Since Fetch.ai is a Proof-of-Stake blockchain network, the essential task of maintaining the whole system and guaranteeing its security is entrusted into the “hands” of its validators. Additionally, validators are trusted with delegations by FET stakers of all sizes, which practically translates into increasing their voting power and, by extension, their influence over the network. Consequently, they become the keepers of the fragile balance between accumulating power while also, for the health of the chain, striving to make it as decentralized as possible.
Unfortunately, these custodians of the protocol are usually shrouded in secrecy, and users often find it challenging to make an informed choice of whom to delegate their funds. In an attempt to remedy that and to create a space for Fetch validators to talk directly with our community, we initiated the Know Your Validator campaign.
Now, almost two years later, we are boosting transparency even further. We are launching a series of blog posts, each dedicated to one of our validating partners, so as to help you know them better.
Six pieces from the series have already been published — check out our interviews with Blockscope.net, Posthuman.Digital, Staking Land, Stakewolle, Antrix, and High Stakes.
Below is the seventh one featuring the Active Nodes team. Enjoy!
Q: In a couple of sentences, introduce yourself and/or your organization and tell us where you are based.
Active Nodes: Active Nodes has been providing secure blockchain infrastructure across leading Proof-of-Stake protocols in the Cosmos SDK ecosystem and ETH 2.0. We also support Proof-of-Work Protocols.
Based in Italy, the team comprises engineers, marketing experts, and social media specialists with more than 20 years of experience in their roles, who are passionate about blockchain technology.
Q: What got you into the Web3/crypto space, and how long have you been in it?
Active Nodes: We have been interested in blockchain technology since its early days when we started mining Bitcoin and Ethereum. Then in 2018, we started following Cosmos and in 2020 we pinned up our first Validator on Band Protocol. We now run Validator Nodes on 23 Cosmos SDK projects.
Q: Tell us your story about how and when you became a validator on the Fetch.ai Network. How did you first hear about Fetch.ai?
Active Nodes: We knew about Fetch.ai long before it moved to Cosmos. Machine Learning and AI are both pretty exciting. That is why, when one of our team members read about the Fetch decision to move to Cosmos, we decided to join right away.
Q: Have you participated in Fetch testnets?
Active Nodes: Unfortunately not yet, we run a validator only on Mainnet.
Q: What commission do you offer FET holders as a delegation incentive?
Active Nodes: We ran our Fetch validator node at a loss for a few months, so we decided to charge 10% commissions. Our plan is to lower it to 7% soon.
Q: Have you participated in governance discussions and voted on any of the governance proposals?
Active Nodes: We obviously take governance very seriously, and we vote on each and every proposal.
Q: Are you running (or planning to run) any ecosystem features such as seed nodes, client RPC endpoints, block explorers, or a DApp?
Active Nodes: We developed and run the Validator Status Bot — a Discord Bot that notifies validators about updates and governance proposals in a dedicated channel. You can find more information about it on our website.
Q: Please describe your involvement as a validator or in any other development work in the overall Web3 ecosystem.
Active Nodes: We run a Validator Status Bot for every project we validate, or for 23 chains in total. We also moderate the Band Protocol and Akash Discord Channels.
Q: Which is your favorite DApp and why?
Active Nodes: Well, that’s difficult to answer. At Active Nodes, we are 4 persons, very different in what we like and use, and in what we would like to see implemented in the space.
Saying Osmosis is our favorite is obvious, so let’s instead give the podium to some NFT DApps — we love Stargaze, LooksRare, and Magic Eden.
We are also a Bitcoin Miner Company, so LN is our bible. In the Fetch ecosystem, we are huge fans of MOBIX!
Q: What are your plans for the coming 5 years?
Active Nodes: We plan to continue to be involved in the Web3 industry and contribute to the growth and development of the ecosystems we are supporting.
Q: Is there something you would like to share with our community?
Active Nodes: Our focus is on keeping a secure infrastructure complying with the highest standards and on building a strong community to accelerate adoption and help the projects’ growth. We are working hard to provide a reliable and secure validator service for everyone.
Q: How can our community members reach out and contact you? Please share your website and/or social media profiles.
Active Nodes:
Website
Twitter
Medium
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