Cardano Beam - DePIN
Problem
Cardano Beam introduces Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) to Cardano by enabling asset transfers based on a user’s physical presence at specific GPS locations.
Total to date
This is the total amount allocated to Cardano Beam - DePIN.
About this idea
[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant
Dmitry Shibaev[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
Elcio Chiquinato
Vlad Mikirtumov
[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)
9[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)
Locks assets in smart contracts and only unlocked when a user physically passes through the location, facilitating value transfers without the need for traditional payment systems or prior agreements.
[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] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs
The Cardano Beam project will not be fully open-sourced, as the Web2 components such as the front-end, database, and back-end will remain proprietary to prevent duplication. However, the team has a strong track record of open-sourcing Web3 tools developed for the project, including libraries like the Cardano Wallet Connector, NFT Minter, and contributions to cardano-serialization-lib. Additionally, a new Smart Contract Factory will be open-sourced during the project's delivery, enabling rapid smart contract generation. This balance ensures community contributions while protecting key proprietary elements
[METADATA] Horizons
RWA[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution
Cardano Beam is a DePIN-based event and ticket management system running on the Cardano blockchain. It has been rigorously tested over the past few years, offering significant improvements over traditional event and ticket management platforms by decentralizing control and incorporating blockchain-based incentives and verification mechanisms.
1 - Decentralized Event Creation and Management
Event Organizers - Anyone can create an event (e.g., concerts, sports, conferences) through the platform without needing to go through a centralized entity like Ticketmaster. Organizers set up their events, including ticket pricing, locations and payout conditions
The platform then automates the execution of event logistics—ticket distribution, payments and rewards are handled by transparent and tamper-proof smart contracts. This eliminates intermediaries, reduces costs, and increases trust.
2 - DePIN events
Instead of relying solely on venue companies or traditional contractors, the platform allows participants or local communities to contribute physical infrastructure for the events by placing rewards for the participants along the route
A smart contract locks Assets on the Cardano blockchain; to unlock them, someone must pass at that GPS location. Once the user passes at the location where the Asset was locked, the smart contract unlocks the asset and gets transferred to the user’s wallet.
This platform facilitates value transfer without payment terminals, without prior agreements, so long as the person receiving the payment is physically present at the specified location and conforms to the other conditions of whoever placed the Asset there.
Event organisers publish their events and sell tickets to them. All in one place, simplifying the user experience. Users can see the events around them in our Cardano Beam Mobile App and purchase tickets with ADA or Credit cards.
At the Event, the user shows the ticket as a QR code, and the event organiser scans it to let them in. The event organized can also leave POAP certificates in a GPS-enabled Smart Contract, which the user collects when at the event.
Each event organizer curates their event to their liking. Some create treasure hunts, and others create sports events. Some have multiple checkpoints from where ticket holders can redeem prizes; others check the ticket at one location to grant you access.
Events are listed on our Events page https://cardanobeam.app/events and in the Mobile app.
3 - Community Tested
Hundreds of users have already used the Cardano Beam platform, many of them from outside of the Cardano ecosystem, where their introduction to Cardano was through our app. The improvements will make the onboarding smoother and improve the user experience.
View of the world map with Assets placed globally using Cardano Beam at over 300 locations
We have also built an Events Marketplace that brings event organizers and Cardano Beam users together. We plan to offer this marketplace to businesses to host their events and advertisement campaigns
Cardano Beam was used to run a cycling event in Portugal
Funds Use
We will use the funds from Fund 13 to make five key improvements to the app:
- Rebuild the UX/UI to make the experience intuitive for the average user, especially those not familiar with crypto. This will drive adoption and bring unique users to the Cardano ecosystem.
- Business development. The team needs to be expanded to deal with the flow of enquiries and create actionable proposals for business owners.
- Enhance ticket validation for the same ticket to be used only once. The existing ticket approach is to confirm the ownership of a ticket without consuming it. We will extend this with an option to consume the ticket to accommodate high-value use cases where the same ticket should not be used more than once.
- Snap & Mint functionality where a user takes a photo at their location, the app turns the photo into an NFT and locks the NFT in a smart contract at that location for others to pick up.
[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
This DePIN-based event and ticket management platform on Cardano represents a revolutionary approach to organizing, managing, and participating in events.
Its decentralized infrastructure reduces costs, increases transparency, and democratizes access to event management for communities worldwide. This presents a unique opportunity to enter a high-growth market, backed by the powerful underlying technology of blockchain and DePIN.
Allocating funds to this platform will benefit Cardano from:
- First-mover advantage in the DePIN space.
- Proven use cases and a tested solution.
- A scalable model that reduces operational friction.
- Long-term growth potential as the event and ticketing industries increasingly adopt decentralized solutions.
