In this episode of I Pledge Allegiance, host Derek Hsue chats about B2DAO with John Morrow (COO of Gauntlet) and Larry Sukernik, co-founder of Reverie. B2DAO is a new concept that's emerged in the past few months, and John's company Gauntlet has been at the forefront of these new types of business relationships. We explore how the B2DAO model is different from existing systems, why it benefits projects that hire vendors, and how these processes can be improved.  Show notes and links included below. ---- MakerDAO Report - Gauntlet Compound Audits Proposal - Larry Sukernik ---- Follow us on Twitter: @jmo_mx | @lsukernik | @derek_hsue ---- Show Notes: (0:57) - The difference between B2DAO and B2B  (2:25) - On B2DAO's tradeoffs compared to traditional processes (4:29) - Why forum feedback is valuable for service providers (7:21) - Why DAOs should go through the B2DAO exercise (8:55) - Most companies don't know how to build products for DAOs (11:04) - Gauntlet's journey into providing B2DAO services (12:58) - John's advice for vendors thinking about exploring B2DAO (15:33) - On the important skill-sets needed for B2DAO providers (17:37) - The importance of credibility when working for DAOs (23:50) - Advice for DAOs on how to run an effective B2DAO process (26:37) - On the most essential areas to outsource via B2DAO (31:19) - Buy and Build for DAOs (33:08) - Lessons from Compound's recent search for an auditor (36:53) - On how the B2DAO process can improve going forward (44:06) - B2DAO vs. DAO2DAO (45:10) - What is DAO2B?

In this special episode of I Pledge Allegiance, hosts Derek Hsue and Jason Choi chats about the proposed Fei <> Rari merger with Joey Santoro and Jai Bhavnani. We explore the proposed structure for the merger, the mechanics, and how the proposed combined protocol will operate.  Show notes and links included below. ---- Fei <> Rari: Token Merge (Tribe Forums) Fei <> Rari: Token Merge (Rari Forums) ---- Follow us on Twitter: @derek_hsue | @mrjasonchoi | @joey__santoro | @jai_bhavnani ---- Show Notes: (0:57) - Background on the FEI <> Rari merger (3:00) - How the idea for the merger emerged (5:50) - On the community feedback thus far (10:33) - The governance process for the merger (12:47) - Merger pricing and mechanics (21:55) - On the similar philosophies behind Fei and Rari (24:41) - Optionality to exit for tokenholders (26:39) - Product roadmap post-merger (33:28) - Advice for other teams considering a merge (37:45) - Other lessons from this merger process

In this episode of I Pledge Allegiance, host Derek Hsue chats about DeFi Treasuries with Hasu, MonetSupply, and Larry Sukernik. Treasuries are a hot topic in crypto right now; they represent huge, largely unused pools of capital that can be productively deployed. We explore helpful mental models for treasuries, what projects should and shouldn't be spending money on, and how projects should be positioning their treasuries going forward.  Show notes and links included below. ---- A New Mental Model for DeFi Treasuries - Hasu, MonetSupply ---- Follow us on Twitter: @derek_hsue | @hasufl | @MonetSupply | @lsukernik ---- Show Notes: (0:1:00) - Hasu's motivation for writing this piece (0:1:55) - On the difference between on-chain treasuries and traditional companies (0:5:57) - Hasu on why projects should be more aggressively diversifying into stablecoins (0:9:18) - MonetSupply on why lending protocol treasuries are unique (0:15:00) - How projects should actually diversify (0:20:39) - Once diversified, how should projects be deploying their assets?  (0:24:50) - Why VC-backed projects have a harder time deploying assets (0:28:57) - Highest marginal rate of return, applied to treasury spending (0:34:58) - On why Grants programs are a crucial starting point for all treasuries (0:41:10) - Capital as a weapon to acquire talent (0:45:43) - How compliance and regulations impacts project spending (0:50:00) - Hasu's practical playbook for projects on how to manage their treasury (0:56:44) - Why Yearn is a great case study for well-run treasury management (0:59:49) - Why "diversifying" into other coins is ineffective (1:04:30) - Hasu on why liquidity mining is very dumb (1:08:21) - Why hierarchical DAOs will win over flat ones (1:14:04) - How MakerDAO Core Units are structured (1:16:37) - The most important Sub-DAOs to setup and scale (1:20:52) - When Treasury Swaps do and don't make sense (1:24:49) - Exploring various treasury primitives (UMA Range Tokens and Ribbon Treasury)

In this episode of I Pledge Allegiance, host Derek Hsue chats with Michael Shaulov from Fireblocks and Roshun Patel from Genesis. Michael is the CEO and Founder of Fireblocks, and Ro is VP of Lending at Genesis. The focus of this episode is Fireblock's recent Aave Arc proposal, which paves the way for institutional, KYC'd pools for DeFi. Additionally, we talk the downstream effects of institutional pools on DeFi, and how players like Fireblocks and Genesis might get involved in the future. Show notes and links included below. ---- Aave Arc Proposal: https://governance.aave.com/t/add-fireblocks-as-a-whitelister-on-aave-arc/5753 ---- Follow us on Twitter: @derek_hsue | @FireblocksHQ | @roshunpatel ---- Show Notes: (0:48) - What is Fireblocks' and how do they support DeFi today? (4:31) - What is Genesis? (7:09) - What is Aave Arc, and what are institutional pools for DeFi? (12:23) - How will rates differ between existing and institutional pools? (14:32) - How does Michael respond to people who don't think KYC or regulation should be part of DeFi? (18:56) - What was Fireblocks' experience going through the governance process, compared to traditional B2B? (23:20) - Ro's view on the second order effects of institutional pools on the broader DeFi market. (26:50) - How does Rho think regulated institutions will participate in on-chain governance? (28:30) - What will tokenholders care about when voting on institutional governance participants? (32:44) - How will Aave Arc and institutional pools affect the average DeFi user today?

In the inaugural episode of I Pledge Allegiance, a podcast about crypto governance, host Derek Hsue chats with Nick Cannon from Gauntlet and Getty Hill from GFX Labs. Nick leads Growth at Gauntlet, and Getty is a long-time Compound contributor and active governance participant. The focus of this episode is Gauntlet's recent "Dynamic Risk Monitoring" proposal for Compound and how they see their role managing and monitoring risk for major DeFi protocols. Additionally, we compare existing approaches to risk management, as well as lessons on creating products and services for DAOs.  Show notes and links included below. ---- Dynamic Risk Monitoring Proposal: https://www.comp.xyz/t/dynamic-risk-parameters/2223/1 ---- Follow us on Twitter: @derek_hsue | @inkymaze | @getty_hill ---- Show Notes: (3:00) - Why is risk monitoring important for DeFi and Compound? What does it entail? (5:45) - What is Gauntlet's "Dynamic Risk Monitoring" proposal? (7:19) - How Gauntlet thinks about its role determining risk levels and preferences.  (10:28) - Getty’s thoughts on the Dynamic Risk Monitoring Proposal, and where he thinks it could improve (19:23)  - On the possibility of Gauntlet as an early warning system for risk monitoring (25:09) - Getty on the difference between risk management Compound, Aave, and Cream (27:12) - How does Gauntlet think about its position working for both Compound and Aave (34:04) - Defining “Value at Risk” For Compound (37:10) - How Gauntlet designed the service fee (46:26) - How does B2DAO sales differ from the traditional B2B sales process? (50:00) - What other things should protocol treasuries spend money on? (55:00) - On the big hurdles and problems in governance-based contribution today.