The Spinout Story: From Gno.land to Amigos
📖 The Origin Story
What We Built (2022-2025)
For three years, our team was the driving force behind Gno.land, an ambitious blockchain project initiated by Jae Kwon (Cosmos founder). We:
- Designed and built GnoVM: The deterministic Go virtual machine
- Created the ecosystem: Wallets, explorers, SDKs, documentation
- Led the community: 100+ contributors, 38 workshops, 1000+ GitHub stars
- Achieved production readiness: 3 audits, multiple testnets, stable codebase
The Numbers Tell the Story
- Commits: We contributed 70%+ of the codebase
- Design: Originated major architectural decisions
- Partners: Onboarded Onbloc, Samourai, Berty
- Education: Partnerships with Epitech, PoC Association
💔 Why We’re Spinning Out
The Alignment Drift
Original Vision: “A permissionless, deterministic, developer-first platform for secure, evolvable smart contracts in Go”
What Changed:
- 🚫 Launch Stalled: Despite production-ready code
- ⚖️ Governance Shifted: From builder-driven to ideological
- 🔐 Resources Confiscated: Funds redirected to other agendas
- 💡 Community Waiting: For a neutral, open mainnet
The Breaking Point
When governance becomes a barrier to shipping, builders must build elsewhere.
🚀 Why This Isn’t a Rebellion
It’s a Continuation
- Same Mission: We still believe in the original vision
- Same Technology: Built on the proven GnoVM foundation
- Same Team: The builders who created it are moving forward
- Same Community: Partners and developers are following
What We’re Keeping
- ✅ The battle-tested VM technology
- ✅ Compatibility where it makes sense
- ✅ The community relationships
- ✅ The builder-first philosophy
What We’re Changing
- ❌ Ideological governance → Pragmatic execution
- ❌ Centralized decisions → Transparent process
- ❌ Stalled momentum → Rapid iteration
- ❌ Complex politics → Simple shipping
👥 The Team Story
Why Our Team Matters
Not just skilled developers, but the architects:
- We didn’t just code - we designed the system
- We didn’t just build - we understood the vision
- We didn’t just contribute - we led the project
3 Years of Deep Experience
- Spoke with 100s of developers about their needs
- Dogfooded by building multiple dApps ourselves
- Learned what works and what doesn’t
- Understand every line of code and why it exists
Key Team Members
Core Builders (all ex-Gno.land):
- Manfred Touron: VP Engineering → Founder
- Morgan Bazalgette: GnoVM Technical Lead
- Marc Vertes: 30+ year VM veteran
- Miloš Živković: Protocol specialist
- [+7 senior engineers]: The technical backbone
Why This Team:
- Built major open-source projects (Scaleway, Berty, Yaegi)
- 900+ collective OSS contributions
- Proven track record of shipping
📊 The Momentum Case
Why Now Is Perfect
- Tech is Ready: 3 years of development complete
- Team is United: Core builders aligned and committed
- Market is Waiting: Go developers want Web3 tools
- Partners are Ready: Existing relationships transfer
Community Support
- Developers: “Finally, you’re free to ship”
- Partners: “We’ve been waiting for this”
- Investors: “This is what we wanted to fund”
🎯 The Differentiation
Gno.land vs Amigos
| Aspect | Gno.land | Amigos |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership | Single founder vision | Builder collective |
| Governance | Ideological | Pragmatic |
| Technology | Custom everything | Proven standards where sensible |
| Focus | Philosophical purity | Developer adoption |
| Timeline | When it’s perfect | Ship and iterate |
| Community | Top-down | Bottom-up |
Technical Evolution
- Standard Tendermint: Instead of custom TM2
- Enhanced VM: All Go syntax, not just .gno subset
- Flexible Deployment: Blockchain-optional architecture
- Progressive Decentralization: Start simple, evolve
💰 The Investment Angle
De-Risked Opportunity
- ✅ Technology Risk: Already built and tested
- ✅ Team Risk: Proven builders with history
- ✅ Market Risk: Clear demand from Go developers
- ✅ Execution Risk: Free from previous constraints
What Investors Get
- Ground Floor: Of a proven technology’s fresh start
- Aligned Team: 4-year vesting, long-term committed
- Clear Path: From current state to mainnet launch
- Network Effects: Platform play in growing market
🌟 The Narrative
For Public Communication
“We’re not leaving, we’re continuing”
The builders who created Gno.land are ensuring the technology reaches its full potential. After 3 years of development, the stack is ready, the community is waiting, and we’re free to deliver.
Key Messages
- Positive Framing: Evolution, not revolution
- Builder Focus: Technology over politics
- Community First: Delivering what was promised
- Open Invitation: All builders welcome
What We Won’t Say
- ❌ Drama or personal conflicts
- ❌ Criticism of individuals
- ❌ Bitter rebellion narrative
- ❌ Competitive attacks
📅 The Transition Timeline
Already Complete
- ✅ Team alignment and commitment
- ✅ Technical architecture decisions
- ✅ Partner conversations
- ✅ Initial investor interest
Next 90 Days
- [ ] Legal structure finalization
- [ ] Public announcement preparation
- [ ] Seed round closing
- [ ] Brand and identity launch
Next 6 Months
- [ ] Testnet launch
- [ ] Developer onboarding
- [ ] Ecosystem grants program
- [ ] Mainnet preparation
❓ FAQs for Stakeholders
Q: Is this a hostile fork? A: No, it’s a constructive continuation by the original builders.
Q: Will Gno code work on Amigos? A: Yes, with minor modifications. We’re maintaining compatibility where sensible.
Q: Why not stay and fix governance? A: We tried for years. Now it’s time to build, not debate.
Q: What happens to Gno.land? A: It continues on its path. We wish them well and focus on our mission.
Q: Are you taking the community? A: The community chooses where to build. We’re creating an option.
💎 The Bottom Line
For three years, we built the technology. Now we’re free to ship it. The chain must live. The builders must build.