MEET THE CANDIDATE: Halina Is Running For Special Council!

ApeCoin DAO Contributor Halina, a former business student at UC Berkeley, started her crypto journey by purchasing her first NFT in February 2021, realizing then that she had to ape into the web3 space! Since then, Halina has enthusiastically joined the Bored Ape Yacht Club, created several BAYC communities, co-founded ApeComms, become a vital part of ThankApe’s board, represented $Ape at Ethereum Global’s San Francisco hackathon, and connected with web3 users inside and outside the Ape ecosystem. Now, Halina is running to represent the DAO as its next Special Council member and contribute to creating value for the $Ape community!

The winter election season of 2023 is underway at the ApeCoin DAO, with 27 contributors officially running to replace BoredApeG, Gerry, and VeraTheApe on the DAO's Special Council in 2024.

Among the candidates vying for a position on the ApeCoin DAO's Special Council is Halina.

“I believe that ApeCoin DAO cannot just survive the current market but thrive and emerge from this crypto winter as a trailblazer and leader for all of web3 within the DAO space,” Halina wrote on her candidate page. “To do that, we must address internal challenges, such as balancing the unprecedented leadership structure within DAOs which must act with clear vision and oversight while placing an emphasis on our core web3 value of decentralization. At the same time, we must earn a reputation as a leader within the broader ecosystem, which includes extending a visible presence at industry conferences & events, collaborations with fellow prominent web3 leaders and communities, and initiating direct outreach & ongoing relationships with the industry builders who will bring the innovations that drive the next great crypto market boom.

I am best positioned to drive these goals for ApeCoin DAO.”

To find out more about Halina’s Special Council candidacy, her plans drive value back to the DAO, and her thoughts on Apechain, the Bored Ape Gazette reached out to her for an interview. Check it out below:

1. In a sentence or two what is your candidacy all about?

“Making ApeCoin DAO the first choice for web3's top builders.”

2. When and why did you decide to ape into the Special Council race?

“Two days before the extended deadline, when I realized at the time I knew of 0 women who were running for Special Council.”

3. What makes you the right $Ape for Special Council? How has your past prepared you for this role?

“I have 14+ months of experience empowering builders in ApeCoin DAO to succeed. 've gone from co-founding @ApeComms , to co-architecting the current Working Group structure of the DAO with the WG0 Stewards (AIP-196, AIP-239), to leading the Thank Ape (AIP-124) Board in extensive microgrant programs which funded 200+ projects with 100,000+ $APE to build in our ecosystem. For over a year now, I've never wavered in my vision of ApeCoin DAO as the industry leader in metaverse gaming. My track record speaks for itself. I've never wavered in my vision of ApeCoin DAO dominating the future of metaverse gaming. I will fight to prove our community right and bring this vision to life.”

4. What would you like to accomplish during your term?

“All the DAO's opportunities and challenges point to one goal: we need to create value. We need to attract the best builders in the industry to ApeCoin. Currently, several factors make our DAO less attractive to builders- time from publish to vote for AIPs, time from vote to receiving funds, low rate of proposals passing, opacity of voters and ecosystem to outsiders, and lack of presence in the broader web3 ecosystem. Each of these factors can be improved. As a Special Council member, I will focus on 5 KPIs each week. The number of new entrants to the DAO, number of new proposals, % of proposals which go to vote, % which pass DAO voting, and % which go on to be fully executed by the AIP author. Outward-facing work representing the DAO to our wider web3 ecosystem will increase results at the top of this funnel. Working internally to streamline processes, increase visibility of best practices for proposal authors, and enforce accountability for passed AIPs will drive results at the bottom of this funnel. Last but most importantly, we need to emphasize proposals that drive value back to our DAO + create sustainability. I've experienced how ApeCoin DAO works, from the inside and the outside. I have the perspective and experience needed to attract builders + kick off an inflection point in value creation in our DAO.”

5. Where would you like to see the DAO a year from now?

“By the end of 2024, I want to see tremendous & exponential growth in ApeCoin's visibility and influence in the broader web3 ecosystem. I want our DAO to occupy mindshare of the best builders in our industry. And I want to remove the barriers and friction points that prevent membership, participation, and value creation in our DAO.”

6. What are your thoughts and views on an Apechain?

“The biggest challenge- and opportunity- facing our DAO now is choosing the right provider to build out ApeChain. I want to see the DAO hold an RFP (Request for Proposal) process to draw out the best providers in our ecosystem + spark competitive bids amongst potential partner(s). At the end of 2024, I'd like to see this process successfully implemented, work on building ApeChain finished, and expansion and development of a thriving ApeChain ecosystem filled with builders well underway.”

7. What’s your favorite book, movie, and show?

“Book: Foundation series by Isaac Asimov Movie: Cloud Atlas Show: Game of Thrones.”

8. Do you have anything else you’d like to add or say?

“I believe that ApeCoin DAO cannot just survive the current market, but thrive and emerge from this crypto winter as a trailblazer and leader for all of web3. Let's make it happen- together.”

ApeCoin DAO Contributors who would like to find out more about Halina’s campaign can reach out to her via Twitter @halina_eth

The window to vote in the ApeCoin DAO's first round of Special Council voting opens on December 7th, and $Ape holders will have until December 13th to cast their coins in support their preferred nominees.

After the first round of voting, the top five vote getting nominees will proceed to the second round of voting and officially become ApeCoin DAO Special Council candidates.

The DAO will then conduct one more election from December 14th through December 20th. During this second vote, the community will officially elect its three new Special Council Members!

Take a look at the full Election season timeline below:

The Bored Ape Gazette has reached out to every candidate running for $Ape office this winter and is working to bring you reports on all of their candidacies. Stay tuned for updates!