July 7, 2025 ISC Meeting

Agenda

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• Discuss Intersect future role in the budget process

• Continue discussion on Milestone review cycle for the 39 proposals

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Name	Attendance	Role	Voting Seat (Y/N)
Simo Simovic	No	Secretary	N
Jack Briggs	No	Interim Executive Director	Y
Nick Cook	No	Director - Operations (Interim)	Y
YUTA	Yes	Community Member Seat	Y
Phil Lewis	Yes	Community Member Seat	Y
Sheldon Hunt	Yes	Community Member Seat	Y
Fred Tanaka	Yes	Community Member Seat	Y
Pedro Lucas	Yes	OSC Chair	Y
Samuel Leathers	No	Product Chair	Y
Darlington Welsh	Yes	MCC Chair	Y
Kristijan Kowalsky	Yes	CBC Chair	Y
Kevin Hammond	Yes	TSC Chair	Y
Wes Parkison	No	GMC Chair	Y
Nicolas Cerny	Yes	Interim CCC Chair	Y
Christian Taylor	No	Head of OSO	N
Lorenzo Bruno	Yes	Head of Product	N
Matt Davis	Yes	Head of Tech Operation	N
Duncan Soutar	Yes	Secretary of TSC	N
Lloyd Duhon	Yes	Secretary of Budget Committee	N
Larisa Mcfarlane	No	Secretary of CCC	N
Terence McCutcheon	No	Secretary of OSC	N

Additional Attendees:

Kyle Solomon - Voting on behalf of Sam Leathers

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Action:

Committee Updates

• Open Source Committee: The developer advocate program is being restructured. A second round will be launched with updated messaging to attract higher-quality applicants and improve internal evaluation processes.

• Product Committee: Shared insights from a feedback session with “F.” and highlighted a recent productive meeting with an external group. Discussions with IO and Emurgo are planned to mirror this exchange.

• Budget Committee: Continued retrospective discussions and received updates on the upcoming treasury withdrawal. A new metadata review step will be implemented for added oversight. Issues with international bank transfers (especially for large Catalyst payments) were discussed—Intersect may need to coordinate with banking partners to prevent payment delays.

• Civics Committee: OKRs and initiatives have been finalized; a formal plan will be presented next week.

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Key Discussion Topics

Update about treasury actions

• The metadata for the 39 treasury withdrawal proposals is nearly complete. Minor adjustments are being made due to vendor changes. Aiming for submission within the week. Tim Richmond is coordinating communications and support to vendors post-submission, including a vendor pitch event and social media kits.

• Anticipation that many treasury withdrawal proposals may not pass, which could affect ecosystem morale.

• Intersect will remain neutral in voting outcomes but will offer logistical and communication support to vendors (e.g. symposiums, social sharing).

• Proposals can be resubmitted, and feedback loops are planned.

Intersect’s Role & Identity (Phil Lewis' prompt)

• A wide-ranging discussion on Intersect’s strategic scope:

  • Should Intersect continue acting as a broad facilitator of budget proposals for the ecosystem or narrow its focus?

  • Differing views on whether Intersect should continue playing this expansive role or specialize (e.g., in delivery assurance, technical oversight).

• Lloyd suggested member-first engagement in surveys before broader community outreach.

• Phil argued that being a budget administrator doesn’t necessarily require an MBO structure—Intersect needs to clarify its value proposition.

• Kevin emphasized Catalyst’s limitations in supporting core technical development; Intersect fills that gap.

• Kyle and Pedro agreed Intersect needs to scale back, focusing on strengths rather than trying to do everything.

• Darlington called for a broader strategic reflection on Intersect’s identity and purpose beyond the current agenda cycle.

• Sheldon highlighted growing internal fatigue and bureaucracy, advocating for urgency, focus, and improved communications.

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Next Steps / Action Items

• Treasury Withdrawals:

  • Final metadata checks and submission expected this week.

  • Internal and on-chain tests ongoing; proposal batch will be submitted as one transaction.

  • Communications plan to be executed post-submission (vendor symposium, social toolkits, etc.).

  • A sentiment analysis may be explored to understand proposal rejection reasoning.

• Intersect Strategic Direction:

  • ISC to synthesize feedback from today’s discussion.

  • A broader organizational workshop may be needed to reassess Intersect’s purpose, focus, and operating model ahead of the 2026 cycle.

• Budget Committee:

  • Continue retrospective and internal survey drafting.

  • Explore structuring input collection to prioritize members before the general community.

• Civics Committee:

  • Present finalized OKRs and plan at next ISC meeting.