Last updated a week ago
Sometimes a great project might miss a round or need to get started before it can receive Catalyst funding. How do you get by with less?
This is the total amount allocated to So, you didn't get funded. Now What?. 1 out of 4 milestones are completed.
1/4
Reaching out to the community
Cost: ₳ 20,000
Delivery: Month 1 - Apr 2024
2/4
Initial Training
Cost: ₳ 25,000
Delivery: Month 3 - Jun 2024
3/4
Continuation of the training
Cost: ₳ 25,000
Delivery: Month 4 - Jul 2024
4/4
Building the Wiki
Cost: ₳ 23,000
Delivery: Month 5 - Aug 2024
NB: Monthly reporting was deprecated from January 2024 and replaced fully by the Milestones Program framework. Learn more here
D.Jur. Nicola Massella, Legal & Compliance Dept.
Sophie Ivarsson, Marketing & Growth Dept.
Nara Babayeva, Branding & Design Team
Louis Beuque, Finance & Fundraising Dept.
We will put together a short series of webinars on how to get started with an idea, how to bootstrap, how to keep costs low, and how (and why) to start fundraising early.
No Dependencies
Project will be fully open source.
SDG Goals
4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
SDG Subgoals
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
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
4.4.1 - Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
This will be a short series of webinars, accompanied by materials, that will be focused on how to be less dependent on a single source of funding so that projects can do more with less or get started with (almost) nothing at all.
Webinars will be taught by entrepreneurs with both Web3 and Startup experience, sharing their knowledge on testing ideas without a budget, bootstrapping, how to cut costs, where not to cut corners to avoid getting in trouble, and different sources of early funding as well as how to pitch something that might not have revenue, users, a product, or even a finalized idea.
The content will focus on:
The difference between a normal person and an entrepreneur isn’t necessarily a perfect idea or rare skills and education, but rather the ability to consistently shorten the time between having an idea, acting on it, and above all persevering.
Our program will be focused on the real experience of entrepreneurs as well as frameworks used in successful startups. This should allow community members to map where they are on the entrepreneurial journey, know how to build a team to complement their strengths and weaknesses, and recognize the moment to “just do it.”
When it comes to early fundraising, the team’s ability to overcome challenges and find alternatives is a key element in angel and early-stage VC investors’ evaluation of a startup’s potential. Attending our events or accessing the materials after the fact will increase the number of entrepreneurs working on making Cardano a more successful ecosystem.
Our growth marketing team will discuss how to build brand recognition and community support with low to no budget.
Finally, our legal experts will help frame a set of safe boundaries so that potential builders and founders can know where safe waters are, which will decrease risks for founders and increase the credibility of the ecosystem.
This is not about the easiest way to start a project, but it is about getting started even when the deck is stacked against you.
STORM Partners has spent the past years building its capability to promote ecosystems like Cardano in the Web3 way, through community-driven engagement and by making the value of Web3 clear to more traditional stakeholders.
Legal & Compliance Department has extensive experience with the legal recognition (and related regulation) of DAOs, as well as other regulatory requirements related to Web3 projects. We have incorporated several DAOs in Switzerland and abroad, registering them either as foundations or as associations (depending on the intrinsic characteristics of the projects and the different governance structures), and we are always up-to-date on regulatory changes to mitigate our clients’ regulatory risks.
Marketing & Growth Department has helped curate high-level go-to-market strategies while providing the affiliated brand research and guidance needed to become a leading dApp or DAO, helping with long-term communications, social media, public relations, growth hacking, personal branding, and influencer programs.
Finance & Fundraising Department has a successful track record in developing articulated fundraising strategies and financial planning. Areas of expertise include tokenomics mechanisms, nurturing investor relations, pitch deck structuring, etc.
We are also highly active in the Cardano ecosystem and have contributed through various initiatives and events to strengthen and shape its community and ecosystem. Some of our Cardano contributions and initiatives include:
We understand the importance of financial planning, budgeting, processes and accountability for the engagement we perform. Specifically, we will deploy progress updates. The team will regularly update each milestone with detailed explanations of a given task, with hours employed, outcomes and measurements. The updates will include reports on KPIs and metrics reached and strategic and implementation adjustments due to emerging issues or changes in the Cardano DAO ecosystem.
