Fly the Bitcoin flag and show us your Naka•mojo•
Q1 2023 | Stacks Foundation OKR Report
by Mitchell Cuevas on April 27, 2023
Q1 saw the highly-anticipated launch of Stacks 2.1, an uptick in funding for Stacks builders, and saw the Stacks (STX) token make major moves in the market. But, rather than take up too much space here going over these wins, I highly encourage everyone to check out the latest ecosystem recap where we've compiled all the juicy updates.

At the Stacks Foundation, our primary efforts are focused around core blockchain infrastructure, developer education, and governance (execution of Stacks 2.1 voting being one example) to prepare the ecosystem for a year of adoption in 2023.

Below we’ve outlined our performance against our Q1 2023e Objective and Key Results (OKRs). You can read a bit more about the planning and prioritization process for these OKRs here. You can always find our current quarter OKRs on our website. Generally, new OKRs for each quarter are shared one month into the quarter.
OKR Performance Summaries
(A) Ensure successful blockchain upgrades and improvements
✅ Completed.
Stacks 2.1 was rolled out and all integration partners and systems we're aware of successfully upgraded! This was a massive undertaking that just about everyone contributed to in one way or another, so thank you! The upgrade wasn't without a couple hiccups, but those issues are currently being addresses by core developers and community contributors. In addition, 4 new core developers and our very own Security Lead were onboarded throughout the ecosystem during the quarter, significantly increasing the development capacity for the Stacks network.

Additionally, members of our team led Working Groups related to sBTC which will be a key focus as we push to deliver on the full promise of Stacks as a Bitcoin layer. Coordinating these efforts will be a major way we spend time the next several quarters, and we onboarded a Stacks Resident in Q1 to further buoy this critical work.
(B) Increase total Community Leaders to 810 (+30% over Q4 ‘22) and further enable community to meaningfully contribute to critical network needs
✅ Surpassed goal of 810 Community Leaders, reaching 946
Thanks to grassroots efforts, a number of new cities hosted initial Meetups or workshops for builders in their area. Participation was generally high in the quarter as a number community leaders moved from a more cursory role to one of meaningful contribution, leading the way for blowing past the set goal.

Critical Bounties were also introduced during the quarter, allowing contributors to align to key needs for the network. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in bounties for this important work was awarded via the Stacks Foundation Grants program this quarter.

Read more about Stacks Chapters and Critical Bounties.
(C) Enable critical sBTC work by supporting entrepreneurs
✅ Implemented sBTC update pattern, roadmap, and prospected teams for important debut sBTC applications
Early in the quarter, regular sBTC updates were established by supporting a Stacks Resident. The sBTC roadmap was shared here. These are important steps in aligning the ecosystem to the technology and preparing them for success. The quarter also saw a number of new Working Groups formed related to sBTC directly or tangentially.

Further, there are 8 teams verbally committed to building 7 different sBTC use cases, in some cases Critical Bounties applied and were awarded. This quarter we’ll help others nurture these teams on the road to launch.

Elsewhere, we worked to cement Bitcoin Frontier Fund (BFF) as the hub for investors and entrepreneurs in the Stacks Ecosystem by handing off investor relationships within the Stacks ecosystem. For creators, the Mintery program launched its self-guided material allowing the Stacks NFT Resident to focus on supporting high-visibility projects such as Metaboy and others, and to coordinate within the creator community around their needs related to sBTC.
(D) 640 Stacks Developers (+30% over Q4 ‘22)
✅ Reached goal of 640 Stacks developers, reaching 759 (Orbit 1 & 2)
The quarter was another strong one for developer growth as measured by Orbit. On the education side, this quarter was successful in creating a solid foundation on which to build a large amount of quality content and events over the rest of the year. Smaller tutorial/video content that was created during the quarter will be published over the course of Q2.

On another front, the Clarity Assessment was created, launched, and tested. It’s now been shared with an initial group of developers and a process has been established to issue NFT certificates for display in the Stacks Talent Portal.

Last but not least, the Stacks Foundation supported hackathons and other builder focused events including the DevPost Clarity Hack and “BTC Olympics”.

Line-by-Line OKR Report
See each objective broken down line by line with specific numbers, links, and more.
Open Now
Previous Reports
Looking Ahead
The quick version: sBTC, sBTC, sBTC. :)

  • Resourcing and alignment on sBTC will continue to be a major focus of this quarter's OKRs, along with research related to Nakamoto. In addition, we'll support core developer onboarding throughout the ecosystem and improve the testing and security practices of the network.
  • Realigning messaging around Stacks as a Bitcoin Layer will be a continued focus as the Stacks Foundation supports brand explorations related to sBTC and Stacks and keeps up key properties such as CMC and others. This lays the groundwork for a smooth and well-received sBTC launch.
  • Developer education and experience will also be crucial components of upcoming objectives and be fed by a robust event, Meetup, and hackathon slate powered by Community Leaders. These developers will be critical in providing feedback on sBTC releases and driving initial traction.
Get Involved