Cardano Over Coffee - Brewing Success for the Cardano Community by Empowering SPOs and Builders

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Brian Dill [HERO Pool]

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

CardanoOverCoffee@gmail.com

Additional applicants

Alonzo Benavides [EPOCH Pool]

Darlington Kofa [LIDO Pool]

Jenny Brito

Alexa (Thyme)

Blockjock

Cardano NOODZ [InFi Pool]

[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?

Yes

[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.” .

Currently, we rely on Twitter, but we aim to enhance our dependability and resilience for our guests and listeners by diversifying our presence beyond the Twitter platform and venturing into the wider web.

Specifically, this will be accomplished by creating an audio archive of our shows on major podcast platforms, as well as having each episode searchable on our own website.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s 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.”

Project will be fully open source.

The podcast will be under the Creative Commons Attribution License so that we can have the flexibility and ownership we need. Our understanding is that this is an excellent option for podcasters who want to protect their work but also allow people to use and share it on social media platforms.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

SPOs

[METADATA] SDG rating

N/A

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Cardano Over Coffee aims to provide value to the Cardano community through informative and engaging content. However, the current structure and scope of the program require a comprehensive solution to effectively manage and expand its reach.

Implementing these solutions will result in Cardano Over Coffee improving its content offerings, enhancing community engagement, expanding its audience through podcasts and websites, and providing dedicated support for Project Catalyst proposals.

• Twitter Spaces: Implement a structured schedule for Cardano Over Coffee's Twitter Spaces to ensure regular and engaging sessions for the community. The Twitter Spaces will run for 2.5 hours,5 days a week (Monday to Friday). This consistent schedule will provide a reliable platform for community updates, discussions, and interviews with 2 guests per day.

• Podcast: Utilize podcasts as a medium to expand the network and reach new audiences beyond the Twitter Space community. Broadcast content across a network of 12+ platforms, including prominent podcast platforms such as Spotify and Apple. This medium offers entertainment, information, diversity, convenience, and inspiration. 

• Web Application: Build a custom web application to serve as a central hub for the show, guests, news, resources, updates, services, and community insights with these specific features: 

• Directory of episodes and project interviews with show notes and links to audio content. 
• Button to delegate to any stake pool
• Blog - Ability to login for team members and create their own articles that
• Show Scheduler 
• Portal for projects to claim their profile and provide project updates and continuous engagement with the community
• Commenting system to engage with projects and resources on the show. 
• Safe-links landing page for community tools (dexes, wallets, DApps, and additional resources)

• Weekly Newsletter Recaps: Produce weekly video content focusing on SPO (Stake Pool Operator), projects, and community members participating in the show. The recap videos will be broadcasted through the Cardano Over Coffee YouTube channel, providing a combination of visual and audio elements. These will also be available in a text-based format on our website, which will improve the accessibility and searchability of our weekly newsletter recaps.  

• Catalyst Over Coffee: Expand support for Project Catalyst, a platform for proposers to showcase and promote their ideas and receive community feedback. Introduce Catalyst Over Coffee as a dedicated segment within Cardano Over Coffee's space programming. It will provide a space for projects in early incubation stages, ongoing proposals, and recently completed proposals to engage with the community, receive feedback, and showcase progress. We will host dedicated spaces and periodic town-hall breakout sessions for Catalyst Over Coffee, anchoring this content within the website for wider accessibility.

All of these activities will be anchored by the website, with the aim to become a leading destination for Cardano updates and conversations, as well as the general population of Cardano community members.

• In doing so, this proposal will 
• Increase awareness and education for SPOs, projects, and active builders on Cardano. 
• Provide an archive of resources for understanding ongoing developments in the ecosystem.
• Help facilitate collaborative relationships and accountability measures across different stakeholders.

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

A sense of community and conversations. Having people around to talk and connect with.

Cardano Over Coffee will be a leading destination for ongoing conversations about Cardano development, and foster community building, for multiple stakeholders in the ecosystem including SPOs, active builders, established projects, and everyday users of Cardano. 

Organizing Community Events with a Focus on SPO

As stated in our proposal, Cardano Over Coffee will have a specific focus on community events for individuals and groups in the SPO Community, especially in ways that will connect them to the broader Cardano ecosystem. 

