Summary

This proposal seeks to establish a Technical Advisory Board (TAB) within the Uniswap DAO for a 12-month trial to provide expert technical insights on governance proposals. The TAB will be supported by a Professional Delegate (PD) to facilitate operations and communication. A total of 2.5 million UNI tokens will be delegated to expiring Franchiser contracts to empower the TAB’s governance participation.

Motivation

The Uniswap DAO governs the protocol’s evolution but often lacks consistent technical expertise. While some delegates offer valuable insights, few possess deep technical knowledge of Uniswap’s codebase or ecosystem dynamics (e.g., partnerships, integrations, routers, aggregators). Developers and builders, who have direct experience, often find the governance process opaque or inaccessible, limiting their ability to contribute meaningfully.

Conversations with Uniswap ecosystem teams revealed that developers want to provide input but need a structured pathway. They believe their expertise could enhance proposals by assessing technical feasibility, estimating timelines, identifying risks, and evaluating costs. Improved governance participation would align ecosystem upgrades with builders’ needs.

The TAB aims to bridge this gap by offering structured technical guidance, improving proposal quality, mitigating risks, and strengthening Uniswap’s decentralized governance. It will provide a clear pathway for builders to engage, fostering inclusivity and technical rigor.

Background

Technical expertise is critical for effective protocol governance but is underrepresented in Uniswap DAO. Inspired by Optimism’s Developer Advisory Board, we propose a TAB tailored to Uniswap’s governance model and market position.

Key findings from research and interviews with builders include:

• Developers want governance roles but need structured engagement.
• Proposals often lack technical feasibility assessments, causing inefficiencies.
• Builders can offer critical feedback on risks, timelines, and ecosystem impact.
• A dedicated advisory group would enhance transparency and sustainability.

The TAB will deliver expert evaluations, working with a Professional Delegate to integrate insights into governance. This structure aims to foster a more inclusive, technically sound governance process for Uniswap’s growth.

Specification

Technical Advisory Board (TAB)

Composition

The TAB will consist of 6 seasoned professionals with expertise in smart contracts, Uniswap’s protocol, and related fields (e.g., builders, security researchers). Its diversity and commitment to comprehensive support will ensure informed governance decisions.

This structure addresses the lack of technical expertise in governance, inspired by Optimism’s model but adapted for Uniswap. The TAB balances technical evaluation with community education to improve proposal quality and transparency while preserving DAO control through iterative feedback.

Proposed TAB Members (based on Uniswap Foundation and ecosystem feedback):

1. Akshat Mittal - Senior Protocol Engineer at Reserve, Founder of Metacrypt. 10+ years in technology, 6 in Web3, with deep DeFi expertise in protocol design.
2. Alex Netto - Founder/CEO at Blockful, focused on DAO security and governance. Experienced in smart contracts, Uniswap V4 hackathon winner, ENS metagov steward.
3. Ben DiFrancesco - Founder/CEO at ScopeLift, contributor to Uniswap smart contracts, with expertise in EVM and DAO governance engineering.
4. Dakotah Moses - Growth lead at Bunni, a Uniswap V4-native DEX. Bridges engineering and strategy to drive adoption.
5. Haardik H - 7+ years as a developer/consultant in DeFi, Identity, and Privacy. Built technical education programs at LearnWeb3 and Atrium Academy.
6. Kris O’Shea - Blockchain developer at Olas Protocol, former Sumero Finance developer. Uniswap ambassador, V4 hackathon winner, co-authored V4 documentation.

Responsibilities

• Analyze all governance proposals from inception, evaluating the feasibility and impact of proposals which are technical in nature throughout the voting process, while providing timely and insightful feedback.
• Proactively identify and address potential risks or unintended consequences within proposal design
• Vote on all proposals during the 12-month term and provide a brief overview of the TAB’s rationale.
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear and accessible language for non-technical delegates.
• Develop educational resources and explanations to enhance understanding of proposal implications. This could include publishing reports, hosting webinars, and generally simplifying technical concepts to foster community understanding

Professional Delegate (PD)

Role

• Create an onboarding package (documents, info sessions) for TAB members.
• Support TAB operations, ensuring recommendations are represented in governance forums.
• Manage governance interactions and community communication.
• Develop a communication plan with TAB to share findings and recommendations.
• Facilitate logistics (e.g., meetings, public documentation).
• Support educational initiatives (e.g., workshops, webinars).
• Identify expertise gaps in TAB and coordinate with external experts.
• Act as a liaison with the Uniswap Foundation and ecosystem stakeholders.

Positioning

The PD serves as an operational extension of the TAB, not an independent actor. The role will be performed by DAOplomats.

Voting Power Delegation

• 2.5 million UNI tokens delegated to a 4-of-6 TAB multi-sig wallet for 1 year.
• TAB wallet must vote on every proposal.
• Uniswap Governance retains control and can revoke delegation via a proposal.

Transparency

All TAB discussions, recommendations, and PD actions will be publicly documented in governance forums.

Timeline

• Month 1: Select initial TAB cohort based on Uniswap Foundation feedback (done).
• Month 2: Put proposal to vote, deploy Franchiser contracts for token delegation.
• Month 3: Onboard TAB with PD resources, begin proposal review and governance participation.
• Month 6: Conduct first performance review, gather community feedback.
• Month 12: Evaluate TAB performance, open positions for replacement if needed.
• Month 14: Conduct elections if members need replacement.

Budget

TAB members and the PD will be compensated in UNI (and USDC for TAB) via continuous streams over 12 months. A buffer is allocated for educational materials and external expertise, with unused funds returned to the DAO treasury.

| Role | Monthly Compensation | Number of Members | Duration (Months) | Total (UNI) | |-----------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------| | Technical Advisor | 400 UNI | 6 | 12 | 28,800 UNI | | Professional Delegate | 800 UNI | 1 | 12 | 9,600 UNI | | Buffer | | | | 1,000 UNI | | Total | | | | 39,400 UNI |

Compensation Structure

• TAB Members: 200 UNI/month via Superfluid stream + 1,000 USDC/month via UAC wallet.
• Professional Delegate: 800 UNI/month via Superfluid stream, accepting price volatility and shall perform their duties regardless
• Buffer: 1,000 UNI for educational materials and external expertise, sent to TAB multi-sig.

Proposal Call Data

• Set up 8 Superfluid payment streams for 12 months:
  • 6 for TAB members (200 UNI/month each).
  • 1 for PD (800 UNI/month).
  • 1 to UAC wallet (1,200 UNI/month for USDC payments).
• Transfer 1,000 UNI buffer to TAB multi-sig.
• Transfer 2.5M UNI to Franchiser contract, delegating to TAB multi-sig.
• Uniswap Governance retains control to revoke streams and delegation.

https://snapshot.org/#/uniswapgovernance.eth/proposal/0x5915e661808f896203ff5759e737e04861bf8fa09525972d481cbccf7776f485