Cardano Beam platform is poised to not only disrupt the event industry but also pave the way for other DePIN applications in the real world.
It is an innovation that helps the ecosystem reach its potential and helps improve the systems we use across the world for organizing and managing IRL events and for any application where rewarding for being at the right place at the right time is important. It will bring a sizable new user base to Cardano, as shown by the number of events successfully used over the last 2 years and the growing user base.
It increases the number of products and integrations that offer new solutions for people to interact with and benefit from using Cardano. It is a unique DePIN product on Cardano and other blockchains that creates GPS-enabled smart contracts with a ticket system for event managers.
Smart contracts and the eUTXO model are very convenient for location-based events as guarantee 1 person per 1 UTXO - so queues can be managed effectively. A fiat on-ramp to bring non-crypto users has been implemented in Cardano Beam, making it accessible for the general public.
A list of events that used Cardano Beam since its roll-out in 2022 to 2024
- A bike ride from Lisbon to the Algarve in October 2022, where 6 participants completed a 220km journey and collected prizes along the way dropped by the community. Viewers saw live where the participants were at all times and dropped additional rewards for them to pick up
- An Easter egg hunt organized by Web3 User Group and Directed in April 2023 where tens of participants purchased an Easter ticket which then gave them access to easter egg prizes hidden in the real word https://twitter.com/Web3UserGroup/status/1642945517385646086
- NY NFT conference where tickets were sold through Cardano Beam and users collected prizes at the location and around New York https://twitter.com/dynamic_io/status/1645111383686512642
- GPS Adventure pass, organized by the Web3 User Group who organize IRL adventures https://www.jpg.store/collection/web3gpsadventure?tab=items
- NFT Adventure Pass, a business created to run adventures on Cardano Beam https://www.xplore-nft.com. The adventure pass encourages outdoor activities and is geared toward tourists looking for a curated hiking route and have placed unique NFTs at the top of the 5 tallest mountains for participants to pick up https://twitter.com/xplore_nft/status/1647010552722358273
- Finding Octo, an educational project and augmented education experience for the young ones where the completing online tasks is complemented with outdoor activities https://www.slfdrvn.io/findingocto
- Yoga events were organized, and tickets sold for events in Lisbon through the Cardano Beam platform.
- A carnival organizer in San Diego used the app to sell tickets and distribute POAPs to participants.
- Cycling tour in the northern mountains of Portugal. The app was used to layout the event's route and track participants in real-time
Prospective engagement
- In discussion with a large cycling event in the Netherlands with 1000s of participants to distribute prizes to participants with discounts to collaborating stores
- A carnival organizer in San Diego planning to user the app to sell tickets and distribute POAPs to participants. Over 300 news users are expected to use it during the event.
- Digital Safari in Zambia, a local entrepreneur in Zambia is organizing artists to create unique art pieces of wildlife and distribute them at GPS locations for a curated safari tour. This is done in collaboration with NMKR to support the minting of art pieces and Dynamic Strategies providing guidance on the ground.
- Chicago auto tour, a member of the local community of auto enthusiasts, is in touch to distribute minted assets from their community on Cardano Beam for members to collect.
- Dead Rabbit Society, a Cardano NFT community https://deadrabbits.io are in talks to organize a treasure hunt.
- Discussion with NMKR and Web3 User Group to bring Cardano to large German charities by demonstrating practical use cases of the blockchain through Cardano Beam.
- An influential member of the surfing movement on the West coast of Lisbon, Portugal is pushing for creating a surfing collection to be collected by holders of a particular surfboard at most iconic surfing spots in Portugal.
- The local municipality is exploring the possibility of creating a digital twin of its geocaching route by using Cardano beam as well as selling tickets to its farmer's market with our ticketing solution.
- A gaming company in Finland, focusing on Minecraft gaming is planning to extend the game to real-world locations. They have shown a preference for having multiple locations, but are very sensitive to the costs - we are investigating a possible use case for Hydra given the need for fast and cheap transactions and where there is tolerance for lower security guarantees. https://www.sog.gg/
[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?
100% success rate in delivering on previously funded Catalyst proposal
The team has successfully delivered 3 previously funded Catalyst projects from Fund 8 and 9, and currently working on delivering 2 more proposals from Fund 11
Community Tested
The Cardano Beam platform has been operational since the end of 2022 and has been trusted by over 200 users and 10+ event organizers to run their events.
