What’s Trending in The Network State

In a recent Cointelegraph interview, Alessio Treglia, Jur's CTO, and Vikram Bharati, founder of Draper Startup House, discuss the exciting concept of "Network States" and how they are poised to redefine traditional notions of governance and societal structures. Draper Nation, a Bitcoin-native digital nation founded by legendary Silicon Valley investor Tim Draper and powered by the Jur Network, introduces a unique model for governance and service delivery. Citizens of Draper Nation hold direct ownership and wield substantial influence within the network, enabling them to actively participate in decision-making processes and public activities.Below's an excerpt from the interview: CT: The Jur Network is integral to Draper Nation’s functionality. Could you delve into how it underpins the operations and governance of these emerging Network States?Alessio Treglia: The Jur Network is a decentralized technical infrastructure designed to facilitate on-chain decision-making processes and activities involving the general public in the day-to-day operations of digital communities. Our primary goal is to encourage more people to join these communities and engage directly in public discourse and action. In perspective, while a Facebook user interacts primarily as a consumer within the Facebook network, a Jur Network user has direct ownership and influence over the network. Draper Nation serves as our first real-world, large-scale user community — a critical proving ground where Jur Engineering turns abstract network concepts into practical, real-world applications. CT: Looking ahead, what major milestones can we expect from Draper Nation and the Jur Network in the upcoming year? Vikram Bharati: The first year of Draper Nation will be experimental as we seek to understand who truly wants to be a part of this new nation and what the citizens’ aspirations are for its future. In essence, we want to co-create this nation with the help of its citizens. We will co-write the Manifesto and then the Constitution of Draper Nation through community-driven activities. We have already held two inaugural events and have more to come with the opening of a new embassy in Hyderabad. Netizens will have access to benefits of various kinds: free accommodations for events, scholarships, and more. For a deeper dive into the interview and to learn more about how Network States and the Jur Network are shaping the future of governance, read the full article on Cointelegraph here.

This article forms the second part of the insightful conversation between Stuart (AKA the Wordsmith) and Alessio Treglia, the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Jur. In this second half of the interview, the pair go into detail about the world of governance applications and Alessio’s vision for how he can help lead the company into its new bold era to create the building blocks for decentralised governance. If you missed the first exciting part, we encourage you to read it here. As the conversation continued Alessio began to dig into how decentralised start-up societies and network states could evolve to help improve our current societal systems. He highlighted the fact that everything, including the Web3 world, is embedded in governance - even if many don’t realise it, stating how, “Web3 promises to revolutionise the financial system. However, even the systems of Web3 are governed through regulation. Governance is everywhere.”  Alessio continued to elaborate that the fundamental structure of our financial system and economy form the base of our society. Therefore, the way we want to trade with each other is based on rules, and as such governance helps us trade fairly. The CTO then explained how he believes governance lies at the heart of every organisation – it allows individuals, organisations and countries alike to come together and write the rules when a common interest is at stake. The conversation continued to highlight the importance and virtue behind governance, often helping rivals to reach common ground. “We want to write the rules so even rivals can sit down and agree on a basis for fair trade,” he said. “At the heart of governance lies a solid foundation for transparency and shared values.” Alessio’s wise words highlighted the widespread positive application that systems such as Network States can provide if implemented well - ensuring fair arbitration for almost any dispute or issue, as well as the discovery of common ground.  The pair continued on to discuss how there are many areas where one could focus and solve a particular problem in the public expenditure scenario using effective governance, given the fact that – as Alessio explained – across the world, 40% of the GDP is usually managed by a centralised government for public expenditure.  