Future Fest: Scaling the Evolution of Live-streaming

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Steven Yang

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

Entity (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)

For the last two years, we've partnered with the Cardano community to produce virtual events that have a high engagement rate. Now, we aim to scale our platform to empower creators to host their own.

[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.”

Anvil - SDK to help wallet integrations and payments

Blockfrost - API to read transactions on Cardano

NMKR - SDK to help with minting and managed wallets

[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

Not open source

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

What we're proposing elevates virtual events by integrating unique features designed to capture the spirit and immersive qualities of in-person experiences. Key features include player avatars, a comprehensive customization system, proximity voice and text chat, unlockable items based on Cardano native assets, token-gated events, pets, vehicles, along with a community storefront that accepts Cardano payments.

Currently, our event production is limited to once every one or two months. To expand this, we're focusing on empowering creators to host 'Socials' – our term for diverse, virtual gatherings. By providing creators with tools and customizable templates, we're making it easier and quicker to launch engaging events tailored to different themes. This initiative will not only boost the frequency of events but also diversify the topics and experiences available.

On the creator side, we're introducing specific monetization tools that utilize Cardano's blockchain for transparent and equitable compensation. This is more than just payments – it's about creating a fair ecosystem where creators are incentivized to deliver high-quality, engaging content. For attendees, they'll be accessing unique experiences and rewards that are meaningful and tailored to their interests. This dual approach – empowering creators and enhancing end user experiences is necessary for a self-sustaining platform.

Our goal is to evolve Future Fest into a hub for online gatherings, similar to a platform like Twitch for live-streaming. The Future Fest website will aggregate all user-created events, offering a diverse and easily accessible virtual events that users can pop in and out of.

The impact of our platform will be measurable through the increased daily active users and platform retention rate. This will not only validate our platform's effectiveness but also demonstrate Cardano's potential in being the backbone to powering the Metaverse.

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

Value to the Cardano Community:

• Our project will highlight Cardano's practical utility in the Metaverse, enhancing its adoption and showcasing its versatility. This engagement will bring more users and recognition to the Cardano ecosystem.

Measuring Impact:

• Impact will be quantified through increased Cardano transactions on our platform, a rise in Cardano wallet integrations, and enhanced user engagement metrics (daily active users and retention rates).
• Qualitative assessment will include user feedback and creator testimonials.

Sharing Outputs and Opportunities:

• We will communicate our progress and insights to the Cardano community via blogs, social media, and forums.
• Regular updates, reports, and case studies to ensure transparency.

[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 main company, Future Fest, has been an active participant in the Cardano community since the beginning of 2022. Our focus is on producing digital events leveraging tools and services built on Cardano. We have collaborated with a number of projects in the space and others outside of it.

Some highlights:

• Booking a high profile DJ for a token gated event
• Unity article featuring us
• Hosting the 2022 Official Unity Unite Afterparty
• Being the face of "live entertainment" for Unity
• Hosted Catalyst Fund 9 Virtual Pre-party
• Halloween Farmer's Market featuring 40+ Cardano projects
• Collaborations with CardanoWomen
• E-sports arena with PlayerMint
• Yummi Island

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

Planning, Design, and Scoping

• Description: Conduct thorough planning and scoping for the initiative, including detailed design sessions for the new tools and site redesign.
• Outputs: Detailed project plan, design documents, and scope outlines.
• Acceptance Criteria: Comprehensive planning and design documentation, approved by the project team and stakeholders.

Infrastructure Enhancement

• Description: Upgrade and expand the platform's backend infrastructure to support the upcoming tools and anticipated user traffic.
• Outputs: Enhanced server capabilities, improved database structures, and robust backend systems.
• Acceptance Criteria: Infrastructure demonstrates ability to automatically create and destroy game server instances based on usage.

Development of Creator Tools

• Description: Develop the first set of tools for creators, focusing on event hosting and management functionalities.
• Outputs: A set of tools for event creation, scheduling, and management.
• Acceptance Criteria: Showcase a tool that allows hosts to spring up an instance of a "Social" and the management of it.

Development of Moderator and Advanced Creator Tools

• Description: Create advanced tools, including those for moderation and enriched creator features.
• Outputs: A comprehensive suite of advanced tools for moderation, audience engagement, and content management.
• Acceptance Criteria: Showcase moderation tools that allow hosts to mute, kick, ban users as well as manage the current room instance.

New Site Design and Implementation

• Description: Implement the redesigned website interface, enhancing user experience and integrating new features.
• Outputs: A fully revamped website with intuitive design and new feature integration.
• Acceptance Criteria: Showcase a website that is an aggregate of user-created "Socials" of varying topics.

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

Steven Yang

Steven comes from a software development background working at Fortune 50 media companies. He also has led several technical teams in creating projects in emerging technologies.

[Responsibility: Software Engineer]

Kevin Mowers

Kevin has virtual reality experience specializing in interactive user immersion and system design. His work ranges in industries from media experiences to eCommerce.

[Responsibility: Software Engineer]

Jimmy Sambuo

Jimmy has spent the last decade building and maintaining systems for Fortune 500 companies. He has experience in various systems including web, mobile, cloud, and gaming.

[Responsibility: Software Engineer]

Matthew Sears

Matthew has led the product for multiple creative platforms. He also has extensive experience in ideation, storytelling, design, development and implementation of virtual experiences.

[Responsibility: Product Management]

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

Development Team (120,000 ADA):

• 3x Senior Developers: Focused on development of creator tools, advanced moderation tools, and backend infrastructure enhancements. Estimated cost: 50,000 ADA each full-time / 20,000 ADA part-time, total 120,000 ADA.

Server/Cloud Costs (100,000 ADA):

• Allocation for server infrastructure, cloud services, and related technology necessary to support the platform's enhanced functionalities and user traffic.

Design and User Experience (40,000 ADA):

• Product Management and UI/UX: To work on the new site design, user interface improvements, and ensuring a seamless user experience. Estimated cost: 40,000 ADA.

Marketing and Community Engagement (30,000 ADA):

• Marketing campaigns, social media promotion, community events, and outreach activities. This is essential for raising awareness and driving user adoption.

Documentation and Reporting (10,000 ADA):

• Creating detailed project reports, technical documentation, and regular updates for the Cardano community. This will ensure transparency and keep the community engaged with the project's progress.

This budget is an estimate and actual costs may vary. We are committed to managing the funds responsibly and will maintain full transparency with the Cardano community regarding all expenditures.

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

Development Team (Engineering + Design)

This makes up a large majority of the budget because it represents 3 Engineers and 1 Product Manager / Designer. With this amount, a few members will be able to provide full time hours at a market rate in the United States. The team members have years of experience in their respective industries, so the work will be deliberate.

Server/Cloud Costs

This amount makes up a third of the budget. While scaling the platform, we anticipate much higher usage which would incur dramatically more cloud costs.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund 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