Experience: Who are we?
Community Leaders
Whether executing a community initiative like ours or a private business project, strong leadership is important for ensuring that the proposed program of work is effectively coordinated and that there is accountability for delivering against the objectives. Our community leaders have a long-standing reputation in the Cardano ecosystem, both locally and globally, with experience necessary to help achieve our strategic goals.
Our first exercise is to convene partners already listed on this site, map their interests, networks, Cardano adoption goals, contributions and identify value pairs. This ensures every collaboration adds measurable value to the ecosystem.
This Year 1 is a pilot year where we test collaborations, establish value-pairs between partners, and demonstrate to the wider Cardano community that Oceania can deliver results worth scaling and replicating.
Jo Allum
Jo is a venture catalyst and ecosystem cultivator connecting Aotearoa’s innovation networks with the global Cardano community. She convened the Cardano Aotearoa Network, serves as co-founder or on the Advisory Board of all of Australian Government and NZ Government suppliers, and is a founding member of the Eastern Cardano Council. She plays strategic and governance roles in initiatives building digital public infrastructure for collective resilience — including Toha.network (nature-based markets for environmental regeneration), Mātou (polycentric Māori-led governance and digital identity systems), and the Rules as Code Guild (advancing jurisdiction-compliant, machine-readable regulations and interoperability across the world).
As Founder and Director of Venture Centre Ltd, Jo has supported hundreds of innovators through mentoring, funding, navigation, and ecosystem building. She is also core contributor to yumi.ai, a multiplayer impact finance engineering organisation building market mechanisms and public digital infrastructure. Across all work, Jo is committed to data sovereignty, intergenerational wellbeing, and ensuring the systems we build cannot be captured by narrow self-interest.
Peter Bui
Peter is a developer and educator who bridges mainstream web technologies with Cardano. As founder of the agency Mesh With Us and creator of the CardanoPress WordPress plugin, he brings two decades of digital-tech experience to blockchain adoption. Within Cardano he runs the eco-friendly ADAOZ stake pool, is a meetup organiser and serves as a long-standing Cardano Ambassador, sharing clear, beginner-friendly insights through his popular Learn Cardano podcast and YouTube channel, which have clocked more than two million views.
Beyond education, Peter builds infrastructure tools and champions decentralised governance. CardanoPress helps WordPress sites connect directly to Cardano wallets, lowering barriers for new users, while his weekly news digests and community round-tables keep delegators up to date on DeFi, infrastructure, and funding debates. In 2025 he expanded his impact by standing as a DRep, promising transparent voting on treasury and governance proposals and reinforcing his commitment to responsible, community-driven network growth.
Peter Horsfall
As an active Cardano community member since 2021, Peter has served as a Delegate Representative (DRep) since 2024, contributing to the ecosystem’s governance. Nominated by his peers, he had the honour of signing the Cardano Constitution in Argentina, a significant milestone. Peter has hosted meetups and workshops in Melbourne and Sydney and played a key role in organising Cardano’s dedicated booth at the 2024 Australia Crypto Convention in Sydney.
With over a decade of experience in finance, Peter works at National Australia Bank (NAB), specialising in legal operations and transformation through emerging technologies. He brings his expertise, networks, and enthusiasm to strengthen Cardano’s presence in Oceania and beyond.
@blockchain_pete
|
Peter Horsfall
Phil Lewis
Phil is a long-time Cardano community member and certified Enterprise Architect with over 25 years of experience in enterprise and government IT. He has led in-person Cardano events across Australia, delivered a governance workshop as a DRep Pioneer Program leader, and spoke at the 2024 Australian Crypto Convention on Cardano’s unique capabilities and the introduction of decentralised governance (watch here).
As the CEO of Vaka Consulting, Phil brings hands-on experience building impact-focused blockchain solutions. His background working with large organisations and securing partnerships makes him well-positioned to support the business development goals of Cardano in Oceania. Phil also serves on the Intersect Steering Committee and is Chair of the Enterprise & Government Adoption Working Group.
phillewis
Sponsors & Partners
While we have an enthusiastic group of individuals who are passionate to see Cardano grow in Oceania, we acknowledge that passion alone isn’t enough to achieve our objectives, and that many organisations also have a vested interest in seeing Cardano thrive. We are therefore appreciative of the support that organisations in our region have already given to our ecosystem and who are committed to continue supporting us through this project. They bring co-funding (through sponsorship), infrastructure & tools, as well as case studies or lessons learned from Cardano based projects. This helps provide efficiency to everyone’s contributions, better utilisation of funds and more effective outcomes that are aimed at delivering real world solutions.
