Cur8: Unified Platform for Digital Art Creation, Curation, and Exhibition

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Aaron Arfman

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

arfmani@icloud.com

Additional applicants

David Harris

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

12

[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.” .

No dependencies.

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

No

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

We understand the Catalyst community strongly prefers open source projects. However, in the case of Cur8, we feel that open sourcing key elements would undermine the core value proposition and competitiveness of the platform.

As a proprietary and closed system, Cur8 will be able to:

• Protect the intellectual property of the algorithms that match users to optimal rewards
• Maintain quality control over the full user experience
• Pursue a sustainable business model by maintaining exclusivity over platform access and features
• Avoid replication by competitors that would hinder growth

We understand this means foregoing some of the benefits of open source collaborations. However, we believe a proprietary platform is necessary to deliver on our vision and commitment to users.

If selected for funding, we will provide the Catalyst community with transparency through regular updates, audits, and insight into our progress. But the core platform will remain closed source.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

NFTs

[METADATA] SDG rating

Here are three UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Cur8 is well-positioned to help address:

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth: By providing a platform for digital artists to showcase and sell their work with transparent royalties, Cur8 promotes economic inclusion and income growth for creators. Our blockchain-enabled model ensures fair pay for digital artworks.

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Cur8 drives innovation in digital asset technology, virtual/augmented reality, and blockchain infrastructure. Our end-to-end platform democratizes access to these emerging technologies for artists.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Cur8 addresses the fragmented, disconnected landscape for digital art by building an integrated platform optimized for creators, collectors, and exhibitors.

For creators, Cur8 streamlines asset discovery, management and distribution with robust tooling to organise and showcase artistic works as digital art across platforms.

For collectors, Cur8 provides tools to organize, curate and showcase collections. Our virtual galleries showcase owned assets in a variety of 2D and 3D environments.

For exhibitors, Cur8 enables curation of dynamic exhibits by drawing from creator portfolios and collector collections. Our AR and interactive technologies foster unique art experiences.

By bringing these capabilities together in one place, Cur8 tackles ecosystem gaps to realize the full potential of digital art on Cardano. We directly engage key stakeholders, delivering the features they need most to create, collect, and exhibit tokenized artwork.

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

Cur8 directly addresses the need for integrated products and seamless user experiences identified in the challenge. By consolidating digital art capabilities into a unified platform, Cur8 streamlines creation, curation, exhibition, sales, and community engagement for ecosystem stakeholders.

Cur8 will enhance and showcase Cardano as an integrated ecosystem for the burgeoning world of digital art. The platform will accelerate adoption among key demographics like artists, galleries, collectors, and general technology enthusiasts.

This benefits Cardano by expanding and demonstrating the possibilities for digital art use cases. Cur8 will bring new creators and collectors into the community by lowering barriers to discovering and showcasing tokenized digital art (DAT's). We estimate onboarding 100+ creators, 1,000+ collectors, and facilitating over $1 million in digital art sales within 12 months post-launch.

Cur8 will also drive demand for quality digital art, and provide a flagship platform demonstrating the advantages of building on Cardano.

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

Here are some ways we intend to measure success for the Cur8 project:

• User adoption: Track number of new creators and collectors and exhibitors showcasing art using Cur8 - target of 100 creators, 1,000 collectors, 6 exhibitions within first year
• Platform activity: Artworks exhibited, total sales volume, social engagement - target of $1 million+ in sales, 50,000+ social interactions in first 12 months
• User sentiment: Survey creators, collectors, exhibitors on platform experience - target minimum 80% satisfaction across core workflows
• Technical milestones: Delivery of core platform components for 2D and 3D galleries, interactive tools and community features

These metrics will quantify adoption, usage, economic activity, and sentiment across creator/collector/exhibitor stakeholders. They demonstrate how an integrated digital art platform can drive productivity and growth for Cardano in the near and long-term. We believe the targets are achievable based on comparable benchmarks.

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

Cur8 plan on sharing outputs and results as follows:

• We will release regular platform updates and new feature announcements via our blog, social media channels, and email newsletters. These will highlight usage metrics, community growth, and new capabilities.
• Cur8 creators will have profiles showcasing their work. We'll collaborate with prominent Cardano forums and publishers to feature these artists.
• We'll participate in Cardano events and NFT-focused conferences to connect with stakeholders and share learnings on growing a thriving tokenized art ecosystem.
• Our goal is to be transparent and actively engage the community throughout development. User feedback will inform ongoing improvements.

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

Our diverse and experienced team has successfully launched numerous technology projects, demonstrating our ability to deliver results. A key example is the development of the Cur8 platform's alpha version, already live, with the beta launching in September. This showcases our rapid progress and ability to execute.

We also played a major role in creating one of the largest digital art collections on Cardano, the Art Bank. This highlights our hands-on expertise in digital art management and display.

