Cardano Developer Bootcamp

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Vinumole KB

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Not Incorporated)

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

5

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

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Conduct an 8-week hands-on developer workshop in Bengaluru, mentoring developers in practical Cardano development. This will demystify Cardano, onboard new devs, and encourage them to build on it.

[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?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All workshop materials, including presentations, code samples, and exercises, will be made available under the MIT License. We will maintain a public GitHub repository for the project, ensuring full transparency and accessibility throughout the project's lifecycle.

[METADATA] Horizons

Training

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

We propose an 8-week in-person developer workshop series to onboard and train developers on Cardano, providing them with both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience. Each session will last for 5-6 hours over the weekend.

Program plan

Week 01: Introduction to Blockchain & Web3, Cryptography Basics

• Overview of blockchain technology, Web3, tokens, and NFTs
• Introduction to decentralized exchanges (DEX), DeFi, and stablecoins
• Setting the context for Cardano’s role in the blockchain ecosystem
• Deep dive into cryptographic fundamentals: hashing, encryption, digital signatures
• Understanding cryptography's role in securing blockchain networks

Week 02: Cardano History, Roadmap and Features

• HIstory of Cardano development, Cardano's roadmap and governance model
• Cardano security model covers understanding required for development on Cardano.
• Proof of Stake, Ouroboros protocol, delegation, staking, and rewards
• Understanding stake pools and how they function

Week 03: Cardano Technical Deep Dive, Introduction to Smart Contracts

• Extended UTXO model and its advantages
• Overview of Cardano wallets, explorers, query services, and oracles
• Practical session on creating and submitting Cardano transactions using CLI
• How to mint native assets and NFTs
• Core concepts: validators, datum, redeemer, on-chain and off-chain interactions
• Smart contract creation: fees, batching, inputs and outputs, reference inputs
• Practical use cases like vesting, minting, and escrow

Week 04: Smart Contract Development Tools and Developer Exercises

• Introduction to Plutus, Aiken, Marlow, OpShin, and PyCardano
• Hands-on development with various tools and languages (Haskell, Python, Typescript)
• Cardano CLI interactions with smart contracts: typed and parameterized validation scripts
• Practical exercises: write smart contracts, serialize validators, and submit transactions

Week 05 & 06: Hands on development - Guided Mini project

• Recap for practical exercises: write smart contracts, serialize validators, and submit transactions
• Group project with guidance to develop simple POC dApps / integration components, applying all learned concepts.

Week 07: Midnight Network Overview and Building on Testnet

• Midnight network features, use cases, and architecture
• Introduction to zero-knowledge proofs and ZK-SNARKs
• Guidance on building and experimenting on the Midnight testnet

Week 08: Recap, Feedback, and Next Steps

• Recap of Learning: Review topics covered in the program through 8 sessions.
• Project Outcomes and collect feedback: Discuss the results of the group activities, sharing feedback on the dApps or POCs built during the workshop. Collect feedback about the program and areas of improvement.
• Next Steps in the Ecosystem: Guide participants on continuing their Cardano development journey through Catalyst, open-source projects, and community involvement.
• 
  

By the end of this program, the participants will have gained in-depth knowledge of Cardano development and hands-on experience, positioning them to contribute to the Cardano ecosystem. Graduates front the workshop will be offered continuing mentoring from our engineering team for Cardano development and mainnet deployment.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Our project will directly impact up to 30 developers, providing them with the skills and knowledge to build on Cardano. This will lead to:

1. Increased number of skilled Cardano developers in Bengaluru (India)
2. Make ground for more projects and applications built on Cardano
3. Enhanced local Cardano community

We will measure impact through:

1. Number of participants completing the workshop
2. Pre and post-workshop surveys to assess knowledge gain
3. Number of projects initiated by participants post-workshop
4. Ongoing engagement with participants in Cardano community events

We will share outputs through:

1. Open-source workshop materials on GitHub
2. Reports about on workshop progress
3. Showcase of hand-on work from the participants at the end of the workshop series

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our team, Lambdac, comprises a diverse group of highly skilled Cardano engineers, senior software developers, and experienced project managers. We have successfully delivered Cardano projects, both for clients and the broader ecosystem. Our capabilities include:

1. Cardano Integrations: We have experience in assisting clients with Cardano integrations, helping them build and deploy decentralized solutions on the blockchain.
2. Open-Source Contributions: We have developed multiple open-source libraries to support the Cardano developer community.

