Identity and background
- What is the delegate’s identity and background?
- I am a trained Chartered Accountant with professional experience in Private Equity and Banking. Hardware and Software has been a passion of mine since day zero and my coding and validator ops management is fully self-taught.
- I bootstrapped my Solana Validator from zero stake in December 2022 and recently moved operations to South Africa to further promote Solana’s geographic decentralization, inspire local developers and prove that Solana’s infrastructure works globally.
- Has the delegate historically contributed to the Jito Network?
- I was one of the first 30 validators to run the Jito client and have assisted in providing operational feedback to the team regarding operations in South Africa. I stay close to searcher activity and have immersed myself in the various MEV activities employed on the network.
- Has the delegate historically been involved in protocol governance?
- While staying close to the action, I have not specifically participated in protocol governance. However, I have represented investors interests on a variety of company Boards including voting on key corporate matters for the benefit of key company stakeholders such employees and equity and debt investors.
- Is the delegate committed to helping the Jito Network and Solana succeed? Explain.
- I am a Solana maxi and think about avenues to grow Solana every day. With a traditional Finance background these often lend towards payments and bringing TradFi activities on-chain. Jito is a key component to the growth of the network and enables a fairer landscape for equitable transfer of MEV alongside other benefits from spam reduction and transaction ordering guarantees. I am interested in pushing for a future where Solana is the dominant blockchain network globally and is the financial rails for financial systems in 100 years time. The economic and governance security of the network and JTO play a key role to execute this vision and successful stewardship of these two networks is important.
Candidate views
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How should JitoSOL validator delegation balance performance (yield) versus decentralization goals?
- Performance metrics should be separated between hard performance numbers (e.g. vote credits, uptime etc) and softer considerations (such as geographic decentralization and commissions etc).
- I believe the focus should be to ensure that JitoSOL delegation selects the highest performing validators which are optimal for Jito activities (MEV etc) and the Solana network - delivering speed, reliability, uptime and good behavior.
- Combined with this, the strategy should drive decentralization metrics that push forward the security of the network, lowering attack vectors and ensuring longevity in all eventualities.
- Having ultra-high performant and committed validators requires fair commissions that are not extractive to ensure the ‘engine-room’ of Solana performs optimally at all times, midnight and on weekends.
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What should be the priorities for JTO liquidity mining and DAO token grants?
- Both of these activities require different optimisations and careful consideration should be given to both as to not repeat other protocol mistakes which result in extractive activities and drained resources.
- Token grants will allow for the expansion of StakeNet and additional tooling for the network. The delegates will need to strike a fine balance to ensure that approved grants add value to the ecosystem.
- Liquidity mining incentives can improve liquidity to stabilise on-chain activity as the network grows but should only be carefully deployed aligning the right incentives.
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What are your goals for the DAO as a delegate?
- The Jito team has done an immense job in propelling the Solana network forward and the DAO should continue this legacy playing a guiding role for the protocol and Solana.
- Often being in-between uncomfortable decisions means delegates are likely focussing on the right issues, this will be ever more important as the hype of a new bull-run takes over the industry.
- I will strive to drive important issues for the protocol while looking to employ pragmatic solutions for the benefit of the long-term.
Solana delegation address: CHjttgWQH8t86kKTfmtFFJHBmNBVZbrpzhDyHn7usCf3