What is the delegate’s identity and background?
Hi everyone, my name is Mark, and I’m one of the core contributors to Kamino, one of Solana’s leading DeFi protocols. I’ve been active in crypto for quite a few years, and Solana DeFi since 2021: initially as a user / trader, and working in Solana DeFi for 2 years.
At Kamino I’m one of the core team, and get involved in all parts of the protocol, especially including working with partners on liquidity mgmt strategies for their tokens, and resulting products that are both value-add to DeFi participants and the projects we work with.
My background for +15 years prior to crypto is in regulated finance/banking & tech: a Swiss bank, and a global reinsurer / asset manager, where I ran a number of fintech products including trading applications and a global financial operations platform.
Has the delegate historically contributed to the Jito Network?
For around 1yr I’ve worked with Jito Network on a variety of initiatives, especially in terms of ideation and execution of token liquidity strategies for both jitoSOL & JTO.
Has the delegate historically been involved in protocol governance?
I’ve contributed to several DeFi protocols as a user, and also as part of my role in Kamino & Hubble. I’m familiar with both the advantages and disadvantages of decentralized governance, and think I can bring some valuable insights and a pragmatic approach to participation in DAO governance.
Is the delegate committed to helping the Jito Network and Solana succeed? Explain.
I’m passionate about seeing a thriving Solana ecosystem, and especially a thriving Solana DeFi. Jito Network is a cornerstone of both Solana & DeFi, and I’d love to play a role in contributing to its success.
We’re at a point in time where Solana as a blockchain and a network of builders is ‘early’, but needs to continue to mature & execute in a sustainable and credible way, in order to remain ahead of current and future competition.
Candidate views
How should JitoSOL validator delegation balance performance (yield) versus decentralization goals?
I think that a criteria can be defined/refined for validators to both receive, increase and keep stake. This criteria should include KPIs to reward strong performance such as operation uptime etc, but not be insurmountable so that barriers to entry sacrifice on decentralization.
Contributors to Jito Network should also therefore monitor and measure JitoSOL’s performance across multiple dimensions, including levels of stake distribution as well as pure performance. It’s crucial that JitoSOL lives the values of Solana being both highly performant as well as decentralised.
What should be the priorities for JTO liquidity mining and DAO token grants?
Aspects to prioritize:
-Supporting strong JitoSOL liquidity: helps achieve demand, scale & trust
-Growing JitoSOL in circulation (more minting)
-Initiatives that will prove value-add to Jito Network
-and let’s not forget JTO: it’s also important to ensuring & maintain healthy liquidity for JTO so that community participation can be maximized and friction for doing so reduced
What are your goals for the DAO as a delegate?
I’d like to contribute to all of the above. I’d particularly like to ensure the DAO operates in an efficient way with pragmatic governance and not over-burdened by governance paralysis. I additionally think my insights with regards to token trading & liquidity will bring positive value to the DAO.
Solana needs to make up ground vs other ecosystems in terms of approach to governance, and I think the Jito Network DAO is well-positioned to be one of the best-managed and productive DAOs on Solana.
Delegate address: AdLG2YaNMarMxRYgEwskyqcnNa1Yfu5rhUwQkSdcF1PL
