Welcome to Intersect’s Development Update #75. This week, we celebrate the success of RareEvo 2025 in Las Vegas, call out to stake pool operators to vote, welcome No Witness Labs as a new Enterprise Member, and shine a spotlight on Wada, a Web3 and AI community incubator from Africa. There’s an update on vendor contracts, a member survey, and X Spaces as well, so read on to get the latest news.
Constitutional Committee update: it's time to vote on the new CC!
Another governance action is currently underway: the vote to update the Constitutional Committee (CC) is live on-chain. This vote formalizes the transition from the interim committee to the newly elected members chosen through the community-led CC election. The current proposal, Replace Interim Constitutional Committee, seeks to ratify the replacement of the Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC), originally composed of founding entities and elected community members, with seven new members elected by DReps earlier this year. These new members have been assigned staggered terms to ensure continuity. This vote is open to both DReps and SPOs. The current committee does not participate. It's up to voters to ratify this decision on behalf of the community.
Important call to all SPOs While SPOs are not required to vote on all governance actions, this is one of the actions where their vote is critical. For the update- committee to pass, 51% of delegated stake needs to participate. If you're an SPO and unsure how to vote, check out this step-by-step guide by ATADA Stake Pool: How to vote on Cardano Governance Actions as an SPO on an offline machine?
Treasury withdrawals update
With on-chain governance hitting new highs, many treasury withdrawal proposals have now passed. Understandably, many want to know what happens next.
In preparation and anticipation of a proposal passing, this following steps are in play to fully establish these proposals for delivery:
KYC/KYB and vendor contract signing - the procurement team and vendor will complete Know Your Customer (KYC) or Know Your Business (KYB). Next, the written legal contract will be sent out to the vendor for signature.
Funding of vendor smart contracts - When step 1 is done, the Vendor Smart Contract will be funded on-chain when approved by Intersect, an external oversight committee, and the vendor. You can read more about Vendor Smart Contracts on Intersect’s Knowledgebase.
Vendor induction calls - all vendors with successful TWAs will have an onboarding session with the delivery assurance team. This provides an introduction to the delivery assurance team, an introduction to smart contracts and to the process around milestone sign off. A link to this presentation will be on Intersect’s knowledgebase.
At this point, the vendor can safely commence work on the deliverables for the first milestone. Further details on these activities can be found on this blog on our website.
Our onboarding pack for vendors is now available on the knowledge base for any in the community interested: Onboarding & Vendor Information
Intersect had an active schedule at Rare Evo 2025 in Las Vegas, with a mix of booth activities, public sessions, and committee discussions. This gave both members and the wider Cardano community multiple chances to meet our team, learn about our work, and take part in conversations.
Debuting the Clay Nation partnership
One of the most anticipated moments of the conference was the world-first public reveal of our collaboration with Clay Nation. For the past few weeks, this partnership had been quietly in the works, and Rare Evo became the stage for its big unveiling.
All Intersect members will be able to customize their own Clay Nation avatar on our Members Area page, including traits such as hair, clothes, eyes, the color of their skin, and much more! Bring a face to your membership with Clay Nation and Intersect.
The announcement immediately drew crowds to the Intersect booth, where attendees could see early previews and speak directly to the Clay Nation team. Community excitement spilled online, with reactions from other teams and community members alike, capturing the energy of the moment. Our own announcement reached a wide audience, extending its impact beyond the conference walls!
Booth experiences and real-time merch printing
The Intersect booth was designed as an interactive community hub rather than a static display. One of the main draws was our live t-shirt printing station, where attendees could watch custom Intersect designs being pressed on-site and walk away with a unique piece of conference memorabilia. This not only created constant booth activity but also provided an organic conversation starter about our mission and upcoming initiatives.
We also partnered with the Cardano Card team, who co-located with us at the booth. Their presence allowed attendees to meet the people behind the project, ask questions, and learn more about the upcoming release of the Cardano Card.
Community connection hours
Our booth also played host to two dedicated networking sessions:
Meet the board hour: All available board members gathered at the booth to interact directly with attendees, answer questions, and hear suggestions. The turnout exceeded expectations, with a continuous flow of people eager to put faces to names and share their perspectives.
Intersect committees spotlight: Members from multiple Intersect committees, including Civics, Growth & Marketing, Budget, and more, connected with the community, giving insights into ongoing projects and inviting new members to get involved.
These sessions created a more approachable, personal touch to governance and decision-making, showing the human side of our leadership and working groups.
Growth & Marketing Committee – open chat at TopGolf LV
During Rare Dev/Gov Day, the Growth & Marketing Committee hosted a highly engaging open chat at TopGolf Las Vegas. Against the backdrop of the driving range, committee members discussed community engagement strategies, marketing challenges, and opportunities for cross-collaboration across the ecosystem.
The casual setting encouraged open dialogue and idea-sharing, attracting both seasoned contributors and new community members looking to get involved.
Product Committee workshop
Rare Dev/Gov Day also included a session from the Intersect Product Committee, which focused on building a shared vision and roadmap planning for Cardano’s future. The workshop centered on refining the 2030 Cardano Vision, a long-term outlook shaped by committee members and community input. These workshops are part of broader efforts to involve both product committee members and general community members in shaping the future direction of Cardano through hands-on collaboration and open discussion.
Intersect Live Board panel at Rare Dev/Gov Day
We also hosted our own Intersect Live Board panel at Rare Dev/Gov Day, where leadership and members gathered for a mix of presentations, updates, and live Q&A. Topics ranged from governance process updates to upcoming initiatives, with the session emphasizing Intersect’s open-door approach to feedback and collaboration.
