Proposal Key Aspects
- Receiver Entity: Celo Governance
- Status: [DRAFT]
- Author(s): @Prezenti.grants (@MayaRB, @Wade, @Thylacine)
- Type of Request: Funding
- Intent: Season 2
- Funding Category: Direct Grants
- Funding Request: $276,400 cUSD equivalent to 2,520,000 number of CELO tokens using the payment terms(see below)
Summary
Prezenti requests $276,400 cUSD from the Celo Community Treasury to continue operating Celo’s direct grants program through Season 2.
Combined with $70,000 in unspent Boost funds carried forward from Season 1, this provides $290,000 in grant capacity and $56,400 in operations funding — a 41% reduction from our Season 1 ask while maintaining execution capacity aligned with the network’s core intents.
| Season 1 | Season 2 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Ask | $470,000 | $276,400 | -41% |
| Grant Capacity | $400,000 | $290,000 | -28% |
| Operations | $70,000 | $56,400 | -19% |
Season 1 Retrospective
Our full Season 1 Retrospective Report is available here.
Key outcomes from Season 1
- 17 grants signed across Boost and Growth pools
- $130,000 deployed in grants + $200,000 strategic partnerships
- $86,790 rolled over to Season 2, of unspent operations and Season 2 Boost grant pool
- Strengthened collaboration with Celo DevRel and Ecosystem Growth teams
- Explored non-grant funding mechanisms, including a $200,000 strategic partnership (details to follow)
- Continued building of trust as a delivery partner with the Celo Foundation as we move into Season 2.
What worked:
The Boost Pool - invite-only, sourced directly by Celo Foundation DevRel and Growth teams, proved effective for identifying teams already aligned with ecosystem priorities. Feedback loops were faster, and strategic alignment was stronger than open application rounds.
What we learned:
The 10,000 daily transaction threshold introduced in Season 1 materially narrowed the eligible builder pool. While this kept focus on teams demonstrating real usage, it limited our ability to serve early-stage builders. This tension was raised mid-season and discussed openly with the community and Foundation. We chose to maintain the thresholds for Season 1 to stay aligned with Foundation ambitions, but acknowledge the trade-off.
Grant throughput (17 vs. 23 target) reflected intentional prioritization of quality and intent-alignment over volume.
Alignment with Season 2 Mandate
The Season 2 announcement identified Prezenti as essential infrastructure:
“Maintains strong builder momentum with clear, measurable outcomes, particularly for applications that can scale within MiniPay and drive transaction growth.”
This proposal delivers on that mandate with:
- Disciplined spending: 41% reduction from S1 ask
- Focused execution: Two pools, streamlined operations, single mid-season update
- Intent alignment: 100% focus on Transactions and TVL
- Flexibility: Ready to adapt criteria based on Tokenomics Initiative outcomes
We recognize that broader funding mechanisms may evolve through the Tokenomics Initiative as Season 2 matures. Prezenti is prepared to adjust grant structures based on community-led outcomes from that process as needed.
Prezenti’s Season 2 Approach
Season 2 operates under a clear mandate: focused execution on the two intents fundamental to Celo’s long-term health: growing transactions and growing TVL.
The Revenue Concentration Reality
Analysis of mature L2 ecosystems reveals a consistent pattern: a small number of high-throughput, revenue-generating applications drive the overwhelming majority of sustainable chain economics. On leading L2s, it’s common for a single application category. Whether DEXs, prediction markets, or payments infrastructure account for 40–60% of total ecosystem revenue. Networks that attract these anchor applications early compound their advantage through liquidity effects, user retention, and sustainable fee generation.
The key differentiator is no longer technical. Arguably it has never been: its distribution.
MiniPay as Celo’s Distribution Layer
For Celo, MiniPay is that distribution layer. As of January 2026, MiniPay has reached 12 Million wallets across 50 countries spanning Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and North America. This is a payments-native, high-frequency user base that Celo has unique access to.
Mini apps that drive meaningful transaction volume within MiniPay generate revenue for themselves, for MiniPay, and for Celo. This creates a clear funding thesis:
Teams with proven traction, particularly in payments, gaming, trading, or social, can leverage MiniPay’s distribution to scale rapidly while contributing to Celo’s transaction revenue and TVL growth.