The go-live of the platform was called out in the October 2022 edition of Cardano 360:
https://youtu.be/hZRwLWKNNfQIOG featured it in its series on Marlowe smart contract language showing how it could be used for innovative use cases:
https://youtu.be/9bLINVNJPg4Media Coverage in Local Newspaper
We received media coverage for the platform in the local newspaper feedback about the capabilities of our technology and how it helps to solve real-world problems. Decision-makers from most walks of life understand its use cases. The platform was featured in the Portugues business journal as the up-and-coming start-up solving real-world problems https://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/negocios-em-rede/detalhe/queremos-atrair-fixar-e-desenvolver-talento-em-cascais
Track Record
The team has rolled out unique features that advanced the platform and the Cardano ecosystem
- A new ticketing solution was built where ownership of an NFT is verified in 5 steps by independently verifying the ownership of the NFT on chain and time bound with a short time interval by generating and scanning a QR code in the Cardano Beam app.
- An events marketplace that lets event organizers create an event and advertise it on the Cardano Beam website. Participants can buy a ticket to the event, which is delivered as an NFT to their Cardano Beam mobile app, which they use to gain physical access to the event and collect rewards at the location.
- Fiat on-ramp was built that allows non-crypto native users to participate in events by buying tickets with a credit card. This uses a cross-chain bridge (which the team also built) where payments made with a credit card are converted on-chain on the Polygon network, and the ticket is delivered on the Cardano network. Very few other projects on Cardano accept fiat payments which is necessary to drive adoption across non-crypto users.
[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?
UX/UI: A new layout for the Web app and the Mobile apps, including colour schemes and a first pass on the changes to the screens for improved UX. This work will be done primarily by the designer and the Web2/Web3 developer. A focus group of users will conduct tests; feedback will be collected and incorporated into the design.
Activities:
- Design wireframe for colour pallet for new design;
- Focus groups with existing users and event organizers;
- Implement changes to the Web app and Mobile apps and release to testnet;
- A trial event and collate feedback from test users;
- Incorporate user feedback and release to Production.
Expected time to completion: 2 months
Resources:
- One designer 40h per week for 8 weeks;
- One developer 40h per week for 8 weeks.
Deliverables:
A professionally designed UI in line with modern trends and an improved UX for the Cardano Beam Web and Mobile apps. Intended outcome is increased adoption by non-crypto users and the business community
Snap & Mint Feature: A new screen in the Cardano Beam mobile app that exposes the camera and lets users take a picture with their device. Upload images taken from the mobile app onto IPFS and mint it as an NFT. The users of the mobile app can lock assets from their wallet in a smart contract at GPS location. This will allow users to take a picture on their device and lock it as an NFT at their location for others to redeem.
Activities:
- Create a mobile screen to take picture
- Upload image to IPFS
- Mint an NFT using cardano-serialization-lib
- Generate smart contract for GPS location
- Lock minted NFT in the smart contract
Expected time to completion: 2 months
Resources:
- One developer 40h per week for 8 weeks
- One designer 10h per week for 8 weeks
Deliverables:
The functionality in the mobile app to take a picture, mint it as an NFT and place at the location for someone else to pick up
Release full feature set: The last month will monitor the platform and make final improvements. The platform will have been released with a handful of new features, which may cause conflict between the features and unintended behaviour. This will be addressed. The platform documentation will be updated, new video tutorials recorded, and the smart contract factory open-sourced. Business Development with prospective clients and the Cardano community
Activity:
- Release new features to production;
- Fix any bugs;
- Update documentation and video tutorials;
- Follow up on business leads.
Expected time to completion: 2 month
Resources:
- One developer 40h per week for 8 weeks;
- One senior business developer 40h per week for 8 weeks.
Deliverables:
Release all features to production and monitor for user feedback and bugs. Update documentation and tutorials. Intended outcome are fully functional new features on the mainnet
[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?
Project Lead: Dmitry Shibaev
Dmitry Shibaev is an experienced Project Lead and Senior Developer with a proven track record in both big tech and financial markets. His expertise spans 5 years in delivering large-scale SAP projects for energy companies in southern Europe and 15 years in financial markets, where he successfully led significant projects at a prominent investment bank across London, Singapore, and Amsterdam.
Open-Source Contributions:
Dmitry has actively contributed to the open-source community, showcasing his skills in building tools and fostering collaboration:
- Developed a wallet connector for DApps and Wallets, utilized by the Cardano Beam Web App. The GitHub repository has garnered 100+ stars and has been forked by IOHK.
- GitHub Repo
- App Demo 1
- App Demo 2
- Contributed to the Cardano Developer Portal with a quick start guide on connecting Web Apps to different Cardano web-wallets.
- Created a Public GraphQL endpoint with a web client, enabling users to query the Cardano blockchain conveniently.
- GitHub Repo
- App
- Developed a Staking Reward Calculator synced to the blockchain, providing insights into expected payouts from different pools.
- App
- Contributed Cardano Wallet Functions for integration into React Native apps.
