Unveiling the Unsung Heroes: Telos Guardians and Their Unseen Efforts

5 min readOct 23, 2023

The Telos community thrives on collaboration, transparency, and dedication to its mission of building a vibrant blockchain ecosystem. At the heart of this ecosystem stand the Telos Guardians, a group of committed individuals whose primary role is to oversee the allocation of Telos Foundation funds. But their contributions go far beyond this crucial duty. In this article, we aim to shed light on the often unnoticed efforts of Telos Guardians, revealing the indispensable role they play in nurturing and expanding the Telos ecosystem.

Chris Barnes: The Content Creator and Financial Watchdog

Chris Barnes, who is an editor at Roundtable.IO, is more than just a Guardian; he’s a dedicated advocate for Telos. His multifaceted contributions include:

Promotional Content: Chris actively curates Telos promotional content on Roundtable.IO, ensuring the community stays informed and engaged.
Video Production: He creates captivating video content for Telos, such as the Helios video, enriching the community’s visual experience.
Telos Weekly Series: Chris leads the Telos Weekly series on YouTube, a valuable source of updates and insights.
Consensus 2023 Coverage: Chris played a pivotal role in documenting and producing content from Consensus in Austin 2023.
Financial Vigilance: Chris diligently monitors and assesses funding requests from the Telos Foundation, contributing to responsible financial oversight.
Guardian Monthly Report: He initiated the Guardian monthly report, enhancing communication and transparency within the community.
Engagement: Chris actively engages with the community on platforms like Twitter, extending Telos’ reach to a wider audience.

Max Mochi: Community Connector and Moderator Extraordinaire

Max Mochi wears multiple hats in the Telos community, providing critical insights and support:

Community Chat Group: He manages an exclusive chat group of Telos holders and community members, offering a pulse on community sentiment.
Community Moderator: Max serves as a community moderator, ensuring that Telos Discord and Telegram channels remain vibrant and inclusive.
Advisor to TF Divisions: He advises various Telos Foundation divisions, helping them communicate effectively with the community.
Informed Decision-Making: Max leverages his community insights to make informed decisions during Guardian discussions and votes.

Uma Hagenguth: The Telos Evangelist and Promoter

Uma Hagenguth’s contributions span various facets of Telos’ development and promotion:

Appics Involvement: As a founder building on Telos, Uma actively promotes the Telos chain through daily operations, marketing, and development.
Founder Support: She assists other founders in onboarding, resource allocation, and marketing campaigns, strengthening the Telos app ecosystem.
Marketing Oversight: Uma provides valuable feedback to enhance the effectiveness of Telos’ marketing strategies.
CEO Recruitment: She plays a crucial role in interviewing potential CEO candidates, ensuring the selection of visionary leaders.
Partnership Development: Uma actively seeks and secures partnerships to expand the Telos ecosystem, as demonstrated with the Metaverse Alliance.
Content Creation: Uma creates engaging content and represents Telos at public speaking engagements, increasing brand visibility.
Industry Awareness: She keeps a watchful eye on industry trends and community sentiments, aligning Telos’ strategies effectively.

Rigi: The Development Dynamo and Meeting Minutes Keeper

Rigi is deeply immersed in Telos’ technical development, focusing on Robinos and FUSD:

Robinos: Rigi ensures the availability of weekly sporting events for predictions on Telos EVM and manages its continuous development.
FUSD Support: He supports the final push to mainnet for FUSD, an essential Telos project.
Guardians’ Secretary: Rigi also serves as the Secretary of the Guardians, contributing to the group’s organization and communication. He diligently records meeting minutes to maintain a transparent record of Guardian discussions.

Ajinkya Jagtap: The Guardian Leader and Block Producer

Ajinkya’s role extends across multiple Telos domains:

Guardian Leadership: As the Vice Chair, Ajinkya leads Guardian meetings in the Chairperson’s absence and spearheads the CEO candidate interview process.
Block Producer: He secures the Telos Network with servers in India, contributing to decentralized infrastructure.
TF Business Development: Ajinkya focuses on outreach and leads as a contributor to the Telos Foundation, strengthening the Telos ecosystem.

Brian Tse: The Compliance Advisor and Community Liaison

Brian’s contributions encompass regulatory compliance, community engagement, and ecosystem support:

Compliance Guidance: Brian advises the Telos Foundation on regulatory compliance and transparency across multiple jurisdictions.
Community Liaison: He serves as a bridge between the community and the Guardians and hosts Telos Townhalls to foster transparency and trust.
Telos Culture Block Producer: Brian operates the Telos Culture block producer and actively contributes to the ecosystem’s growth.
Liquidity and Exchanges: He evaluates contracts, reviews opportunities for growth, and assesses liquidity and exchange account balances.
Ecosystem Advisor: Brian provides valuable ecosystem insights, research support, and guidance on regulatory compliance for Telos dApps.

Erika Elder: The Guardian Chair and Ecosystem Evangelist

Erika Elder’s contributions span governance, CEO recruitment, and ecosystem evangelism.

Guardian Chair: Erika is currently acting as the Guardian Chair, playing a crucial role in leading Guardian discussions and decisions.
Board Duties: She dedicates her time to screening new CEOs, overseeing Guardian operations, and shaping priorities.
Ecosystem Evangelism: Erika has been an ardent evangelist for the Telos network. She has had several opportunities to promote the network during her travels to various conferences, ranging from small local gatherings to prestigious events like Consensus in Austin and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Her efforts have helped raise awareness of Telos on a global scale.
Video Production: Erika has produced, scripted, and recorded numerous videos over the years, highlighting various features and partners of Telos. While her video production activities have slowed recently due to time constraints, her past work remains a valuable resource for the Telos community.

Lee Erswell: The Swapsicle Co-Founder and Telos Advocate

Lee Erswell is not only a Telos Guardian but also a co-founder of Swapsicle, a Telos EVM-based DApp. His contributions include:

Monthly Calls: Lee actively attends Monthly Marketing, BDM (Business Development), and TCD (Telos Community Development) calls, providing insights and support.
Standby Block Producer: Through the Swapsicle Foundation, Lee is a standby Block Producer, attending monthly BP (Block Producer) calls to contribute to network stability.
Liquidity “Boost” Programme: He launched the Swapsicle liquidity “Boost” programme to assist existing and new protocols in bootstrapping their liquidity.
Promotion: Lee actively promotes Telos and the projects within it during his Swapsicle business development duties.
Collaboration: He regularly engages and collaborates with the Telos Business Development department to onboard DApps into the DeFi ecosystem.

The Telos Guardians are unsung heroes, working tirelessly to build a robust Telos ecosystem. Their diverse and dedicated efforts are the backbone of Telos’ growth, bridging the gap between the community and the Foundation. Together, they foster transparency, collaboration, and innovation, ensuring Telos remains a thriving blockchain platform.