Meeting Minutes 04/21/2026

Attendees:

Name	Attendance	Role	Voting Seat (Y/N)	Election Cycle
Tim Harrison	Yes	Chair	Y	April 2026
Laura Mattiucci	No	Vice Chair	Y	April 2026
Lara Bonasorte	Yes	Secretary	N	N/A
Andy Hung	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Anuj Chaudhary	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Hasitha Raymond	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Maggie Schmidt	No	Member	Y	October 206
Otavio Lima	Yes	Member	Y	October 2026
Reshan Fernando	Yes	Member	Y	October 2026
Wes Parkinson	Yes	Member	Y	October 2026
Yoram Ben Zvi	Yes	Member	Y	October 2026

Other Guests:

• Benjamin Ben Zvi

• Seun Gbiri

• John Gnobudy

• Pedro Lucas

• Nadia Mannell

• Terence McCutcheon

• Seomon Register

• Jashar Seyfi

• Chris STR8

• Alexa Damie (Thyme Studio)

• Patrick Tobler

• Wilco Van de Burgwal

Recording: Growth & Marketing Committee - 2025/04/21 - Recording

Transcript: Growth & Marketing Committee - 2025/04/21 - Transcript

Intros/COI

Andy: Pacific Meta Anuj: Yoroi Wallet & EMURGO India Lead Hasitha: Elected Member(GMC), Intersect / Cardano Ecosystem Contributor since 2020 Laura: Director Marketing and Comms at CF Maggie: TBD Otavio: TBD Reshan: TBD Tim: EVP Community & Ecosystem, Input | Output Tex: Open Source Program Manager(Intersect), OSC Secretary, Committee Liaison Wes: Rare Network Yoram: TBD

Agenda 04.21.25

• Amplify Cardano Proposal (presentation and advisory request by Wes Parkinson & Scrib3)

• Update on Committee Elections standpoint (by Lara)

• Committee Elections X space reminder (by Lara)

Decisions/Actions

Decisions

• No official decisions were made: All discussions regarding the "Amplify Cardano" and "Service Plan" proposals were for advisory and feedback purposes only.

Actions

• Lara: Distribute the recording of the meeting to absent GMC members via Discord and email.

• Election Candidates: Individual applicants for the GMC are encouraged to campaign for themselves using the Intersect virtual hub and participate in the scheduled X Spaces.

• JB & Wes: Revise the "Amplify Cardano" proposal to more clearly define the specific size/type of projects targeted and address concerns regarding "ecosystem cannibalization."

• Lara: Formally add the "Service Plan" proposal and the debate regarding the lead generation funnel to the agenda for the next weekly meeting (April 28).

• Yoram: Prepare the decentralized Business Development (BD) network pilot proposal for its planned launch/review next week.

• John & Yoram: Encouraged to continue their direct dialogue regarding the Cardano Foundation's role in lead management outside of the formal meeting time.

Topic	Discussion	Notes
Meeting Opening & Quorum	Lara opened the meeting, noting technical difficulties with presenter permissions. She clarified that with only two voting members present, the committee did not reach quorum.	Presentation and agenda to proceed for recording; no formal voting/decisions allowed.
GMC Election Update	Lara reported 17 applicants for the GMC April 2026 election cycle. She emphasized the high level of community interest and the need for candidates to campaign.	Intersect to host X Spaces for candidates on April 21 and April 28 at 15:30 UTC.
Amplify Cardano Proposal Intro	JB and Wes presented a joint proposal called "Amplify Cardano." The goal is to consolidate efforts into a single program to incubate and market Cardano projects.	Replaces more cumbersome grant models with an agile, flexible fund.
Problem Statement: Incubation	JB argued that Cardano trails peers like Solana in incubating "hero" projects that impact the broader crypto industry. Wes noted the need to defeat the "ghost chain" narrative.	Goal is to help projects break out of the "Cardano echo chamber."
Proposal Part 1: Top Tier Support	The plan includes $1M for full-stack marketing support for 3–5 major ecosystem projects over one year, utilizing discounted agency rates from Scribe.	Aims to provide projects with professional CMO-level strategy they may lack internally.
Proposal Part 2: Grassroots & Events	Wes detailed a $1M fund for 70+ events and 50+ marketing campaigns over 18 months, targeting regional diversity and university blockchain clubs.	Focuses on Intersect enterprise members and known community organizers.
Founder Autonomy & Marketing	Patrick raised concerns that earmarking funds specifically for marketing might imply founders don't know how to run their projects.	Wes clarified the fund is a specialty resource for those specifically seeking growth support.
Selection Criteria & KPIs	JB outlined a two-part selection process: 50% quantitative (aligned with Cardano 2030 goals) and 50% community voting.	Top 15 applicants will be narrowed down to the final 3–5 via this 50/50 weighting.
Strategic Alignment (2030)	Yoram questioned if the budget is too spread out and suggested focusing on fewer KPIs to ensure alignment with the Cardano 2030 strategic framework.	Wes argued for a holistic approach to address the current "down bad" funding environment.
External Growth vs. Cannibalization	John warned that marketing often "poaches" users from other Cardano projects rather than bringing in new capital. JB agreed the goal must be industry-wide impact.	Selection criteria to favor projects looking outside the ecosystem for new customers.
Service Plan Proposal Review	Yoram introduced the "Service Plan" proposal regarding enterprise adoption. Tim noted that while the GMC advises, Intersect executives handle final milestone payments.	GMC role is to validate verticals and ensure community priority alignment.
Critique of Branding Exercises	John criticized branding-heavy proposals (like Swiss billboards/WEF Davos ads), calling them "absurd" for reaching institutional decision-makers.	Debate over whether such spend serves the community or just the Cardano Foundation (CF).
Lead Generation & BD Funnel	Discussion focused on where leads go once generated. John expressed frustration over the lack of a clear Business Development (BD) funnel beyond the Foundation.	Yoram is working on a decentralized BD network model to be piloted via GMC.
Meeting Wrap-up & Next Steps	Lara concluded the meeting as it ran 15 minutes over time. She invited John and Yoram to continue the Service Plan debate in the next session.	"Service Plan" and BD funnel to be added as official agenda items for the next meeting.