Token Description & Project Background

Gitcoin is a dedicated platform that aims to foster collaboration among developers in open-source software projects. Its primary objective is to incentivize developers by offering reward payments and grants for taking on projects. This is particularly important as many open-source projects often lack financial compensation for developers. Gitcoin specifically focuses on funding ‘public goods’ i.e projects that benefit the larger ecosystem, rather than projects specifically aiming to compete with existing ones. 

The platform introduces quadratic funding, a unique and democratic system for crowdfunding campaigns. In this system, individual donations are matched with corresponding amounts of funding from larger pools of funds provided by bigger donors. This approach aims to ensure a fair distribution of resources. 

GTC serves as the governance token of the Gitcoin platform. It is designed to reward early users and future contributors. GTC holders actively participate in platform governance by proposing and voting on various proposals decided the parameters of Gitcoin Grant Rounds and shape the platform’s direction. 

As of August 2022, Gitcoin has facilitated funding of approximately US$65 million for open-source projects that contribute to the public good. 

Gitcoin was initially founded within ConsenSys by Nick Oweck, a software engineer based in Colorado and Joe Lubin, ConsenSys founder and Ethereum core contributor. 

Risks of GTC

Like an investment in other crypto assets, there are some general risks to investing in GTC. These include:  (i) volatility risk and liquidity risk, (ii) short history risk, (iii) demand risk, (iv) forking risk, (v) code defects, (vi) regulatory risk, (vii) electronic trading risk, and (viii) cyber security risk. For additional information of these and other general risks associated with crypto assets and Uphold’s platform, please refer to the Risks Specific to Holding Digital Assets statement.

In addition to these general risks, an investment in GTC is subject to the following specific risks:

• GTC operates using smart contracts, which have an association with vulnerabilities and security breaches. Despite undergoing successful audits by well-regarded third-party entities, it is essential to acknowledge the existence of inherent risks. Furthermore, the project’s future trajectory hinges on the decisions made by a global community of GTC token holders and continued development of the open-source ecosystem. 

We emphasize that this Crypto Asset Statement is not an exhaustive description or summary of all risks associated with GTC. Investors should conduct their own research and perform their own assessment before trading any crypto asset to determine the appropriate level of risk for their personal circumstances.

The GTC community and Gitcoin Foundation are not under any legal or regulatory obligation to disclose material information to the public regarding its activities. Holders of GTC have no recourse to Gitcoin DAO, foundation, or Uphold if GTC declines in value for any reason.

Changes to applicable law may adversely affect the use, transfer, exchange, or value of any of your crypto assets, and such changes may be sudden and without notice.

Uphold’s Evaluation Process

Prior to listing GTC on the Uphold Platform, Uphold performed due diligence on GTC and determined that GTC is unlikely to be a security or derivative under relevant securities legislation. Uphold’s analysis including reviewing publicly available information on the following: 

• The creation, governance, usage, and design of GTC, including ensuring the source code is open-source, audited and peer reviewed, security, and roadmap for growth in the developer community. 
• The supply, demand, maturity, utility, and liquidity of GTC.
• Any marketing materials put forward by the GTC social team including on, Twitter, Medium blog, LinkedIn posts, Discord and Telegram channels.
• Material technical risks associated with GTC, including any code defects, security breaches and other threats concerning GTC and its supporting blockchain (such as the susceptibility to hacking and impact of forking), or the practices and protocols that apply to them.
• Legal and regulatory risks associated with GTC, including any pending, potential, or prior civil, regulatory, criminal, or enforcement action relating to the issuance, distribution, or use of GTC. 

General

Uphold has prepared this Crypto Asset Statement based on publicly available information. Although Uphold has taken steps to obtain information from apparently reliable sources, information contained in this Crypto Asset Statement may be inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date. This overview is a starting point for you to perform your own research prior to investing in a crypto asset.

Uphold users should read the Risks Specific To Holding Digital Assets statement for additional discussion of general risks associated with crypto assets made available through the Uphold platform.  

Canadian residents, please note that Uphold has filed an application for registration in certain Canadian jurisdictions but has not yet obtained registration. Until such time as Uphold obtains registration, Uphold has agreed to abide by the terms of an undertaking available at the following link. Please also review the Uphold Canada – Crypto Risk Statement for additional discussion of general risks associated with the crypto assets made available through Uphold Platform. Please be aware that statutory rights of action for damages or rescission in section 130.1 of the Securities Act (Ontario) and, if applicable, similar statutory rights under securities legislation in the other provinces and territories of Canada do not apply in respect of this Crypto Asset Statement or other disclosures on the Uphold website and Risks Specific To Holding Digital Assets statement. 

Last updated on June 21, 2023.