Governance in that sense gives the public certain guarantees they need, and encourages them to take part in the democratic process perpetually. The conversation then expanded on this detail further through the example of Public Goods. Alessio explained how, “making money as a public good is not easy. They are deemed to be used as a right [by citizens]. They feel entitled to use it as a right. For example, public infrastructure, such as roads and highways, are used by everybody. However, there is always a business behind that.” As such governance of these public goods is crucial to maintain a cohesive and supportive society and can help circumvent issues by providing effective compromise solutions in a way that is agreed upon by all –such as paying highway tolls. Stuart then started to dig deeper into Jur’s mission to build the infrastructure for Network States, starting by helping viewers understand what one is in its simplest form. Although the fundamental concept is not often easily understood at this stage of its infancy, Alessio had the perfect explanation. He began by drawing similarities between a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) - which is a largely understood system in the Web3 space, explaining how, “the answer is very simple. A DAO is a subset of a Network State. [It is] an organisation of individuals and entities, all with some common interest - usually financial - who congregate…to pool resources together.” A DAO effectively helps a group of individuals to make decisions together through a decentralised democratic process on the blockchain. Alessio further expanded on this by stating, “[In a DAO] you bring capital to the party. You put capital at risk and then become a member of that DAO.” A Network State therefore is a superset of this use case that doesn’t rely solely on capital risk. The CTO concluded the explanation brilliantly by drawing parallels to members of a country. “[You are] a citizen…not because of the capital you possess, but for other reasons. You can be poor, but you would still be considered a citizen, and a potentially valuable one. The concept of a state is not a membership and is not dependent on capital,” which is exactly what a Network State is - a social community with an aligned mission for collective actions that operate through an on-chain social contract without requiring a physical territory.  With the definition of a Network State solidified, the conversation then shifted to the aspirations for Web3 ecosystems and how Jur will make a significant contribution to its growth and development. Alessio explained how Jur has already been playing a crucial role in the ecosystem in terms of building the technology and infrastructure for Network States as they continue to gather more use cases on a daily basis. “We don’t contribute by lending our expertise or experience,” he said. “Instead, we create building blocks and then create use cases on top of those blocks.” Indeed Jur prides itself on creating connections and asking the exact question that Alessio outlined: “What is the big problem for organisations and corporations in terms of governance?” and then assisting those seeking the technology required to structure their organisation in an efficient manner.  Stuart then wrapped up the engaging conversation by posing the new CTO a key question: “With your experience in building tech infrastructure and governance, what are your plans for decentralised governance?” Alessio responded by stating, “We [Jur] have new use cases coming to us on a daily basis, and the more use cases we have - the better equipped we are.” Again the response showed how Alessio has his finger on the pulse of Jur’s ethos. Building a constant influx of new use cases is crucial in growing the project’s knowledge in the space in regards to what organisations need, allowing it to by extension grow its toolbox and scale faster. Overall, the fun and insightful conversation revealed a lot not only about the CTO’s past, but also its future vision – particularly as it continues to unveil the infrastructure for Network States and provide burgeoning organizations with better choices and support, using innovative blockchain technology.  Alessio concluded by stating, “Our vision is to empower people and societies to have a governance system come to [system-based] conclusions on-chain by leveraging our comprehensive tools. Although you can’t predict what democracy 2.0 or 3.0 will look like, you can start building the blocks to create it.”  And that is exactly what Jur intends to do as it gives power back to the people. 

