Last quarter, we took a closer look at Ryder, Risidio, Gaideo, and the STX Mining Bot—Stacks grantees tackling key issues within the Stacks ecosystem, such as decentralized identity, decentralized video streaming, NFTs, and accessible mining. This quarter, we're excited to introduce a whole new class of grantees who are innovating on DeFi, Stacking, and even more use cases for DIDs. Read on to learn more about a few standout teams, including Arkadiko, Brownies & Lemonade, and Jolocom.

Arkadiko

Arkadiko is a liquidity protocol that enables lending/borrowing and other DeFi applications on Stacks. The protocol implements a stablecoin soft-pegged to 1 USD called xUSD, as well as a Governance token called DIKO. Arkadiko provides xUSD loans backed by Stacks (STX), which make it possible for users to access extra liquidity within the Stacks ecosystem, while also maintaining relative price stability. Alongside xUSD, DIKO tokens are used to manage and vote on proposals put forward by the community to alter the protocol (such as adding new collateral asset types or changing the risk parameters of an existing asset). You can learn more about the different uses cases and yield-earning opportunities offered by Arkadiko here.

Arkadiko are aiming for a testnet launch in mid June. There are a few things they aim to get ready for a community-wide testnet before then, including UX improvements and DAO testing. Follow their progress via their public Trello roadmap. → Read Arkadiko's full grant application.

Brownies and Lemonade

Brownies and Lemonade are one of the most influential event runners in LA, organizing events from Active Music Spin classes to their day and night parties at Lake Havasu, and they even sell their own merchandise. They have adapted their events in line with current restrictions through online events like all-day digital festivals, so the fun continues!

With their grant, the team will be laying the foundation for a seamless platform in which their community can more directly support the events they want to see and the artists that make them so special. They'll be experimenting with Stacking membership options, crowdfunding type mechanisms that work with Stacking, and even possible community-led NFT minting on Bitcoin. → Read Brownies & Lemonade's full grant application.

Jolocom

Jolocom is a pioneer in the decentralized identity space; their mission is to enable all those capable of having a self-sovereign identity (SSI) to freely communicate with each other in a simple, usable, way. To put this into practice, they’ve designed a blockchain-agnostic 'SmartWallet' app for identity management that gives users complete control of their data.

In their words, "a Jolocom SSI integration for Stacks would address the issue of properly verifiable and secure information from different parties and, potentially, networks by relying on the W3C specifications for Verifiable Credentials (“VCs”), Decentralized Identifiers (“DIDs”), and Credential Handling." This integration would enable real-world activities like single sign-on and payments in a secure and privacy-preserving way. → Read Jolocom's full grant application.