FUNINTEC: Cardano Blockchain Technology-Based Incubator for undergraduate and postgraduate students of universities in Venezuela

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

José Erasmo Colmenares

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

ecconsultoresgerencialesccs@gmail.com

Additional Applicants

Osmarlina Aguero

Ender Linares

[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.

Yes

[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 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.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

Incubation

[METADATA] SDG rating

The proposal is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the relevant United Nations sub-goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that allow the development and execution of the project.

The objectives and sub-objectives are the following:

SDG 4: Quality education

Sub-goal 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

Sub-goal 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

SDG 5: Gender equality

 

Sub-goal 5.5: Ensure the full and effective participation of women and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

 

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

 

Sub-goal: 8.3 - Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation

Sub-goal 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth without employment, education or training.

 

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

 

Sub-goal: 9.3 - Increase access of small industrial and other businesses to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets.

Sub-goal 9.5: Enhance scientific research, enhance the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, particularly developing countries.

 

SDG 10

 

Sub-goal 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.

Sub-goal 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50% of median income, disaggregated by age, sex, disability and other characteristics

 

Indicators

KPI: number of students trained and trained in entrepreneurship with Cardano's blockchain technology.

KPI: Number of female students trained and formed in entrepreneurship with Cardano's Blockchain technology

KPI: Number of male students trained and educated in entrepreneurship with Cardano's Blockchain technology

KPI: Number of students with start-up Cardano Blockchain technology-based ventures

KPI: Number of ventures generated with the Cardano blockchain technology

KPI: Number of clusters created by participating students with Cardano's blockchain technology.

KPI: Number of students incorporated into the Cardano community and actively participating in Cardano projects or initiatives.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Country Context

 

The recent measures to reactivate the national economy and particularly the support for entrepreneurship promoted by the Venezuelan national executive that allows a legal framework that consolidates new and existing businesses, as well as the generation of employment and improvement of the climate to make viable company in the country is an important advance.

 

The growing boom in information technologies and accessibility to knowledge requires discipline in its exercise and dissemination, so that its applicability develops in a favorable environment, which values and promotes innovation in terms of services and products oriented to real needs. in people's lives and constantly improving.

That is why there is a great opportunity to develop a community and ecosystem in Venezuela with the Cardano platform, since national companies and industries do not know or have very little use and benefits of the services and products generated by the Cardano platform.

In this sense, the project that is presented is aimed at empowering undergraduate and graduate students from universities that live in the city of Caracas, Venezuela, through the creation and consolidation of the Blockchain Technology Base Incubator. Cardano that will offer them training, mentoring and financial support to start their digital ventures using the Cardano platform based on the development of their digital economy proposals in their different lines of work.

 

Within this framework, the student entrepreneurs trained and consolidated by the Incubator could support and increase with the use of the aforementioned platform offering its services and products with Cardano's blockchain technology that can improve business processes and thus consolidate and increase more followers and create a national digital economy with disruptive technologies and decentralized finance based on Cardano.

 

Solution proposals

The project's main objective is to offer a space for training, mentoring and consolidation for the ventures of undergraduate and postgraduate students from Venezuelan universities, which will be supported by the Blockchain Cardano Technology-Based Incubator for the development and consolidation of the same.

 

Description of the Solutions

 

Milestone 1- Creation and consolidation of  Cardano Blockchain Technology-Based Incubator 

 

The creation and start-up of the incubator will be established with the support of FUNINTEC to allow its legal operation in Venezuela and internationally. In this way, time and conformation and consolidation processes are saved, as well as the academic certification of the training. The incubator will have a virtual modality for greater reach and access of the participants in the training and tutoring processes with face-to-face events in spaces that will be contracted for this purpose.

 

Milestone 2- Training of Mentors and Student Entrepreneurs

 

Provide necessary training to mentors and entrepreneurs in two phases; the first that allows them to improve their skills in business management, quality, productivity and competitiveness. The second phase is training in the areas of Cardano blockchain technology that guides them towards a sustained growth of its technology-based ventures and their consolidation. This initial phase will be carried out using the technological platform that will be created and implemented for hybrid and online training as well as in person. It is important to indicate that the translations of the documents and videos that are necessary in the training of Cardano technology in Spanish will be carried out so that the information and knowledge transfer is more effective and reaches the participants.

