Executive summary

This proposal seeks funding for Season 2 of the Lisk DAO, aimed at accelerating the growth of the Lisk ecosystem across four strategic Social and Economic Intents. Season 2 will commence immediately upon approval and conclude on December 17, 2025. The total funding request is 2,225,000 LSK, in addition to the 1,700,000 LSK remaining from Season 1. Of the 3,925,000 LSK total budget, 3,750,000 LSK will be directly allocated to support builders and dApps on the Lisk Mainnet.

Motivation

This proposal aligns with the Lisk DAO Seasons Strategy and builds upon the success of Season 1. It marks a continued step toward the gradual decentralization of Lisk, transitioning operational responsibility and reporting from the Lisk core team to the Lisk DAO, thereby fostering a more open and collaborative ecosystem.

Rationale

Approval of Season 2 will ensure a structured and predictable six-month operational framework for the DAO, aligned with Superchain priorities, and will actively contribute to the ecosystem’s expansion and maturity.

Specification

Following the Lisk DAO Seasons Strategy, we propose the following setup and procedures for Lisk DAO Season 2.

Theme

The second season of Lisk DAO will focus on further aligning and expanding the ecosystem of Lisk builders and contributors while providing key resources and support to builders aiming to grow the usage and TVL of Lisk by building on existing and new initiatives.

We propose adopting the following theme: Lisk Season 2: Collaborations that drive real-world development and sticking to comperable intents as used in Season 1.

Intents

IntentCategoryKey Measurables1) Make contributing to Lisk DAO engaging and rewarding.Social(A) Make Lisk ecosystem funding more transparent, (B) Increase governance participation and rigor, (C) Educate about the economics of L2s and the operations and benefits of a Community Treasury2) Accelerate Lisk programs and builders.Economic(A) Support key programs and builders, (B) Make it simple to discover and engage with Lisk programs and apps.3) Grow the TVL of LiskEconomic(A) Growth of non-LSK TVL during the season.4) Increase Lisk’s contribution to the Superchain.Economic(A) Total revenue contributed to the Optimism Collective. (B) The total volume to and from Lisk in the Superchain.

Season Structure

We propose for two councils to exist in the first season of LiskDAO:

1. LiskDAO Grants Council: Tasked with operating two programs, the Builder Grants and Ecosystem Incentives.
2. LiskDAO Steering Committee: Tasked with advising, evaluating, and reporting on the Program Results.

LiskDAO Season 1,800×335 14 KB

Budget

The total budget for LiskDAO Season 2 is 3,925,000 LSK. The budget will be managed through this 3 out of 5 Superchain Safe with the 3 Steering Committee members and 3 Grants Council members as signers. Below is a breakdown of the budget per item.

ItemBudgetFundWho selects projects? (Module I)Who evaluates impact? (Module H)When is impact evaluated?Development and Infra Grants1.25M LSKLisk DAO TreasuryLisk DAO Grants CouncilSteering CommitteeRegularly throughout SeasonIncubation and Acceleration Programs750K LSKLisk DAO TreasuryProgram TeamLisk DAOAt the end of the SeasonAmbassador Program250K LSKLisk DAO TreasuryProgram TeamLisk DAOAt the end of the SeasonEcosystem Incentives1.5M LSKLisk DAO TreasurySteering CommitteeLisk DAOAt the end of the SeasonLisk DAO Operations175K LSKLisk DAO TreasurySteering CommitteeLisk Team and Lisk DAOAt the end of the Season

Season 2 Initiatives

LiskDAO Season 2 will focus on four initiatives.

Lisk DAO Development and Infra Grants: milestone-based grants of up to 150,000 LSK for projects developing new solutions and features for Lisk. The review will be based on the specific category of a project: Small Development Grant (under 50,000 LSK), Large Development Grant (up to 150,000 LSK), and Infrastructure Grant (up to 150,000 LSK). A rubric and review process will be created for each project. Grants requesting over 50,000 LSK will be subject to additional scrutiny and will require 3 out of 3 approvals to proceed.

Incubation and Acceleration Programs: A budget earmarked for contributing to the operating costs of the incubator and acceleration programs supporting the Lisk Ecosystem in Season 2. This budget will be allocated in collaboration with the Lisk team to optimize spending and build on existing partnerships.

Ambassador Program: Building on the success of the Lisk Pioneers program, Lisk DAO will take an increased role in enabling and supporting Lisk Ambassadors, a task previously executed solely by the Lisk team.

Lisk DAO Ecosystem Incentives: Onchain KPI-driven LSK incentives for live applications on Lisk. This can include programs such as Lisk Surge that reward dApp and users’ TVL deposits, and programs such as the Lisk Builder Rewards that reward dApp developers for the onchain usage of their applications. To be designed and reviewed by the LiskDAO Steering Council.

Grants Council Members The Grants Council of Season 1 will consist of the following members.

RoleMemberPrev RolesLeadJashFiLead at Superchain EcoMemberIbrahimLisk Builder who graduated from CV LabsMemberFilipeBD Manager at Lisk

Steering Committee Members The Season 2 Steering Committee will consist of the following members.

MemberCurrent RoleLuukDAOStrategy at Superchain EcoJanResearch at LiskMonaGovernance at Lisk

Timeline Start Date: Upon proposal approval End Date: December 17, 2025 (aligned with Optimism Season 8) Mid-Season Report: Due September 30, 2025 Post-Season Report: Due December 22, 2025

Action plan

Upon approval:

• The Grants Council and Steering Committee will begin their workstreams.
• Within one week, an updated Lisk DAO Hub will be launched to enable proposal submissions.
• Regular updates and evaluation processes will be implemented throughout the season.

If the proposal is not approved, the remaining Season 1 funds after completion of approved payments will be returned to Lisk DAO.