We plan to prioritise funding for teams that can demonstrably drive transaction growth and increase TVL, with a specific focus on scaling within MiniPay. Applications must demonstrate verifiable traction, not vanity metrics.
Revenue-Generating Applications
In alignment with Season 2’s focus on sustainable ecosystem growth, Prezenti plans to explicitly support applications that generate revenue for the chain, whether through transaction fees, sequencer revenue contribution, or other mechanisms. This extends beyond the existing intent framework to teams building durable, revenue-positive infrastructure.
Grant Pools for Season 2
| Pool | Allocation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Boost | $70,000 (carryover) | Invite-only, DevRel/Growth sourced. Foundation-aligned teams. |
| Anchor | $220,000 (new) | Open applications. Teams demonstrating traction toward intents, with funding based on set criteria. |
Anchor grants: Stage-Based Criteria
Similar to Season 1, funding is tied to demonstrable maturity and verifiable traction:
| Stage | Profile | Est. Daily TXs | Grant Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 2 | Valora apps, Mini apps | 10K – 100K | ~25K |
| Stage 3 | Seed-stage or scaled products with traction | 100K – 500K | ~50K |
| Stage 4 | Mature ecosystem apps | 500K+ | Case-by-case |
What we’re looking for:
- Verifiable evidence of real usage (transactions, users, revenue)
- Clear path to generating meaningful transaction volume on Celo
- Product-market fit demonstrated elsewhere, or credible pilot results within MiniPay
- Teams slightly below Stage 2 funding thresholds may be considered where a proven track record and substantial evidence demonstrate imminent viability.
What we won’t fund:
- Applications gaming transaction counts without generating underlying value eg spamming micro USDT transfers to addresses with little previous history
- Projects without verifiable traction or credible usage evidence
- Teams that cannot articulate how they contribute to transaction growth or TVL
Changes from Season 1
- Removed Scale pool ($50K grants) - consolidated into a single focused pool
- Simplified to two pools (Anchor and Boost), reducing operational complexity
- Doubled down on stage-based criteria to align funding with demonstrable maturity
- Maintained Celo Foundation DevRel integration for Boost sourcing
- Criteria to remain flexible pending guidance from the Tokenomics Initiative
Timeline
| Month | Plan |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | S2 Proposal ratification |
| February 2026 | Boost pool active / Anchor round opens |
| Throughout Season 2 | Contracts signed / grant activity begins |
| May 2026 | Mid-season forum update |
| June 2026 | Anchor applications close / Boost pool closes |
| June/July 2026 | Season 2 close / Season 3 planning |
Budget
Grant Allocation
| Pool | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boost (carryover from S1) | $70,000 | Confirmed with DevRel as sufficient for S2 |
| Anchor grants (new) | $220,000 | Open applications, $25K typical grant size |
| Total Grant Capacity | $290,000 |
Operations
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steward compensation and company admin | $51,400 | Feb-Aug 2026 |
| Contingency | $5,000 | Wind-down reserve |
| Total Operations | $56,400 |
Note on existing reserves: Prezenti maintains an operational buffer from prior rounds in its Admin Safe. These funds are reserved for wind-down costs (tax reporting, legal, final disbursements) should future funding not be secured, and will be returned to the Treasury when Presenti ceases operations and all operational elements have been officially closed.
Note: in 2026 (anticipated midway through the year) the partnership funds disbursed in season 1 will be repaid to the treasury, amounting to $127,440 cUSD and the equivalent of 600,000 CELO.
Total Request for Season 2
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| New funding requested | $276,400 |
| S1 carryover (Boost) | $70,000 |
| Total S2 Capacity | $346,400 |
Overhead ratio: 19% (Operations / Total Grant Capacity)
KPIs
| KPI | Target |
|---|---|
| Mid-season forum update | 1x (May 2026) |
| Multisig transaction logs | Public, linked continuously |
| Grants signed | 12-18 |
| Rejected applicant feedback | 100% receive tailored feedback |
| Post-grant surveys | Issued and analyzed |
| Aggregated grantee tx metrics | Tracked and reported at season close |
| Boost and Anchor grant rounds delivered | 2 grant rounds fully delivered |
| Grantee case studies | At least one case study published |
Payment Terms
Upon approval, the total budget will be deposited to the Prezenti Master Multisig in a single transaction from the Community Fund.