Phase 1: Basic knowledge to entrepreneurs

• Transfer of basic knowledge to entrepreneurs (Total: 8 academic hours):

1. Construction of the entrepreneurial profile (2 academic hours)
2. Strategic plan of the entrepreneur (2 academic hours)
3. Business Plan The road to success (8 academic hours)

• Transfer of management knowledge to entrepreneurs (16 academic hours)

1. Administrative management (4 academic hours)
2. Accounting and financial management (4 academic hours)
3. Fiscal and parafiscal framework (4 academic hours))
4. Marketing (4 academic hours)

Total Academic hours : 24

Phase 2: Cardano blockchain technology Web 3

1. General Aspects of the Digital Economy and the Blockchain (2 academic hours)
2. Characteristics and how the Cardano Blockchain works (2 academic hours)
3. Overview of Crypto currencies and Wallets (4 academic hours)
4. Decentralized applications (DApps) (4 academic hours)
5. Types of Cardano crypto assets and their use : NFT's and more (4 academic hours)
6. What is a smart contract? (4 academic hours)
7. How to participate in Cardano ecosystem (2 academic hours)

Total Academic hours : 24

 

Milestone 3- Mentorship of Entrepreneurial Students

 

Facilitate the insertion of national mentoring capacities to the processes of competitive improvement of entrepreneurs and ventures in the target population for the formulation of entrepreneurship projects. For this objective, a team of 20 mentors will be formed and created.

 

Target population

                                

The target population to be included is based on undergraduate and graduate university students from FUNINTEC as project pilots. In this sense, twenty professors and professionals will be trained as teachers and mentors, in gender equality, in Cardano technology and mentoring of entrepreneurship projects and, additionally, the goal will be the formation of 100 undergraduate and postgraduate students, which gives a total of 114 participants in the project who will be replicators for the next mentors of the new generations of participants in the entrepreneurship projects.

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

The approach to the solution of the proposal is based on objective 2 of the challenge that indicates the following; Activities to encourage students who propose Catalyst and blockchain engineers, which in a process of training and training in the areas of entrepreneurship and Cardano blockchain technology to students who are part of the FUNINTEC enrollment as the first impulse where There is a base of 100 students and that they achieve, with the support of the incubator, the concretion and consolidation of entrepreneurship projects linked to Cardano Blockchain Technology. In this sense, the following ways of approaching the solution and expected benefits are proposed, which are:

 

1-     Empower and encourage student entrepreneurship

 

The proposal through the training and training of the participants of the venture and the Cardano blockchain technology will allow them to have the knowledge and application in its enterpernuships

 

2-     The opportunity gap and student access

 

The purpose of the proposed solution is for students to have access to knowledge and initial funds to be able to develop and launch their entrepreneurial projects. At this point, it is our proposal that the gender issue be as egalitarian as possible so that they can benefit from the possibilities that Cardano's blockchain technology

 

3-     Support for entrepreneurs in the Incubator

 

In order to be able to have funds to be able to offer them to entrepreneurship projects that are more viable and add value for companies, the development of easier and faster processes is planned to offer them to viable entrepreneurship projects for their consolidation and support. through the incubator

 

The benefits for the Cardano ecosystem are as follows:

 

a- Increase the entrepreneurial potential of undergraduate and postgraduate students with the training and mentoring of Cardano Blockchain technology

b- Incorporate the population in the use of Cardano Blockchain technology in ventures

c- Offer greater inclusion and decrease the gaps of young people by sex, gender or ethnicity in Venezuela

d- Create a space for the development of networks for the generation of knowledge and collective learning with the community that promotes innovation within disruptive technologies

e- Promote the creation of Clusters with entrepreneurs that allow the generation of synergies between the different forms of disruptive technologies with the use of the Cardano platform.

f- Greater growth of the Cardano ecosystem in Venezuela with the adoption and use of Cardano cryptocurrencies in the national economic system that allows greater competitiveness.

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

The metric that will indicate the success of the project is based on the KPIs indicated in the section for this purpose and that are associated with the objectives and goals set out as follows

 

Milestone 1- Creation and consolidation of  Cardano Blockchain Technology-Based Incubator 

 

• Creation of the virtual space on the FUNINTEC website.

• Number of student registrations to participate in the training and tutoring program of the universities.

• Number of ventures registered and being monitored

 

Milestone 2- Education and Training of Entrepreneurial Students

 

• Number of facilitators hired and incorporated

• Number of students trained and trained in entrepreneurship with Cardano's blockchain technology.

• Number of female students trained and trained in entrepreneurship with Cardano's Blockchain technology

• Number of male students trained and trained in entrepreneurship with Cardano's Blockchain technology

 

 

Milestone 3- Mentorship of Entrepreneurial Students

 

• Number of mentors incorporated into the projects generated by the student entrepreneurs.