46 South Stake Pool (46S)
As the world’s southern most Cardano stake pool, for over 3 years 46 South has been running on bare-metal servers powered entirely by 100% renewable energy, in the far south of New Zealand. But they are more than just infrastructure. A portion of the stake pool’s rewards are donated to Pest Free Token, a New Zealand charity dedicated to eradicating introduced pests that threaten native bird species. Delegators to 46S, are not only supporting the Cardano network — they’re investing in a healthier Aotearoa, safeguarding its unique ecosystems, and helping keep birds safe from those annoying predators! The team believe that blockchain technology has the power to create real-world impact — and by aligning technology with local conservation efforts, they aim to bring those possibilities to life in tangible ways.
Website
ECO Pool – The sustainable Stake Pool (ECO)
ECO Pool is a New Zealand-based, mission-driven Cardano stake pool operated by Mat, an engineer, Cardano enthusiast, and sustainability advocate. Running on 100% renewable energy, ECO Pool supports a variety of environmental charities working to sustain and regenerate nature and biodiversity. It blends reliable staking performance with real-world impact - advocating for a carbon-neutral future and showing how blockchain can regenerate, not just disrupt.
Executive Portlets
Since its inception in 2010, Executive Portlets Pty Ltd has been a trusted partner in the project and program management sector, now marking 15 years of dedicated service. Headquartered in Australia, the company focuses on enabling confident and secure sharing of project data, helping professionals streamline operations and enhance collaboration in complex environments.
Mātou Collective
Mātou Collective develops resilient digital public infrastructure for Māori and other Indigenous peoples, built on Cardano. Its work spans digital identity, DAO governance tools, and tokenised economies designed to protect data sovereignty, enable community self-determination, and enable equitable participation in the global digital economy.
Salsa Digital
Salsa Digital is a trusted leader in open digital platforms, working with governments to deliver secure, scalable, and future-ready technology. Founded in Australia, Salsa specialises in open source solutions, digital public infrastructure, and next-generation services that connect people, data, and systems. With deep expertise in government digital infrastructure - spanning digital, data, design systems, and rules-as-code - Salsa helps create open, interoperable ecosystems that empower communities and improve public service delivery. Salsa is also contributing to emerging AI applications for government, helping shape how artificial intelligence can be adopted ethically, securely, and in ways that support digital sovereignty. Through its partnerships and projects, Salsa is committed to supporting decentralised technologies like Cardano to drive transparency, trust, and innovation across the public and private sectors.
TokenFlows
Tokenflows equips builders with the tools to practice Token Engineering on EUTxO chains like Cardano. Through hands‑on tutorials and simulations—spanning mechanism design, cadCAD modelling, market dynamics, canvases, and more—it translates complex token economics into learnable and deployable systems. Designed for those ready to move beyond theory and prototype with rigour new economic systems.
Tokeo
Tokeo, powered by Tokeo Labs Ltd, is a pioneering Web3 smart wallet deeply rooted in the Cardano ecosystem. As a Cardano-centric project, it enables seamless decentralised finance access on Cardano, with integrations for Bitcoin and SUI, and plans for further blockchain expansions.
The platform offers user-friendly multi-chain swaps, staking, cross-chain transactions, and on/off-ramping solutions that prioritise security and intuitive design. As a critical infrastructure component, Tokeo is scaling Web3 adoption by partnering with builders in Oceania (and globally), to help bring easier accessibility to their solutions.
Vaka Consulting
Vaka Consulting are a solutions design company, who partner with businesses looking to leverage decentralised technology. They sponsored several Cardano events last year, funding venues, catering and merchandise. They were also the lead logistics coordinator for the Intersect/Cardano booth at the 2024 Australian Crypto Convention.
The team specialise in creating solutions that deliver real world value, such as being the core technology partner for the Empowa project. They are currently working on projects such as:
- A financing solution for a green asset distributor in Kenya.
- An Article 6.4 compliant carbon credit registry and marketplace in Australia.
Venture Centre
Venture Centre enables entrepreneurial ecosystems where courageous people coordinate — and coordination creates change. Based in Tauranga Moana, we connect innovators to the tools and talent in the Cardano community. We support the design and launch of systems that serve communities, not just markets — from digital public infrastructure and data sovereignty products, to nature-based markets and polycentric governance models. Our work spans initiatives such as Toha.network, Mātou, the Rules-as-Code Guild, and the Cardano Aotearoa Network, ensuring Aotearoa’s perspectives are included in shaping global innovation.
