Community Update: Q1 2024

Optim Labs
4 min readJan 17, 2024

Since the simultaneous launch of the $OPTIM token and Optim ODAO in late October 2023, the team has been focused on developing its next generation of products and arriving at a coherent vision for the future of Optim. We’ve been busy researching, designing, and building as we make pivotal decisions that will determine our direction for the coming years.

We’ve admittedly been lacking on updates to the community that clearly communicate overarching plans, timelines, as well as better explaining new products and technical concepts.
We vow to do better now that we’ve brought our vision into focus and are scaling accordingly.

This update is intended to provide clarity on the timelines on deliverables for Optim over the first half of 2024. This will make sense to our community members familiar with the protocol. It will be a few more weeks until we fully articulate the New Era of Optim and release our refreshed brand identity and website along with it.

Technical Progress

At Optim, our commitment to advancing the Cardano ecosystem is reflected in our focused approach to development. We’ve been heads-down on our current endeavors: OADA, Leviathan, Optim Account. Each of these protocols are novel, innovative, and beyond the scope of which we can look to other chains for clear design clues. Each is a testament to our dedication to technical excellence and meaningful innovation in DeFi.

Beyond merely enhancing existing products and improving upon existing primitives, we recognize the need for more robust infrastructure and novel DeFi solutions if Cardano is to continue scaling its ecosystem. This understanding guides our work on Leviathan and OADA as we aim to offer practical and impactful improvements.

Here’s a snapshot of our key technical milestones for the first half of 2024:

*The development of Optim Account is proceeding in tandem with Leviathan, ensuring a cohesive and integrated system release. A continuous audit process and open source code will be the foundation of Leviathan security*

More information on OADA can be found here:
https://optim-labs.medium.com/optimada-oada-6dee65056ea4

More information on Leviathan L2 can be found here:
https://github.com/OptimFinance/public documents/blob/main/leviathan_wp.pdf

Education & Marketing

Our marketing strategy is pivoting towards more educational content. Expect to see detailed explainers, technical diagrams, and engaging discussions. We believe in keeping our community informed and prepared for our upcoming releases, focusing on clear and transparent communication.

We’ll resume regular community updates along with Twitter spaces where the community can engage in meaningful discussion and ask questions about upcoming products, concepts, the direction of Optim, and where it fits into where we see Cardano DeFi headed.

Product Development

We are paying close attention to the user experience for both Leviathan and OADA. Our aim is to design systems that are not only innovative but also user-friendly and efficient. This includes developing the first few OADA yield modules, ensuring incentive alignment for adequate system liquidity, and developing an intuitive UI.

Leviathan’s UI will need increased testing, feedback, and continual enhancements due to many Cardano natives not having interacted with account-based systems. Ensuring their awareness and understanding of gas, approvals, and other security measures built into the system will be paramount.

While we look to increase volume and executions for both the Leviathan and OADA systems, we’re in the exploratory stage for other Leviathan use cases that Optim or other teams might deploy in the near term. Other potential high-impact products we’re exploring include more efficient leverage protocols as well as an OUSD stablecoin.

The integration of user feedback is crucial in this process, ensuring that we stay aligned with the needs and expectations of our users.

ODAO Governance

We are enhancing the structure within the ODAO, aiming for greater transparency and community involvement. This involves establishing clearer workflows and governance policies, reinforcing our commitment to a collaborative and open development process.

The ODAO will continue to push votes on important topics and increase its output as the protocol ramps up our new ecosystem and scaling solutions.

While we are eager to share more about our upcoming projects, we also believe in the value of measured and thoughtful reveals. We are on a path of continuous improvement and innovation, and we are grateful for the support and involvement of our community in this journey.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement as we navigate these exciting developments together.

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