in the crypto space and have multiple years of participation in protocol governance.

With delegation history for DEXs, money markets, L2s, liquid staking protocols, and stablecoins, our team is acclimated with a breadth of sectors. We also bring a diversity of work experience to DAOs–our members have consulted for companies like Immutable and dYdX, worked at crypto investment and trading firms, set up various validator nodes, and run educational events for universities.

What can you contribute to the Growth Working Group?

  • We specialize in designing scalable governance solutions, refining incentive mechanisms, and fostering deeper participation in DAOs. Using that background, we’ll contribute by helping structure frameworks for ParaSwap’s governance operations.
  • Since we partake in multiple DAOs’ activities, our team will be able to sufficiently help the working group with benchmarking by analyzing the successes and failures of other protocols’ growth initiatives.
  • Collaborating with extensive networks of delegates, as well as a DAO’s respective Labs/Foundation entity, is a part of what we do on a daily basis—we will bring this background for helping coordinate programs and stakeholders at ParaSwap.

What is your motivation for applying to this working group? (max 3 sentences):

As a delegate and active user of ParaSwap, we believe that the DAO is in a prime position to prudently structure and facilitate the protocol’s growth—and because of our experience with various DeFi DAOs, we believe that we can meaningfully contribute to this vision.

List your past or current association, history, role and contributions to the ParaSwap protocol or DAO:

We are currently delegates for ParaSwap DAO and started getting involved since the Delegate Program Trail period began. Our team has actively utilized the aggregator for some time now and holds tokens as well.

Briefly describe any other DAO working groups or teams in which you currently participate or have participated in the past:

  • Uniswap Accountability Committee: conduct oversight for DAO working groups, facilitate the deployment of v3/v2 contracts across 30+ chains, distribute millions of dollars of incentives across 15+ chains, and administer the DAO’s accounting framework.
  • Uniswap Treasury Working Group: research various approaches to mobilize the DAO’s treasury, analyze treasury runway and growth, identify key issues among treasury managers and other stakeholders to minimize principal-agent issues, and conduct interviews with investors and delegates.
  • Compound Governance Working Group: design governance frameworks to increase delegate participation, ensure the security for markets & treasury funds, and aggregate+present data for refining various campaigns.
  • Rootstock Collective Shepherds: help upstart and maintain one of the first Bitcoin L2 governance ecosystems.
  • Aave Orbit Program: maintained a 90%+ participation rate in proposal votes and discussions, while holding an outsized amount of voting power.
  • Uniswap Metagovernance Team: actively vote on proposals on behalf of Uniswap DAO across ecosystems like Arbitrum and Optimism to best represent the DAO’s interests.

Conflict of Interest Declaration:

We are actively involved as delegates and contributors in multiple other DAOs. Any relevant conflicts of interest will be publicized when they arise. No overt conflicts exist at the present time.

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The application period for the ParaSwap Growth Working Group has now concluded. We are thankful for the interest and high-quality applications received.

The current PGWG members will spend this week reviewing applications and finalizing the selection of new members. An announcement regarding the composition of the group will follow by the end of the week.

Thanks to all applicants and the broader community!

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A really strong set of applicants. It is nice to see that community/delegates are engaged in find ways to help the DAO/protocol to find the best solutions regarding growth and marketing

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PGWG Announcement: Selected Governance & Growth Contributors

After a thorough review of all applications based on their strengths across governance, analytics, and marketing, we’re pleased to announce the three new contributors we believe best align with the DAO’s current needs:

@Avantgarde
@PGov
@AranaDigital

The selection process was based on a careful evaluation of each applicant’s capabilities, demonstrated impact, and the balance of skills needed at this stage. This is by no means a final door, rather, it’s one of the first step in expanding a governance and growth framework.

The working group is therefore composed of the three selected in this post, @citizen42 and us - @SEEDGov -, and will officially begin operations on Monday (02-17), entering a one-month initial phase, which may be extended based on performance and groups’ need.

For those not selected, the upcoming Growth Committee onboarding in the next 1–2 months will provide additional opportunities to contribute. We encourage all applicants to remain engaged, as there will be room for more participants to shape and support the DAO’s long-term success

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Hey everyone,

I’m thrilled to see that after careful review we’ve selected @Avantgarde, @PGov, and @AranaDigital to join the ParaSwap Growth Working Group (PGWG) alongside me and @SEEDGov. Their blend of governance expertise, analytical savvy and growth/marketing experience should give us a strong foundation for the next phase.

Super excited and I look forward to seeing how this team’s diverse talents will shape ParaSwap’s future.
I want to thank every applicant for your time and passion and those who weren’t selected now I am sure may find opportunities in the very near future, so please stay with us!

Let’s keep the momentum going and continue building a stronger ecosystem together.

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We’re excited to be working alongside an amazing team in that of @Avantgarde @AranaDigital @citizen42, and @SEEDGov. Looking forward to the output and thanks to the current team for their selection and trust.

Let’s get to work :slight_smile:

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It’s great to see high-quality contributors working on Paraswap’s growth! I have a few questions regarding this:

How can delegates track the performance and activities of the PGWG? Will they publish a report to the DAO at the end?

Additionally, I have a couple of years of experience in the market and have participated in various incentive programs. While I’m not a marketing expert, I’ve spent considerable time engaging in growth campaigns and studying design mechanisms, tokenomics, and related areas. I’d love to volunteer and contribute by providing feedback in areas where I have expertise—perhaps as an unofficial member?

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That’s right, a final report with the results of the work is expected to be shared with the DAO—perhaps, and we’re getting ahead of ourselves, in the form of a proposal.

Thank you for your offer. Due to the ETH Denver event that 3 PGWG members are attending, the formal start of the work has been delayed, so we are still in the early stages of internal organisation. When we are a bit more advanced in this aspect, we can certainly seek feedback and contributions from members of the community, even if they are not part of the PGWG, so we will take your offer into account, thank you!

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Due to some unexpected events, such as the attendance of 3 PGWG members at ETH Denver from February 23 to March 2 and the Bybit proposal, which required significant priority attention for the DAO, the PGWG informs the community that it will make use of the one-month extension foreseen in the initial post.

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