Improvement proposals are made to enhance an existing process, address a challenge, or create a new product or service. Their only goal is improvement. At Horizen we call them ZenIPs or EONIPs, depending on the blockchain to which they pertain. Since September 2023, they are voted on by the community
From improvement proposals to DAOs
Improvement proposals can be submitted by anyone in the community: team members, users, or community participants.
Improvement proposals have been part of Horizen’s governance since the project’s inception, but with the launch of Horizen DAO in 2023, public voting on ZenIPs afforded greater community participation in the process.
This ZenIP process embodies to the spirit of decentralized governance – anyone in the community can submit a proposal, and proposals require sufficient support from the community to be adopted.
However, it is incumbent upon community members to ensure that they have understand the improvement proposal process to wield this power responsibly. This article aims to help everyone understand that process.
Take part in Horizen
You have many ways to be included in the Horizen ecosystem. By deploying on EON, deploying on Zendoo, marking PRs on Github, hosting a Super Node, hosting or delegating a Forger Node, etc.
You can also submit proposals, and vote on proposals already submitted. First, let’s see what you need to do to make a proposal.
Technical proposals cover changes involving core technology or the governance of the Horizen DAO, and as such have higher thresholds for submitting proposals and achieving a vote quorum. Non-technical proposals cover everything else, such as grants or making agreements with third-party service providers.
The Horizen Foundation and its partners, such as Horizen Labs, can help build and scope the proposals but don’t need to develop the ideas themselves. If you are proposing a technical ZenIP, make sure you can develop the idea or have it developed after scoping the work. Since ZenIP 42401 passed in March 2024, the threshold and quorum are determined as the following:
Type
Threshold (to post)
Quorum (vote to pass)
Examples
Technical
100,000 ZEN (previously 200,000)
5% (previously 10%)
Removal of privacy, mainchain and sidechains improvements
Non-technical
25,000 ZEN (previously 100,000)
3% (previously 5%)
Website branding, next meetups location, grant program
What are the different phases from the idea to its implementation?
Phase 1: Proposal Idea and Research
Broadly speaking, the idea stage is intended to introduce an idea for a potential improvement proposal and gauge community sentiment. The idea stage is made of the first three phases of the ZenIP process.
In the first phase, a community member who has an idea for an improvement proposal should research it and verify whether the concept or similar proposals have previously been explored or suggested.
This phase places the onus entirely on the proposer(s). It is strongly advised to support the proposal with relevant sources whenever possible thoroughly.
Phase 2: Idea Modification
Once a proposer has confirmed that the idea has not been proposed and has completed sufficient research, they publish an idea on Discourse. We recommend using the ZenIP/EONIP template for this phase.
Phase 3: Community Feedback
Once an idea is posted on Discourse, the community provides feedback. This phase lasts a minimum of 7 days to ensure sufficient input from other community members. It is important to note that a ZenIP idea is just that – an idea – until put forth as a formal ZenIP.
Phase 4: Proposal Draft Creation
Following the template, the idea must be posted on Github or under the “governance” section on Discourse. In this phase the use of the template is mandatory. The proposal is on the DRAFT status.
Phase 5: Draft Review and Moderator Feedback
The person or people making the proposal have 30 days to answer any moderator’s questions, if any. This delay can be shortened by the moderators.
Phase 6: Administrative Review
The Special Council reviews the proposal, with a maximum of 3 revisions. The DAO Special Council can ask for more clarifications or additional information.
Phase 7: Voting
The vote takes place on Snapshot, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) voting platform. You’ll need to follow up on the threshold requirements to post the proposal. The status is moved to PROPOSED.
Phase 8: Cooldown Period
A final 30 days phase commences. The proposal undergoes another review to confirm compliance with the Foundation’s Governing Documents and relevant laws.
Phase 9: Implementation
The idea becomes real. If the technical ZenIP/EONIP includes codes implemented on Github, the PR is merged. If the proposal is budget-related, the necessary funds are transferred. Status is either IMPLEMENTED or FINAL if the idea is also activated on the network.
Foundation moderators or DAO members must remain informed and involved throughout.
It’s possible to delegate voting power on Snapshot, when you publish the ZenIP IDEA or DRAFT, you can create a second topic to ask for delegated funds to post the proposal.
ZenIP naming convention
The revised ZenIP numbering conventions will use a format starting with “424” followed by two unique, sequential digits. Once the number 42499 is reached, the numbering will continue starting from 42500 onwards. This system ensures a cohesive and orderly sequence for all ZenIPs, maintaining a straightforward approach to their identification and categorization.