• Number of students with Blockchain Cardano technology-based ventures being launched

• Number of ventures generated with Cardano blockchain technology

• Number of ventures approved to receive support in their consolidation within the incubator.

• Number of clusters of entrepreneurs created and approved

 

The goals set to meet the success indicators are the following:

 

1- Agreement and work agreement with FUNINTEC to support the legal framework for the creation of the incubator

2- Incorporation of seven facilitators and seven mentors to be hired for the development of academic activities and tutoring of entrepreneurs' projects

3- Incorporation of one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate students

4- Development and implementation of one hundred entrepreneurships of the students who have managed to complete the phases

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

The development and execution of Cardano Blockchain Technology-Based Incubator creation project has planned the vision of sharing through a technological platform for monitoring and control of the activities, objectives and goals during the execution of the project and that will be hosted on the FUNINTEC website. so that any interested party can review and see the status and scope of it.

 

Additionally, the following actions are proposed:

 

1- Documentation and monthly reports that give an account of the situation and progress of the project

2- Creation of social networks to keep the community and students informed of the activities and achievements

3- Specific face-to-face and virtual events to offer spaces for consultation and general information

4- Creation of a space for the technological platform that offers information and summary reports on the progress of the project

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

The work team has a strong enthusiasm and commitment within the framework of Cardano's Blockchain technologies since its participation in the EMURGO Cardano 360 for Campus event held on October 27, 2022 with the express invitation to FUNINTEC, where we do academic life, which allowed us to expand our students and facilitators to work and promote Cardano in Venezuela.

Since then, events have been held and participated in that incorporate more information and training for the team, such as the participation of the proponents in the Workshop CIP-1694 whereweI work on the new governance for the ecosystem together with the invitation of the Latam Cardano Community developed and carried out. held in Caracas, Venezuela on May 25, which has allowed us to increase knowledge of the Cardano world and to be able to contribute to the final document that has been developed at the presentation in Edinburgh from our experiences.

 

Additionally, as teachers and students we are in constant learning and teaching that allows the project participants to have the most and best information and knowledge transfer that generates the spirit and commitment to the Cardano ecosystem and to be able to build their ventures using the Cardano Blockchain technology.

 

The experience in managing this type of project that we have been developing in various spaces at FUNINTEC has given us the experience and knowledge to be able to carry them out.

 

Within the framework of this important project, the objective is to consolidate the Cardano ecosystem in Venezuela through the training, mentoring and financing of the 100 future entrepreneurs that are part of FUNINTEC so that the community grows and becomes stronger and reaches optimal levels of growth. and expansion.

 

Community Responsibility

 

As mentioned in the previous section, information and review mechanisms will be created by all interested parties through documents and reports that will be located on the technological platform to be hosted on the FUNINTEC partner page in order to record, progress and achievements are available as well as the expenditure of funds associated with each phase of the project.

The project has an alliance with the Ibero-American Foundation for Innovation and Technology as a training center where the proponents have an academic and professional life. The institution will support the project with the advertising and offer its spaces for the training of students who participate in the project for the incubation of their ventures. Also, the students Students will receive certificates after completing the training and entrepreneurship program

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

1- Empower and encourage student entrepreneurship

The proposal through the training and training of the participants of the venture and the Cardano blockchain technology will allow them to have the knowledge and application in the enterpreneurship

 

2- The opportunity gap and student access

The purpose of the proposed solution is for students to have access to knowledge and initial funds to be able to develop and launch their entrepreneurial projects. At this point, it is our proposal that the gender issue be as egalitarian as possible so that they can benefit from the possibilities that Cardano's blockchain technology

3- Creation of clusters among the participants of the Incubator

The intention, once the first two phases have been reached, is that through the mentors, clusters of entrepreneurs can be built using the Cardano platform that can empower and grow the community with the participants who manage to launch their entrepreneurial projects with solutions to the needs. business and industrial in Venezuela.

 

4- Support of the Entrepreneurship in the Incubator

In order to be able to have funds to be able to offer them to entrepreneurship projects that are more viable and add value for companies, the development of easier and faster processes is planned to offer them to viable entrepreneurship projects for their consolidation and support. through the incubator.

 

The validation of the objectives is proposed as follows:

 

• Increase the entrepreneurial potential of undergraduate and postgraduate students with the training and mentoring of Cardano Blockchain technology.

• Incorporate the population in the use of Cardano Blockchain technology in ventures.

• Offer greater inclusion and decrease the gaps of young people by sex, gender or ethnicity in Venezuela.

• Create a space for the development of networks for the generation of knowledge and collective learning with the community that promotes innovation within disruptive technologies.