Number of SPO Projects actively building on top of Cardano

With a regular space for SPO builders and community members to explore Cardano’s ongoing developments, we aspire to contribute to an increase of SPO Projects, and importantly, foster collaborations between SPOs and other active builders on Cardano. 

Number of new Cardano SPO-related initiatives submitted as proposals in Catalyst

Our proposed development of Catalyst Over Coffee will help to contribute to the number of Cardano-SPO-related initiatives submitted as Catalyst proposals. These proposals will be given time for incubation and feedback from community members, as well as continued updates from successful Catalyst applicants as project milestones are achieved.  

Providing services that help increase the Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration between SPO projects and initiatives

In addition to our community events, our library of project-related resources will function as a reference tool for individuals who are looking to learn about SPO Projects and Community updates, as well as a historical archive of these developments.

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

Success will be measured by:

• Tracking engagement with the website using web metrics. 
• Keeping track of new and tangential discussions that are started show archives on the site, youtube, or podcast syndications. 
• Tracking podcasts and youtube downloads, views, and plays. 
• Tracking booking demands.

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

Outputs

In addition to discussing these outputs with the community via Twitter, they will be available for viewing on a dashboard on our Cardano Over Coffee Website. Visitors will be able to search for prior content, as well as view these archives with a brief synopsis of each episode.  

Importantly, we will be adding all audio interviews and presentational content to all major podcast platforms. This is necessary as Twitter maintains audio content for only 30 days. Utilizing major popular podcast platforms, such as Spotify and Apple, will help contribute to the dissemination of our project-proposal outputs to broader audiences, as well as function as additional repositories for their preservation. 

Weekly recaps will be published on the Cardano Over Coffee YouTube channel and as a text-based newsletter on our webpage. 

Project Progress/Results

We will have a dedicated page on our website to track project progress and funding for our proposal. We will also make regular updates during Catalyst Over Coffee sessions.

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

Cardano Over Coffee is an established Twitter space that has conducted over 700 interviews in the past two years. It serves as a reliable platform for individuals to gain comprehensive knowledge about the Cardano ecosystem and assists professionals in establishing their presence within the community.

Our team consists of seven highly experienced individuals who have actively contributed to the Cardano ecosystem for several years. With diverse backgrounds and skill sets, we possess the expertise required to efficiently execute the proposed project.

Our podcasting journey has been filled with meaningful interactions, featuring distinguished companies and personalities, including MLABS, DC Spark, Singularity NET, COTI, NFT Maker, The Cardano Foundation, and Lars Brünjes, among many others. These engagements have provided us with a deep understanding of the challenges, contributions, and perspectives of principals and CEOs from leading companies. This invaluable perspective has not only helped us become better mentors for the community but has also granted us insights into the standard-setting initiatives within the blockchain space.

In addition to connecting with trailblazers such as SpaceBudz and Clay Mates, who have successfully established their NFT projects, we have also had the privilege of collaborating with amazing real-world organizations like the United Nations. This diverse range of experiences has further enriched our knowledge and positioned us for success in accomplishing the tasks outlined in this proposal.

Meet the team:

HERO - Cardano Stake pool operator, WMT Earth Node operator and visible member of the community since 2018. Business degree in business management. Managed a trucking company before crypto and helped the business grow at a tremendous rate over the next 10 years. 

EPOCH - Co-founder of Epoch Pool. Co-founder of Cardano Over Coffee. Genius Yield Ambassador. Emurgo Ventures Tech Advisor. Experience in software engineering, blockchain, and crypto media. A builder, educator, and advisor in the FinTech space since 2010. Creator of the Ada Nuggets and Epoch Clocks. 

LIDO - Stake pool operator, Cardano ambassador, Cardano Developer (15+ years of software development), Catalyst Native, Cardano & Catalyst educator since the Shelley Hard Fork. 

JENNY: Host/Co-Host of Cardano Over Coffee, Cardano ambassador, project advisor, and active member of the Spacebudz team.

Cardano NOODZ: NOODZ is a present co-host of Cardano Over Coffee and has been building on Cardano since 2021. He is also a co-founder of inFi stake pool, The Alexandria Project, and a co-host of "This Crazy Kitchen," a community workshop series for people to learn native assets on Cardano and the basics of computer-programming languages.