For the previous ZenIPs, editors used the following conventions when numbering ZenIPs:
All ZenIP numbers are prefixed with a 42 and followed by three digits. E.g. his very first ZenIP has the number 42000.
If a ZenIP directly corresponds to a BIP (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal) or ZIP (Zcash Improvement Proposal), the same number is used, but without the prefix “42”.
Process and Informational ZenIPs will be assigned a number in the range 42000 to 42199.
Consensus ZenIPs will be assigned a number in the range 42200 to 42399.
Standard Track ZenIPs will be assigned a number in the range 42400 to 42599.
ZenIPs that should or will be deployed together will be numbered consecutively (wherever possible), and in a coherent reading order.
These conventions are subject to change by a majority decision of the Editors.
Express yourself through the vote
Your vote will be weighted regarding the tokens you hold on the Horizen mainchain (the historic one) and/or the Horizen EON chain (the EVM chain).
The vote happens on Snapshot and is done through MetaMask and therefore via the Horizen EON network.
Before going through the tutorial, we assume that the Horizen EON network is well configured on your MetaMask wallet. If not, please follow this guide.
If you already linked your address for a previous vote, then it’s very simple.
We still advise you to verify if your mainchain address is well-linked on the Horizen Governance app.
The Horizen DAO increases community involvement in decision-making for improvements to the protocol and ecosystem.
The Horizen community is excited to announce the Horizen DAO is now open for all $ZEN holders to participate in governance and take an active role in the direction of the project!
Horizen is an open-source, public protocol with a broad and diverse ecosystem that includes developers, miners, node operators, and $ZEN holders across multiple blockchain networks. A strong social layer is crucial for maintaining integrity across the ecosystem. This approach is informed by the guiding values of:
Voting for the Horizen DAO is done on Horizen EON, an EVM-compatible sidechain on Horizen. The Horizen DAO uses Snapshot and Discourse for governance.
Voting power is determined by the amount of $ZEN you hold on the Horizen mainchain and on the Horizen EON chain including the $ZEN you have staked with the Horizen EON validators. Therefore, the more $ZEN you hold, the more voting power you have.
The voting period for any given proposal will have a specified start and end date and will last 72 hours. For more information about the process of voting, please start here.
Introducing the Horizen DAO Special Council
What is the Horizen DAO Special Council?
The Special Council serves as a steward for the Horizen DAO and provides oversight of the Horizen Foundation with security of the Horizen DAO and ecosystem as its paramount focus.
What exactly does the Special Council do?
Special Council members serve as a DAO committee and function as a liaison between the Horizen community and the Horizen Foundation. In practical terms, this means providing review and oversight during the improvement proposal process, calling emergency operational meetings as needed to discuss and address security threats to the Horizen DAO, any protocol utilizing the Token, the Tokenholders, or the Foundation, and serving as signers on the Horizen community multi-signature wallet.
Who are the Special Council members?
Initially, the Special Council will be made up of 7 individuals initially appointed by the Foundation Director(s):
Benjamin Charbit
Co-founder and CEO at Life Beyond Studios (Animoca Brands)
Ben is the CEO of Life Beyond Studios and Executive Producer of Life Beyond. After a career in banking and private equity, Ben left the dark side for Ubisoft where he worked as producer and designer. There he held several executive positions, such as Game Director on Assassin’s Creed Blackflag and was in charge of the strategic planning of the online games division at Ubisoft headquarters.
Ben discovered Neil Stephenson’s work in 2014, first with Reamde, and it strengthened his obsession to build one day a new kind of MMO where people would have fun playing but where they could also live a life, for real.
A father of two young kids, he cares about building games that can have a positive impact on the world with low violence, inclusivity and lots of meaningful social interactions.
Brian Rose
Founder & Host of London Real and Creator of the Crypto & DeFi Academy
After graduating from MIT and the Sloan School of Management, Brian spent 15 years trading derivatives in the financial markets on Wall Street, Chicago and the City of London.
For the past 12 years he has been the Founder & Host of London Real, a global media company with 5 million subscribers and over one billion views. Here he has broadcast over 1000 long-form conversations with the most influential people on the planet.
He launched the Crypto & DeFi Academy with the goal to educate the next 1 Billion people in the Web3, metaverse, and artificial intelligence ecosystems.
He founded London Real Ventures in 2021 as the world’s first media-powered investment firm which is very active in early stage Web3, metaverse, and artificial intelligence companies worldwide.