Our public GitHub repository: https://github.com/lambdacc

Catalyst track record: We have a proven track record with Catalyst-funded projects, including:

Fund-9: Completed — Open-source library for Plutus off-chain

Link to project repository: https://github.com/lambdacc/plutus-rest-wrapper

Fund-12: Ongoing — CIP-1694 and Cardano Governance workshop

To ensure accountability, we will 

Collect participant Feedback - After each workshop session, we will collect participant feedback to assess the effectiveness of the content and improve subsequent sessions. This will ensure the program remains dynamic and meets developer needs.

Regular Progress Updates - We will keep the community updated with regular reports on our progress, shared via social media, GitHub, and other communication channels.

Adhere to milestones - We will clear evidence of completion at each stage as outlined in the proposal

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1: Workshop Preparation and Registrations

A: Outputs:

• Event schedule and registration form for the program published.
• Detailed curriculum for the workshop developed.
• Publicity campaign for the workshop on social channels launched.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Complete workshop schedule is created, including dates, times, and locations.
• Sign-up form is functional and accessible online.
• Detailed curriculum for all workshop modules published.
• Information disseminated across relevant social media channels (Twitter, Telegram, Meetup).

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• URL or screenshot of the published event schedule and sign-up form, social media posts.
• Link to document containing the detailed workshop curriculum, including module descriptions, learning objectives, and time allocations.
• Link to sign-up form response spreadsheet shared with the community (PII information anonymized).

Timeline: 4 weeks

Milestone 2: Foundational Sessions Delivery (weekly sessions)

 A: Outputs:

• Completion of first 4 weekly workshop sessions.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Successful delivery of 4 sessions covering weeks 1-4 of the curriculum.
• Positive participant feedback from each session.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Link to attendance records for each session.
• Link to summary of participant feedback for each session.
• Link to photos/videos of sessions in progress.

Timeline: 4 weeks

Milestone 3: Guided Mini Project 

A: Outputs:

• Completion of 2 bi-weekly advanced topic sessions (weeks 5-6).
• Tangible mini projects dApp/tooling/library/service/POC.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Successful delivery of 2 bi-weekly sessions covering the dApp mini-project.
• Group projects completed ans output shared.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Link to attendance records for both sessions.
• Link to Github repo for mini group projects.
• Link to photos/videos of sessions and group work in progress.

Timeline: 4 weeks

Milestone 4: Midnight, Program recap, Feedback

 A: Outputs:

• Completion of final 2 bi-weekly sessions (weeks 7-8).
• Program feedback from participants
• Next steps for participants continuing developement/projects

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Successful delivery of Midnight Network overview and recap sessions.
• Completion and presentation of group projects.
• Final feedback collected from all participants.
• Plan for next steps for participants continuing developement/projects is shared

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Link to Attendance records for both sessions.
• Link to data which shows details of completed group projects (descriptions, demos, or presentations).
• Link to document with compiled participant feedback from the entire workshop series.
• Link to documentted plan for next steps for participants

Timeline: 4 weeks

Milestone 5: Project close out report, video and survey result

 A: Outputs:

• Project close-out and final reporting.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Comprehensive final report compiled.
• Long-term impact survey conducted.
• All project outputs and evidences are published and accessible.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Link to final report document detailing the entire workshop series, outcomes, and lessons learned.
• Link to documented results of the long-term impact survey.
• Link to project close-out video summarizing the workshop series and its impact on the Cardano ecosystem.

Timeline: 2 weeks

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Our team, Lambdac, is an unincorporated volunteer collective comprising experienced Cardano engineers, Senior Software engineers and Project Managers, aiming to make meaningful contributions within the Cardano ecosystem. We have successfully delivered Cardano integrations for clients, Catalyst projects and open source libraries for the broader ecosystem. Our public GitHub repository: https://github.com/lambdacc

Here are the Catalyst projects we have received funding for in the past:

Fund-9: Open-source library for Plutus off-chain -- Status: Completed

Link to project repository: https://github.com/lambdacc/plutus-rest-wrapper

Fund-12: CIP-1694 and Cardano Governance workshop – Status: In progress

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

1. Workshop venue charges for 8 sessions: 12,000 ADA  
2. Handout materials and stationery: 1,600 ADA  
3. Refreshments (snacks and drinks): 2,400 ADA  
4. Compensation for 2 facilitators (500 ADA each per session): 8,000 ADA  

Total budget: 24000 ADA

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

1. In person education and hand on training at this budget represents efficient use of resources for imparting developer skill
2. Building local developer community in a key tech hub has long-term ecosystem benefits
3. Our team's experience and previous successful Catalyst projects ensure efficient execution

The costs are based on local market rates for venue rental and fair compensation for experienced facilitators, for high-quality delivery while maintaining cost-effectiveness.