NEWM Academy - Learn-to-Earn Education Platform

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

NEWM (Florian Pittini / Ryan Jones)

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

catalyst@newm.io

Additional Applicants

Andrew Westberg (CTO), Tiziana Pittini (CPO), Alex Vavourakis (CMO)

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

10

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

No

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

No

[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.” in this field.

No dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project outputs be fully Open Source?

Yes

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

Yes the platform will be fully open source, not the content.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

Education

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

NEWM Academy is an educational platform primarily designed to help musicians and their fans/listeners easily transition from traditional Web 2.0 music platforms to using advanced Web 3.0 music applications built on Cardano. The secondary goal of the platform is making it a hub for other Cardano projects to launch their own onboarding courses and rewards systems. 

In the music streaming market alone, the number of users is expected to hit around 1.12 BILLION by 2027 (source: statista). In order to effectively tap into this user base with high adoption rates, having an incentivized education program that minimizes the learning curve is necessary.

Studies have shown that gamified rewards-based learning has a direct impact on user decision-making, adoption rates and knowledge retention. Coinbase Learn and Samsung exemplify this impact in their own similar incentive-based programs. Samsung Home Appliances Division in Australia specifically implemented a highly successful Learn & Earn program for their retail associates that saw 90% adoption rates nationwide and significant operational cost savings.  

Our platform will offer a wide range of courses, covering various aspects of the music industry, Cardano basics (e.g., wallet creation, staking, cyber security, etc.) and the benefits of big industries transitioning to blockchain technologies. Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) who are knowledgeable in these fields will lead courses and curriculum development. 

As participants complete assignments, quizzes, and projects related to the courses, they can accumulate points, earn badges, and even collect virtual currency like our $NEWM token or other tokens from our partners or projects using the platform. These rewards can be redeemed for real-world benefits such as discounts on future courses, merchandise, and other NEWM products.

On the road to mass adoption, the more users that feel knowledgeable when using Cardano-based products, the more beneficial it is for the ecosystem. 

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

Creation & Improvement of Tools

Our proposed solution, NEWM Academy, aims to work collaboratively with other Cardano-based projects that are already creating beneficial educational resources in the ecosystem, but may have low adoption rates due to a lack of incentives. 

Ecosystem Education & Resources

The platform offers structured learning pathways to better understand the Cardano blockchain, RealFi and Web 3.0 applications. The gamification aspect reduces the complexity of these technologies and incentivizes more users to make the transition from Web 2.0.

Growth Potential

This strategy has immense growth potential for the Cardano network. As previously mentioned, the music market alone is projected to have 1.12B users by 2027, and by offering easy-to-use and incentive-based resources, we have a better chance of capturing a portion of this market and others!

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

The success of NEWM Academy can be measured through a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics. Here are some key indicators:

1. User Growth: One of the primary measures of success will be the number of new users we can attract to the platform, including the user bases of other projects that launch courses.
2. Course-Completion Rates: Tracking the number of users who complete courses start-to-finish indicates their level of engagement and platform effectiveness. Higher completion rates suggest that users are finding value in the learning materials.
3. Earned Rewards: Monitoring the amount of virtual currency, points, and badges earned and redeemed by users can provide insight into user engagement and the effectiveness of the gamification approach.
4. Onboarding to Cardano: The ultimate goal is to onboard users to Cardano. We can measure this through the number of new wallets created, the volume of $NEWM or other tokens transacted, and the increase in Cardano network activity attributable to platform users.
5. Retention Rates: Keeping users engaged over time is crucial. Measuring the retention rate – the percentage of users who return to the platform after their first visit – will indicate the platform’s overall success.
6. Feedback and Reviews: User feedback can provide valuable insight into what's working well and what can be improved. Regular surveys and review prompts can help us gather this information.
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By setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals for each of these metrics, we can regularly assess our progress and make necessary adjustments to our strategies.

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

Everything we are building is open source, and with transparency as one of our driving values; we consistently share our successes, failures, strengths and shortcomings publicly with the Cardano Community. We will continue to share output on our overall product development, future funded proposals and previously funded Project Catalyst proposals (Fund9) the way we are sharing them now:

• Public reporting of milestone statuses – Discord, Twitter, Telegram, Newsletter, Youtube 
• Conferences and events – Public speaking events or recorded interviews
• Community lives and AMAs during the development process – Weekly Twitter Spaces and sporadic AMA events on specific topics in Discord
• Survey and poll reports from user feedback – Public community votes and UX research
• Catalyst landing page – We have a dedicated project catalyst landing page on the newm.io website where users can review our funded proposals and track progress – newm.io/catalyst
• Nerd Out Youtube Channel – Andrew Westberg’s personal Youtube channel where he discusses Cardano development in-depth 

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

Our team has consistently demonstrated a strong capacity to deliver complex projects with high levels of accountability, adaptability and transparency. This is evidenced by our track record of successfully managed and executed Catalyst proposals, as well as quarterly NEWM Community governance votes that directly affect $NEWM token holders and strategic partnerships driven by community needs. Our commitment to meeting project goals within defined timelines and budgets sets a precedent of dependability.