Elias Ahonen
Blockchain Author & PhD Researcher | Head of Operations at Roqqu Europe
Elias Ahonen is a Finnish-Canadian blockchain and legal expert described as “one of the first Bitcoin historians” for his ethnographic book Physical Bitcoins (2016), followed by Blockland (2020). He is an advisor to the ‘Critical Inquiry into DAOs’ state-funded research project at the University of Turku Law School, where he is completing his Doctoral research (PhD in Law) concerning the intersection of blockchain, cryptocurrency, NFT’s, DAOs, and the metaverse with international law. A columnist with over 50 articles on Cointelegraph, his expertise is acknowledged by international media including The Wall Street Journal. Involved in the industry since 2013, he launched consulting firm Token Valley in 2017 and is a Director for Roqqu, a cryptocurrency exchange with 1.7 million users.
“Being part of the special council allows me to apply my academic research to Horizen DAO as there is no ‘one size fits all’ format for the developing field of DAO governance”
Hervé Larren is a Senior Advisor at Horizen Labs and the Founder & CEO of Airvey.io, an enterprise that builds, supports and advises Web 3.0 companies.
A dedicated advocate of Bitcoin and blockchain since 2013, Mr. Larren became one of the first crypto miners in the US before offering the proceeds to Grayscale prior to public quotation. His expertise has guided over a dozen projects, several of which have achieved valuations exceeding $1 billion.
Mr. Larren’s presence extends to media coverage in publications such as CoinTelegraph and Forbes as well as Bloomberg TV. He is a recognized figure on the international speaking circuit, having delivered insights at more than 30 conferences across 10 countries.
Prior to entering the blockchain space, Mr. Larren held positions at LVMH and Pernod Ricard.
An alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Presidents’ Program, Mr. Larren holds as well an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).
“My early involvement in the Horizen community, coupled with being among the initial contributors to the Grayscale Horizen Trust, has provided me with valuable insights to comprehend both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I eagerly anticipate this new DAO milestone and am enthusiastic about contributing to the community.”
Jemma Xu
Founding Partner at Fork Ventures | Founding Contributor at Portal Gate
Jemma is a Founding Partner at Fork Ventures, seed investing in and working with Web3 projects since early 2017 with a portfolio of over 35 projects and a focus on infrastructure and DeFi. Jemma is also a Founding Contributor to Portal Gate, a decentralized darkpool protocol leveraging zero-knowledge encryption and backed by some of the top venture and liquid funds in Web3.
Prior to her Web3 endeavors, Jemma worked in investment banking in Australia and was an angel investor in Web2 startups throughout APAC.
Jemma holds a dual Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Hons)/Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Melbourne, Australia.
“Having followed the progress of Horizen from early Zencash days, it’s great to see the Horizen team leveraging their deep cryptography expertise to build out a unique network of blockchains. I look forward to contributing to the growth of the Horizen ecosystem, particularly in the APAC region”.
Mrs. Salieva is an early adopter of crypto since 2017 and joined Xsolla’s team in 2021 to be a part of the X.LA – a web3 division that builds bridges between web2 and web3. She spearheaded the marketing of the product, and, together with the production team, launched Xsolla Metasites – a product that combines 3D environments, AI, gaming fintech, and web3.
In her current role at Xsolla as VP of Special Projects for Metasites, Mrs. Salieva is building creative gamified solutions for brands and businesses to help them integrate web3 and AI tools in their daily operations.
She recently received a specialization in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the Harvard Business School.
Dr. Marwan Alzarouni is an internationally recognized blockchain technology advocate, keynote speaker and strategic advisor. Dr. Alzarouni is the CEO of Dubai Blockchain Center (DBCC), an impact business and a strategic partner to Dubai Future Foundation. The center was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum under the Area 2071 initiative in May 2018. It aims to create a fertile ground and a holistic ecosystem for blockchain companies and projects to thrive in. DBCC regularly hosts a number of blockchain startups within Area 2071 and also conducts educational classes and seminars around blockchain use cases in the government and private sectors. Dr. Marwan is currently heading the Digital Asset Task Force (DATF), a research and advisory team that reports to the Dubai Future Council for Blockchain. The purpose of the task force is to conduct a comprehensive study to provide clear guidance on how digital assets can be encouraged and regulated. The council establishes Dubai as a global blockchain capital, offering a prominent platform for decision-makers from various local and international governments and private sector entities to explore futuristic, blockchain-based solutions.