BlockJock - James has over 23 years running a business performing all aspects of operations/route management/sales/customer service/client relations. James is a Freeloaderz community manager and a contributor to the twitter show Crypto War Room.

Alexa (Thyme) - A creative designer with a background in design, branding, and UI/UX with a strong focus in the crypto space. Operating fully remotely, they have worked with over 10+ prominent projects within the Cardano and Ethereum ecosystems. Examples being Profila, ADAHandle, Goombles, SuperCuteNFTs and many others.

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

Cardano Over Coffee aims to foster the growth of the Cardano ecosystem by supporting projects, active builders, and Stake Pool Operators (SPOs). We help them promote their products and increase their value within the Cardano community. Our main goal is to ensure that everyone in the Cardano community has a good understanding of blockchain technology, available resources, and the Cardano ecosystem.

With additional funding, we will expand our efforts and accomplish the following specific goals:

• Host 250 Twitter Spaces sessions involving projects, SPOs, and general community members.
• Convert all 250 Twitter Spaces sessions into podcasts and distribute them on platforms such as Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and others.
• Deliver 40 weekly recaps that include links and information relevant to the projects, SPOs, and community members, making it easily accessible for the Cardano community.
• Produce 52 episodes of Catalyst Over Coffee, during Catalyst Townhalls breakout sessions.

One of the challenges associated with Twitter Spaces is that the information shared disappears after 30 days. To address this, in addition to archiving interviews on podcast platforms, we will also:

• Create a website to showcase projects, SPOs, and community members, addressing the scattered educational resources by providing a centralized hub for learning and exploring the complete offerings of Cardano.

[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 (3rd month): 

[30% budget = 99,999.9 ADA]

• We’ve published 5 Weekly Recaps
• Cardano Over Coffee webapp foundation:
• UI/UX 
• Project scoping planning
• Setup Server
• bootstrap git repo
• base code
• Show Scheduler
• Safe-links landing page for community tools (dexes, wallets, DApps, and additional resources)
• Blog - Ability to log in for team members and create articles.
• facilitate project giveaways
• Completed 14 Catalyst Over Coffee episodes

Milestone 2 (3-6th month): 

[28% budget = 93,333.24 ADA]

• We’ve published 10 Weekly Recaps
• Cardano Over Coffee webapp:
• UI/UX 
• Interviews Directory module
• Single Interview page
• Portal for projects to claim their profile and provide project updates and continuous engagement with the community
• Commenting system to engage with projects and resources on the show.
• Completed 14 Catalyst Over Coffee episodes

Milestone 3 (6-9th month):  

[21% budget = 69,999.93 ADA]

• We’ve run at least 75 Twitter Spaces
• We’ve published 30 Weekly Recaps
• We’ve run at least 100 Podcast Episode
• Cardano Over Coffee webapp:
• Wallet connect to delegate to any stake pool
• testing
• documenting open-source code
• implementing feedback
• Completed 14 Catalyst Over Coffee episodes

Milestone 4 & Closeout (9-12th month): 

[21% budget = 69,999.93 ADA]

• Cardano Over Coffee webapp:
• Wallet connect to facilitate project giveaways
• We’ve run at least 250 Twitter Spaces
• We’ve published 200 Podcast episodes
• We’ve published 40 Recaps 
• Completed 14 Catalyst Over Coffee episodes
• Final report and video
• Community feedback

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

Milestone 1: Begin Weekly Recap Newsletter, conduct interviews, publish podcasts, produce our first round of Catalyst Over Coffee breakout sessions, and establish a foundation for the Cardano Over Coffee Website

Milestone 2: Continue the Weekly Recap Newsletters, conduct interviews, publish podcasts, produce another round of our Catalyst Over Coffee program, and continue development for the Cardano Over Coffee website: including a searchable directory of interviews and dedicated pages for featured guests including a synopsis.  

Milestone 3: Continue the Weekly Recap Newsletters, continue ongoing interviews, publish podcasts, produce our continuous Catalyst Over Coffee sessions, and continue development for the Cardano Over Coffee website: including feedback/reviews/ratings by users. 