A noteworthy accomplishment amongst our latest initiatives is the successful launch of The Record Store project – recordstore.newm.io – the first marketplace dedicated to digital music collectibles on Cardano. Although a collectible music marketplace was always a part of our roadmap, we envisioned it further down in our development journey. However, we listened and saw an immediate need in the Cardano music community and delivered. Through strategic partnerships with NMKR and Sick City, we managed to create an effective and user-friendly platform that has since earned the trust and endorsement of numerous artists. 

Furthermore, our commitment to transparency has strengthened our standing as an accountable team. We maintain and nurture open lines of communication through all of our community channels, and support a culture of mindful listening where community members feel heard. We also consistently share our code and development progress with the wider ecosystem, underscoring our dedication to open source principles and community engagement. This level of openness encourages community feedback and critique, enabling continuous improvement and bolstering the reliability of our software. We invite you to review our work through our Github repository: https://github.com/projectNEWM

Equally important for the success of NEWM Academy, is our exceptional content team, which has a proven track record of creating compelling and high-quality content. Their ability to effectively communicate complex concepts and engage audiences is instrumental to this project's success. Here are just a few examples of educational initiatives created by our team over the last two years: 

• Get Versed! – The NEWM magazine that covers Web 3.0, music, tech and culture 
• Weekly Educational Twitter Thread Series:
• Understanding the Music Industry - every thursday
• Understanding Web 3.0 - biweekly
• NEWM Spaces Podcast – education, interviews and AMAs about music and Web 3.0
• Weekly Recorded Twitter Spaces – Founding members of the NEWM team discuss our product development and hold regular town halls and AMAs, as well as announce partnerships and launches 
• ART Office Hours – Our Artist Relations Team (ART) holds public Twitter Spaces to answer musicians’ onboarding questions
• Monthly Tech Updates – Once a month, we try to give a tech update directly from our CTO, Andrew Westberg
• Discord Forums and Activities – support and conversation from NEWM team and community members in a more private setting, added benefits for stake pool delegators and NFT holders, music trivia and other fun things to engage with the community around music
• Nerd Out – created externally by an associated team member with occasional NEWM tech updates
• Brand Awareness Initiatives – Product visuals, video explainers, infographics, etc.

In conclusion, our past successful Catalyst fund proposals, our achievement with adapting and bridging an industry gap with The Record Store and our commitment to transparent communication and code delivery, paired with the exemplary work of our content team, provide a robust basis that assures our ability to deliver this Learn-to-Earn platform with utmost trust and reliability.

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

Our main goals for NEWM Academy are:

1. Educate Artists and Fans/Listeners – Create and provide a comprehensive set of courses that effectively educates musicians and listeners about NEWM and facilitates the transition to a Web 3.0 music ecosystem.
2. Seamless Integration with Other Projects – Create a simple, yet robust platform that other Cardano projects can easily use to launch their very own rewards-based learning programs. 
3. Incentivize Learning: Implement a reward system where learners earn points, badges, and tokens redeemable for real-world benefits, to encourage continuous learning and engagement.
4. Onboard Users to Cardano: Increase the adoption of Cardano by onboarding a significant number of users to the Cardano network.
5. Build a Thriving Community: Develop a robust, engaged community of learners who actively participate in course discussions, collaborate, and contribute to the Cardano ecosystem.

To validate the feasibility of our approach, we will conduct several activities:

1. Pilot Courses: Before a full launch, we'll run a series of pilot courses with a select group of users. This will help us assess the effectiveness of our teaching methods and the overall user experience.
2. Feedback Surveys: We'll regularly collect user feedback through surveys and interviews to understand what's working and what needs improvement.
3. Analyze Engagement Metrics: We'll closely monitor engagement metrics such as course completion rates, rewards earned and redeemed, and community participation levels. These metrics will help us gauge user engagement and validate the effectiveness of our gamification approach.
4. Track Onboarding Metrics: By tracking the number of new Cardano wallets created, the volume of tokens transacted, and other network activity by our users, we can measure our success in onboarding users to the Cardano network.

