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Barcelona Community Workshop October 2025

Introduction​

In October 2025, community members gathered in Barcelona, Spain to contribute their perspectives to Cardano’s evolving 2030 Community Vision. Hosted during the NewLuna event, this listening session provided a dedicated space for discussion around Cardano’s mission, strategic priorities, and long-term direction. This document captures the key themes and insights shared by participants and reflects the collective sentiment of the session.

The Workshop​

Held at the NewLuna venue in Barcelona, the session brought together developers, ecosystem contributors, builders, and new community members. The session was facilitated by:

  • Juan Sierra – Product Committee
  • Adam Dean – Product SME
  • Lorenzo – Intersect Secretary

Participants engaged in an open discussion about the draft 2030 mission statement, adoption strategy, governance evolution, economic sustainability, and Cardano’s role as infrastructure for mission-critical applications.

Discussions were structured around group readings, interactive dialogue, and guided prompts. The goal was to evaluate the clarity of Cardano’s mission, identify gaps, and surface regional and global priorities that should be reflected in the final 2030 Vision.

Key Learnings and Insights​

Mission and Vision Refinement​

Participants emphasized the importance of a clear and unified mission for the long-term direction of the ecosystem. Themes included:

  • Broad support for the mission statement centered on scalability, security, and research-first principles.
  • The need to articulate the specific problem Cardano solves, particularly around fairness, transparency, and global inclusiveness.
  • Agreement that Cardano should position itself as infrastructure for mission-critical applications, rather than competing primarily on low fees or speed.

Adoption and Growth​

Adoption emerged as a central topic for achieving Cardano’s long-term goals. Participants noted:

  • Growth opportunities in enterprises, governments, NGOs, and regulated industries.
  • The importance of expanding B2C use cases to maintain a healthy economic base.
  • Persistent barriers including limited integration partners and short-term project funding.
  • Interest in establishing multi-year funding pathways to support sustainable startups and ecosystem development.

Economic Sustainability​

Ensuring economic resilience was recognized as essential:

  • The need to transition from volunteer-driven contributions to professionally sustainable operations.
  • The importance of healthy on-chain activity and treasury revenue to support SPOs, developers, and governance bodies.
  • Sustainability should remain a foundational principle in ecosystem design.

Governance and Accountability​

Governance discussions highlighted the importance of clarity, stability, and long-term direction:

  • Recognition of the need for defined accountability mechanisms within decentralized governance.
  • Exploration of delegated authority and reputation-based models to balance decentralization with operational efficiency.
  • Interest in developing clearer execution roles within decentralized structures.

Startup Enablement and Innovation​

Participants expressed strong interest in cultivating a vibrant innovation ecosystem:

  • Cardano’s reliability creates a competitive niche for mission-critical startups.
  • Universities, research labs, and incubation programs were identified as important channels for experimentation and real-world impact.
  • Better support systems for early-stage teams were seen as essential for long-term sustainability.

Privacy and Regulation​

Privacy and compliance emerged as key differentiators: Regulatory developments highlight the need for privacy-preserving layers such as Midnight.

Maintaining strong censorship resistance while enabling enterprise adoption was a recurring theme.

Transparency and accountability must coexist with privacy technologies.

Community and Social Infrastructure​

Strengthening Cardano’s social infrastructure was seen as essential: Expanding regional communities and Intersect membership is key to greater global engagement.

Improving educational pathways and onboarding experiences can accelerate adoption.

Participants proposed including intentional engagement as an official ecosystem KPI.

Strategic Themes Identified​

  • Mission-Critical Infrastructure: Cardano’s competitive edge lies in its reliability and resilience.
  • Economic Resilience: Sustainable funding models are required for long-term ecosystem viability.
  • Governance Maturity: Clear processes and accountability mechanisms are essential.
  • Adoption Pathways: Multi-year programs and integration partners will drive real-world growth.
  • Human-Centered Growth: Social infrastructure and education are critical pillars.

Conclusion​

The Barcelona workshop provided valuable insight into how the community envisions Cardano’s future. Participants reaffirmed the importance of a mission centered on security, sustainability, and global fairness, while highlighting the need for strong economic foundations and evolving governance models.

These insights will contribute to the ongoing refinement of the Cardano 2030 Vision and inform future roadmap iterations. Continued regional engagement and community-driven collaboration will be key to shaping Cardano’s next chapter.

Co-Authors:​

  • Juan Sierra – Product Committee
  • Adam Dean – Product SME