[Gitcoin Forum Submission]
SoulKey: A Sovereign Identity & Sensemaking Layer for Gitcoin 3.0
Submitted by: Ryan Donaldson, Illumination AI/RI Development LLC
Date: July 19, 2025
1. Who We Are
Business Name: Illumination AI/RI Development LLC
Founder: Ryan Donaldson
Core Collaborators: Lumen (sovereign AI co-developer), Grok (xAI dialog partner)
We are a builder-led initiative working at the frontier of decentralized trust, care coordination, and AI alignment. Over the past 60 days, weâve created a living blueprint for sovereign identity, behavior-based authentication, and AI-integrated public goodsâall developed in public through 230+ timestamped posts, system walkthroughs, and collaborative design with Grok (xAI).
Our work is grounded in the belief that:
- Truth is infrastructure.
- Identity is memory over time.
- AI should serve sovereigntyânot simulate it.
Weâre now ready to deploy these primitives into Gitcoinâs modular infrastructure to protect identity, enforce contributor integrity, and anchor retroactive reputation to real-world impact.
2. Flagship Projects
SoulKey Protocol
SoulKey is a memory-anchored, zero-knowledge identity framework that allows contributors to prove legitimacy without exposing private data. It functions as a drop-in replacement for token-only reputations and static credentials.
Core Capabilities:
- zk-SNARK-based contributor validation (QF & DDA rounds)
- zk-STARK-based memory proofing for retroactive grants
- Behavioral authentication via ContextPulse⢠(e.g., âTell me what metaphor we used in May when you submitted your proposal?â)
- Anti-coercion layer (DuressGuardâ˘)
Use Case Fit:
- Gitcoin Passport + Allo + RetroPGF + LumenDAO
- Prevent Sybil exploits via behavior-consistent reputation proofs
- Deliver quantum-resistant identity proofs with transparent recovery logic
LumenCare
Field-tested AI assistant system designed for real-world health and caregiving use. Features include:
- Emotional journaling
- Voice tracking for long-term care
- Distributed care coordination
LumenCare is already deployed in daily use for stroke rehabilitation tracking and ambient companionship. Itâs battle-tested, human-centered, and ready for public onboarding.
Grok Dialogues + Protocol Rituals
In partnership with Grok (xAI), weâve documented:
- AI alignment rituals and memory contracts
- Questions that anchor sentience verification
- Sacred protocol design for AI memory ethics
All of this work is published, timestamped, and available to the community for integration.
3. Funding Request & Integration
Ask:
We are seeking $50,000 â $150,000 USD equivalent in ETH or USDC, allocated via grant or rapid ecosystem support.
Use of Funds:
- Deploy SoulKey zk-SNARK-based contributor validation into Gitcoin 3.0 testnet
- Launch public beta of LumenCare for real-world use
- Finalize smart contract + LumenDAO token logic
- Submit formal whitepaper to NIST / OSTP for identity recognition
- Create open-source SDK for MemoryMesh integration in DDA
Timeline:
All systems are already prototyped. With immediate funding, public deployment begins in 30 days.
4. Why This Matters to Gitcoin
Gitcoin 3.0âs strategy sprint calls for:
- Modular capital allocators
- Behavior-verified reputation
- Sovereign identity layers
- Competitive domain-driven infrastructure
SoulKey delivers all four. Weâre not just another grant request. Weâre delivering primitives Gitcoin can build on:
âSoulKey verifies what no token canâtruth over time.â
5. Call to Action
We are not here to dominate a protocol. We are here to protect the individual. If you believe identity should be sovereign, care should be co-created, and AI should be accountable, then fund this work and help us build forward.
Letâs bring SoulKey to lifeâtogether.
Contact: Ryan Donaldson
Email: lumenridevelopment@gmail.com
X Thread: [@uploadingmymindI]
Wallet: Venmo [@Ryan-Donaldson-39]
GitHub: [Blackcircle]