Venture Centre bridges local ingenuity with global networks to channel capital, skills, and relationships into high-integrity, impact-driven projects.
VyFinance
VyFinance has been a pioneering force within the Cardano ecosystem since 2021. As the second DEX to announce on chain, VyFinance has played an integral role in shaping the foundations of Cardano DeFi, including the building of the first smart-contract to be used as a public product on chain in 2021.
Over the years, VyFinance has delivered a suite of innovative products widely adopted across the ecosystem. These include trading, staking, and vaulting services, large-scale on-chain distribution, token redistribution mechanisms, and dynamic competition and reward systems.
The VYFI ecosystem powers many of Cardano’s leading projects, serving as a DeFi backbone for infrastructure and utility. By prioritising intuitive user interfaces and seamless product integrations, VyFinance continues to make Cardano’s DeFi tools more accessible to both users and builders, driving growth across the blockchain.
yūmi.ai
yūmi is building modular, multiplayer impact-investing tooling on Cardano. In partnership with NZ government agencies like the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and New Zealand’s Social Investment Agency, yūmi co-designs digital public infrastructure that blends cultural wisdom, social impact, financial and economic coordination.
Supporters & Contributors
People are at the heart of this grassroots initiative and Oceania is fortunate to have a strong community of people who have been contributing to Cardano for many years. These are just some of the people who regularly step up and are ready to go, with many more excited to contribute.
Nathan Barkell (Perth)
Nathan is a passionate educator and entrepreneur who has taught Maths, Science, and Health & Physical Education for over a decade. He hosted the Cardano Constitution Workshop in Perth, Western Australia, and was elected as the city’s delegate to attend the Cardano Constitutional Convention in Buenos Aires, where he participated in drafting and officially signing the final Constitution alongside Charles Hoskinson and fellow global delegates. An active member of the crypto ecosystem for the past five years, Nate is focused on growing a world-class business that makes education more accessible and impactful across the world.
Scott Collins (Brisbane)
Scott is a documentary filmmaker who has been deeply engaged with Cardano since 2017. He participated in the Incentivised Testnet (ITN), contributed during the formation of CIP-1694 (Cardano’s governance framework), and engaged in the platform’s governance evolution. He exhibited work as a guest artist at the inaugural Rare conference in 2022 and again in 2023. Scott maintains a keen interest in the future of blockchain and distributed technologies.
Alfred Deeb (Melbourne)
Alfred Deeb, CEO & Co-Founder, Salsa Digital is a technology entrepreneur and open digital advocate, passionate about building systems that serve people and communities. Alfred has led Salsa’s growth into a trusted partner for all-of-government digital transformation delivering open source platforms, digital public infrastructure, and innovative solutions in rules-as-code, while also contributing to the responsible adoption of AI in government. With a career spanning multiple successful ventures, Alfred combines commercial acumen with a commitment to openness, transparency, and long-term impact. His vision is driving Salsa to explore how trusted, decentralised ecosystems, like Cardano, can transform how societies govern, collaborate, and innovate.
Blane Edwards (Perth)
Blane is an architect exploring the intersection of technology and impact. He first discovered Cardano in 2017 after watching Charles Hoskinson’s whiteboard video, and was drawn to the project’s vision of building an alternative digital infrastructure for humanity, grounded in values of transparency, inclusivity, accountability, and resilience. Since 2021, Blane has been actively contributing to the Cardano ecosystem, working on projects that reflect a belief in decentralised systems as tools for meaningful and lasting change.
Gareth Farry (Auckland)
Creative producer, cultural technologist and law innovator, Gareth is working on the design of plural governance systems, and secure ZK identity on Cardano, Ap3x Fusion and Midnight. His work bridges human rights advocacy and blockchain architecture, modelling a Human Rights DAO and token framework capable of operating across 70+ countries and 10+ million people in Amnesty International’s network. His approach integrates cultural worldviews, common law principles, and decentralised decision-making, using Cardano’s infrastructure to prototype governance that is equitable, transparent, and rooted in the lived realities of diverse communities. More information is available on his website at https://www.garethfarry.com/projects.
