Project Catalyst Funded Project PlayBook Revamp and Marketing/Community Project Support - SmartHubs

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

SmartHubs

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

cardanosmarthubs@gmail.com

Additional Applicants

Cole - colebvt@gmail.com

Jo - jo@yojodesign.com

Nori - anishi@gmail.com 

Yoram - yoram@connectality.com

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

6

[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.

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

Education

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG 4 Quality Education:

• Providing education to the Project Catalyst Funded community and supporting educational material to help.

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth:

• Allowing for decent work and economic growth. By providing these resources we are supporting companies overall work experience and greater economic growth.

SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure:

• By providing these game changing tools to the Project Catalyst community the project is supporting innovation and infrastructure to pride companies with a playbook to succeed in the blockchain space.

SDG 10 Reducing Inequalities:

• We are reducing inequalities by providing a playbook for all Project Catalyst projects and this is an Open Source document allowing anyone to access it even if a project is not funded.

SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production:

• By providing these resources for start up it allow for new companies to enter the ecosystem and responsibly spend the assets from the Cardano treasury and allows for a greater success rate of projects in the ecosystem.

SDG 16 Pease Justice and Strong Institutions:

• We are helping create a strong Project Catalyst ecosystem by helping all funded projects create strong businesses and institutions.

SDG 17 Partnerships For The Goals:

• This proposal represents partnerships for the goals because Smart Hubs was created from a partnership community of global local hubs.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

In fund 9 Smart Hubs had a proposal “Onboarded Companies Playbook”. For this proposal, we were trying to help some a problem for new funded projects.

Problem: New funded companies, face accounting and community communication challenges to be aligned with their normal operation. Catalyst does not have an available/ relevant source of information about it.

Solution: A playbook for funded companies that guide their various teams on how to best connect their operation with the Catalyst operation - payments, admin, communication 

Team dedicated to Onboarding new members and business to Cardano

A big part of the team activities is related to onboarding impact companies to Catalyst & Cardano.

The team had several funded-related proposals that aim to onboard more companies to the ecosystem: 

• Fund 7 - Business Development Hub Geneva - closing video & Closing report
• Fund 7 - Strategy Framework - miro board 
• Fund 8 - Community lead generator
• Fund 8 - Cross-chain impact lead generator   

Some companies we managed to onboard already:

• www.Seedstars.com  
• www.Goodwall.io 
• www.Digifarm.io 
• https://accelerate2030.net/
• https://thepondfoundation.org/  

From our past work we are going to be continuing to revamp and enhance our efforts around the Project Catalyst Funded Project Playbook. Currently when new projects are funded in the Catalyst ecosystem there is not a lot of guidance on how to pivot your business forward and its hard to sometimes find the proper steps to take for a successful funding experience.

The plan is to revamp the Project Catalyst Funded Project PlayBook created by SmartHubs. The Playbook will provide support to newly funded projects with technical and nontechnical parts of the business setup process and is to help community projects structure their plans to succeed. 

We will also be creating marketing material to help with promoting the Playbook so it can be used by as many community members as possible. This marketing material will be used to promote the work on various community platforms and we plan to present the playbook and its value to the community by working with the global townhall and swarm community.

Sometimes its hard to just jump into a pond by yourself. We will also be providing working sessions and support sessions for community projects who are funded through Catalyst. This is so we can provide even greater support to Cardano community businesses who need help getting their feet off the ground or who may be stuck at a part of the onboarding process that may be challenging. 

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

Our proposed solution addresses the challenge faced by newly funded companies in the Cardano ecosystem. These companies often encounter accounting and community communication difficulties while trying to align their operations with Catalyst. Currently, there is a lack of available and relevant information to guide them through this process.

To tackle this challenge, we aim to continue the develop and update SmartHubs comprehensive playbook specifically designed for funded companies in the Catalyst ecosystem. This playbook has served and guided companies, providing step-by-step instructions on how to effectively connect their operations with Catalyst. We plan to cover essential aspects such as payment processes, administrative requirements, and communication strategies.

We recognize the importance of onboarding new members and businesses to Cardano. As part of our proposal, we have a dedicated team that will focus on this task. Our dedications is seen by successfully onboarding several companies already, including Seedstars, Goodwall, Digifarm, Accelerate2030, and The Pond Foundation.

What benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

The benefits of our proposed solution are:

• Enhanced Guidance: The Project Catalyst Funded Project Playbook will provide much-needed support to newly funded projects. It will offer guidance on both technical and non-technical aspects of the business setup process. This comprehensive resource will enable community projects to further structure their plans effectively, increasing their chances of success within the ecosystem.

• Improved Accessibility: By revamping and enhancing the existing playbook, we aim to make it easily accessible to as many community members as possible. This is an Opne Sourced project and we will create marketing materials to promote the playbook across various community platforms. Helping ensure widespread awareness and utilization of the PlayBook. This will empower a larger number of projects to navigate the funding process more efficiently.

