The next step in decentralizing Aragon's development.

Earlier this year we set the path for decentralizing Aragon's development.

And, after half a year, our vision is already a reality. There are two teams working on Aragon's development already: Aragon One and Aragon DAC.

We have been very lucky because those two teams are very culturally-aligned. They both uphold the values and ideas of the project set in the Aragon Manifesto. That also makes collaboration easy, since we like and understand each other.

To keep that vibe going, we will need to make sure new Aragon teams are selected with the utmost care. Including a new team into the ecosystem can be dangerous if you don't choose well. We see including teams as a very manual and humane process for now.

But, at the same time, it should be inclusive. If teams are hand-picked, that is not very decentralized after all. And we shouldn't limit ourselves to our social circles for including new teams. Talent is everywhere, and opportunities should be too.

This is why we have been working on a grants program for Aragon teams. It's called Flock.

Becoming an Aragon team

The process is simple, transparent, and we use GitHub, as with all Aragon programs.

Applicants should open a Pull Request and fill in a template with info about their team and roadmap. After that, the Aragon Association will circle back and ask follow up questions. We expect that Flock will be a very thorough program, with a lot of interaction required.

As part of the application process, applicants may have to travel to meet with the other teams too. After all, being an Aragon team has a very humane and cultural component. We expect applications to take months until approved.

After the Aragon Association approves an application, the final step is getting approval from ANT holders.

That final step will be subject to AGP-1, if it becomes ratified by ANT holders as well.

Expectations for a new team

We expect teams to tackle an important part of the Aragon stack. That's why the minimum for Flock grants will be $1,000,000. There will be no maximum.

We also expect a strong time commitment from Aragon teams, at least a few years. Building the project will take time, and we need to be here for the long run. To reward that commitment, there is an Aragon Network Token package. The ANT package will align incentives with the rest of Aragon teams and the ecosystem. It would also give the team governance power over the project, and economic upside.

A slow start

We are releasing Flock as an alpha to structure grants to Aragon teams. Yet we don't have the bandwidth to onboard more teams in the next few months. Onboarding new teams is quite a manual process, since it involves technical support and travel.

Even so, we want to start opening conversations with potential teams. If you love Aragon and have a team that could take it to the next level, we want to hear from you!