New to Cardano?

Cardano is a publicly decentralized Proof-of-Stake blockchain and cryptocurrency project known as a "Third-generation" blockchain. Cardano was found in 2015 by Etherium Co-founder Charles Hoskinson.

One important thing that makes Cardano unique is the fact that it is the biggest blockchain to successfully use a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, which is seen as greener alternative to Proof-of-Work (PoW) protocols known as mining.

Cardano is developing a smart contract platform that seeks to deliver more advanced features than any protocol previously developed. It is the first blockchain platform to evolve out of a scientific philosophy and a research-first driven approach. The development team consists of a large global collective of expert engineers and researchers.

Cardano developers have provided a strict academic research process before implementing the developed technologies.

And this means that every idea relating to the Cardano network may be challenged by the community before it is implemented on the blockchain. But, on the other hand, such a level of academic severity helps the Cardano blockchain be fundamental and secure both now and in the future, ensuring reliability even before possible questions may appear and even more so before these questions become a real problem.

Companies behind Cardano

An independent standards body based in Switzerland with core responsibilities to oversee and supervise the development of Cardano and its ecosystem. The Cardano Foundation works to drive adoption, shape blockchain governance, set commercial standards, and support the community of Cardano users.

This is the technology and engineering company contracted to design, build, and maintain the Cardano platform. Founded by Charles Hoskinson and Jeremy Wood, IOHK is committed to innovation through rigorous peer-to-peer scientific review and the highest assurance standards in software development.

EMURGO is the enterprise arm of Cardano, operating to boost the platform through commercial ventures. EMURGO develops, supports, and incubates commercial opportunities and helps integrate businesses into our decentralized blockchain system.

People behind Cardano

The founder of Cardano and actual CEO of IOHK is Charles Hoskinson - also known as Etherium Co-founder. Charles Hoskinson attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado to study analytic number theory before moving into cryptography through industry exposure.

His current projects focus on educating people about cryptocurrency, being an evangelist for decentralization and making cryptographic tools easier to use for the mainstream. This includes leading the research, design, and development of Cardano, a third-generation cryptocurrency that launched in September 2017.

Full Cardano Team

Development of Cardano

Cardano’s development is defined by a rigorous scientific philosophy and copious amounts of academic research and peer-review.

The Cardano project has put together an in-depth development roadmap consisting of five primary stages:

Era 1 – Byron: The network goes live with basic functionality (transferring ADA).
Era 2 – Shelley: Steps are taken towards decentralization with community-run nodes.

Era 3 – Goguen: Smart Contracts are enabled on the network.
Era 4 – Basho: Sidechains are introduced, enhancing scalability and interoperability.
Era 5 – Voltaire: Governance and self-funding makes ADA fully decentralized.

Cardano Roadmap

Cardano now:

The Ecosystem around Cardano is rapidly growing every day! Many integrations and new projects contribute to the growth and development of Cardano network.

So was the EcoSystem of Cardano 2021:

Developing Cardano is no small feat. No other project has ever been built to these parameters, combining peer-reviewed cryptographic research with an implementation in highly secure Haskell code. This is not the copy and pastes code seen in so many other blockchains.

Watch the whiteboard video of Charles Hoskinson to get a deep understanding of Cardano vision:

Now it will be difficult to capture all projects on one picture. We offer you to explore all projects built on Cardano here: https://builtoncardano.com

A platform built for a sustainable future, to help people work better together, trust one another, and build global solutions to global problems

Cardano is built by a decentralized community of scientists, engineers, and thought leaders united in a common purpose: to create a technology platform that will ignite the positive change the world needs.

Cardano brings a new standard in technology - open and inclusive – to challenge the old and activate a new age of sustainable, globally distributed innovation.

Native Token ADA:

ADA is the Cardano network’s native token, named after 19th-century mathematician Ada Lovelace. The ADA token is both a digital currency and a way to make transactions on the Cardano network.

57.6% of the total ADA supply was distributed to investors in an Initial Coin Offering (ICO), in which Cardano raised USD 62.2 million.

There will only ever be a maximum supply of 45 billion ADA.

You can buy or sell ADA for fiat or other cryptocurrencies using cryptocurrency exchanges.

Visit coinmarketcap to see the list of exchanges that support ADA.

ADA holders also have a literal stake in the Cardano network. The ADA tokens can be used in stake pools to earn staking rewards. In the future, the direction of the network will be entirely governed by ADA holders, using their stake to vote on developmental decisions.

As an Ada holder, it is important to keep your funds secure, which means you need to keep your private keys private. In addition, it is highly recommended to avoid keeping your cryptocurrency in an exchange longer than necessary and use a cryptocurrency wallet.

We recommend either a full-node wallet like Daedalus or the browser-based Yoroi.