Sundae Governance + Atala Prism Integration

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

Additional applicants

Pi Lanningham @ Sundae Labs

Artem Wright @ Sundae Labs

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

The Atala PRISM components of the project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The problem that Sundae Labs is aiming to solve with its governance solution and integration with Atala PRISM centers around enhancing the transparency, security, customization, and overall user experience in decentralized governance processes. We are tackling key issues that often come with decentralized systems, including lack of accountability, security vulnerabilities, and barriers to user participation.

Secure and Controlled Governance: Centralized systems can be vulnerable to manipulations or tampering. We address this by offering cryptographic security that protects proposal and voting data. By controlling access to proposal creation and voting, the power of governance is truly given back to the community.

Transparency and Verifiability: In many systems, it can be difficult for users to verify their votes or for the community to trust in the integrity of voting processes. We tackle this by allowing users to independently verify their votes and by employing a network of auditors who attest to the accuracy of each election.

Flexible Integration and On-Chain Minting: Many platforms struggle to interface smoothly with other ecosystems or lack innovative tools for governance. We integrate with diverse ecosystems and enhance transparency by minting voting results on-chain as an NFT.

Customization and Hosting: Communities often want to create a unique identity in the digital realm, but they might lack the resources or expertise to do so. We offer custom branding and robust IPFS/Arweave hosting, giving projects a unique identity and ensuring data durability.

User Engagement and Process Alignment: User engagement can be a significant challenge in decentralized governance, with many feeling detached from the process. We address this by offering an interactive voting experience and customizable timing features that align with unique governance processes.

Decentralized Identity for Governance: Traditional governance systems based on token balances might not align well with some communities' goals or values. By integrating with Atala PRISM, Sundae Labs allows the use of decentralized identities (DIDs) with associated credentials as an alternative basis for voting permission and power.

With the integration of Atala PRISM, we aim to build a comprehensive, secure, and user-friendly governance platform that fosters community trust, engagement, and customization, while enhancing the security and transparency of decentralized governance.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Our solution addresses the challenge of transparency, security, and user engagement in decentralized governance by introducing an innovative and comprehensive governance platform that offers enhanced cryptographic security, user verifiability, and a user-friendly voting process.

The integration with Atala PRISM allows for decentralized identity (DID)-based voting, which can enhance trust and security in the voting process. This method shifts from the traditional token balance to a more flexible credential-based voting permission and power. It provides a unique level of control to the user, as their ability to vote and the weight of their vote can be tied to specific credentials associated with their DID. 

For the Cardano ecosystem, this solution boosts user engagement, enhances security and trust, facilitates customizable governance and enriches Cardano's DeFi ecosystem. Overall, our solution could be a valuable addition to the Cardano ecosystem, enhancing its reputation as a secure, user-centric, and innovative platform for decentralized applications.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

Project Adoption Rates: The number of communities or projects adopting our governance platform can be a good indicator of its success. Tracking new users or projects over time will provide quantitative measures of growth.

Governance User Engagement: Metrics such as the number of votes cast, proposals made, and the level of user interaction (like commentary) indicate how well the platform is fostering engagement.

Security Performance: The absence of security breaches, successful unauthorized voting attempts, or other malicious actions reflects the robustness of the security mechanisms in place.

Auditing Transparency: Positive feedback and endorsements from the network of auditors can bolster trust and verify the integrity of the system.

Integration Success: The smoothness and utilization rate of Atala PRISM integration, as well as the user feedback about this feature, can help gauge its success.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

1. Project Blog Posts and Updates: Regularly post updates on the project's progress on popular platforms like Medium, the project website’s own blog, and YouTube channel. These posts can detail recent accomplishments, hurdles overcome, and next steps.
2. Release Notes: With each significant release or update, publish detailed release notes outlining the changes, improvements, or bug fixes. These can be included directly in the project repository or on the project's website.
3. Webinars and Online Tutorials: Conduct webinars or create online tutorials to demonstrate the functionality of the ledger-mode fork of the Hydra Node. This will help users understand its features and how to use them.
4. Community Forum Discussions: Use platforms like the Cardano community forum or Reddit to engage with the community. Answer questions, ask for feedback, and participate in discussions about the project.
5. Presentations at Conferences or Meetups: Present the project's results at blockchain or Cardano specific conferences and meetups. This not only reaches a larger audience but also provides an opportunity to receive direct feedback from peers and users.
6. Social Media Announcements: Leverage Twitter, LinkedIn or other popular social media platforms to share project milestones and engage with the community.
7. Documentation: Finally, we will generate documentation that thoroughly explains our DID-based governance solution, its benefits, and potential use-cases. This documentation should be easily accessible from the project's website and repository.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Sundae Labs is a proven and trusted contributor to the Cardano Ecosystem. We built the first AMM DEX on Cardano, and supply turnkey Rewards and Governance products/services to other high-profile projects in the Cardano ecosystem. Additionally, we actively support various ad-hoc activities like Cardano security and scalability R&D. We also contribute actively to ongoing IOG initiatives like Voltaire and other core tech topics of discussion. Learn more at https://sundae.fi.

Specific to this project, we already power the governance behind several major projects in the Cardano ecosystem via our Sundae Governance product.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

To Enhance Decentralized Governance: By providing a robust and secure platform for seamless proposal creations and voting accessibility, we aim to improve the experience and security of decentralized governance. 