Prezenti Master Multisig (2/3): 0xA5c9389A0Ce1bFe24FF883E761Ff313225C77D44
Grant Pool Safes and link to all our Prezenti transaction logs here:
- Growth Pool: 0x3C9a27cd6d3CaF595aa5088001482664215f8Da7
- Boost Pool: 0xdCc89C89c3705D90EebFF3db911CCefA8C0B8d5F
- Admin Safe: 0x03344b9FCDdE6BE2FEF42876dB8fDc0696Ec688F
- Partnership: 0x4eb2d379b7b74aeff190898e049dfd4687a45512
- Boost: 0xd0622d262a1b912da6b587f5df7017f3a02462af
- Master: 0xa5c9389a0ce1bfe24ff883e761ff313225c77d44
- Pilot pool: 0xdcc89c89c3705d90eebff3db911ccefa8c0b8d5f
- Hot Wallet: 0x8e3c938c5f84f5ecb8355dc58c0916ad2610dbae
- Scale pool: 0xd1e5488b44af038f2b220d1e53f0cb068904e3b3
- Micro pool: 0xa0bfa96a40cb3aead1a34cffc1301226dbc5d2ec
- Anchor: TBC
Final Payment Terms:
The payment will be in CELO due to the Community Fund contract holding the majority of available funds in CELO. We use a 90‑day rolling average to determine the price, which smooths out short‑term volatility and provides a fair valuation for grant disbursement.
Based on this 90‑day average (October 30, 2025 – January 28, 2026), CELO is valued at approximately $0.137 USD, implying that to fully cover the requested $276,400 USD budget, approximately 2,017,000–2,078,000 CELO would be required (including a ~3% buffer for price movement and execution).
However, when testing a real swap on-chain using the cUSD/CELO pool, the executable rate is currently ~8.55 CELO per 1 cUSD (≈$0.117 per CELO). At this rate, approximately 2,363,000 CELO would be needed to realize the full $276,400 budget.
We are therefore requesting 2,520,000 CELO, aligning with the current executable on‑chain rate plus a ~3% buffer for price movement. Presenting both the 90‑day average and the real‑time executable price ensures transparency for governance and guarantees that the program is properly funded regardless of market depth or execution slippage. Any unused funds would be returned to the Community Fund and documented in a similar fashion to our Season 1 reporting.
Team
The team remains unchanged from Season 1, providing continuity and operational efficiency.
Multi-sig 2/3 signers:
-
Wade Abel — Prezenti Founder (operationally active), independent validator operator, Celo Governance Guild 0x3fA757A1bA226B52dF46769631c66356151fa4ac
-
Maya Brown — Prezenti Founder (operationally active),web3 grant proposal writer 0xAC15963065Cd50b25B9eA0eA579f286942A2Af14
-
Aaron Boyd — Prezenti Founder (maintaining an advisor position in 2026), independent validator operator, 0xd07B6140a682D367A38eA4B2f3b3460acEecDdb1
For more detail: prezenti.xyz/about-us
Wind-Down Commitment
If Season 2 funding is not approved, or if no further funding is secured after Season 2, Prezenti will:
- Complete all existing grant obligations
- Responsibly wind down operations
- Return any unspent funds to the Celo Community Treasury
Additional Resources
- Season 1 Retrospective Report
- Prezenti Website
- Funded Projects
- Charmverse Grant Portal
- Multisig Transaction History
Previous Funding Requests:
- Season 1 (2025)
- Season 0 (2025)
- H2 2024
- H1 2024
- 2023: Follow-on Funding
- 2022: Reopening of the Celo Community Fund
Thank you for your continued support of Celo’s builder ecosystem service provider.
Prezenti Team