APEX Supernode Candidate Selections

Published in

APEX Network

7 min readJan 5, 2020

In August 2019 we asked community members to report their interest to run one of the supernodes on the APEX Network mainnet, and received applications from a good number of interesting candidates. Before the new year started we then provided a second opportunity to report this interest, and to renew information regarding each community member’s qualifications and possible candidacy. The basic requirement for a supernode candidate is to hold a CPX amount above the supernode treshold (2 million CPX), but this is naturally far from sufficient to be considered for this status. In addition, the community member must have proven their value in the community over time, through their technical prowess of their efforts to support and sustain the community and its atmosphere.

The Supernode Candidate selection process

The team has reviewed the applications received, and we are very pleased to be able to announce the results of our initial APEX Network community supernode candidate selections. The data points analyzed as part of our assessment are as follows:

Supernode application form information (from both applications) including formal qualifications

Feedback on the following aspects:

Activity in the community over time, including contributions towards community growth, project discussion and atmosphere
Technical skills
Participation in the Community Supernode Initiative

Supernode operator approval process

Before moving on to the list of Community Supernode Candidates, it is important to note the following: Attaining Supernode Candidate status does in no way constitue a guarantee that the selectee will be approved to run an APEX Network supernode. The approval process will include several steps to vet and confirm the eligibility of the candidate. Among these steps may be text and/or video based interviews, KYC and an ongoing assessment of community contributions. At any point and for any reason a candidate may be rejected, which will cause one of the runner-ups to be given Supernode Candidate status and start the same vetting process. This process is crucial to ensure that only properly qualified and trustworthy supernode operators become validators on the APEX Network mainnet. Do note, however, that rejection in this phase does not speak to the character of the Candidate or that the Candidate has failed to meet a particular criterion — it would simply mean that this particular Candidate is not a suitable fit for the position of APEX Network supernode operator at this point in time.

Supernode standby slots

In addition, there will be numerous standby producer slots available. Our current code allows for an unlimited number of standby supernodes, whereof the top 29 is set to receive some form of reward. The necessary number of standby supernodes is likely to be covered by APEX Network run supernodes initially, but a number of these spots may be opened up to runner-ups in the current selection process as well as new candidates that emerge from the community. The list of runner-ups will remain confidential, and will be contacted if/when these spots open up or a Supernode Candidate does not successfully complete the vetting process. An additional important aspect to note is that through our DPoS consensus, the active block producers will be the top 21 supernodes determined by the number of votes cast by token holders — hence, any standby producer will convert to active production status if they achieve a higher number of votes than the lowest ranking producer node.

Recognizing the community contributors

The APEX team recognizes the paramount importance of the community in the initial funding and ongoing support of the project. For this reason we have decided to award a full third of the top 21 supernodes to individuals originating from the community. This also supports the decentralization aspect of our blockchain, in that 7 block producing supernode slots will be awarded to community contributors, while the remaining 14 will be divided among APEX Network, core partners and enterprises.

Supernode CPX lockups

Each supernode operator will be required to lock up a minimum of 2 million CPX for an extended amount of time — this applies equally to the 21 initial producers, the 29 additional standby slots and any further standby producers. In addition, gathering sufficient support to retain block production status through voting/staking will serve to effectively reduce the circulating supply of the token.

The APEX Community Supernode Candidates

The following seven individuals have been selected by the APEX team as the initial community originating Supernode Candidates (subject to approval / completion of the vetting procedure):

Aldo Raine: This individual needs no introduction to the community. Has has proven remarkable technical skills, and has supported APEX Network for a long time through his code analysis, code contributions and high level of activity and support in the technical community. He is currently working on an application that will significantly reduce the technical skills required to be able to run an APEX Network supernode, and has proven to be a highly valuable supporter of the project.
Jay: Also very well known to the community, Jay has been part of APEX Network Community Management since the summer of 2018 as well as an active supporter since the early days of the project. Jay has shown great interest in the technical side of the project from the beginning, and despite not having a formal technical background his ability to learn the required skills enabled him to aid in testing the code from the very first day of the testnet launch. Inaddition to this, he is known for answering every single question with unique patience in the main APEX Network Telegram group due to his genuine, unwavering belief in the vision of the project.
Iflion: An active tech enthusiast and a vocal long time supporter of the project, Iflion has taken part in the testing and running of nodes since the first days of the APEX Network testnet. He is highly technically skilled and a valued member of the APEX Network community.
AR: One of the earliest, most active and consistent community members of APEX Network. He has proven himself to be a loyal supporter whose consistent efforts to improve and maintain community spirit is recognized and valued by the team.
Stephan: With extensive technical experience and a will to help and support other members of the tech community, Stephan is a resourceful individual that no doubt has the potential to provide valuable contributions and feedback to further technical progress of APEX Network.
DeviousOne: Being a long term supporter and tech enthusiast, DeviousOne has proven himself to be a valuable member of both the technical as well as the general community since the beginning. Self sustained and capable, the team is confident that he is a valuable addition to the supernode operator group.
Andy: A long term supporter of the project that has proven himself as a valuable contributor in the community, and demonstrating technical aptitude through his learning curve in the Community Supernode Initiative
Mordrew: A long term supporter of the project that has proven himself a worthy community member with lots of motivation to learn and help grow the tech side.
L F: A friendly, active and long time community member with extensive technical knowledge and he will for sure be able to provide value to our group of Supernode Candidates.

Congratulations to all selected Supernode Candidates! The entire APEX Core team is looking forward to node together with you. — Jimmy Hu, CEO APEX Network

Supernode Candidates, ongoing efforts & reimbursement continuation

It should be noted that each and every Community Supernode Candidate will be expected to maintain a certain level of activity and ongoing support for the project, as their efforts up to this point forms a large part of the basis for why they have been selected. This is not solely for the benefit of APEX Network, but will be a requirement to maintain support and garner the votes necessary from the community of CPX holders to retain active production status in the future.

Every Supernode Candidate will be receive a special “Supernode Candidate” tag in the main and tech support chat.

Supernode Candidates will receive continued reimbursement for their hardware rental costs until further notice. Reimbursement would naturally halt before or close to the start of the staking on the mainnet.

Reimbursement halt for non initial selectees

As a reminder, please note that the Community Supernode Candidate selections means that the reimbursement program for non-selectees stops from February 2020 onwards. This means that hardware rental costs for January 2020 will still be covered, those for February 2020 will no longer be reimbursed. Please cancel your subscription in due time.

Of course, each community member that was not selected is free to keep his supernode running at his own expense.

Final words

The team is extraordinarily pleased to see the quality of the applicants. We have several candidates in mind for future standby supernode slots among those who were not selected as part of this process, and will revisit both the applications and consider issuing new application forms when it makes sense on a project level to do so. We would like to thank all applicants from August up until now for their interest in running an APEX Network supernode, and for your continued support of our efforts to create truly efficient and valuable blockchain technology for large scale adoption.

Sincerely,

APEX Team