The Horizen community invites all $ZEN holders to join and have a say in the future of the Horizen Ecosystem by participating in the Horizen DAO!
La mise en place de la DAO Horizen marque le début d’une nouvelle ère de gouvernance participative pour la communauté Horizen.
Horizen est un protocole public, open-source, à l’écosystème vaste et diversifié incluant développeurs, opérateurs de nodes et HODLers de $ZEN répartis sur plusieurs blockchains. Le lancement de la DAO Horizen permet aux membres de la communauté Horizen de s’impliquer plus facilement dans la gouvernance et de faire entendre leur voix dans la direction du projet.
A propos de la DAO Horizen
DAO est l’acronyme de “Decentralized Autonomous Organization,” qui s’est imposée comme la norme de gouvernance décentralisée, notamment dans les écosystèmes blockchain.
Horizen a toujours été un projet axé sur la communauté et est depuis longtemps convaincu de l’importance d’une interaction sociale forte pour maintenir l’intégrité de l’écosystème. Cette approche est orientée par les valeurs fondamentales suivantes :
La DAO Horizen décentralise davantage la prise de décision pour les améliorations techniques, non techniques et autres améliorations substantielles du système.
Les propositions d’amélioration (Improvement Proposals ou IPs) sont un mécanisme désormais habituel utilisé pour choisir et mettre en œuvre de nouvelles fonctionnalités et des modifications du protocole de base dans de nombreux projets blockchain. Dans le cas d’Horizen, ce processus d’IP est l’outil clé de la gouvernance communautaire de la DAO Horizen. La cryptomonnaie native d’Horizen, $ZEN, servant de token de gouvernance à la fois pour la chaîne principale d’Horizen et pour la sidechain EON, les IP de chacune d’elles sont appelées respectivement ZenIPs et EONIPs.
Les holders de $ZEN sont les décideurs finaux de l’avenir d’Horizen et exercent une gouvernance sur l’évolution du réseau en participant à la DAO. Tout holder de $ZEN peut voter sur les propositions d’amélioration, et ceux qui détiennent (ou à qui a été délégué) le montant requis de $ZEN peuvent présenter des propositions supplémentaires à la communauté. Pour faciliter une gouvernance efficace de la communauté, les utilisateurs pourront également déléguer leur droit de vote à des personnes qu’ils considèrent comme des gardiens efficaces des valeurs fondamentales de l’écosystème Horizen.
Des informations détaillées sur la DAO, y compris la création de nouvelles propositions d’amélioration, leurs différentes phases, le processus de vote et plus encore, peuvent être trouvées sur la page de la gouvernance Horizen. N’hésitez pas à consulter le site et à vous impliquez pour aider à façonner l’avenir de Horizen – nous sommes heureux de vous avoir à bord !
The launch of the Horizen DAO marks the beginning of a new era of participatory governance for the Horizen community.
Horizen is an open-source, public protocol with a broad and diverse ecosystem that includes developers, miners, node operators, and $ZEN holders across multiple blockchain networks. The launch of the Horizen DAO makes it easier for Horizen community members to get involved in governance and make their voices heard in the direction of the project.
About Horizen DAO
DAO stands for “Decentralized Autonomous Organization,” which has emerged as the standard for decentralized governance in the blockchain space and beyond.
Horizen has always been a community-driven project and has long recognized that a strong social layer is crucial for maintaining integrity across the ecosystem. This approach is directed by the guiding values of:
The Horizen DAO further decentralizes decision-making for technical, non-technical, and other substantive improvements to the system.
Protocol Improvement Proposals (IPs) are an established mechanism used to select and implement new features and core protocol changes in many blockchain projects. In Horizen’s case, this IP process is the key tool for the Horizen DAO’s community-led governance. With Horizen’s native token, $ZEN, serving as the governance token for both the Horizen mainchain and the EON sidechain, IPs for each are called, respectively, ZenIPs and EONIPs.
$ZEN holders are the ultimate decision-makers for the future of Horizen and exercise governance over the network’s evolution through participating in the Horizen DAO. Any $ZEN holder can vote on improvement proposals, and those who hold (or who have been delegated) the requisite amount of $ZEN may put forth proposals to the community. To facilitate effective community governance, users will also be able to delegate voting power to individuals they view as effective stewards of the Horizen ecosystem guiding values.
Detailed information about Horizen DAO, including the improvement proposal phases, voting process, Constitution, and more, can be found on the Horizen Governance page. So check out the site and get involved to help shape the future of Horizen–we’re glad you’re along for the journey!
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