Financially, we implement robust controls to optimize funds and ensure transparency. We will provide regular reports to stakeholders.

Our goal is to be accountable and transparent, maintaining the trust of the Cardano community as we work to successfully deliver this project.

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

Goals:

1. Build an end-to-end platform for digital art discovery, curation, exhibition and sales on Cardano by Q2 2024.
2. Onboard at least 100 creators and facilitate minting of 1,000+ tokenized digital artworks in first year.
3. Attract 1,000+ active collectors and help generate over $1 million in digital art sales by end of year one.
4. Develop immersive AR gallery experiences and host 6 exhibitions showcasing over 50 artworks in first 12 months.
5. Achieve community engagement with over 50,000 social interactions across creators, collectors and exhibitors within first year.

[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 - Core Platform Improvements (Months 1-3)

• Finalize feature requirements based on alpha feedback
• Complete design of core workflows for creators and collectors
• Implement gallery and sales integrations
• Conduct closed beta testing with initial users
• Roll out mobile app

Milestone 2 - Expanded Workflows & Capabilities (Months 4-6)

• Launch AR gallery experiences
• Add specialized workflows for exhibitors
• Curate inaugural 'real-world' gallery exhibition
• Integrate advanced filtering and recommendations

Milestone 3 - Community Growth & Engagement (Months 7-9)

• Launch community forums and social features
• Onboard first 100 creators and 500 collectors
• Integrate recommendations
• Implement rewards programs to drive engagement

Milestone 4 - Ecosystem Integration & Awareness (Months 10-12)

• Launch ecosystem partnership programs
• Share analytics reports and usage data with community
• Present Cur8 at conferences and events
• Publish technical articles on building on Cardano

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

Milestone 1:

Deliverables: Core platform with gallery, sales, identity/blockchain integration, mobile app

Outputs: Functional workflows for creators and collectors

Outcomes: Robust v1 platform ready for closed beta testing with users

Milestone 2:

Deliverables: Specialized exhibitor tools, AR experiences, filtering

Outputs: Expanded set of features enabling new use cases and engagement

Outcomes: Increased platform capabilities and value delivery

Milestone 3:

Deliverables: Community forums, onboarding campaigns, rewards programs

Outputs: 100+ creators, 500+ collectors join community; recommendations

Outcomes: Accelerated user growth and network effects

Milestone 4:

Deliverables: Partnerships, conferences, articles

Outputs: Awareness building, ecosystem connectivity

Outcomes: Broader visibility and impact for Cur8 and Cardano

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

Milestone 1 - Core Platform Improvements

• 2 Senior engineers at ₳200/hour for 500 hours each: ₳200,000
• Design contractor at ₳150/hour for 250 hours: ₳37,500
• Testing services at ₳100/hour for 375 hours: ₳37,500
• Project manager at ₳75/hour for 125 hours: ₳9,375
• Server hosting for 3 months: ₳1,200
• Total: ₳285,575

Milestone 2 – Expanded Capabilities

• 2 Engineers at ₳200/hour for 500 hours each: ₳200,000
• Digital advertising campaign: ₳25,000
• Legal fees (privacy, T's and C's): ₳6,250
• Project manager at ₳75/hour for 250 hours: ₳18,750
• Total: ₳250,000
• 
  

Milestone 3 – Community Growth

• Social media marketing at ₳50/hour for 625 hours: ₳31,250
• Community manager at ₳60/hour for 375 hours: ₳22,500
• Total: ₳53,750

Milestone 4 – Ecosystem Integration

• Event booths/sponsorships: ₳120,000
• Total: ₳120,000

Total 12 Month Budget: ₳709,225

Amount Requested in Funding: ₳300,000

Note: We have already secured funding for the balance ₳409,225 of the budget.

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

Delivering a flagship digital art platform that showcases the versatility of Cardano and accelerates adoption among artists, collectors, galleries, and blockchain enthusiasts represents a substantial return on investment for the Catalyst community.

The requested ₳300,000 represents excellent value considering Cur8's expansive scope as an integrated digital art platform. Our budget is optimized to allocate appropriate resources for robust platform development and strategic community/ecosystem outreach.

The engineering costs reflect competitive market rates for experienced blockchain developers. We have based hourly rates on typical freelance wages in the smart contract/DeFi space. The marketing, operations, and legal budget is the minimum viable amount for effective community growth and project execution.

Compared to other funded Catalyst projects of similar ambition like Adapty, MuesliSwap, and SundaeSwap, our total budget and funding request is appropriate for the scale of work required. We are committed to spending funds responsibly to maximize value-add for the Cardano ecosystem.

Even considering just our conservative first year projection of 100 new creators, 500 new collectors, and $500K in sales, the ecosystem impact far outweighs the proposed budget. We welcome any additional scrutiny or feedback on how to provide optimal value.

[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