ICF Year in Review — 2023
Exploring the highlights of 2023, a year of achievements for the interchain!
As we bid farewell to 2023, it’s time to reflect on the significant milestones and advancements that have defined the Interchain Foundation’s journey. Join us through key highlights showcasing the collective efforts and progress made within the interchain ecosystem.
Interchain Stack Roadmap
The pivotal moment of 2023 lies in the unveiling of the Interchain Stack Roadmap.
This roadmap, created by the many teams who work on the various parts of the Interchain Stack, serves as a strategic framework — a comprehensive blueprint that outlines the collective development strategy across the different parts of the stack.
The Roadmap was consulted extensively with the community and users of the stack, ushering in a collaborative approach that invites active participation and feedback. It outlined the trajectory of IBC, Cosmos SDK, CometBFT, CosmWasm, and CosmJS, ensuring an inclusive process that empowers everyone in the community to play a role in shaping the future of interchain technologies.
The ICF’s role in facilitating this Interchain Stack Roadmap signifies our commitment to development clarity, predictability for users of the stack, and effective coordination and accountability for the teams responsible for its implementation.
Below is the inaugural announcement of the Interchain Stack Roadmap.
ICF Delegations Program
Validators play a critical role in the growth and security of the interchain. The ICF Delegations Program is an initiative to recognize and empower validators for their diverse contributions, shaping the ethos and culture of the interchain.
In 2023, for the second cycle of the program, we expanded it to three more networks, including Cosmos Hub, Osmosis, Celestia, and IRIS Network. In total, we evaluated over 697 contributions from validators across the different networks, and delegated to 159 validators. Learn more about Cycle 2 of our Delegations program below.
Funding for the Interchain Stack
The Interchain Foundation deploys strategic funding for the robust growth and continuous development and adoption of the Interchain Stack — comprising IBC, Cosmos SDK, CometBFT, CosmWasm, and CosmJS.
Working with Distributed Development Teams, the ICF is focused on ensuring the Interchain Stack — the free-to-use and fully open-source software stack — has the functionality and utility that best serves the needs of the various sovereign communities that are powered by these technologies.
Based on the roadmap stated above, for 2024, the ICF has earmarked $26.4 million to fund the development and adoption of the Interchain Stack.
While it is impossible for us to name every contributor to the software stack, we want to thank every engineering team, chain developer, and individual contributor who has helped contribute code to the stack and made the Interchain Stack what it is today. And a special shout out to the Distributed Development Teams for ensuring all parts of the stack are moving forward together.
Learn more about our 2024 Funding Program.
IBC Expansion
The Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, a cornerstone of the Interchain Stack, experienced significant expansion efforts in 2023.
As well as the IBC team at the Interchain Foundation, the ICF supported — financially or otherwise — several contributors in their efforts to spread IBC everywhere, including but not limited to Informal Systems, Strangelove, Datachain, Composable, Bianjie, and Landslide. Stay updated on the progress of these endeavors: Avalanche, Composable, Datachain, Ethereum.
Interchain Developer Academy
Empowering developers from web2 and other web3 ecosystems is our Interchain Developer Academy — a 7-week, instructor-led, training program to learn to build in the interchain.
Delivered by B9lab, this initiative has onboarded 1100 developers, ensuring a robust talent pool for the interchain ecosystem. Learn more about B9lab here and the latest cohort below.
The Builders Program
Fueled by ICF support, the Builders Program nurtured teams building on the Interchain Stack, fostering growth and innovation. Notable participants included Babylon, Landslide, Leap, TFM, Squid, Syntropy, Quasar, and Tellor. Explore the latest cohort Explore the latest cohort below.
Cosmos Hub and Interchain Security
Core development of the Cosmos Hub was a key focus this year, with achievements like the launch of Interchain Security by Informal Systems and Hypha being celebrated. The ICF facilitated the 2023 Cosmos Hub core development, and achievements by Hypha and Informal Systems are tracked here and below.
Cosmos Ledger Maintenance
With the support of the Interchain Foundation, Zondax contributed to Cosmos Ledger Maintenance. In particular, this partnership guarantees that the Ledger app can recognize and process all the new message and transaction types introduced by the SDK, thus providing users with a seamless and secure experience.
Cosmos Website Revamped
A visual update marked the Cosmos Website, offering a fresh look and dedicated product pages for Interchain Stack components.
Furthermore, the integration of the Mava customer support platform enhanced user experience.
Community Engagement
From launching podcasts like Interchain Jam and AtomZone to supporting the Game of NFTs event, the ICF actively engaged with the community. Consistent participation in events and hackathons, including Consensus 2023, Seoul Hackathon, Cosmosphere, Cosmos Session, and sponsoring Cosmoverse and Hackmos, underscored the commitment to the ecosystem.
In addition to these milestones, the Interchain Foundation’s daily support, social media presence, and contributions to various community initiatives highlighted its unwavering commitment to collaboration and growth within the interchain community.
Update on the Foundation Council
A notable development was the introduction of the ICF’s new president, Brian Fabian Crain, setting the tone for future endeavors.
And more recently, we introduced two new Foundation Council (FC) members: Josh Cincinnati and Maxime Monod. Josh and Maxime join our council members Brian Crain, Ethan Buchman, and Fernando Pedone. Integrating new minds into the FC is crucial in bolstering ICF resilience and adaptability. Their insights will be invaluable as we navigate the evolving landscape of sovereign, interoperable blockchain technology.
ICF Vision and Reports
We shared a blog post on the ICF’s vision, clarifying our mission. And defined how our values connect to operations by sharing the Principles of Collaboration. At the beginning of 2023, the 2022 Annual Report was shared with the community, accompanied by the 2023 Funding Overview, fostering transparency and accountability. Lastly, we introduced our 2024 Funding Program, outlining ICF’s new year goals of fostering long-term sustainability and growth with a funding strategy addressing the critical deliverables for the Interchain Stack.
Here’s to a remarkable 2023, a testament to collective progress and shared aspirations!
The Interchain Foundation eagerly anticipates the possibilities and achievements that await in 2024. The interchain ecosystem is poised for a year of innovation, collaboration, and growth.
We extend our heartfelt wishes to our community. We look forward to achieving new milestones and making a positive impact together. Thank you for your support and commitment. Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous New Year!