The first step of the project will be to reach out to some of the projects that were not selected by Catalyst Fund 11 and find out what their plans are to pursue their projects in the absence of funding. We’ll look at getting a good cross-section of the community without incurring too high a cost.
Milestone output(s)
Acceptance criteria
Info provided to verify the milestone achievement
Based on our outreach to the community and our team’s expertise, we will put together a series of webinars to be conducted during the next months, at a rate of about one a month, based on the topics determined to be most important. While we really want to focus our efforts on what is going to be most useful to the community, topics might include:
Milestone output(s)
Acceptance criteria
Info provided to verify the milestone achievement
A wiki or Notion page containing the knowledge and lessons learned from the surveys, the webinars, and interactions with the community.
Milestone output(s)
Acceptance criteria
Info provided to verify the milestone achievement
Legal & Compliance Department - Legal risks and when to call a lawyer
Nicola Massella - Partner & Head of Legal
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolamassella
D.Jur. Nicola Massella is an expert on crypto-assets and blockchain technology regulation with a commitment to decentralising and democratising capital markets. He is the head of STORM Partners’ Legal & Compliance Department. Additionally, he is engaged pro bono as Legal Research Officer at the Blockchain & Climate Institute and as a member of the Regulatory Working Group at the Crypto Valley Association. He developed specific expertise concerning DAOs by assisting multiple decentralised organisations in establishing a sound legal structure.
Marketing Department - Idea validation and growth on a shoe-string budget
Sophie Ivarsson - Marketing Director focused on Growth
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-ivarsson-815491b1/
Sophie has spent the last ten years becoming an expert growth marketer on the road to mastery. She has worked for large organisations like Lego and also helped launch two startups, both of which have transitioned to stable and profitable concerns. She’s an expert strategist and team builder, which translates directly into how to structure and
Nara Babayeva - Graphic Designer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nara-babayeva-797251119
Nara, an accomplished designer based in Istanbul, has worked on international projects related to web3 and the metaverse. With six years of experience in graphic design, Nara specialises in brand identity, social media, and UX/UI. They hold an MBA degree in Visual Marketing, which enhances their ability to approach design strategically. Their designs seamlessly blend global trends with localised aesthetics, resonating with audiences across borders.
Finance & Fundraising - small and fast bridge financing
Louis Beuque - Fundraising Manager
https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-beuque-4153b0104
Co-founder of a DAO focused on entertainment, Louis has been operating as a Head of Investor Relations and Fundraising Manager for more than 13 projects over 2022 cumulating more than $60M. Originally focused on top-tier projects such as Polygon, he has been more recently raising for upcoming blockchain-based projects and DAOs, which he recognises as more exciting and as a future trend in Web3.
Project Coordinator -
Sheraz Ahmed - Managing Partner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherazahmed1/
Sheraz Ahmed has advised hundreds of organisations on the implementation of modern Web3 practices to further their business objectives. As the Managing Partner of STORM Partners, an all-in-one service provider, and as the Co-Executive Director of the Crypto Valley Association, he drives growth, collaboration, and integrity across the global blockchain ecosystem!
We're planning to run pretty tightly on this one while also providing value to entrepreneurs who need to make things work. If we can successfully use the methods in the webinars to reduce costs, we'll use that to talk to more of the community and increase the reach and attendance of the program.
Community outreach (Milestone 1):
Subtotal (20 weeks): 13000 ADA
Webinar research, creation, and delivery (Milestone 2):
~20000 ADA per webinar
Subtotal (3 webinars): 60000 ADA
Subtotal (Follow up and final report): 20000 ADA
Grand Total: 93'000 ADA
As showcased, STORM Partners comprises highly skilled individuals who are leaders in their respective areas with multiple years of experience on Web3 projects and involvement in the Cardano Ecosystem. Furthermore, the project would not only directly benefit the participants in the online workshops but would also serve as a trampoline to increase the reputation and awareness of Cardano DAOs in Switzerland and internationally.
By leveraging our existing network in Web3, social media presence and marketing efforts, we will contribute to the betterment of the reputation of the Cardano DAO ecosystem. We want it to be the go-to place for DAO builders and collaborators. Most importantly, the cost associated with the project will democratise information which is often hard to obtain and scarce in the market.
STORM Partners have applied competitive market rates for the types of expertise and quality of the delivery in the context of a leading Web3 consultancy firm.