Cardano Hackathon & Workshops - Web3 North Ottawa

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Lawrence Ley

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

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

Audrey Nesbitt

Josh Seerattan

Michael-Anthony Clement

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

Cardano’s potential as a leading blockchain platform can be fully realized through hackathons and workshops that showcase its technology to developers, investors, and enterprises.

[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.”

The Ottawa Cardano hackathon and workshops are dependent on the Web3 North conference that is planned for Q1-Q2, 2025.

[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 material will be free to re-use on the Andamio learning platform
• All hackathon submissions will be open source

[METADATA] Horizons

Hackathons

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Cardano’s potential as a leading blockchain platform can be fully realized through hackathons and workshops that showcase its technology to developers, investors, and enterprises. By hosting a Cardano hackathon and workshops with Ottawa’s Web3 North Conference in Q1, 2025, participants can engage in hands-on building, collaboration, and creativity. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of Cardano’s scalability and integration potential, solidifying its position as a go-to platform for innovation.

This proposal will include:

• A two-day hackathon with prizes for the best innovative Cardano-based projects.
• Workshops focusing on blockchain business use cases and technical topics 
• Access to Cardano development tools, APIs, and experts.
• Collaboration opportunities with the Cardano community and ecosystem.
• Knowledge sharing and community-building.

The workshops will contain the following educational content.

• Business Track
• Level 1
• Intro to Blockchain and Cardano: Explore Cardano and blockchain use-cases.
• Marketing, go-to-market strategy for Web3 projects
• Navigating Legal and regulatory frameworks 

• Technical Track
• Level 1
• Smart Contracts: Learn Cardano Smart Contracts.
• Wallet Connect: Implement Wallet Connect for DApps.
• Token Standards: Understand Cardano token standards.
• Transaction Building: Create Cardano transactions.

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

Hackathons and workshops are essential components of sustained ecosystem development and growth. They promote collaboration, attract new developer talent to an ecosystem, and help inspire innovation, continued creation, and the discovery of new functionalities. Ottawa is the capital of Canada, with a surrounding area of 1.4M+ people. Hosting blockchain events in cities where politicians live and work will help socialize blockchain benefits and influence favorable legislation. Both the University of Ottawa and Carlton University are located in Ottawa.

Web 3 North is a visionary community-driven initiative established by Ottawa-based ecosystem leaders and supported by key regional partners. The mission is to formalize and enhance the support mechanisms available to builders in the Web3 space, similar to those enjoyed by other tech verticals within the Canadian ecosystem. We operate in collaboration with SaaS Accelerators, local investors and The Gatineau Innovation Institute to drive this mission forward.

Located in Canada’s largest Tech Park with over 500 member companies, primarily in the tech and business sectors such as Blackberry QNX, Nokia, MDA Space, and RBR, to homegrown successes like Shopify. All levels of innovation can thrive in the Ottawa/Gatineau Region. Ottawa offers a unique ecosystem, densely packed with R&D powerhouses, the highest tech talent concentration in all of Canada, and an ever-growing community of connected thought leaders. The region recruits talent from all over the world, and is recognized internationally for contributions to the tech industry.

Value to the Cardano Community: The hackathon and workshops will drive innovation within the Cardano ecosystem by tapping into the local tech talent pool. This will bring fresh ideas and solutions and expand the Cardano community with skilled developers. This will also encourage developers to explore Cardano's capabilities, driving innovation.

Measuring Impact: Success will be measured quantitatively by participant numbers, social networking engagement, and project submissions. The innovation and real-world applicability of the projects will also be evaluated. 

Sharing Outputs and Opportunities: Key projects will be showcased across various platforms, ensuring visibility. Engagement through social media, webinars, and meetups will keep the community informed and involved. Fostering a sense of community and collaboration within the Cardano ecosystem will also attract new talent and projects to Cardano, expanding its reach.

[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?

Following the IOG hackathon run book and using Andamio for workshop facilitation, we will use proven and existing tools and methodologies to ensure a successful outcome. The Andamio workshop modules will be reusable for anyone who wants to run a Cardano workshop. 