This article marks the first instalment of an engaging conversation between Stuart (AKA the Wordsmith) and Alessio Treglia, the newly appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Jur. In this insightful discussion, they delve into Alessio's fascinating background and his alignment with Jur's mission and governance philosophy, as evident from his insights on the importance of governance and its role in building successful organisations. You can explore the continuation of this enriching dialogue between Stuart and Alessio in the second part here. Jur – a leading name in the decentralised technology world – has put its best foot forward with the appointment of Alessio Treglia as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Known for his profound expertise in blockchain technology and governance, Alessio brings an innovative vision to his new role. To introduce him to the community, he took part in an in-depth interview with popular industry writer and journalist Stuart M (AKA the Wordsmith), where the two spoke in depth about Alessio's ideas and the strategic direction he plans for Jur in the vibrant Web 3.0 ecosystem. At the start of the interview, Alessio shed some light on his personal history and professional background. Starting his journey in software development at a very young age, Alessio highlighted the influential role that open-source played in his career development: "I started making software when I was a kid,” he explained. “I was very little and I started with open source. For me it was a means by which I could learn about systems and technology." Alessio further expanded on his career trajectory, explaining his transition from software development to working as a consultant for various non-government organisations and foundations. His early experiences were not just confined to software development however; he was also part of influential open-source projects. “[After University] I was working, and living in Italy – I'm from there originally – as a contractor, and as a consultant for a lot of non-government organisations and foundations,” he told the Wordsmith. “I was making a lot of software, collaborating with companies like Ubuntu, Debian. [These were] perhaps the very first open-source projects that I started collaborating with." Certainly Alessio’s reveal of his association with projects that represent stalwart pillars of the open-source world, also subtly showcased a great deal about his competency and passion for technology – as well as being no stranger to working on complex, large-scale, and influential projects. However it was his move to London that Alessio's feels allowed his career to undergo a dramatic transformation. The city’s diversity offered him an expansive landscape to explore and learn, far beyond his previous experience as a systems developer. He recalled how, "Coming to London… gave me the possibility to experience quite a diverse set of things…I started to work on so much more." This period of his career saw Alessio dip into multiple sectors. In 2013, Alessio served as an engineer for one of Facebook's strategic partners, where they launched one of the first products that leveraged Facebook FBX for retargeting technology. Alessio then evolved to become a specialist Linux engineer, with the position allowing him to apply his technical skills in a different domain and further broadened his growing expertise. Ever curious, Alessio continued to evolve, moving on to the sports gambling industry, where he developed algorithms for making betting predictions, before becoming both a consultant and vice President of Engineering for various top-level companies. Some time later Alessio found himself in the financial sector – specifically markets operations technology, humorously remarking how, “the funny thing was I didn’t know much about finance.” This didn’t last long however, and after gaining a ton of experience in the sector, Alessio moved over to Blockchain technology, which he felt was “the natural next step.” After meeting some influential figures in the space – such as Jae Quon, founder and CEO of Tendermint– Alessio became once again curious about development. Indeed Alessio enjoyed a 4 year tenure at the company – a lifetime in the rapid-paced sector – first as a consultant and working his way right up to CTO, during which he actually created the first financial proof of concept application model based on Tendermint Core.Impressive stuff indeed. This glimpse into Alessio's background is illustrative of his commitment to technology and collaboration, both of which have prepared him for his new role as CTO of Jur. Indeed it was fortuitous for Jur that after leaving Tendermint and having burned the candle at both ends for many years – that Alessio took a well-earned rest, using the time to study and decompress – and actually learned about the project, which piqued his interest due to it being reminiscent of much he had learned in the financial sector. “The main subject [there] is governance…and when you build a business, governance is crucial, it’s a pillar,” Alessio explained. “You can’t build a financial organisation or a tech company without having a governance that makes people incentivised to stick together…and deliver value,” He then added with a laugh, “that’s an almost twenty year career, condensed into four minutes.” Certainly