The latest session of the Cardano budget process discussions commenced with an introduction and welcome to all participants. The session featured a presentation by Lorenzo Bruno from the Product Committee, with Lawrence Clark representing the Budget Committee. Professor Steven Lupian from the University of Wyoming, a board member of Intersect, was also present as an honorary guest. The session was structured to address the 2025 budget proposal and provide an opportunity for community engagement.
Lorenzo began by outlining the objectives of the Product Committee, which include facilitating an open and transparent process for defining 2025 goals for Cardano and working towards a long-term five-year vision. The committee is composed of seven voting seats and over 20 contributors, all collaborating to align strategic goals. The consultation process for these goals has been ongoing, incorporating feedback from committees, working groups, and the broader community through open calls, surveys, and discussion forums.
The proposed goals for 2025 were structured around four key topics: increasing usage, governance, maintaining core infrastructure, and developing a long-term vision. The primary focus is on attracting more developers and DApps to Cardano by making it easier to build on the platform and ensuring its competitiveness. Supporting goals include funding mechanisms for builders, raising Cardano’s recognition through marketing, and expanding community participation in governance. The session also highlighted the importance of sustaining and diversifying Cardano’s development contributors, refining governance tooling, and creating a structured process for defining the ecosystem’s future direction.
The meeting transitioned into a Q&A session, where community members raised various questions. Topics included how the budget process integrates with committee proposals, the handling of overlapping budget requests (such as hackathons proposed by multiple committees), and financial sustainability. Intersect representatives clarified that committees are collaborating to streamline events and budget allocations to avoid redundancy while ensuring effective resource distribution.
There was also a discussion on treasury management, ADA price fluctuations, and how funds would be allocated throughout the year. The budget will be managed centrally, with committee requests being approved through a structured process, and disbursements occurring based on milestones and performance reviews. Efforts are also underway to develop on-chain dashboards and auditing tools to provide transparency in fund allocation and expenditure tracking.
Other discussions revolved around Cardano’s evolving strategic direction, particularly in response to recent developments such as Bitcoin OS and Cardano 2.0. The Product Committee aims to integrate these new elements into the broader vision while ensuring they align with Cardano’s strategic goals. The committee will continue refining its goals as new data and feedback emerge throughout 2025.
Towards the end of the session, participants were encouraged to continue engaging with the Product Committee through open calls and other community feedback channels. The next session was announced, featuring the Technical Steering Committee, providing another opportunity for in-depth discussions on development priorities and technical advancements. Additional resources, including links to the budget committee’s knowledge base and the registration page for upcoming sessions, were shared.
The meeting concluded with a call for further participation, encouraging DS representatives and community members to join future discussions and contribute to shaping the budget process for Cardano in 2025 and beyond.
