Why Is a High Degree of Centralization Often Necessary during a Project’s Bootstrap Phase?

During the initial bootstrap phase, a high degree of centralization (e.g. core team control) is necessary for speed, efficiency, and rapid iteration. The code is new and likely contains bugs, requiring quick fixes and upgrades without a slow, multi-day governance vote.

Centralized control allows for swift strategic decisions, immediate security patches, and efficient resource deployment. This initial efficiency is traded for decentralization, with the explicit goal of gradually decentralizing once the protocol is mature and secure.

What Happens If There Is a Bug in the Smart Contract Code Governing an Options Trade?
How Does the Term ‘Rug Pull’ Relate to Centralized Control in Early-Stage Projects?
How Can a Low Number of Core Developers Expose a Protocol to Security Vulnerabilities?
Why Is ‘Immutability’ a Double-Edged Sword for Smart Contracts?
Why Is the Immutability of Solidity Code a Double-Edged Sword for Smart Contract Development?
What Are the Limitations of Using Traditional DCF for Early-Stage Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)?
How Can Inflationary Token Models Be Used to Bootstrap Initial Liquidity for a Derivatives Platform?
How Does a PoC Help in Securing Early-Stage Funding for a Financial Derivative Tokenization Project?

Glossar