Alessio’s viewpoint on governance is spot on with both the individualistic and collaborative values that Jur’s Startup Societies and Network States hold – being a core tenant of the project’s ethos. The pair then discussed Alessio’s contributions to Tendermint in more detail, and the new CTO recounted one challenging yet pivotal period that was completely transformative for the company. "Back in 2021, the organisation was going through changes. A number of sub-companies formed, people left to join other organisations to work on what they wanted," he recalled. At that point, he was among the few remaining engineers. But this unique scenario presented Alessio with an unprecedented opportunity. He elaborated, "I was given the possibility to experiment, to try to build a team from the ground up. I had never been in that position before, I must admit." With this, he brought to bear his philosophy on nurturing high-quality individuals, understanding that good engineers can learn and adapt. "Although they might not know something today,” Alessio explained, “if they're interested…and really want to build what they want to build, then they’ll learn.” And it was this approach to fitting the perfect people into the perfect positions – despite many of them being junior engineers – that led to a remarkable turnaround. "In one year, we ended up being one of the three largest engineering organisations in the whole Cosmos ecosystem," he added with clear pride in his voice, underlying the success of his approach in dynamic team building and fostering a culture of collaborative learning. The conversation then shifted to Jur itself. “Obviously [the company] is very glad to have you onboard, but…can you perhaps share a little more about what made you want to join and how its missions maybe align with your own goals and interests?” Stuart asked. “It’s actually very simple,” replied Alessio, and then dived into how Bitcoin showcased how financial systems could be set up to work differently, but come with inherent promises such as transparency, accountability – and importantly – governance. Yet governance is the most ignored of all by those within the sector. “Not because people don’t care,” Alessio explained insightfully, “but because governance [represents] a very diverse set of very difficult problems. [Also] there is a conundrum because you want fairness, but you also want performance, and you have to strike a balance.” Of course this is exactly what Jur is trying to achieve with its citizenships to various Startup Societies and Network States; and it was this attempt to solve these core humanistic issues through blockchain technology (which stands a better chance of facilitating it than any other system that has ever come before it) which drew Alessio to the project. (Fun fact - Alessio originally offered to help Jur find a CTO, but was so energised by the company’s values and ethos, that he took the job himself!) Stuart and Alessio continued their exciting discussion, diving ever-deeper into the world of governance application and the new CTO’s vision for how he can help lead the company as it marches into its bold new era. But sadly you’ll have to wait for the next article to get those juicy insights – coming next week! Keep your eye on our socials to grab that link the moment it drops, or come back here where it’ll be posted right below when it’s live! We humbly ask you to share this article with friends and family, so more can learn about Jur’s pioneering journey into newer, better ways to govern emerging societies. After all, collective support and organic growth are two of the core pillars of who we are - and we appreciate each and every person who supports our vision of a brighter future. Thank you!

Polkadot India was an exceptional event! It was a pleasure for us to participate, and we strongly believe that it showcases the enormous potential of Polkadot.  We'd like to share an important strategic update with you. As you may have noticed, there have been some recent changes in the supply and demand dynamics of Polkadot's parachain slot auctions– now held monthly. Numerous projects, including Jur’s partners, routinely participate in auctions to initiate or renew their parachain leases. We have decided to launch Jur Chain as a solo chain first to ensure operational celerity. This will enable us to complete the $JUR token swap much sooner, without having to wait for the successful outcome of an auction. Similarly, this strategy ensures that Jur does not have to overspend on a slot in order to carry out the token swap or execute product delivery promptly.  Holders of $JUR will soon have the ability to migrate their tokens to the Jur Chain. The token swap dApp is now production-ready and will undergo end-to-end testing on the solo chain. We understand it's a hassle. However, keep in mind that Jur will participate in a crowdloan soon. This strategy is intended to guarantee a fast token swap independent from market dynamics.  We anticipate becoming a parachain in the near future and joining forces with other partners and projects in the space. With more than 51 societies attending the award, totaling 430K+ cumulative members, we are proud to build with our focus on our users. The Jur team has been working relentlessly towards this goal. Stay tuned for our announcement on the launch of the Jur Chain! 

