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Today’s guest on the Cardano SPO column is a stake pool operated by a team of crypto enthusiasts based in Canada that have been in the space for over 8 years: 8SQRD Stake Pool [8SQRD].
The previous guest was a stake pool operated by Akyo, who works as a freelance engineer in Japan and is a member of Intersect Japan Hub.
This column is where I invite Stake Pool Operators (SPO) to share their stories and vision as a way to connect with and learn about the Cardano Community.
Hi, thanks for your time. Tell us something about your team, where are you based and what are your backgrounds?
The 8SQRD team is located in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We’re a group of experienced cryptocurrency/blockchain enthusiasts that have been in the space for over 8 years. Outside of Cardano, our team has a very diverse background. We have experience in business operations, software development, DevOps, military training, and even medical research.
We started our SPO journey in the midst of the pandemic (early 2021), and at that time, there was an extreme uptick in violence against Asians. We took this opportunity to put a portion of our rewards towards supporting Anti-Asian Hate initiatives. We were able to make a few donations early on, but as the cryptocurrency market went on its downward trend, we had to make sure we’re sustainable. At this point, we’re focused on sustaining our stake pool operations to support decentralisation of the Cardano network. As we continue to grow, we will bring on more initiatives and help grow the community.
What’s the path that led you to Cardano and to become Stake Pool Operators (SPO)?
Before Cardano, we were already in the crypto space with BTC and ETH. When Cardano launched and gained popularity in 2017/2018, we were immediately impressed by the proof-of-stake “Ouroboros” protocol. Unfortunately, we didn’t start our SPO journey in 2018, as we were preoccupied with other ventures. A few of our team members just started off as ADA holders and kept following the development of Cardano and its community.
In the past, our team members had experience with BTC and ETH mining. We started with GPU mining, then got into ASICs, but ultimately it was too difficult to run as a small operation. So when this super-energy-efficient alternative opportunity came up, we realised it was a game changer. It took us a few years to get things together, but we ultimately got started and the 8SQRD Cardano Stake Pool was launched in early 2021.
What are you most looking forward to with Cardano? Are there any projects or solutions you are keeping your eye on?
Cardano’s roadmap is very exciting. Now that we’re in the Conway era, with decentralized governance, we’re now looking forward to Hydra and how Cardano is going to scale significantly. While Cardano’s performance is pretty good today, it’s got a ways to go compared to other high TPS blockchains. As adoption continues to grow, this is going to be very important.
Other than that, we’re also excited to see some of the projects growing within the Cardano community. To name a few, we like DEX projects like Minswap, DePIN projects like Iagon, AI platforms like AGIX (now FET), and Web3 Games like Cornucopias.
Projects like these showcase the power of Cardano and the blockchain. This is the way to bring more people into Cardano by creating different ways of using the network.
What do you think needs to happen for Cardano to reach mass adoption? What gives you hope?
In short, more utility, less memes. 
Memes are fun, exciting, and can spread like wildfire. In the end, it’s likely a fad and it just dies out. Memes, or more specifically memecoins, should be treated as pure entertainment. If you buy them, you’re paying for entertainment, not a financial return. The concern is that some people naively tries to ride the rocket “to the moon” but just ends up holding a bag of low-value tokens. If we’re not careful in always promoting memecoins, Cardano could end up being known as the blockchain full of memecoins and nothing else. This would be very detrimental to mass adoption.
On the bright side, there are many good projects in active development that actually utilize Cardano in a good way. As noted in the previous question, this is what we’re excited about. We believe there is so much room for more projects and that’s what gives us hope about Cardano. We’re constantly looking out for new, up-and-coming projects.
If you have a project that’s starting up, or have an idea for a project, and is looking for help, please reach out. At minimum, we’d be happy to subscribe/follow your development. Or maybe there could be an opportunity for collaboration.
Also, who knows, maybe one day we’ll start our own project. 
Great contribution. Any final thoughts? Where can people stay in touch?
Thank you for taking the time to put this interview together. We’re passionate about Cardano and we’re happy to be a part of it as Stake Pool Operators. We’re excited about the future, let’s build on it together!
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Disclaimer: The opinions and views of the people interviewed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Cardano Foundation or IOG. Moreover, this content is for educational purposes, it doesn’t constitute financial advice.