Milestone 4 & Closeout: Continue the Weekly Recap Newsletters, continue ongoing interviews, publish podcasts, continue to produce Catalyst Over coffee breakout sessions, and finalize development for the Cardano Over Coffee website: including wallet-connect features, delegator portals, and native-asset resources. 

Deliver the Final Report and Video, a comprehensive report and video of the project's success with incorporated feedback from featured guests and the Cardano community. Collectively, these milestones will account for the following:

• 200 podcast episodes on at least 5 major platforms.
• 250 Twitter spaces.
• 40 weekly recaps.
• A website with comprehensive interviews and an information archive.
• 52 episodes of Catalyst Over Coffee breakout sessions.

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

Website 

Total cost for building and maintaining the website: $23,425

Breakdown Website:

Domain hosting/website hosting: $350 per year

Development:

Breakdown of the budget for Website development $20,000

Developer hr rate: $40

• Total development hrs (4 months of work over 1yr): 500 hrs
• Total development cost: $20000

UI/UX:

Breakdown of the budget for Website UI/UX $3150

Designer hourly rate: $30

• 13 hrs per interface (5 interfaces): 1950
• 30 hours for brand/color:$900
• 10 hours for web assets:$300
• Total designer hrs: 102.5 hrs
• Total designer cost: $3,150

Podcast 

Cost for producing 200 podcast episodes: $4,900

Production: 

Breakdown of the budget for production.

Production hr rate $10

• Total production time per episode (audio editing and uploading): 2 hrs
• Total cost per episode: $20
• Total cost per 200 episodes: $4000
• Total hrs podcast produced per episode: 2hrs
• Total hrs podcast produced per year: 400
• BuzzSprout software: Used to create, produce, and broadcast to podcast platforms: $75 per month. =  $900 per year

Weekly Recaps

Cost for producing 40 Recaps: $2,880

Production: 

Breakdown of the budget for production.

Production hr rate $15

• Total production time per recap: 4hrs
• Total production cost per recap: $60
• Total production time per year: 160
• Total production cost per year: $2,400
• HeadLiner: software used to convert Space to Video format:

$25.00 USD Monthly, $300 per year

• Canva: Software used to create graphics:

$15 Monthly, $180 per year

Twitter Spaces

Cost for holding a daily Twitter Space, for 2.5 hrs from Monday to Friday: $53,125

Breakdown:

Host:

Breakdown of the budget for hosting. $15625

Hr rate per Host: $25

• Each show lasts 2.5 hrs
• Total spaces a year: 250
• Total Host time per year: 625 hrs
• Total Host cost per show: $62.5
• Total cost for 4 Host/per year: $15625

Co-Host:

Breakdown of the budget for Co-hosting. $37500

Hr rate per Co-Host: $20

• Total Co-Hosts per show: 3
• Total spaces a year: 250
• Total Co-host time per year: 625 hrs x (3) = 1875 hrs
• Total Co-Host cost per host/ per show: $50
• Total Co-Host cost per show: $150
• Total cost for 7 Co-host per year: $37500

Marketing/Advertisement

Total cost for Marketing/Advertisement: $11,500

Breakdown:

In-person marketing - $6,500 per year

• In-person conferences. Example: Rare Evo, NFT NYC, NFTxLV.
• Promotional materials: Swag and booth displays
• In conference interview equipment

Growth & outreach marketing - $3,500 per year

• Ads on Twitter, Amazon, Spotify, etc.
• Marketing research

Creative - $1,500 per year

• Graphics, banners, promos, logos.

Catalyst Over Coffee

Breakdown of the budget for Catalyst Over Coffee hosting and production. $4160

Hr rate per Host: $20

Total number of Hosts: 2

• Each breakout session lasts 2 hrs
• Total breakout sessions per year: 52
• Total Host time per year: 104 hrs
• Total Host per breakout session: 2
• Total Host cost breakout session: $40 x (2) = $80
• Total cost Host/per year: $2600 x (2) = $4160

TOTAL PROPOSAL COST: $99,990

TOTAL COST ADA: ₳333,333  (based on $0.3 ADA)

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

Website 

We will launch the Cardano Over Coffee website to expand our reach beyond Twitter. It will serve as a central hub for our mission, values, news, resources, updates, services, and community insights. Our goal is to provide a dynamic and engaging experience for our listeners and Cardano enthusiasts. While we primarily develop the website in-house, we are open to outsourcing certain tasks if needed.