• Promote the creation of Clusters with entrepreneurs that allow the generation of synergies between the different forms of disruptive technologies with the use of the Cardano platform.

• Greater growth of the Cardano ecosystem in Venezuela with the adoption and use of Cardano cryptocurrencies in the national economic system that allows greater competitiveness

[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.

The breakdown of the milestones of each objective with its main activities is as shown below:

 

Milestone 1. Creation and consolidation of Cardano Blockchain Technological Base Incubator

 

1.1. Consolidation of the work agreement with FUNINTEC

1.2. Design and implementation of the technological platform of the Incubator on the FUNINTEC website

1.3. Hiring of translation of the contents and videos of the Cardano Blockchain technology in Spanish to be presented to the students

1.4. Call for Facilitators and mentors to participate in the for the project

1.5. Selection and hiring according to experience and knowledge in entrepreneurship.

1.6. Training of facilitators and mentors in Cardano technologies

    Estimated time 2 months of execution

 

Milestone 2. Education and Training of Entrepreneurial Students

 

    2.1- Call for undergraduate and postgraduate students

    2.2- Selection of students to participate in the project

    2.3- Start of training in Entrepreneurship Management and Bockchain Technologies in Cardano

    2.4- Delivery of certificates

    Estimated time 2 months of execution

 

Milestone 3- Mentorship of Entrepreneurial Students

 

3.1-Selection of mentors and their portfolio of student entrepreneurs to be tutored for the development of their projects

3.2- Delivery of projects with the assigned methodology for their evaluation by panel together with the student and mentor

3.3 Delivery of results to entrepreneurship projects and support wi

Estimated time 2 month

 

 

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

The project will have the following milestones:

Milestone 1- Creation and consolidation of Cardano Blockchain Technological Base Incubator

The creation and start-up of the incubator will be established with the support of FUNINTEC to allow its legal operation in Venezuela and internationally. In this way, time and conformation and consolidation processes are saved, as well as the academic certification of the training. The incubator will have a virtual modality for greater reach and access of the participants in the training and tutoring processes with face-to-face events in spaces that will be contracted for this purpose.

Deliverables

 

• Joint work agreement with FUNINTEC

•Design and implementation of the technological platform for training on entrepreneurship issues.

Purchase of computer equipment for the project: Laptops and Desk computers

• Translation into Spanish and design of Cardano's entrepreneurship and blockchain technologies curricula.

• Recruitment and training of entrepreneurship facilitators and mentors

Products

 

• Agreement document signed

• Technological training platform implemented

• Curriculums elaborated in Spanish

 

Results

• Seven facilitators and seven mentors trained in the curricula to be taught to undergraduate and graduate students in a period of 2 months.

• Facilitators and mentors included in the Cardano ecosystem

 

Milestone 2- Education and training of entrepreneurial students

Provide necessary training to entrepreneurs in two phases; the first that allows them to improve their skills in business management, quality, productivity and competitiveness. The second phase is training in the areas of Cardano's blockchain technology that guides them towards a sustained growth of their technology-based ventures and their consolidation. This initial phase will be carried out using the technological platform that will be created and implemented for hybrid and online training as well as in person. It is important to indicate that the translations of the documents and videos that are necessary in the training of Cardano technology in Spanish will be carried out so that the information and knowledge transfer is more effective and reaches the participants.

 

Deliverables

• Undergraduate and postgraduate students selected to participate in the project with gender equality.

• Start of entrepreneurship training and blockchain technologies in Cardano for the participants

• Support in the development and preparation of technology-based entrepreneurship proposals by participating students.

 

Products

• One hundred selected undergraduate and postgraduate students trained and qualified to develop Caradano's technology-based entrepreneurship proposals.

 

Results

 

Empower and encourage student entrepreneurship

The proposal through training and training to the participants of the venture and the Cardano blockchain technology will allow them to have the knowledge and application of it. The expected results are:

• One hundred students trained and qualified with their entrepreneurial proposals associated with Cardano technology with gender equality.

• Transfer the knowledge of Cardamo's Blockchain technologies to new enthusiasts who can be recruited by the students of the project.

• Students included in the Cardano ecosystem and enthusiasts who will allow themselves to be catalysts for other students

 

Milestone 3- Mentorship of Entrepreneurial Students

Facilitate the insertion of national mentoring capacities to the processes of competitive improvement of entrepreneurs and ventures in the target population for the formulation of entrepreneurship projects. For this objective, a team of 7 mentors will be formed and created.

Deliverables

• Evaluation methodology of the entrepreneurial projects for their approval for the twenty mentors.

