Announcing the AntSeed Non-Profit Foundation

Why we're building a Foundation

Today we want to share a decision that's been a long time coming.

We established a non-profit Foundation to steward the ecosystem. Its mission is embedded in the Foundation's charter, the document it is bound to serve.

The "why" is simple

We don't want a company controlling the AntSeed ecosystem.

It is our view that networks that matter shouldn't live or die by the incentives of a single private entity. A company answers to shareholders. A Foundation answers to the mission and the community it exists to serve. That difference shapes every decision that follows.

There's also a practical side to this. Leaving the ecosystem without a proper structure behind it isn't risk-free. It can leave the community and token holders unnecessarily exposed. A Foundation seeks to give the ecosystem a clear, accountable, and durable home, and puts it on solid footing for whatever comes next.

So we're putting the things that matter most into a structure that is built to outlast any one team, including us.

Learning from the past

We've been in this space since 2012, and over those years we've seen the Foundation model used in ways that didn't always live up to its promise.

In some cases, a Foundation became a vehicle to channel funds toward an affiliated "Labs" company that retained all control and authority. While the Foundation existed on paper, control of the ecosystem rested with the Labs entity, which was not independent.

While these models worked in the past, the world has changed, and we have sought to learn from them by redefining the manner in which our ecosystem is built. Our model is an evolution of the original blueprint.

The Foundation we're creating is designed to steward the ecosystem by utilising its proprietary assets and safeguarding its independence in service of the community. The Foundation shall not serve as a private company wearing a non-profit's clothing.

One master: the network

This shows up in the smallest, most everyday decisions.

The contributors wake up every morning with one master to serve: the network. In the product world, the question that drives every decision is "what are you optimising for?" and here the answer is always the same. The AntSeed ecosystem. Not the dollar value flowing back to a Labs company.

That single alignment changes everything. In an ecosystem where there is no Labs entity and the network is the most important element, incentives stop being utilised in a manner that benefits the few and start benefiting the network contributors, the people who actually own and use it.

What the Foundation holds and does

• 15% of total supply. Recognising the contribution to the network and to support its role, the Foundation shall receive 15% of the tokens: the Ecosystem Reserve. Importantly, this allocation is not unlocked upfront. It vests in epochs, on the same schedule as the rest of the supply. No special treatment, no head start.
• The brand, the website, and other assets related to the network.
• Core development funding and direction.
• Grants to builders, contributors, and researchers growing the ecosystem.

This is a real Foundation, not a logo on a website. It exists to safeguard the network's independence and to fund the people building its future.

Our commitment: monthly transparency

We will publish a transparent report covering:

• What we achieved. Shipped work, grants awarded, milestones hit.
• Where our money went. Clear, itemised spending from the pool.
• The goals for the month ahead, so you can hold us to them.

No "trust us." Just receipts, every month. Our first transparency report will land by the beginning of Q4, and one will follow every month after that.

This is about giving the ecosystem the best possible chance to become genuinely community-owned and self-sustaining. The establishment of the Foundation isn't the finish line. The Foundation shall seek to become the enabler of a growing and flourishing ecosystem where Network Contributors, including the Foundation, build together.

So from now on, call us the AntSeed Foundation.

Let's build. 🐜