Welcome to the latest edition of the Weekly Pulse, a weekly Algorand news wrap-up segment presented by Algopulse. As ever, we welcome your feedback so if there is anything you would like us to add, please let us know on Twitter, Discord, or Telegram. For more from Algopulse visit https://www.algopulse.io/.
Algorand Governance Rewards Distribution Confirmed for Period 2
Algorand have confirmed the details of their governance reward distribution for the second period of voting as well as the launch dates for governance period 3. Users who participated in the second governance period will be given their rewards during the distribution window of April 1st to April 7th. The commitment period for the third governance term will begin on 31st March 2022 and closes on 14th April 2022.
Algorand Foundation launches free “Zero to Hero PyTeal” course
The Algorand Foundation has announced that they will be launching a “Zero to Hero PyTeal’’ course. The course is designed for blockchains novices and veterans alike to learn how to build on Algorand.
“The course consists of easy-to-follow instructional videos, sample smart contracts and short quizzes to test your knowledge,” says Piergiacomo Palmisani from the Algorand Foundation ecosystem team.
“Zero to Hero PyTeal is the perfect course for anyone who wants to get up to speed on PyTeal quickly.”
“Our team is also working on even more instructional videos, covering Solidity to PyTeal, ABI, frameworks and more.”
“We can’t wait to see the innovative creations our new PyTeal heroes will come up with.”
US Congress Candidate Shrina Kurani Launches NFT Collection
United States congression candidate Shrina Kurani has launched an NFT project to raise awareness for her campaign as well as the ongoing fight against climate change. The Kurani for Congr3ss is a collection of 230 NFTs which represent the believed 230 billion tons of carbon left on the planet’s clock by scientists.
The NFT drop aims to educate the American population on blockchain as well as push for more crypto-literate legislators in DC.
Algorand Partner with QuickNode
Algorand Foundation have announced a new partnership with QuickNode a project building infrastructure to support the future of Web3.
”We understand that scalability is one of the biggest challenges in blockchain development,” said CEO of QuickNode Dmitry Shklovsky.
“QuickNode is excited to bring Algorand to the entire Web3 community, which will help build a better, faster, stronger global blockchain ecosystem.”
“Working with QuickNode, a leader in blockchain infrastructure, enables us to accelerate development in the Algorand community,” said Staci Warden, CEO of Algorand Foundation.
“We know that infrastructure and developer tooling is critical to our mission of financial inclusion, and today marks a milestone in those efforts.”
The Algorand Foundation Awards Grant Prismatic
Algorand Foundation has this week awarded a grant to Algorand DAO platform Prismatic.
“Given the sheer size of treasuries and the risk associated with creating a DAO, it makes a lot of sense to use an audited, proven and tested framework to generate and manage a DAO.”, said Founder and CEO Natalie Salemink. “Standardizing DAO creation also means that we are providing a standardized access point for contributors to join a DAO, making it easier for DAOs to access talent.”
“Prismatic won’t just revolutionize DAO tooling, but also become a financial and DeFi hub through its treasury management infrastructure, allowing users of all kinds to access the best DeFi projects all from one customisable, secure and easy to use location.”, said Meld Ventures co-founder Michael Cotton.
Algomint Host Mammoth Ecosystem Showcase
Last week Algomint hosted one of the biggest ecosystem sessions seen to date on Algorand. The session saw Algomint welcome 12 other projects in a showcase of each projects short and long term plans. These projects were Algofi, Algorand Foundation, Folks Finance, Meadowlabs, Meld Capital, Opulous, Pact, Payscript, Prismatic, Reach, xBacked, ZestBloom. You can rewatch the full showcase here.
AlgoGrants is evolving to a new vertical-focused Ecosystem Funding Structure
The Algorand Foundation has announced that it will alter the structure of its AlgoGrants program. In a statement, the Foundation said, “This transition is already in progress — while AlgoGrants is winding down, key vertical strategies are being rolled out with ecosystem partners to get funding into the hands of builders. This approach is already bearing fruit in seeing a number of seed stage projects entering testnet and preparing for big launches on mainnet. The Foundation is eager to deepen its support at every stage of this lifecycle in the areas that matter most — from capital, to security audits, to liquidity, marketing, and more.”
A further announcement on the specifics of the new programs has been flagged for the coming weeks.
xBacked update roadmap in AMA
Highly anticipated Algorand DAO project xBacked have released an updated 2022 roadmap with dates now attached to a number of key milestones. This included the completion of the project's audit, mainnet launch, token launch, protocol governance, and more. Users can continue using the xBacked testnet protocol and provide feedback to the team.
AlgoGard to Launch Soon
AlgoGard have this week announced that they are just two weeks away from launching their mainnet product. Having only launched on testnet at the start of March the stablecoin product is looking to move quickly into the market. The project have also launched tutorial videos to help users get a head start for launch.
Market Maker Launches New behind DeFi series
Popular Algorand community creator Market Maker has announced that he will be launching a new YouTube series interviewing prominent figures around the ecosystem. Titled “Behind the DeFi” the series will appear on the Market Maker YouTube channel. The series will kick off by interviewing Prismatic Founder Natalie Salemink with questions currently being gathered on the Market Maker Twitter account.
Limewire Revamps as NFT Marketplace Built on Algorand
Now defunct music downloading service LimeWire has this week announced that it is making a comeback now starting an NFT based venture. As part of a suite of new announcements, the company confirmed that it has partnered with Algorand to be its official blockchain partner. The company’s site currently notes that its NFT marketplace will officially launch in May 2022 with a public token sale, and launch in the film industry to take place in Q4.
“LimeWire is returning as a platform for artists, not against them,” said New Limewire CEO Julian Zehetmayr.
“On LimeWire, the majority of the revenue will go directly to the artist, and we will be working with creators to allow full flexibility, ownership and control when it comes to their content.”
Price Watch
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of the Weekly Pulse as we look forward to continue bringing this content to the Algorand Community. Was there anything that we missed? If so let us know on Twitter, Discord, or Telegram where you can also send us any news you see throughout next week for our next installment. For more from Algopulse visit https://www.algopulse.io/.