• List of business proposals for final evaluation

• Twenty mentors trained and trained to support the students participating in the project who managed to achieve the development of their proposals.

• Generation of consultancy and support for the development of entrepreneurship projects with the use of Cardano Blockchain technology.

• Creation of clusters with various enterprises that can be supported

Products

• Selection of Cardano Blockchain technology-based entrepreneurship projects. Due to the minimum dropout rate of thirty percent, one hundred and five students are expected to move on to the next phase for the development of projects

• Feasible projects and with the capacity to be implemented, developed by the students with the advice of the assigned tutors.

Result

The opportunity gap and student access

The purpose of the solution proposal is that students have access to the knowledge and initial funds to be able to develop and put

• One hundred projects with viability and feasibility of implementation of the students participating in the project and selected with gender equality.

Incentive to support the hundred entrepreneurs with an amount of 90 ₳s each for enterpreuner

In order to be able to have funds to be able to offer them to entrepreneurship projects that are more viable and add value for companies, the development of easier and faster processes is planned to offer them to viable entrepreneurship projects for their consolidation and support. through the incubator

Deliverables

• Call the entrepreneurship projects selected and approved to be in the incubator.

• Event for the delivery and signing of the agreement for the delivery of joint accompaniment with the Incubator and a commitment to support its management.

• A process of accompaniment and monitoring of the student ventures will begin with the assigned mentors for a period of one month so that they can support them and monitor compliance with the business plans associated with Cardano's blockchain technology.

Products

• Accompaniment and follow-up process of entrepreneurship projects that are approved within the Incubator.

• A startup amount and incentive of one 90 ₳ will be offered to entrepreneurship projects as incentive

Results

• Start-up ventures with blockchain technology and offering their services and products.

• Incorporation of students with their ventures in the Cardano ecosystem

• Incorporating potential new students who are recruited by the incubator or referred by entrepreneurs.

• Visibility and growth of the Cardano community in Venezuela

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

Milestone 1- Creation and consolidation of the Cardano Blockchain Technological Base Incubator

Resources :

• Design of the technological platform of the Incubator for the formation and monitoring of enterprises for a total of 1.000 ₳
• Purchase of computer equipment for the project: Laptops and Desk computers. 6,000 ₳
• Procurement of Services for the development of the technological training platform for 1000 ₳
• Hiring specialists in content translation from English to Spanish for ₳1,000
• Hiring a specialist in writing and presenting curricular content and videos for ₳1,000

Milestone Total Amount: 10.000 ₳

Milestone 2- Education and training of entrepreneurial students

• Recruitment of 7 facilitators that we going to pay each 1000 ₳ . Total amount of 7,000 ₳

 Milestone Total Amount: 7.000 ₳

Milestone 3- Mentorship of Entrepreneurial Students

• Recruitment of 7 mentors that we going to pay each 1000 ₳ . Total amount of 7,000 ₳
• Incentive to support the hundred entrepreneurs with an amount of 90 ₳s each for a total of 9.000 ₳.

 Milestone Total Amount: 16.000 ₳

Administrative management : Administrative support activities of the team are 1,000 ₳ for six months Total Amount of 6,000 ₳

 

The total finacial resources necessary for the development of the project is 39,000 ₳

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

The development of the proposal has a great impact for the generation of the expected results based on the investment and the benefit that this may offer to the beneficiaries of the project.

The experience that has been had in the context of developing this type of project is of great importance since it allows its elaboration with costs that are the most real possible for its execution.

In the context of the Venezuelan economy, the requested investment can cover the expenses and purchases required for the project, they are of great importance for the development of the project and our economy is currently dollarized and the depreciation of the monetary sign allows us to be able to acquire goods and services that other countries with more stable economies are more expensive than Venezuela.

In the cost benefit that will be obtained from milestone 1, it will allow consolidating the process of creating the material and acquiring the necessary equipment for the translation and writing of the training content, as well as being able to have the methodological and academic tools that allow the creation of curricula. suitable for training students.

For example,the investment requested for milestones 2 and 3 to hiring the services of facilitators and mentors are focused on being able to have a high-level staff that allows them to offer relevant training and that add value to student entrepreneurs that leads to the generation of successful ventures.

The investment of the Cardano ecosystem in our project will allow it to be consolidated in our country, achieving greater adoption of the use of Cardano in the field of ventures and by the productive sector as a conduit for the acquisition of goods and services. international. In this sense, the requested investment of a total of is well justified because they are the core of the success of the project.

We hope that our proposal can be funded in order to take advantage of a great opportunity to implement and consolidate the Cardano ecosystem in Venezuela.

[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