Unlock DAO Weekly Newsletter | March 18, 2025

Our recent DAO call was packed with exciting updates, strategic initiatives, and community-driven projects that are shaping the future of Unlock Protocol. Let's dive into the key highlights that are propelling our ecosystem forward.

Julien shared important protocol updates, focusing on a critical security enhancement to our swap and burn flow. The team identified a potential vulnerability where "sandwich attacks" could occur during the token swap process. While these attacks wouldn't steal funds, they could make transactions less optimal from a numerical perspective. To address this, Clément is implementing a protocol change that establishes a minimum token threshold for submissions, effectively preventing such attacks and creating a more secure environment for all users.

We're thrilled to announce two significant applications that could expand Unlock Protocol's reach and impact: Thanks to Diya from the C3 ecosystem, we've applied to Hadron, a founder's club within the Polygon ecosystem. This connection could significantly enhance our chances of securing Polygon grants, opening new avenues for growth on a network that's already well-utilized by our protocol. Kara Howard and Trigs have been working on our connection and potential application to the Open Campus Accelerator. This exciting opportunity could provide funding and introduce Unlock Protocol as the go-to certification NFT solution for their education platform. The accelerator's model includes grant milestones, creating a sustainable user stream while expanding our use cases in the education sector.

Following our successful presence at ETH Denver, we're now focused on leveraging the connections and opportunities that emerged. We're organizing follow-up calls with potential partners and integrating new contacts into our CRM system.

Moondog from Decent DAO presented their platform, which offers a user interface that implements various contracts in a way that feels like a Web2 HR platform but resolves in on-chain governance. This tool could potentially enhance the experience for our council members, stewards, and community. If you're interested in learning more, check out the tooling channel in Discord where Moondog has shared additional resources.

We're working on updating our grant flow documentation to reflect our current processes better and more accurately. This initiative aims to provide more explicit guidelines for both applicants and evaluators, ensuring a more streamlined and transparent grant distribution system.

The Ambassador program is finally being picked up by Trigs. This program is crucial for expanding our community reach and providing structured ways for passionate members to contribute to Unlock Protocol's growth. Will T, Web3 Educator & Author, explained the concept of "kudos" - a system for recognizing and appreciating community contributors. This initiative aims to create a more visible and real-time way to acknowledge valuable contributions, potentially helping with the monthly retroactive funding nominations. As wonderwomancode suggested, we might use the kudos channel in Discord plus Orbit Love to understand and track contributions made more clearly and streamline the processes.

Several key financial initiatives are underway: Danny and Biz are reviewing the status of ApeBonds, with ongoing discussions about implementation strategies and potential adjustments to the last proposal necessary ($UP token transfer to the contract). Clément is working on transferring liquidity from Arbitrum to Base, which involves multiple steps: swapping ARB for ETH on Arbitrum, bringing the ETH back to mainnet, and then transferring to Base. This strategic move will optimize our token economics and improve overall liquidity management. We're also exploring new grant opportunities, including applications to Polygon, GG23, and other funding sources. These initiatives could provide valuable resources for continued development and community growth.

Ceci Sakura presented her marketing strategy proposal, which outlines a comprehensive approach to increasing awareness and adoption of Unlock Protocol. The team is focusing on identifying key user segments, including lock creators and key minters, and tracking recurring memberships to better understand our protocol's usage patterns. The Ninja Promo partnership is progressing, with discussions around payment methods and contract details. This collaboration will provide valuable marketing expertise and resources to amplify our message. Soho's Buyer Persona proposal is moving forward, with a meeting scheduled to discuss the plan and engagement strategy. This initiative will help us better understand our target audiences and tailor our messaging accordingly. For March, we're placing special emphasis on social media content creation to increase our visibility and engagement. This focus will help us build momentum and reach new potential users and developers.

Don't forget to vote for avatar name suggestions! This fun initiative allows community members to contribute to the identity of our DAO Avatar, fostering a sense of collective creativity. We also encourage everyone to review and comment on Leah Sams' role designs, which will visually represent our organizational structure through NFTs. Your feedback is valuable in shaping these important visual elements of our community.

As we continue to build and grow, your participation and feedback remain essential to our success. Whether you're voting on proposals, contributing to projects, or simply sharing your thoughts on our initiatives, every action helps strengthen our community and advance our mission of unlocking the potential of decentralized access control.

Your Lead Steward

Stella

Important links

• Check out Unlock Protocol for yourself: https://unlock-protocol.com/

• Join us for our recurring and unique events: https://app.unlock-protocol.com/events/unlock-dao-events-2025

• Vote for Unlock DAO Proposals offchain: https://snapshot.box/#/s:unlock-dao.eth

• Vote for Unlock DAO Proposals onchain: https://www.tally.xyz/gov/unlock-protocol

• Join the Unlock DAO Collaborative space on Charmverse: https://app.charmverse.io/join?domain=unlock-dao