Tim Draper, Ed Hesse, and Trent Mc'Conaghy will select five winning pitches for the Startup Society Founders’ Awards. Each winner will receive $2,000 USD plus 1,000 $JUR to support their startup society. Anyone can enter but to win, your society proposal needs to be clear, attractive to others, and realistic to achieve. Let’s talk about how to set up the basic structure to support a winning pitch: To enter, you will fill out a form to describe your startup society concept (which takes less than 2 minutes). In order to craft a winning proposal, you should focus on addressing the following questions: Why would people want to join your society? Does it have broad appeal with values that are common to many people? Or perhaps your society would only appeal to a narrow niche, but your citizens would be passionately committed. Is your goal useful and achievable? How could your society benefit citizens in a way that is realistic? When someone asks “what’s in it for me.” the answer should be something that is meaningful to them and something your group could really deliver.  As you consider your answers, try to imagine what someone could say that would get you excited about an idea like yours. Remember a time when you felt inspired reading about a similar vision? Strive to capture and share that creative energy.  You can also join the Jur community on Discord to talk about Startup Societies in general and get reactions to your specific idea. An Awards Committee will evaluate your concept and assign a score of 1 to 5. The ten highest-scoring proposals will be shortlisted for evaluation by the judges. Each founder on the shortlist will get support from the Jur team to refine their pitch for the judges. The judges will score the pitches on three criteria: desirability, feasibility, and viability. In other words, do people want a society like this? Can the goals of their society be achieved? Do the goals bring substantial benefits so that their society will endure?Pitch your Startup Society now!

Polkadot Parachain Auctions Polkadot Crowdloans are used to increase projects’ bids in Polkadot Parachain auctions. Parachains are parallel blockchains that connect to the Polkadot Relay Chain. To connect to the Relay Chain, projects must lease a parachain slot by staking DOT tokens. Slots are offered in an auction process. Projects that stake the highest amount of DOT tokens win the opportunity to lease a slot for a defined period of time by leaving their DOTs in the staking module. Projects can acquire DOT with their own funds and stake them to bid, but there is also another option: the crowdloan.  What is a Polkadot Crowdloan and how does it work? A Polkadot Crowdloan is a mechanism that allows anyone to support a project’s parachain auction bid by locking DOT tokens in a crowdloan module. DOT tokens staked through crowdloans can be added to the project’s own staked DOTs to increase the total staking bid for the auction. Parachain auctions last one week. Crowdloan campaigns also have specified start and end dates which are defined by the project. If there is a crowdloan open when an auction period closes, the DOTS staked in that crowdloan can be applied as a bid for the auction. Once a crowdloan campaign period ends, if the project has not won an auction, the staked DOTS are returned to their owners. However, if the project’s stake is sufficiently high to win a slot during the campaign period, all the DOTs in the staking module will remain locked for the entire duration of the lease.  Why participate in a  Polkadot Crowdloan? Projects usually offer a direct reward for participation. The most common form of reward is a payment in project tokens, often made at the end of the staking period. Crowdloan participation is also a way to signal support for a project that you believe in. Crowdloans offer projects and their supporters a way to support the Polkadot ecosystem, win a parachain slot, and start a flywheel of reciprocal support. The individual supports the project and Polkadot and the project reciprocates with project tokens, encouraging and helping the individual to participate in the project.  How to participate in a Crowdloan? Some projects may offer dApps(decentralised applications) DAPPs or access to centralised exchange features for participating in crowdloans, but the least expensive way will usually be to use the Polkadot.js browser extension with the Polkadot.js UI wallet. You will also need to buy some DOT, which is easy to do with fiat or crypto on Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken and you can also buy DOT with USDC on Kucoin and Bybit. Once you have purchased DOTs and sent them to your Polkadot.js address, you can use the Polkadot.js wallet to participate in the crowdloan. Navigate from the top menu to Parachains, select Crowdloans from the second Menu Bar, then locate the project you want to support and click contribute. Your wallet can support multiple accounts, so you will need to specify the account you want to use. Then select an amount of DOT between the minimum and maximum shown on the screen. Make sure that subtracting your contribution from your total balance will leave at least 1.1 DOT in your account. You must maintain a minimum balance of 1 DOT and there will be a small transaction fee.  It is easy to install the Polkadot.js wallet (only available for Firefox and Chrome). Once you have one of those browsers set up, just download the extension here and then follow the prompts on the screen to add an account and store the key.