The panel attracted both in-person attendees and those following the event online throughRare Evo’s coverage.
Budget Committee
We're about halfway through the Membership Budget Retrospective Survey. The survey takes about 8 minutes to complete, and the information gathered will be used to help steer Intersect’s recommendations for next year’s budget process.
X experienced an outage this week and as a result we couldn’t host the first Election Season X Space as planned — however, we have rescheduled for next week! Board members will be joining to share their insights on the role’s responsibilities, challenges, and rewards, as well as practical tips for running a successful campaign. We’ll also walk through how to apply for the Board, covering eligibility, key dates, and the full application process.
Exciting news from Intersect’s Open Source Office!
There are two major developments this week.
Open Source Cowboy Episode 6 has been released. From founding one of the first open source consultancies to leading global open source efforts at Wipro, to helping governments and enterprises craft their open source playbooks, Andrew Aitken brings decades of experience at the intersection of community and commerce.
1) The evolution of open source strategy from 2000's to today
2) What most companies still get wrong about “open innovation”
3) How Andrew helped shape open source adoption inside Fortune 100 firms
4) The role of open source in public infrastructure and national policy
5) What’s next for the open source ecosystem in a blockchain and AI world.
If you care about the future of open collaboration, funding models, and the business of open source, this one’s a must-watch.
🤠 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share if you enjoy the episode! Chinstrap Office Hours – Sign-Ups Now Open!
As part of our new strategic partnership with Chinstrap, we’re opening up office hours for builders in the Cardano ecosystem!
These free sessions connect you with open-source leaders Heather Meeker and Sabir Ibrahim for expert guidance on:
Open-source licensing and compliance — from open core to dual licensing, plus governance alignment
Business models for commercial OSS (COSS) — learn how to build sustainable revenue around open source
Startup readiness and funding — set up your project for investment and long-term growth.
Whether you’re Incubation or already in growth, this is your chance to get personalized, strategic advice from the people shaping the future of open source.
Slots are limited and priority goes to Intersect members — but all Cardano open-source teams are welcome to apply.
Choose ‘Legal’ as the support category – this routes your request to the legal support queue.
Describe your need – briefly explain what you want help with (examples: ‘Review dual-licensing options for my repo’ or ‘Advice on COSS revenue model’).
Submit and we will send you the link to book your slot.
About the Experts:
Heather Meeker – One of the most influential voices in open-source law, author of Open Source for Business, and pioneer of modern OSS licensing strategy. LinkedIn
Sabir Ibrahim – Co-founder of Chinstrap, former corporate counsel at Amazon & Roku, and expert in COSS models, contributor experience, and decentralized business design. LinkedIn
Let’s build smarter, more sustainable open source together.
Welcome No Witness Labs!
We’re thrilled to welcome No Witness Labs as a new Enterprise Member at Intersect.
Specializing in smart contract security solutions, they deliver high-quality, private audits that help blockchain projects identify vulnerabilities, improve code quality, and adopt best practices for long-term resilience. Their hands-on approach ensures security-first thinking is embedded throughout the development process—building trust and confidence for users and teams alike.
We’re excited to collaborate on strengthening the security and scalability of the Cardano ecosystem!
Enterprise Forum: Web3 in Focus – session 2
Our second Enterprise Forum: Web3 in Focus gathered industry leaders to tackle some of the most pressing topics in the space—governance, compliance, infrastructure, and decentralized compute.
Missed it? You can watch the full replay here: Session 2 .
Want to start from the beginning? Session 1 is also available, offering the foundation for the discussions that followed. Together, both sessions paint a vivid picture of the opportunities and challenges shaping Web3, with actionable insights from those building on the front lines.
We’ll return in September with Session 3, taking the conversation further and exploring new angles on decentralized technology. Stay tuned for details.
Wada is a Web3 and AI community incubator dedicated to empowering African and diaspora communities through technology. Operating across a network of grassroots innovation hubs in countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, Wada focuses on three pillars—infrastructure, education, and innovation.
From developer training and self-sovereign identity workshops to proposal writing, funding access, and decentralized application integration, Wada provides end-to-end support for startups and community-led projects. Its holistic approach covers the full project lifecycle—planning, fundraising, implementation, and impact storytelling—ensuring ideas not only take shape but thrive.
With a leadership team spanning global coordination and local expertise, Wada bridges cutting-edge technology with on-the-ground needs, fostering sustainable growth and inclusive participation in the digital economy. By aligning grassroots creativity with Web3 and AI tools, Wada is building a strong foundation for scalable and trusted adoption across Africa.
Following the successful approval of the GovTool budget info action, the GovTool Consortium is now drafting the corresponding Treasury Withdrawal Action to secure continued development funding. In parallel, several important fixes have been deployed to production, most notably a resolution for the issue that incorrectly indicated certain ratified governance actions as non-existent, ensuring a more accurate and trustworthy user experience moving forward.
That’s it for this week’s update. Thank you for reading. To learn more about Intersect’s work, explore our Knowledge Base, which provides detailed information on governance structures, committees, and funding. Additionally, visit the Intersect website for the latest news, updates, and roadmap information.
Join the conversation on Discord, and follow us on Twitter (X) and LinkedIn to engage with fellow members, working groups, and the broader community.
Your voice helps shape the future of Cardano governance.
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