Development: 

Cost for Development: $50 hr - based on the level of experience, responsibilities, and wages within their jurisdiction.

A website developer will be needed for the creation and maintenance of our website. They possess the necessary technical skills and knowledge to design, develop, and maintain it, and they will ensure that the website is built with clean code, optimized for performance, and compatible with various devices and browsers.

UI/UX:

Cost for Designer: $30 hr - based on the level of experience, responsibilities, and wages within their jurisdiction.

A UI/UX designer creates user-centered designs that are visually appealing, well-organized, and easy to interact with. They conduct user tests and iterate to improve the design. Their work is crucial for creating enjoyable and successful digital products that align with the brand's identity and aesthetics.

Podcast 

Cost Per Podcast: $10 hr - based on the level of responsibilities and workload.

We have been experimenting with podcasts as a medium to expand our network and reach new audiences, and it has been very successful. We broadcast our content across a network of 12+ platforms, with at least five of them being prominent podcast platforms. Podcasts are entertaining, informational, diverse, convenient, and inspirational and it helps us expand a broader audience, outside the Twitter Space community. It helps us connect with more Cardano enthusiasts and foster a greater sense of belonging.

Weekly Recaps

Cost Per Recap: $15 hr - based on the level of responsibilities and workload.

We will produce weekly video content on our Cardano Over Coffee YouTube channel, featuring SPOs, projects, and community members. Our videos combine visuals and audio to educate, entertain, and engage viewers. YouTube offers a global reach and impact. Creating recap videos requires careful planning, specialized software, and specific skills. Consistency and commitment are vital for the success of our series, so having a dedicated team member is crucial. In-house production helps minimize costs while delivering high-quality content to our audience. Additionally, weekly recaps will also take the form of a text-based newsletter on our website, which we are able to produce using our in-house team. 

Twitter Spaces

To maximize value, our Cardano Over Coffee Twitter Spaces operates 2.5 hours a day, 5 days a week (Monday/Friday). We interview 2 guests daily, providing space for community updates and discussions. Our decentralized scheduling system allows easy sign-up, where guests can schedule a 30-minute interview through our calendar link. This fast-paced structure demands high engagement, with a daily crew of 1 host and 3 co-hosts for smooth operation and success.

Hosts: 

Cost Per Host: $25 hr - based on the level of experience, responsibilities, and wages within their jurisdiction.

Interview hosts create engaging dialogues, oversee proceedings, and ensure positive experiences for guests and the audience. With 4 rotating hosts and 2 guests per show, they research, prepare questions, and lead meaningful discussions. They moderate the conversation, engage the audience, and manage time effectively.

Co-Host: 

Cost Per Host: $20 hr - based on the level of experience, responsibilities, and wages within their jurisdiction.

A co-host supports the main host, ensuring a smooth interview and enhancing the experience for guests and the audience. With 7 rotating co-hosts and 3 active hosts per show, they assist with preparations, conduct interviews, contribute diverse perspectives, maintain conversation flow, provide support, engage with the audience, and manage technical aspects and audience interaction.

Marketing/Advertisement

Total costs: $6,500 - this cost accounts for attendance at multiple events plus 

creating print & promotional materials. Estimates are based on our team’s previous 

experiences attending in-person events for the last three years. In addition, 

graphic-development costs are modest compared to current industry standards for this 

type of work, which we are able to address by having professional in-house 

graphic-design specialists are already on our team.  

Catalyst Over Coffee

Cost Per Host: $25 hr - based on the level of experience, responsibilities, and wages within their jurisdiction.

For 2 years, we've provided a platform for Project Catalyst Proposers to share ideas, receive feedback, and promote their proposals. During funding rounds, we focus on Catalyst on Fridays and organize a 24-hour event to encourage community voting.

We're expanding support with Catalyst Over Coffee, a dedicated segment in our Space Programming. It allows ongoing, completed, and early-stage proposals to engage, showcase ideas, receive feedback, and present milestones. We'll have a separate session hosted by Catalyst Swarm every Wednesday after the main Catalyst Town Hall. We aim to create a dedicated space for Catalyst Over Coffee. Content will be available on our website for wider accessibility.

[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