My Cardano Journey – From Crypto Curious to Cardano Builder
I entered blockchain around September last year 2024 through Bitcoin. It was my introduction to decentralization, it mostly revolved around money—holding, sending, waiting for price action. It didn’t answer a bigger question I had: How is blockchain actually being used to build systems and empower people?
That changed when I discovered LidoNation, a platform building tools on Cardano. Through working on their web projects, I was introduced to Cardano’s unique vision—one that goes beyond money into identity, governance, infrastructure, and real-world impact.
Bitcoin got me interested. Cardano made me stay.
A Fun Struggle
When I started learning and trying to build on Cardano, everything was new—stake keys, UTxOs, policy scripts, native tokens. It felt overwhelming at first, but what made all the difference was the strength of the Cardano community and the quality of learning resources available.
Thanks to tutorials, open-source repos and support from fellow developers, I was able to make real progress quickly. These resources helped me go from confused to creating:
- I learned how wallets integrate with web applications in real Cardano projects.
- I minted my first native token and understood the logic behind ADA minimum requirements, navigating between different wallets and development environments.
What seemed complex at first became clear step by step—not because it got easier, but because the community makes knowledge accessible and practical.
What I’ve Built So Far
Working with Cardano tools and frameworks, I’ve had the opportunity to build real functionality used across the ecosystem:
- Wallet integration** – connecting CIP-30 wallets and reading stake info
- Token minting workflows** – using policies and metadata on testnets
- Voting & governance interfaces** – user-friendly flows for proposal selection and transaction signing
- On-chain interaction using web frontends** – powered by Inertia, React, and Cardano libraries. These experiences showed me that Cardano isn’t just something you watch—it’s something you build with.
What I’m Working on Now
Cardano Ambassador Tool
Currently, I’m contributing to the Cardano Ambassador Tool, a new platform under the Cardano Foundation.
The application designed for Cardano Ambassadors to:
- Highlight their contributions
- Access community tools
- Engage with upcoming features that support ecosystem growth
My focus is on building the frontend UI, ensuring the experience is intuitive, fully wallet-based, and aligned with Cardano’s decentralized design philosophy.
This project has shown me how Cardano empowers contributors—not just developers—to be recognized and rewarded for their impact.
Another fun adventure
Joining Intersect
To take my journey to the next level, I joined the Developer Experience Group at Intersect. Over a 3-month program (Oct–Dec 2025), I’ll be participating in sessions covering:
- Setting up Cardano development environments
- Token creation and on-chain tooling
- Open-source contribution pathways
- Wallet integration fundamentals
- Real ecosystem problems and how to solve them
This isn’t just training—it’s participation in the future of Cardano development.
Why Cardano Feels Different
Cardano is built for more than transactions. It supports complex programmable logic, real governance, identity frameworks, and community-controlled infrastructure. It’s an ecosystem where anyone—from developers to educators to activists—can contribute.
For me, this is what makes Cardano special:
It’s not just a blockchain you invest in. It’s a blockchain you can build on and grow with.
Thank you for reading, and see you on-chain! 