Cardano Builder DAO
Cardano Builder DAO
ID: 69ebc7cdd73bae0eb2a9952d
The Cardano Builder DAO is an ecosystem-wide, purpose-built, smart contract-governed funding mechanism to support projects advancing Cardano’s Vision 2030 through measurable ecosystem KPIs. Its role is to allocate capital to builders who can drive growth in the metrics that matter most to Cardano’s long-term success, including monthly active users, monthly on-chain transactions, and TVL. ([One Pager](https://docsend.com/view/rk8fzhjmv49ijn6m)) This proposal is part of the Initiative DAO Framework: [One Pager](https://docsend.com/view/9jvuzx6ejpnutpmq) and [Explainer Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Y_tByBs7E), and how this helps [Cardano evolve past Catalyst](https://medium.com/@Clarity_/evolving-past-catalyst-why-cardano-needs-domain-specific-daos-fa9a84af4e63) The CB DAO was the first successful pilot of the Initiative DAO framework in 2025. In the 2026 budget cycle, dReps, builders, marketers, and developers across the Cardano ecosystem have come together to propose expanding the application of this framework to other parts of the ecosystem. This is a grassroots, community driven effort to expand a proven model of funding to essential parts of the ecosystem that have traditionally been candidates for Catalyst funding. The Initiative DAO Framework improves how ecosystem funding is allocated across the verticals that matter most for Cardano’s growth and operation. Rather than distributing treasury capital through fragmented proposal-by-proposal processes, the framework organizes capital into specialized DAOs with clear mandates, transparent reporting, aligned incentives, and built-in accountability. To preserve clarity of mandate and avoid overlapping treasury support, requesting members of the CB DAO are not permitted to receive funding from other DAOs at the same time. Here are our reflections on operating the [CB DAO](https://medium.com/@Clarity_/reflections-on-the-two-governance-cycles-of-claritys-biggest-dao-the-cardano-builder-dao-500d84d6fbec)
Scorecard
How this score works
Each criterion is worth between 1 and 4 points. The score is the points earned out of the points on criteria that have been answered — shown as a percentage. Green is 75% or higher, Amber is 50–74%, and Red is below 50%.
Some criteria are checked automatically against the proposal data (open source, doxxed team, treasury return clauses, etc.). Others are human-judgment calls — value for money, public good, whether the deliverables are realistic. Those stay blank until a DRep ticks them.
Criteria can also be marked Not applicablewhen they don't fit the proposal — for example, "open source" doesn't apply to a DAO governance proposal with no software output. Those are excluded from the score entirely, neither helping nor hurting.
Green requires 80% coverage. If less than 80% of the applicable criteria (by points) have been answered, the verdict stays at Amber — "pending review" — even when every answered criterion passes. This proposal's coverage is currently 68% (13 of 19 applicable criteria answered). The auto-calculated band would have been Green, but coverage is below the threshold so the verdict is shown as Amber to flag that judgment criteria are still pending.
Vote intent
Export & audit
↓ Download scorecard.mdRaw payload · Treasury (true) / Admin (intersect)
{
"_meta": {
"schema_version": "1.2.0",
"ingested_at": "2026-05-11",
"ingested_by": "ai",
"proposal_id": "69ebc7cdd73bae0eb2a9952d",
"title": "Cardano Builder DAO",
"proposer": "Cardano Builder DAO"
},
"id": "hydra-cardano-builder-dao",
"title": "Cardano Builder DAO",
"proposer": "Cardano Builder DAO",
"administrator": "Intersect",
"identity": {
"doxxed": true,
"doxxed_notes": "DAO with elected council, KYB/KYC-verified member companies. On-chain governance track record across two rounds."
},
"ask": {
"total_ada": 20600000,
"usd_equivalent": 5150000,
"usd_peg": 0.25,
"usd_peg_vs_market": "neutral",
"duration_months": 12,
"milestone_payments_disclosed": true,
"milestone_schedule_disclosed": "amounts_and_dates",
"work_packages": [
{
"id": "WP1",
"title": "DAO Deployment, Treasury Setup, and Member Onboarding",
"ada": 840000
},
{
"id": "WP2",
"title": "Governance Round 3 Temperature Checks and Proposal Signaling",
"ada": 9580000
},
{
"id": "WP3",
"title": "Governance Round 4 Temperature Checks and Participation Records",
"ada": 9580000
},
{
"id": "admin",
"title": "Intersect Budget Administration Fee",
"ada": 600000
}
]
},
"metadata": {
"open_source": "partial",
"has_prior_delivery": true,
"prior_delivery_notes": "CB DAO Round 1: 5.54M ADA distributed to 20 companies, 83% governance participation. Round 2: 14 companies funded, 88% participation. 354,790 ADA returned to treasury after Rounds 1-2. Public KPI dashboard live.",
"admin_model": "intersect",
"duplicate_of_existing_solution": {
"value": "partial",
"confidence": "medium",
"set_by": "ai"
}
},
"treasury_return": {
"has_return_clause": true,
"return_description": "Unused DAO treasury funds after completion of governance rounds returned to Cardano Treasury. Precedent: 354,790 ADA returned after Rounds 1-2.",
"treasury_favourability": "moderate"
},
"ecosystem_demand": {
"evidence_level": "strong",
"evidence_level_confidence": "high",
"evidence_level_set_by": "ai",
"active_users_known": true,
"active_users_examples": [
{
"name": "50+ established Cardano projects (voting members)",
"kind": "user"
},
{
"name": "BankFi (commenting member)",
"kind": "user"
},
{
"name": "TapTools (KPI dashboard partner)",
"kind": "integrator",
"url": "https://taptools.io"
}
],
"developer_demand_signals": [
"Two completed governance rounds with high participation rates (83%, 88%) demonstrate real member engagement",
"34 proposals funded across Rounds 1-2 covering active Cardano dApp builders",
"Official Cardano developer documentation references CB DAO as an established funding mechanism",
"KPI dashboard (cbdao.taptools.io) provides on-chain verifiable outcomes"
],
"adoption_risk_notes": "Demand is well-evidenced for the DAO model itself. The governance question (DRep comment) about the 840k ADA setup WP is worth flagging — prior DAO infrastructure already exists and the cost rationale for re-setup isn't fully explained in the proposal."
},
"incumbents": {
"has_existing_solution": "partial",
"has_existing_solution_confidence": "medium",
"has_existing_solution_set_by": "ai",
"existing_solutions": [
{
"name": "Project Catalyst",
"url": "https://projectcatalyst.io",
"status": "in_progress",
"overlap": "partial",
"notes": "Catalyst funds Cardano builders but through a different model (individual proposals, no member DAO governance). CB DAO is explicitly positioned as an evolution beyond Catalyst for the builder segment."
}
],
"differentiation_claim": "Smart contract-governed, member-DAO funding with KPI-driven builder accountability and on-chain governance. Explicitly designed to address Catalyst's weaknesses (fragmentation, no KPI enforcement). Two rounds of demonstrated delivery.",
"differentiation_credibility": "high"
},
"risk_flags": {
"aggressive_peg": false,
"self_administered_no_oversight": false,
"incumbent_already_delivering": false,
"no_evidence_of_demand": false,
"competes_with_in_batch": false,
"concentration_risk": false
},
"source": {
"hydra_id": "69ebc7cdd73bae0eb2a9952d",
"channels": [
"hydra"
]
}
}