AELIN is a web3 representation of a popular legacy financial instrument (SPACs). The first iteration of AELIN (v1) is all about discovery. AELIN is a unique idea, born from the minds of some crazy people on Twitter (see Kain's announcement post  https://mirror.xyz/seldon.eth/iwUxGuwCSe7uHPTBJyNAcF1XOsX-cYAFga860EYlLTw)

We put this alpha version out there to show the community and sponsors the power of AELIN, and through the feedback from their user journeys, we learn how to improve this concept. The improvements and new features born from our collective feedback will be the foundation for AELIN V2. But we are not there yet.

At the moment, we are very excited about the future of the AELIN protocol and the decentralized fundraising it gives rise to. Anyone with an internet connection can be a sponsor by opening a pool. Investors can participate by depositing into that pool. Sponsors can then create deals, counterparties will fund them, and investors may accept or decline the deal. The current iteration of Aelin works; fundraising is now fully decentralized and trustless.

However, we recognize that the user experience needs to improve significantly, which is where we are focusing most of our time and resources. This has been the primary source of feedback from the community, Aelin Council and Aegis, who have been heads-down helping out with the day-to-day operations of AELIN, ensuring decisions, priorities, and changes are in the best interest of the protocol moving forward.

This high-level roadmap outlines some of the accomplishments and features to come. As mentioned before, most of our focus now is on the UI. Our initial goal over the next few weeks is to keep most of the current designs intact but implement changes to help provide a better user experience. There will also be new terms that are easier to understand. In addition to the initial UI updates, the second iteration of the site is already being designed. We will completely redesign the entire user interface and workflow from the ground up and provide a much better experience on both mobile and desktop.

Behind the scenes, another big activity in the works is Automatic Protocol Fee Distribution for AELIN Stakers. 

How it will work is AELIN stakers on the Optimistic Ethereum network will be able to claim their deal fees generated on any supported network. So if AELIN deals are happening on Ethereum Mainnet, Avalanche, Arbitrum, or Fantom, you will be able to claim these deal fees while only staking on Optimism. This is not an easy task, as we plan to have the AELIN protocol on multiple L1s & L2s. 

As of right now, the Aelin Council is custodying the 2% protocol fee, but this will be automated. Cross-chain messaging infrastructure is needed; protocols such as CCIP from Chainlink appear promising but are still under active development. 

You’re probably wondering what happens after Q2? Or how can we improve the usage of AELIN and the way Sponsors promote their Pools? 

That will be a writeup for another day; furthermore, many questions will be answered as the community collectively ideates on AELIN V2 through the AELIP governance process.

AELIN is a web3 representation of a popular legacy financial instrument (SPACs). The first iteration of AELIN (v1) is all about discovery. AELIN is a unique idea, born from the minds of some crazy people on Twitter (see Kain's announcement post  https://mirror.xyz/seldon.eth/iwUxGuwCSe7uHPTBJyNAcF1XOsX-cYAFga860EYlLTw)

We put this alpha version out there to show the community and sponsors the power of AELIN, and through the feedback from their user journeys, we learn how to improve this concept. The improvements and new features born from our collective feedback will be the foundation for AELIN V2. But we are not there yet.

At the moment, we are very excited about the future of the AELIN protocol and the decentralized fundraising it gives rise to. Anyone with an internet connection can be a sponsor by opening a pool. Investors can participate by depositing into that pool. Sponsors can then create deals, counterparties will fund them, and investors may accept or decline the deal. The current iteration of Aelin works; fundraising is now fully decentralized and trustless.

However, we recognize that the user experience needs to improve significantly, which is where we are focusing most of our time and resources. This has been the primary source of feedback from the community, Aelin Council and Aegis, who have been heads-down helping out with the day-to-day operations of AELIN, ensuring decisions, priorities, and changes are in the best interest of the protocol moving forward.

This high-level roadmap outlines some of the accomplishments and features to come. As mentioned before, most of our focus now is on the UI. Our initial goal over the next few weeks is to keep most of the current designs intact but implement changes to help provide a better user experience. There will also be new terms that are easier to understand. In addition to the initial UI updates, the second iteration of the site is already being designed. We will completely redesign the entire user interface and workflow from the ground up and provide a much better experience on both mobile and desktop.

Behind the scenes, another big activity in the works is Automatic Protocol Fee Distribution for AELIN Stakers. 

How it will work is AELIN stakers on the Optimistic Ethereum network will be able to claim their deal fees generated on any supported network. So if AELIN deals are happening on Ethereum Mainnet, Avalanche, Arbitrum, or Fantom, you will be able to claim these deal fees while only staking on Optimism. This is not an easy task, as we plan to have the AELIN protocol on multiple L1s & L2s. 

As of right now, the Aelin Council is custodying the 2% protocol fee, but this will be automated. Cross-chain messaging infrastructure is needed; protocols such as CCIP from Chainlink appear promising but are still under active development. 

You’re probably wondering what happens after Q2? Or how can we improve the usage of AELIN and the way Sponsors promote their Pools? 

That will be a writeup for another day; furthermore, many questions will be answered as the community collectively ideates on AELIN V2 through the AELIP governance process.