The Setting: Projektraum Drahnsdorf
Our venue was Projektraum Drahnsdorf, a centuries-old manor turned retreat center, one hour from the city. Once a landowner’s estate, later a Catholic property, then a kindergarten, a refugee shelter, and even a wartime prison, the house has lived many lives.
After decades of decay, it was purchased and restored by a visionary couple who preserved its soul while giving it new purpose. They welcomed us with the belief that the history in those walls would influence our work — and perhaps, it did. (We also influenced theirs, and did not leave until our hosts had a Cardano wallet and a handle : $projektraum)
The Cast
There are about 85 Cardano Ambassadors around the world. About a dozen of us gathered for this inaugural workshop — a cross-section of the passion, diversity, and sheer weird brilliance that makes Cardano what it is.
Felix Weber
Felix, who proposed and organized the event, has been at the forefront of Cardano governance since the early Catalyst SWARM experiments that seeded decentralized decision-making. With roots in the cyberpunk movement, the Chaos Computer Club, and a background in pedagogy and psychology, Felix sees his role as keeping Cardano anchored to its ideals.
“We don’t build for ourselves, but for generations that come after us. The world belongs to the people.”
Follow Felix: @meshsdk
Daniel Devid Lezu
Known as the face of the Catalyst Africa Town Hall, Daniel comes from a background in tech and cybersecurity. When he read the Cardano whitepaper, he saw solutions for African problems — and got to work. His first Catalyst proposal used theater to teach blockchain to young people. He’s since become a key connector in the African ecosystem.
Follow Daniel: @ddlezu or check out @africa_townhall
Cristian Jair Rojas – Mexico
Cristian, an engineer in the automotive industry, discovered Cardano in 2021 and saw potential in supply chain management. His Fund 7 project supported small farmers in Tlaxcala, Mexico — a seed that grew into broader work with universities and governance. He now serves as a Constitutional Delegate.
Check out the project where it all started: Support Small Farmers in LATAM – Catalyst Fund 7
Jennifer Brito – USA
Jenny came to blockchain through a journey of financial self-education. When she found Cardano in 2019, she was “ready for it”. Jenny calls herself a “skill collector”, and blockchain offers lots of opportunities for that. Jenny started a stake pool just to learn how to do it. She is a co-host of Cardano Over Coffee, Intersect contributor, NFT art collector, and huge community connector with her fingers in more projects than I could know or name.
One of her favorite stories about real-world impact from everyday people: she and friends bought up the entire NFT collection of a Vietnamese artist — changing that woman’s life and helping her send her children to school.
“How do we move beyond talking to ourselves? What if local high school debate teams joined dRep debates? What if we invited chambers of commerce to our events?”
Follow Jenny: @jennycitalinda or tune in to @coc_space
Lloyd Duhon – USA
Lloyd started his career in the military before moving into IT in the 1990s, eventually serving as CTO for several companies during the dot-com boom and bust. Those years gave him a front-row seat to both the creativity and the destruction that come when small, brilliant projects are swallowed by big industry.
When blockchain arrived, he recognized some of the same cycles — the hype, the promise, and the “snakey” behavior of the ICO era. But Cardano felt different. Since then, Lloyd has poured his time into building and documenting projects that stand for transparency and integrity. He has been part of the team at the popular DripDropz platform and co-hosts the GM Cardano podcast with his wife, Melanie Duhon. His curiosity about governance led him to start simply documenting Cardano’s early constitutional process. Before long, he’d become a recognized subject-matter expert and now chairs the budget process at Intersect. When Charles Hoskinson signed his book, “Thanks, Budget Man,” Lloyd laughed. That’s never how he pictured himself — but here he is.
Follow Lloyd: @radioastro
Seomon – Austria
Former IT consultant turned full-time Cardano builder, Seomon co-founded The Catalyst School, helping newcomers navigate Project Catalyst. He now serves as a Constitutional Delegate and active Intersect member. Follow Seomon: @Seomon4u
Chris – Germany
Chris has been following Cardano since 2017. He works as a scientist, and initially got interested in blockchain as an investment opportunity. When he started “looking behind the curtain” of different blockchain projects, he noticed there was sometimes not much there. When he found Cardano, he appreciated its robust focus on academic rigor. Chris became a stake pool operator as soon as it was possible on Cardano. As an ambassador, he moderates various social media channels.
As he reflected on where we have been and where we are going, Chris highlighted the need for better privacy protection in blockchain:
“It’s great to pay someone across the world with no friction — but you may not want that payment to be public.” Follow Chris: @Straightpool4
Andreas Sosilo – Indonesia
Andreas has been an Ambassador for five years, managing the Eastern Town Hall and multiple community channels. He runs a testnet stake pool for self-education — just to better help others. His focus: empowering new leaders in the Cardano ecosystem.
Follow Andreas: @andreassosilo
Mike Hornan – Canada
Mike calls himself “an average everyday normal guy” — and a “governance bro.” His superpower: creating infographics that make complex blockchain topics accessible. Follow Mike: @Hornan7
Hinson Wong – Hong Kong
Co-founder and CEO of DeltaDeFi and SIDAN Lab, Hinson brings TradFi education and self-taught engineering chops. A newer Ambassador, he led a workshop session on a bold new concept for Cardano’s future — more on that in a future article.
Follow Hinson: @HinsonSIDAN
Cardano Foundation in the house
Also joining us were Seba and Josie from the Cardano Foundation. Their administrative and financial support keeps the Ambassador program thriving. Ambassadors and the Foundation work hand in hand — sharing projects, connecting opportunities, and helping each other amplify impact.
If Ambassadors are out pollinating new ideas, the Foundation is the hive: organizing the beeswax, doling out honey, and even nurturing the next generation of ambassadors. The program will grow from about 85 to 100 Ambassadors in the coming year.
Interested in joining? Start here: cardano.org/ambassadors
Reflections
The variety of stories shared that weekend was inspiring — people from every continent and different professional backgrounds, united by curiosity and purpose. Maybe you see parts of yourself in them. You don’t have to be a blockchain nerd to appreciate what they represent: a global, human-centered movement for a better digital world. As Felix reminded us:
“Instead of building up our own seniority, we should each be making ourselves obsolete. Who are we attracting? Who do we want to attract? It’s our responsibility to send the right message — to create an environment where more people can step in.”
With those words in mind, we left the quiet halls of Drahnsdorf and headed to Berlin — ready for another Cardano Summit week. Hope to see you there!
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