Uniswap Foundation
The Uniswap Foundation is a Delaware non-profit organization founded in 2022 whose mission is to support the growth, decentralization, and sustainability of DeFi. Its funding was provided by the Uniswap community, through the approval of a community governance proposal. [1][2]
Overview
Uniswap Foundation supports the DeFi community through three pillars of work:
- Growth. The Foundation provides financial resources and other support to developers and community members working on tools and initiatives to increase usage of DeFi.
- Innovation. It funds researchers on the edge of crypto to seek ways to make DeFi more accessible.
- Stewardship. It provides resources and support initiatives that drive long-term DeFi sustainability. [1]
The foundation has strategically designed its grants program to create a sustainable ecosystem made up of developers, researchers, and governance contributors. [3]
"We strive to create shared ownership for our entire community and work with them to define the future of DeFi’s most important protocol." [1]
Uniswap Foundation organizes events such as hackathons to support unichain builders, hook incubator to guide devs through launching a hook, and the Hook Dojo Channel hosted on Telegram. [1][4]
Uniswap Foundation is open to Delegates who want to engage with the governance of the community, Grantees to support individuals and teams, and Builders interested in innovating on the decentralized exchange (DEX), Uniswap. [1]
History
The Uniswap Foundation's investment in public goods funding for the Uniswap protocol originated from the Uniswap Grants Program, a community-led initiative that allocated $6.8M to fund 122 grants over 1.5 years. [5]
In August 2022, the Uniswap Foundation was established and has since raised $59M, with 62% designated for grant funding and incentive programs. To date, the foundation has committed $15M in grants to academics, developers, and entrepreneurs building tools and resources that facilitate participation within the Uniswap ecosystem. [5]
Team
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Devin Walsh - Co-founder, Executive Director
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Kevin Ng - Co-founder, Head of Applied Research
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Raphaela Sapire - COO
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Erin Koen - Head of Governance
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Aaron Lamphere - Grants Lead
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Bita Abolfathi - Growth Manager
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Sauce - Developer Relations
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Brian Nistler - General Counsel
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Natalia Radyushkin - Head of Finance[5]