😲Developer Advocate Program

As the Cardano ecosystem continues to expand and evolve, there is a growing need for dedicated support and advocacy to nurture developer talent, foster collaboration, and drive innovation. Intersect, a member-based organization within the Cardano ecosystem, recognizes the importance of engaging developers and empowering them to contribute effectively to the ecosystem's growth.

To address this need, Intersect has launched a Developer Advocate Program as an extension of its open-source office (OSO). This program aims to incentivize and support developers who actively participate in various initiatives, working groups, and community-building activities within the Cardano ecosystem. By compensating developers for their contributions and providing them with resources and opportunities, Intersect seeks to create a vibrant and thriving developer community within Cardano.

Developer Advocate candidates were given 30 days to apply in June-July 2024. Interviews were completed shortly thereafter and 4 Developer Advocates have been selected. They are:

• Alex Seregin -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-seregin/

• Udai Solanki -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/solanki/

• Suganya Raju -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/suganya-raju/

• Bernard Sibanda -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-sibanda-954563243/

Bios:

Alex:

Alex Seregin is a seasoned Developer Advocate with over 15 years of experience in Operations Management; with a passion for empowering developers to build innovative solutions that drive positive impact. His expertise is focused on Software Verification and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

As a Developer Advocate, Alex works closely with Cardano Developers to ideate solutions and share knowledge on building scalable, secure, and sustainable applications.

He has written articles on diverse topics including Developer Experience, decentralization and technology.

Udai:

Udai Solanki as the Chief Technology Officer at eRevMax.com, bringing over 20+ years of experience as a technology leader in the hospitality industry. He began his career as a software developer with a CRM software company based in California, USA. Udai then went on to build the eRevMax Hospitality Software Suite from the ground up, playing a key role in developing multiple software tools for the hospitality sector. He has collaborated closely with major companies such as Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Oracle, and Google, among others.

A passionate technology enthusiast, Udai has a keen interest in deep tech areas like AI and Blockchain. Since 2021, he has been actively learning and developing on the Cardano Blockchain, contributing to various open-source projects and initiatives within the Cardano ecosystem.

Outside of his tech pursuits, Udai enjoys listening to music and engaging in various outdoor sports. He is also an avid runner, having completed several half-marathons.

Suganya:

Suganya Raju started her career as a Software Engineer, where she gained substantial experience working on SQL projects. After taking a purposeful pause to focus on building a wonderful family, she makes a strong comeback in the tech world with a focus on Cardano.

Driven by a passion for blockchain technology, Suganya has pursued formal training in Cardano, Haskell, and PlutusTx through Emurgo. Finishing up projects for the Cardano Full Stack course with Emurgo and actively applying knowledge gleaned through internships.

Her proposal on "Structured Cabal Errors" was selected for the Summer of Haskell program last year, and she successfully completed the project. Suganya currently works as a Smart Contract Developer Intern, where she expands her expertise and contributes to innovative projects.

The initial challenges Suganya faced with Cardano sparked her enthusiasm and motivated her to become a Developer Advocate, bridging the gap between Cardano's remarkable potential and the dedication required to excel as a Cardano developer. Suganya stands committed to advocating for Cardano and advancing its ecosystem, aiming to drive meaningful progress in the field.

Bernard:

Bernard Sibanda is a passionate Cardano Smart Contract developer, open-source advocate, visionary technology leader and educator with over two decades of experience in software development, blockchain technology and community building. Based in Johannesburg South Africa, Bernard has founded and co-founded several groundbreaking IT consulting companies, including Tobb Technologies Pty Ltd, Women In Move Solutions Pty Ltd, Coxygen Global Pty Ltd, ABL Tech Pty Ltd in Australia, and Satoshi Africa Pty Ltd.

As a seasoned Chief Technology Officer and Fullstack Developer, Bernard has made significant contributions to the blockchain space, particularly within the Cardano and Ethereum ecosystems. He has spearheaded the development of several open-source projects such as the frontend JavaScript testing library (Jimba.js), Helios Coxylib.js, Recycle Dapp and Cardano Property Solutions. This has shown his expertise in Cardano Smart Contract support.

He is one of the first Plutus Pioneer Program students, a certified Haskell/Plutus (EBU) professional, Microsoft Certified Professional, CompTIA Certified IT Technician and holds a BSc Computing [UNISA], a B Tech in Education Management [Technikon Pretoria], a 3 year Diploma in Philosophy and a 3 year Diploma in Education.

As an educator and mentor with over 15 years of experience teaching programming languages such as Delphi, C#, Java, C++, and Haskell, Bernard has trained numerous developers and tech professionals. His contributions to the Cardano community also extend to his role as a Catalyst Proposal Assessor/Community Reviewer and is a Funded Catalyst Proposal Submitter for Cardano’s Fund 11 (Coxygen).