We purposely delayed the Cycle 45 report as no applications were approved during that cycle, and all submissions remained pending. Those applications were carried over and resolved in Cycle 46, which concludes Season 8.
This document represents the final Season 8 report.
Note on application count:
One protocol submitted duplicate applications and later requested one be withdrawn. For clarity, Season 8 totals are reported as 91 unique applications.
Key Outcomes Cycle 46
- Applications Approved: 6
- Applications In Review: 0
- Applications Declined: 16
Cycle 46 functioned as the final resolution cycle for Season 8.
Key Season Outcomes
- Total applications: 91
- Applications declined by AI: 55
- Applications declined by AI but promoted to final by GovNerds: 27
- Applications promoted to final by GovNerds that got a grant: 11
- Applications declined by Final review: 39
- Applications approved on Final review: 24
Cycle 46 applications
| Nr | Title | OP requested | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morpho | 1,500,000 | Passed |
| 2 | LiqPass | 80,000 | Passed |
| 3 | Velodrome Finance | 760,000 | Passed |
| 4 | openOracle | 30,000 | Passed |
| 5 | PagCrypto | 70,000 | Passed |
| 6 | Precog | 50,000 | Passed |
| 7 | Orki Finance | 125,000 | Declined by lack of available budget |
| 8 | CoW Swap | 750,006 | Declined by GC |
| 9 | Aave | 300,000 | Declined by GC |
| 10 | HeyElsa | 250,000 | Declined by GC |
| 11 | Predifi | 315,000 | Declined by GC |
| 12 | AllDay Labs | 25,000 | Declined by GC |
| 13 | OneKey Wallet | 100,000 | Declined by GC |
| 14 | Sentinel Grid | 18,000 | Declined by GC |
| 15 | Gardens | 49,998 | Declined by GC |
| 16 | Bungee Exchange | 249,997 | Declined by GC |
| 17 | dForce | 100,000 | Declined by GC |
| 18 | Meridian | 75,000 | Declined by GC |
| 19 | Pinto | 500,000 | Declined by GC |
| 20 | Omni Exchange | 50,000 | Declined by GC |
| 21 | moonCat AI | 30,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
| 22 | Arkada | 100,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
Funding Overview
- Total OP Requested from final review Growth Apps Season: 22,342,736 OP
- Total OP Granted approved: 2,490,000 OP
- Season 8 Grants Council Budget: 6,290,000 OP
- Season 8 Remaining Budget: 0 OP
For the first time, the Grants Council allocated 100% of the Season budget, with no OP returned to the Governance Fund.
Applicant Funnel Summary (Season 8)
| Stage | Applications | % of Total (91) |
|---|---|---|
| Total unique applications | 91 | 100% |
| Reviewed by GovNerds (AI initial pass) | 55 | 60.4% |
| Promoted to Final Review by GovNerds | 27 | 29.7% |
| Approved at Final Review | 24 | 26.4% |
| Approved from GovNerds promotions | 11 | 12.1% |
Observations and Learnings
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GovNerds reviewed over half of all Season applications and promoted nearly a third of total submissions to Final Review.
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Roughly one in eight total applicants ultimately received a grant through the GovNerds promotion path.
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While the AI system was effective at reducing reviewer load, a significant number of applications initially declined by AI were later identified by GovNerds as worthy of Final Review.
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This indicates the AI is not yet suitable as a standalone application filter, particularly due to false negatives on higher-quality or non-standard proposals. Further refinement and calibration are required before increasing its autonomy.
Season 7 vs Season 8 Comparison
| Metric | Season 7 | Season 8 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Applications | Higher volume, lower signal | 91 unique applications | Improved applicant quality |
| Budget Utilization | Partial allocation | 100% allocated | + Capital efficiency |
| OP Returned to Gov Fund | Yes | No | Improved budget execution |
| AI Involvement | Limited / advisory | First full-season deployment | + Operational leverage |
| GovNerds Role | Primarily manual intake | AI-assisted + human override | Clear role separation |
| Final Review Selectivity | Lower | Higher | Stricter quality bar |
Key Differences
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Higher selectivity: Season 8 approved fewer applications proportionally, reflecting a stricter quality bar aligned with TVL and fee growth requirements.
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Full budget execution: Unlike Season 7, Season 8 successfully allocated the entire budget, eliminating OP clawbacks to the Governance Fund.
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Operational evolution: Season 8 marked the first full deployment of AI-assisted intake, significantly reducing reviewer load while preserving human judgment via GovNerds escalation.
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Clearer failure modes: Compared to Season 7, Season 8 surfaced concrete data on where AI filtering underperformed, enabling targeted iteration rather than speculative tuning.
Summary
Season 8 represents a shift from exploratory grant distribution in Season 7 toward capital efficiency, stricter filtering, and operational maturity, while still maintaining human oversight where automated systems remain insufficient.
Operational Improvements and Coordination
Karma Platform
The adoption of Karma as the primary grants platform was one of the most impactful and accurate operational changes this Season.
Throughout Season 8, we received zero complaints related to the platform’s usability or reliability.
Karma significantly improved application handling, reviewer coordination, and overall process clarity. Looking forward, we plan to expand its usage to include grant claiming, milestone tracking, and metrics reporting, further reducing operational overhead.
The Karma team consistently responded quickly and decisively, enabling smooth execution across the full Season.
GovNerds Leadership
For the first time in my role as Grants Council Lead, I did not need to actively manage GovNerds tasks beyond initial coordination.
Sov’s leadership on this front was comparable to Jun’s early work establishing the Milestones and Metrics function, demonstrating a high level of focus, ownership, and execution.
Both cases reinforce that prior experience as a Grants Council member is a strong predictor of effective leadership, particularly for roles that require coordination, judgment, and autonomous execution.
Audit Grants and DAB Coordination
Audit Grants required additional guidance during the first months of the Season. However, the process stabilized quickly, and the Developer Advisory Board ultimately managed audit grants at a very high standard.
Aside from a limited number of OP-related operational tasks that shifted to the Grants Council, the DAB handled audit coordination effectively and independently. This reflects a strong level of cross-council coordination and operational maturity.
Grants Council Operations
Bunnic was a critical operational pillar throughout Season 8, consistently responding in under 24 hours and acting as a coordination layer across applicants, Retro Funding questions, KYC processes, and inter-team information flow, while simultaneously running GC operations.
Throughout Season 8, final reviews were completed every week without delays, even when individual reviewers faced personal constraints. Coverage and continuity were consistently maintained, and all review scores were delivered on time.
The Grants Council reduced its review turnaround from a three-week cycle to a weekly cadence, materially improving applicant response times and overall execution speed.
This reflects a mature review process designed for resilience rather than individual dependency.
See you on Season 9, stay Optimistic