- GitHub Repo
Full Stack Expertise:
Dmitry is proficient in both Web2 and Web3 technologies, showcasing his skills in building the full stack behind Dynamic Strategies (https://dynamicstrategies.io) and Cardano Beam (https://cardanobeam.app).
Plutus Pioneers Cohort:
Dmitry was part of the inaugural cohort of Plutus Pioneers and received recognition for building community tools at Adafolio (https://adafolio.com/portfolio/8f7da192-0257-11eb-9684-a45e60be653b).
Stake Pool Operation:
He is an integral part of a team operating the Cardano Stake Pool with the ticker DSIO, registered in 2020. The pool has received multiple delegations from the Cardano Foundation in acknowledgment of outstanding contributions to the community.
Community Engagement:
Dmitry actively participates in the Cardano forum and Cardano Stack Exchange, contributing to community discussions and sharing knowledge.
Designer: Elcio Chiquinado
Elcio Chiquinado is the founder of the design agency David and Golias, which has partnered with Dynamic Strategies to deliver the following elements for Cardano Beam:
- Design the brand identity of Cardano Beam
- Design the UX/UI and image Assets for the Cardano Beam website, Web App, and Mobile App interfaces.
- Communication templates and presentation packs
- NFT design pitches for the business outreach events
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elciochiquinato/
Relevant projects that Elcio delivered previously
Brand Design of D-Orbit Fenix and Aurora Satellite control apps - Italy
Art Director for Vodafone Brand Design - Portugal
Note: Vodafone announced in June 2023 a partnership with NMKR
Art Director for Delta Cafes Brand Design - Portugal
Art Director for SATA Airlines Brand Design - Portugal
Brand Strategy & Design for Medbone - Portugal
Brand Design for RTP television channel - Portugal
Design of the book "Coletanea Direito 50 anos" for the government - Angola
Rebranding IMI International Media Ideas - Dubai
Before that, Elcio was the Art Director of a brand design agency in Portugal, Lisbon and a Teacher at the Lisbon School of Design (https://www.lsd.pt/), where he taught courses in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign)
Senior Business Developer: Vlad Mikirtumov
Aerospace Engineer by education. Experience project manager and test engineer at ASML microchips and HODL funds
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vmikirtumov/
[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The budget is estimated based on 40 hours per week and 4 weeks per month.
Milestone 1: UX/UI (2 months)
- 1 Developer for 40h per week for 8 weeks @ $60/h
- 1 Designer for 40h per week for 8 weeks @ $30/h
Milestone Total $28,800
Milestone 2: Snap-n-Mint (2 months)
- 1 Developer for 40h per week for 8 weeks @ $60/h
- 1 Designer for 10h per week for 8 weeks @ $30/h
Milestone Total $21,600
Milestone 3: Release full feature set (2 month)
- 1 Developer for 40h per week for 8 weeks @ $60/h
- 1 Senior Business Developer for 40h per week for 8 weeks @ $40/h
Milestone Total $32,000
The Total budget of $82,400 across the Milestones
At a price of 0.358 ADA per USD
Total budget in ADA: 230,167
[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?
Cardano Beam is a unique “value transfer system” for placing Cardano Assets at GPS locations and having people pick them up. Nothing like this exists today, and this is a potentially revolutionary blockchain application.
Similarly, there is currently no ticketing solution on Cardano that lets event organizers sell tickets to end users using a credit card and then track their attendance and give rewards for showing up. Cardano Beam is unique to Cardano and to Web3 as a whole - no similar solution exists on other blockchains.
This is an enhancement to Cardano Beam, which already has more than 200 users, with over 300 locations with smart contracts and well over 500 transactions.
Large Market Potential
The global event management industry is expected to grow to $2,194.40 billion by 2028, and ticketing itself is a multi-billion-dollar industry. The platform can disrupt traditional incumbents like Ticketmaster, whose centralized structures lead to high fees, lack of transparency, and poor customer satisfaction.
DePIN is still an emerging trend, and this platform is a pioneer in using decentralized physical infrastructure for event management. Investing early offers the potential for significant returns as the technology matures and scales.
Real-World Use Cases
The platform has been tested in real-world events over the past few years, providing validated use cases. Events have successfully leveraged the decentralized ticketing system and crowdsourced infrastructure, demonstrating cost savings, reduced fraud, and enhanced user experience.
Through past deployments, the platform has gathered data to optimize event operations, better understand user behavior, and continuously improve the system. This data serves as a critical asset in refining the platform’s features and scaling efficiently.
Alignment with Future Tech Trends
DePIN is a transformative technologies poised to reshape industries by decentralizing control, enhancing user ownership, and promoting more open economies. This platform is well-positioned to capture the growing demand for decentralized applications that blur the lines between digital and physical infrastructure.
Team