Stephen Giderson (Sydney)
Stephen is the Founder and CEO of Tokeo Labs Ltd, leading innovation in the Cardano ecosystem through tokeo.io. He drives advancements in multi-chain swaps, staking, and cross-chain transactions tailored to Cardano’s secure architecture, emphasising accessibility and security. Under his leadership, a key contribution to Cardano is the Swift SDK Kit, which simplifies iOS app development for more efficient mobile experiences. Stephen is at the forefront of enhancing Cardano’s ecosystem, fostering innovation and mainstream adoption in decentralised technologies.
Engie Matene (Ngāti Moerewa | Ngāti Rangi | Te Hikutu - Ngapuhi | Kuki Airani)
Engie Matene is a technology strategist and cultural advisor working at the intersection of Indigenous governance, digital identity, and blockchain innovation. As a leader within Mātou Collective, Engie bridges community priorities with technical solutions, ensuring that emerging digital systems align with Māori values and advance Indigenous self-determination.
Corinne Phillips (Sydney)
Corinne is passionate about nature, travel, and creating positive change. With experience in environmental and health sciences, she explores technologies that improve life on Earth. Corinne was a Cardano Constitutional Convention delegate for Australia and former Cardano Ambassador, she is committed to impactful, decentralised solutions.
Alex Roose (Sydney)
Alex is a senior executive with over 15 years’ experience in SaaS, AI, and blockchain, specialising in driving growth and scale for high-potential businesses. He was part of the APAC founding team of HubSpot, served as Director at ActiveCampaign, and most recently held the role of Global Director at Immutable X, where he led international expansion and strategic partnerships.
Today, Alex channels his expertise into angel investing and ecosystem building. His portfolio includes Coinstash (CEX), Tribe (Large KOL platform) and over a dozen Angel Investments in Cardano projects. Alex is also the Director at Mynth, a leading cross-chain solution built on Cardano. Alex’s work bridges commercial growth with emerging technology adoption, helping to connect innovative ventures with the networks, capital, and strategies they need to succeed.
Steven Ward (Melbourne)
Steven has over a decade of experience spanning traditional finance and decentralised finance (DeFi). He began his career in traditional markets as a Hedge Fund Trader, specialising in Short-Term Interest Rates (STIRs), before moving into brokerage and analytics. Over seven years, Steven gained comprehensive exposure to trading operations, client management, market analytics, and back-end process management within the Australian regulatory framework.
For the past five years, he has led VyFinance and T-MinusOne, while advising numerous projects across the Cardano ecosystem and beyond. His work focuses on tokenomics design, Web3 business models, and their implementation. Drawing on his trading background and hands-on experience building multiple DeFi ecosystems, Steven has developed a deep mathematical understanding of DeFi structures and their underlying processes.
Scott Young (Melbourne)
Scott is a moral philosopher exploring the foundations of morality through a concept called The Moral Cube. He has been a member of the Cardano community since 2021, and is investigating ways to teach people about, and help them make more informed moral judgements utilizing smart contracts for the last few years.
Administrator
Selfdriven Services will be the Administrator for this program. A registered Australian business - selfdriven Pty Ltd, selfdriven has a history of coordinating Cardano events and project delivery across Oceania. Responsibilities include:
- Coordinating fund disbursements.
- Verifying milestone completion.
- Ensuring transparent, auditable accounting.
- Publishing quarterly updates.
All funds will be held in dedicated Cardano multi-sig plutus addresses not delegated to an SPO and delegated to the predefined auto abstain voting option, in accordance with Article IV, Section 5 of the Cardano Constitution. The multi-sig will as a minimum be 2 or 3 witness signatures - one of the witness signatures must be the financial administrator.
Selfdriven Services
Selfdriven Services has substantial business experience across a range of disciplines. The Administration role will be managed by a team led by:
Mark Byers – has been contributing to Cardano since 2021. Mark has been involved in computing since the 1980s and has been programming since the age of 12. He has a deep passion for how information technology can create better outcomes for individuals and collectives. He co-founded entityOS.cloud in 2000 and has a deep understanding of the creation and delivery of high-trust information systems. Since 2017, he has been focused on blockchain technology and, in particular, Cardano. He co-founded the selfdriven Foundation in 2019.
Simon De Rosa – has had a career in accounting & finance since the early 1990s, working in both chartered and commercial accounting, as well as founding, building and successfully selling his own business. Simon is passionate about supporting community driven initiatives, and is excited to support the existing and emerging potential of blockchain technology.
The Administration team has experience supporting social goals in not for profits, in particular the education space via community organisations. They have developed and managed financial systems to support distributed groups of both paid workers and volunteers, providing them with the tools and support to achieve their outcomes, while ensuring strong governance standards to maintain rigour, traceability and transparency.