To Increase Transparency and Trust: With user verifiability features and independent auditing, we seek to build more transparency and trust in the governance process.

To Enable Customizable and Interactive Voting: With features like custom branding, IPFS/Arweave hosting, and interactive voting, we aim to make decentralized governance more customizable and interactive.

To Integrate Decentralized Identity: By integrating with Atala PRISM, we seek to provide an alternative to "token balance" for voting permission and power, making the governance process more flexible and user-centric.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: Planning & Design for Atala PRISM Integration (1 week)

• Define requirements for Atala PRISM integration.
• Design the architecture and user interface changes needed to incorporate Atala PRISM.

Milestone 2: Development of Atala PRISM Integration (2 weeks)

• Develop the API connection to Atala PRISM.
• Implement DID-based voting permission and power feature tied to Atala PRISM.
• Test the integration for bugs and security vulnerabilities.

Milestone 3: Testing & Debugging for Atala PRISM Integration (2 weeks)

• Conduct comprehensive platform testing, including the new Atala PRISM integration.
• Debug identified issues.
• Conduct security testing specifically for the new features.

Milestone 4: User Testing & Feedback for Atala PRISM Integration (1 week)

• Conduct user testing for the new Atala PRISM integration.
• Collect and analyze user feedback.
• Implement any necessary changes based on user feedback.

Milestone 5: Pilot Launch of Atala PRISM Integration (1 week)

• Launch a pilot version of the Atala PRISM integration with a small user group or a single community.
• Monitor the integration's performance and gather user feedback.
• Implement necessary changes based on pilot feedback.

Milestone 6: Full Launch of Atala PRISM Integration (1 week)

• Address any remaining issues identified during the pilot.
• Launch the full version of the Atala PRISM integration.
• Announce the launch through relevant channels.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1: Planning & Design for Atala PRISM Integration

• Deliverables: Comprehensive integration plan
• Outputs: Detailed requirements for Atala PRISM integration
• Intended Outcome: Clear understanding and vision of the integration process and expected results, ready to move forward to the development stage.

Milestone 2: Development of Atala PRISM Integration

• Deliverables: Codebase updates, new feature sets.
• Outputs: Developed API connection to Atala PRISM, implemented DID-based voting features tied to Atala PRISM.
• Intended Outcome: Successful integration of Atala PRISM into the platform, ready for thorough testing.

Milestone 3: Testing & Debugging for Atala PRISM Integration

• Deliverables: Testing reports, identified and fixed bugs.
• Outputs: Comprehensive platform testing, bug fixes, security vulnerability assessments and resolutions.
• Intended Outcome: A well-tested, secure platform with successfully integrated Atala PRISM features, ready for independent auditing.

Milestone 4: User Testing & Feedback for Atala PRISM Integration

• Deliverables: User testing reports, feedback analysis.
• Outputs: Completed user testing, user feedback, implemented changes based on feedback.
• Intended Outcome: User-validated platform with Atala PRISM integration, ready for a pilot launch.

Milestone 5: Pilot Launch of Atala PRISM Integration

• Deliverables: Pilot launch report, user feedback from pilot.
• Outputs: Completed pilot launch, user feedback, implemented changes based on pilot feedback.
• Intended Outcome: Successful pilot run with real-world users, readiness for full launch.

Milestone 6: Full Launch of Atala PRISM Integration

• Deliverables: Official launch announcement, documentation updates.
• Outputs: Full launch of the Atala PRISM integration, platform documentation and user guide updates.
• Intended Outcome: Full deployment of the platform with Atala PRISM integration, ready for post-launch evaluation.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

$55k USD / 184,000 ADA / 2 months

Engineer (1x): $25,000/mo

Project Management/Admin: $2.5k/mo

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

This project represents significant value for money for the Cardano ecosystem due to several key factors:

1. Enhancing Decentralized Governance: By providing a robust and secure platform for proposal creation and voting, the project improves the efficiency and effectiveness of decentralized governance within the Cardano ecosystem. This has the potential to streamline decision-making processes and enhance community engagement.
2. Improving Security and Trust: With its unique user verifiability feature and independent auditing, the project offers an increased level of security and transparency, which can significantly improve trust within the Cardano community.
3. Integrating Atala PRISM: The integration with Atala PRISM enables the use of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), offering a new layer of flexibility and user-centric control to the governance process. This not only benefits users but also projects that require versatile governance mechanisms.
4. Promoting Innovative Use of NFTs: The concept of minting voting results on-chain as an NFT presents a unique and innovative way to document and preserve voting results. This could be a potential game-changer in how voting outcomes are recorded and referenced, potentially influencing other projects on the Cardano blockchain.
5. Encouraging More Projects: By demonstrating a high level of security, flexibility, and innovation, this project can help attract more projects to the Cardano blockchain, thereby adding value to the overall ecosystem.
6. User-Centric Customization: The focus on user customization and interactivity can increase community engagement and make the Cardano ecosystem more attractive to a wider range of users.
7. Cost Efficiency: Since the platform already exists and is in operation, the additional investment is focused on the integration of Atala PRISM. This optimizes the use of funds by building on existing infrastructure.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.