April 8, 2020
The Sovrin Network has reached the status of a global leader in blockchain digital identity technology because our goal of self-sovereign identity for all is both industry agnostic and untethered to any nation, state, company, or enterprise. Our technology is adaptable and scalable—and it has been built by an open-source developer community nurtured by the Sovrin Foundation, under the guidance of a robust, independent, and rights-driven governance framework managed by the Sovrin Governance Framework Working Group. We are community-minded, community-built, and community-driven.
As the community continues to expand and the network grows, the Sovrin Foundation has reached a critical point in its maturation.
The mission and focus of the Foundation has evolved from governing the current Sovrin ledger to governing the Sovrin Ecosystem as a decentralized global network of networks that interoperate according to the Trust over IP stack.
In order to better support this mission, the community has coalesced enthusiastically to develop and propose the necessary next steps to make that happen.
The first step taken was by the Sovrin Foundation Board of Trustees who established the Transition Committee on March 16, 2020 to organize the community in transitioning the Foundation to a more robust operating model. The committee is co-chaired by Board of Trustees member Joyce Searls and Steward representative André Kudra and is made up of another ten volunteers.
One of the first tasks of the Transition Committee was to establish the necessary workstreams around which volunteer task forces immediately began self-organizing. The Transition Committee called upon the Sovrin community members to take the lead on the further development of the workstreams, and the community did not disappoint. The current workstreams include:
| Workstream | Lead | Mission |
|---|---|---|
| #1: Immediate Stabilization / Financing | Philippe Page | Update the Sovrin Foundation operating model to accommodate current market conditions |
| #2: Comms | Paul Knowles | Create clear and frequent communications to all stakeholders in support of workstream objectives |
| #3: Sovrin MainNet | Riley Hughes | Establish the Sovrin MainNet next generation strategy |
| #4: Network of Networks / Sovrin Ecosystem | Drummond Reed | Establish the Sovrin Foundation ecosystem next generation strategy |
| #5: Long-Term Sustainability | Phil Windley | Establish the Sovrin Foundation longer-term sustainability and financial strategy |
| #6: Sovrin Token | Darrell O’Donnell | Develop strategic recommendations for the Sovrin Token approach |
Hundreds of volunteers are participating in this effort, demonstrating the strength of our community and our shared passion for the global adoption of self-sovereign identity.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Sovrin Foundation is community-minded, community-built, and community-driven. The Sovrin Network identity metasystem is available to all and is decentralized, allowing each participant to make their own decisions about what identity systems they will build and participate in to support their goals and ambitions. This is what we deeply believe can finally deliver our mission of Identity for All.
If you would like to join the Sovrin community in volunteering for any of the task forces listed above, please send an email to volunteers@sovrin.org with the name of the task force in the “Subject:” field.
Thank you for your interest and continued support.
—Sovrin Transition Committee
Comms Task Force