By setting clear, measurable objectives and regularly evaluating our progress towards these goals through the aforementioned activities, we can validate the feasibility of our approach and make necessary adjustments as the project progresses.

[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.

1. Learn-to-Earn Concept - Technology Feasibility Research (15 hours): We will conduct a more comprehensive feasibility study to evaluate how our proposed Learn-to-Earn concept can be technologically implemented. The study will assess the technical resources, tools, and solutions necessary to create this platform, as well as any potential challenges. 
2. UX/UI Design Draft (8 hours): Our designers will create preliminary user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) designs for the Learn-to-Earn platform. This phase will involve creating initial sketches and digital mock-ups of the platform's layout and design elements.
3. UX/UI Research (15 hours): We will conduct research to understand user needs, preferences, and behaviors to inform our UX/UI design. This will include studying similar platforms, conducting user surveys, and performing user testing with early mock-ups.
4. UX/UI Design Finalized (20 hours): Based on the insights gathered from the UX/UI research, our designers will refine the initial designs and create a high-fidelity prototype of the platform. 
5. Back-End Implementation (61 hours): Our developers will build the server-side components of the Learn-to-Earn platform. This will involve setting up the databases, developing the server logic, integrating with the Cardano blockchain, and ensuring proper data flow between the front end and back end.
6. Front-End Implementation (105 hours): Our developers will create the client-side components of the platform based on the finalized UX/UI design. This involves developing interactive elements, integrating with the backend, and ensuring a responsive and intuitive interface.
7. Quality-Control Stage (40 hours): We will conduct extensive testing to ensure the platform's functionality, performance, security, and usability. Tests will include unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and acceptance testing. 
8. User Product Testing (30 hours): We will run beta tests with a select group of users to validate the platform's functionality and user experience. 
9. Implement Improvements Front/Back (20 hours): Based on the findings from the quality control and user product testing stages, we will make necessary improvements to both front-end and back-end components.
10. Bug Fixing (15 hours): Any remaining bugs or issues after the improvement stage will be addressed during this phase to ensure the platform is stable and ready for launch.
11. 9-Month Operation - Content Creation (fix Package): Over a period of nine months, our content team will create, update, and manage educational content for the platform. This includes developing course materials, maintaining the platform's blog or news section, and creating promotional content. 
12. 9-Month Marketing Support (fix Package): We will run marketing campaigns to promote the platform and attract users. This involves creating marketing content, running ads, managing social media channels, and tracking marketing metrics.

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

1. Learn-to-Earn Concept - Technology Feasibility Research - Report: A detailed report will be prepared outlining the findings and next steps.
2. UX/UI Design Draft - Mock-ups: This phase will involve creating initial sketches and digital mock-ups of the platform's layout and design elements.
3. UX/UI Research - Report: A report will be compiled detailing the research findings.
4. UX/UI Design Finalized - Prototype: This prototype will be as close to the final product as possible, reflecting the look, feel, and functionality of the platform.
5. Back-end Implementation - Github: All code will be uploaded to Github so that the community can review it and follow our progress.
6. Front-end Implementation - Github: The code will be uploaded to Github so that the community can review it and follow our progress.
7. Quality Control Stage - Report: Any bugs or issues found will be documented in a report.
8. User Product Testing - Report: Their feedback will be compiled in a report.
9. Implement Improvements Front/Back - Github: These changes will be reflected in the code on Github.
10. Bug Fixing - Github: All code will be uploaded to Github
11. 9-Month Operation – Content Creation - Report: The team's efforts will be documented in periodic reports.
12. 9-Month Marketing Support -- Report: A report will be prepared to document our marketing activities and their outcomes.

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

Please note that each line item includes overhead operational, product management & project management costs to coordinate the product development and for filling out forms and reporting milestones to the Project Catalyst F10 teams – due to the friction we experienced the last time we received funding. We used a conversion rate of 0.165 ADA per USD due to the high volatility; plus, a detailed analysis of historical price movements show that the low might be at around 0.20 cents, but there is no support line after that until around 0.13 cents, so we used the average of both.

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

Mass adoption, which will benefit all participants, should be the main goal of the Cardano ecosystem. Having a rewards-based educational platform that focuses on driving Web 2.0 users to Cardano will serve to increase the overall usage and impact of the ecosystem. Additionally, because the technology will be open source, there is a greater opportunity for the community to benefit from our code and audited smart contracts to build other tools and apps that can accelerate adoption.

[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.

I Accept