Dear Polkadot Community and Web3 Foundation,
Hello people Saimon here 
, I am writing to apply for Cohort 3 of the Decentralized Voices Initiative. While I value prioritizing the participation of organized communities, I believe that including individuals remains crucial to fostering a greater diversity of perspectives in the ecosystem. I have participated in Polkadot events in over 10 countries in the Americas, Europe, and soon, Asia.
I am a blockchain and virtual reality specialist with 8 years of experience leading innovative technology initiatives. I have extensive experience coordinating and executing growth strategies within the Web3 ecosystem, particularly in Polkadot, and have worked to build strong communities and expand enterprise adoption of disruptive technologies.
Motivation
Polkadot is the largest DAO in the world, a realistic statement. However, those of us who actively participate observe that there are challenges due to the diverse opinions that converge in decision-making. These differences sometimes generate tensions that do not always lead to optimal solutions.
My primary motivation is to contribute in an objective and transparent manner, ensuring that Polkadot’s governance tools continue to evolve to maintain the balance between decentralization and effectiveness. By participating in this program, my goal is to make a positive impact on the discussion space, fostering an environment of continuous improvement.
Issues Encountered
Decentralized Voices has been a positive initiative that must constantly evolve and so far these have been some of the aspects to improve:
+Lack of comments in the participations: in addition to the voting action, one of the main functionalities is the participation and expression of ideas and points of view respectfully through comments. So far, not all the participations of the previous DVs have been accompanied by adequate comments, allowing feedback and improvements in each proposal.
+Lack of accompaniment in each proposal: participants have the possibility of making adjustments based on the community’s suggestions, however, until now it is common to see how after making these adjustments, the proposals are not reviewed again.
+Proliferation of private channels: it is common to see how previous DVs do not share their comments and it is the proponents who have to be investigating which are the channels outside the ecosystem where they can exchange ideas, generating an additional, non-transparent and ineffective effort.
+Lack of context on the topics to be discussed: it is possible to find participations where the previous DCs present little knowledge on the topics reviewed, affecting with their votes the positive impact that must be verified in each proposal.
Proposed Actions for Positive Participation
- Comments on all votes: Each participation will be accompanied by a detailed analysis to enrich the debate.
- Monitoring of proposals: I will maintain continuous monitoring of the proposals, considering all modifications made by the proponents.
- Promotion of official channels: I will encourage the use of official channels for all discussions and the exchange of ideas.
- Participation in relevant topics: I will prioritize my participation in areas where I have solid knowledge and experience, seeking support on topics outside my specialization.
Political Philosophy
- Clarity: Each vote will be accompanied by a transparent and detailed explanation, fostering accountability and understanding among all participants.
- Rigor: I will thoroughly research and analyze each proposal before casting my vote, ensuring that my decisions are based on data and well-founded reflections.
- Integrity: As an advocate for the Web3 and Polkadot vision, my goal is to foster a decentralized, resilient, and prosperous ecosystem, guided by principles of honesty, responsibility, and empathy.
- Collaboration: I will promote open dialogue in the ecosystem’s official channels, always seeking collective participation to reach decisions that benefit the majority.
Key Contributions and Achievements
2021:
• Polkadot Kusama Latam Day Coordinator (DEC): Led an online event, the most popular among the 384 held by the community that year, introducing Polkadot and Kusama to the Spanish-speaking public.
2022:
• Deploy Chaos Tour (JUN): Facilitated the first intercontinental collaboration between ambassadors from America and Europe, laying the groundwork for corporate collaborations between NTT DATA and Polkadot projects.
• Polkadot Decoded View Party (JUN): Organized the first View Party in Peru, connecting the local community with events in Brazil and Argentina.
• Community Reactivation in Colombia (OCT & NOV): Led meetups in Medellín and Bogotá, revitalizing the Polkadot community in Colombia.
2023:
• Polkadot Experience Alpha (APR-MAY): Organized programming workshops in Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Colombia, promoting development within the Polkadot ecosystem.
• International Conferences (JUN-JUL-AUG): Represented Polkadot at DotPrague, ParisDotComm, and Berlin Satellite, sharing experiences and development potentials in Latin America.
• Astar Network Workshop (NOV): Organized in Lima, Peru, exploring Astar’s capabilities within the Polkadot ecosystem.
• Polkadot Agent at Ethereum Latam Day (DEC): Represented Polkadot in Lima, Peru.
• Zeitgeist & NTT DATA Collaboration (DEC): Facilitated a strategic collaboration between the Zeitgeist parachain and NTT DATA, underscoring Polkadot’s impact on the global tech industry.
2024:
• Sub-Curator at Polkadot Global Events Bounty (JAN – MAY): Curated global events, ensuring quality and relevance.
• Rust Deep Knowledge Mentor (NOV–FEB): Provided technical mentoring in a RUST course for developers in Europe and Latin America.
• Polkadot Experience Beta (FEB-MAR): Organized workshops at universities and blockchain communities in Peru and Colombia, expanding the network’s educational reach.
• Hackathon Organization and Mentoring (JUN): Led the Polkadot-sponsored track at the Causathon, promoting the development of applications using RUST.
• Polkadot Decoded Moderator (JUL): Moderated the Ecosystem Showcase Stage panel, facilitating transitions and providing context for the audience.
• Web3 Summit in Berlin (AUG): Sharing relevant information from the talks with the Spanish-speaking community.
• Recording of Interview at Web3 Foundation (AUG): Interview with Bill at the Zug headquarters, where he shared key information about Polkadot.
• Organizer of the Executive Meetup (SEP): The event featured the participation of leaders from NTT DATA, Polkadot, Web3 Foundation, KILT Protocol, Tanssi Network, and the Blockchain Competence Center team from NTT DATA Europe & Latam.
Main governance addresses on Polkadot and Kusama are the following:
Polkadot: 12baTxNhcrfgjZcyekYUCZtFsD9vpA73DBqj7dRuT6HGa9zJ
Kusama: EAtywTWPSR93gRuTpJWxNR7ABSWvXN5b4wzLziWNoUF8nHg
Final thoughts
Throughout my career, I have demonstrated strong skills in community and business development within the Polkadot ecosystem, as well as in programming and the execution of innovative technological projects. I am not involved in any bounty nor am I part of the Head Ambassadors, which allows me to act without conflicts of interest and in an impartial manner. To date, most of my contributions have been voluntary, motivated solely by my passion for Polkadot technology and my desire to see this ecosystem grow.