• Collaborative Support: We understand that navigating the onboarding process can be challenging, and some projects may require additional assistance. We will organize working sessions and support sessions for community projects funded through Catalyst. These sessions will provide hands-on support, helping businesses overcome obstacles and ensuring a smooth onboarding experience. By fostering collaboration and providing personalized assistance, we can facilitate the growth of Cardano community businesses.

By addressing the challenges faced by newly funded companies and providing them with comprehensive guidance, support, and resources, our proposal aims to strengthen the Cardano ecosystem. This initiative will contribute to the success of funded projects, foster community engagement, and promote the long-term growth and sustainability of Cardano as a leading blockchain platform.

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

We will be looking to measure the following KPIs:

• #Companies we onboard 
• # of Git Book updates
• # of Marketing materials 

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

The Impact of our outcomes will be seen in various forms.

Deliverables: 

• 25 hours of people/meeting with companies
• Revamp of the playbook for first-time funded companies 
• Providing more details and questions to our QA section 
• Add details to our Cardano technology for the business document/ppt which is especially helpful to create further engagement with the companies in the Cardano ecosystem
• Add any new metrics and information for Treasury Guild accounting processes for business (Ex. stable coins, accounting in different countries)

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

We consider fund 8 & 9 results as a great success. We have already developed the first “Project Catalyst Funded Projects PlayBook”. With the success of this Fund 9 proposal and the work the team has done pre-funding is a great metric to measure when considering the capability of the team.

The team has been very active in the community for over 3 years, and has worked closely together on multiple projects and successful community initiatives. With the teams dedication and experience in onboarding new companies and businesses to Cardano they will be able to execute the proposal in a successful manner and will continue to add great value to the Cardano Project Catalyst community. 

More members of the team can be found in the Team section.

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

The main goal of the revamp of the playbook, PlayBook marketing, and company support sessions will allow for us to provide a great service for the companies operating in the ecosystem as well as showcase some important steps in the post funding process.

This project is also a great example of collaboration between various initiatives in the ecosystem, and the power of working together to help solve these hurdles in the Catalyst process.

[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.

In the last year, we have been developing a community and ecosystem called Smart Hubs. SmartHubs is a group of individuals from across the globe who have local community hubs in their pockets of the world. 

During Fund 9 we created an Onboarding Companies Playbook. The Goals for the Onboarding Companies Playbook was to  

We have already developed the guidebook to onboard companies, which could be viewed in this link. The challenge we solved is that once the companies are onboarded the next step is to figure out some key areas:

• Receive and manage funds: wallets, accounting, FIAT
• Admin around catalyst
• Communication and connection to the community
• How they can use Caradno technology for their operation and projects

  

We got questions and comments from the community. These questions and requests for support on a regular basis and would like to dedicate time and efforts to provide a more systematic solution.

Post-funding 

Playbook Revamp 

• Analyze Project Catalyst ecosystem updates for fund 10. Find things the Playbook is missing.
• Update PlayBook with new content and provide this as a resource on ProjectCatalayst.io

Marketing the Playbook 

• Create marketing and promotional material for the PlayBook. 
• Partner with community projects and town halls to present and share the playbook
• Create a marketing plan and find best platforms to host our content

Company Support Sessions:

• Provide company onboarding for funded projects in the past and support fund 10 funded projects.
• Walking companies through the playbook, and supporting with blockchain onboarding 

Milestones for this proposal:

• Deliverables Milestone 1
• Develop marketing material and make a schedule to support teams
• Promote the marketing and support sessions to all Fund 10 funded proposals (in collaboration with Catalyst team and as part of the funded proposal onboarding sessions)

• Milestone 2, month 3-4 - this phase will focus on…
• Updating the PlayBook
• Providing workshops to funded proposers

• Deliverables Milestone 2
• Make updates to the playbook
• Provide workshops and working sessions for community projects 

• Milestone 3, month 5-6 - this phase will focus on…
• Launch the new playbook and provide some of our last sessions for funded projects in fund 10
• Create the closing report and add community project testimonies to 

• Deliverables Milestone 3
• Launch closing report 
• Create a list of testimonies on how this helps teams in the community
• Launch community updates page for community members to provide further support to this documentation

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

This can be all found in the previous section of the proposal.

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

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

We understand that the requested amount is significant, although less than 5% of the challenge budget) and we will make our best efforts to transform it to the next stages and have a successful and scalable PlayBook for all Cardano community members. The SmartHubs team is continuing to work on the project post closing report of Fund 9 and plans to utilize the funding to continue to develop the PlayBook. Including go a step forward and provide support sessions for funded projects. This shows the commitment and belief we have in the value the project could bring to the ecosystem. We look forward to helping support Cardano community projects and businesses with their post-funding activities.  

[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