Lawrence Ley is an IT delivery professional with over 20+ years of experience in application development and systems integration. He teaches blockchain courses at the George Brown College blockchain program and is the author of the book Ultimate Cardano Smart Contracts. Lawrence’s Cardano journey started in 2021 with the Plutus Pioneer program and has contributed to the ecosystem with open-source impact projects, code examples, and videos on how to write Cardano Smart Contracts.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrenceley/ 

GitHub: https://github.com/lley154 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawrenceley8530 

Audrey Nesbitt - Founder & CEO of SPINNOVATE Tech, is an expert go-to market strategist and key influencer in emerging tech. Audrey's pivotal role as former CMO and marketing advisor for a WEB3 global educational hub, ETHWomen and as mentor for WITM (Women in Technology Management) has been instrumental in advancing the education and empowerment of women and youth in technology. Her impactful work has garnered nominations for the Women in IT Award for Tech Startup of the Year (2023) and Outstanding Leadership (2024) at the Marketing 2.0 Conference, as well as recognition for a women's non-profit educational hub in technology at the Canadian FinTech and AI Awards and the Women in IT Awards Canada.  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-nesbitt/ 

Josh Seerattan - Senior Investment Analyst @ Wesley Clover | Global Investment Portfolio Management, Investor Relations, Industry Analyst, Startup Advisor, Speaker, Podcaster

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-seerattan/

Michael-Anthony Clement - Technology, science and entrepreneurship are among the things which inspire and drive me. I have a profound passion for learning new things and more importantly, applying that knowledge to create value in order to improve the human condition. Whether bringing innovative products to market or equiping other entrepreneurs to do the same, this is my life focus.

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maclement/

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

Payment: 25,000 Ada

• Secure venue & confirm dates
• Confirm security & cleaning arrangements if required
• Confirm food and beverage catering
• Confirm conference sponsorship 
• Confirm workshop facilitators
• Finalize workshop content
• Confirm hackathon judges
• Confirm volunteers
• Order SWAG and relevant hackathon and workshop materials
• Social media announcements

Payment: 25,000 Ada

• Complete the workshops
• Proof of attendance (100+)
• Social & Wallet activations (50+)
• Social media posts and engagement (1000+)

Payment: 25,000 Ada

• Complete hackathon
• Proof of attendance (25+)
• Closing ceremony and prizes awarded 
• Social media posts and engagement (1000+)

Payment: 24,605 Ada

• Social & Wallet activations report
• Social Media engagement report
• Project catalyst close-out report

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

Lawrence Ley

Roles: Team Lead, Hackathon Organizer, Technical Workshop Facilitator

Audrey Nesbitt

Roles: Marketing Lead, Business Workshop Facilitator

Josh Seerattan & Michael-Anthony Clement

Role: Web3 North Community Leads

TBC x2

Role: Hackathon Support (Setup/Teardown, Guest registration, Onsite Q&A, Discord Community Moderator)

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

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

Education and Skill Development: Running hackathons and workshops fosters talent development and contributes to the growth of a skilled workforce within the Cardano ecosystem.

Adoption and Awareness: Having a Cardano presence at local conferences promotes awareness and adoption of Cardano. 

Network Expansion: Being part of an established event helps foster connections into the broader Web3 and IT ecosystems for partnerships and collaboration. This can also encourage local community meetups by bringing together the local Cardano community members. 

Innovation and Projects: Encourage participants to explore and develop projects on the Cardano platform. By fostering innovation, this proposal drives the creation of applications, smart contracts, and other solutions within the ecosystem.

Acknowledgments & References:

• CardanoCodex - On-boarding the next wave of Developers with this innovative Hackathon event - Pan India by Nucast
• Cardano Hackathon in Berlin organized by NMKR by Patrick Tobler
• Cardano Blockchain Education Program For Top Ethiopian Universities by Tihitna Miroche
• Colombo Cardano Hackathon by Azeem Ashraf
• EAST ASIA 💚 CARDANO: Cardano Hackathon @ DEVCON by Alejandra Marin
• Cardano Vietnam Developer Boot Camp & Hackathon by Thanh Dinh