Use case

DAO governance signals with preference intensity

DAO governance often has more proposals than attention, and token voting can blur capital weight with conviction. Nicolas gives communities a separate quadratic voting layer for exploring support, opposition, and delegated expertise before execution.

Nicolas mechanism signals

These concepts follow the mathematical contract used by the app.

Convex cost

cost = c * sum a_ij^2

Voice budget

sum a_ij^2 <= B

Outcome rule

shifted softmax over support

The DAO governance problem

Before DAOs move into token-weighted votes, multisig execution, or off-chain consensus, they often need to understand proposal legitimacy in a way a simple poll cannot show.

Nicolas lets members allocate finite voice credits across alternatives, so intensity becomes part of the decision record.

Where Nicolas fits

Nicolas is useful as a proposal signal layer for agenda prioritization, grants shortlists, parameter-change consultation, working-group priorities, and governance retrospectives.

Delegation helps participants route decision power toward trusted contributors on issues where context is uneven, while direct voting lets them override delegation for a specific decision.

What it does not do

Nicolas does not execute blockchain transactions, verify token balances, replace treasury controls, or certify that a vote is legally binding.

Use it when the DAO needs an interpretable preference-intensity signal before or alongside the governance process that actually authorizes action.

Use cases

Where this decision model helps

Proposal triage

Find which proposals deserve forum attention, working-group time, or formal escalation.

Grant shortlists

Compare funding candidates when some members care deeply about specific projects.

Contributor delegation

Route voice credits toward trusted contributors without locking members out of direct votes.

FAQ

Is Nicolas a token voting system?

No. Nicolas is a quadratic voting decision tool. It can inform DAO governance, but it does not execute token-weighted on-chain votes.

Why use quadratic voting for DAOs?

Quadratic voting helps separate preference intensity from simple headcount or token weight, which can be useful before a DAO moves to execution.

Can DAO members delegate votes?

Yes. Nicolas supports liquid delegation inside decisions, while preserving direct voting for members who want to decide themselves.