GateKeeper 2.0: Evolution

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Latheesan Kanesamoorthy

[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)

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)

We will develop GateKeeper into a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform in addition to adding multiple enhanced features to make it the perfect tool for users needing native asset ticketing.

[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 software and documentation developed under this proposal will be released under the MIT License.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

First and foremost we will greatly enhance and expand the features and functionality of the GateKeeper platform including:

• Adding hardware wallet support
• Add support for hardware wallet (Ledger, Trezor) signature verification using the “expired transaction” method.
• Hardening security for logged in users
• Add additional login security for user authentication including 2FA and “magic link” authentication.
• Google/Apple Wallet Integration
• Work to enable support for Google and Apple mobile wallets to elevate attendee’s virtual ticketing experience.
• Manual Ticket Generation for Event Organizers
• Allow event organizers to generate and send tickets to attendees even those who may not have or hold an eligible Native Asset
• Expanded Policy ID Management
• Expand multi-policy ID support to include features such as:
• Early access to ticketing based on policy ID
• Different ticket “types” based on policy ID
• Better naming/defining and storage of policy IDs for easier reuse between different events
• Fungible Token Support
• Expand support to include enabling holders of fungible tokens to generate tickets
• Multi-tenant support
• The ability to allow users to join the GateKeeper platform and have their own events under their own profile
• Role-based Access Control
• Expand the current access control (Staff or Admin) to make access control more granular inline with the expanded functionality added in the course of this proposal.

Finally, as part of this proposal we will deploy a SaaS implementation of GateKeeper for users who have no need or desire to run their own GateKeeper infrastructure and want a simple, subscription based solution to providing Native Asset Ticketing at their events.

The goal to move GateKeeper to a SaaS model is a direct reaction to our experience handling users on a consultancy basis for the last one year+ since GateKeeper was initially released. GateKeeper has been used notably by:

• cNFTcon 2022
• NFTxLV 2023
• The Afterparty by Claymates, Digital Lowlifes, and Angel Baby Hit Squad
• The Afterparty by The Ape Society and RFLXT

In addition to these notable deployments we have also consulted with dozens of individuals in direct messages, emails, and other communications channels who have either:

• Asked for questions, guidance, or additional features to support their own deployments as part of GateKeeper's open source strategy
• Wanted to use GateKeeper but have been intimidated by the technical requirements of self-hosting and the cost of bespoke consultancy
• Spoken to representatives of venues and events who want to use GateKeeper but do not want to manage their own infrastructure and need a system that allows them to quickly and easily pivot and make changes to their events.

Our public demo of GateKeeper is available at: https://alpha.gatekeeper.rocks utilizing the cNFTcon Legacy Pass Cardano Mainnet NFT as the proof for tickets.

It is our belief that through this proposal we will be able to vastly increase the number of projects and events utilizing the GateKeeper system while developing a sustainable business model allowing for future expansion and growth of the platform without relying on Catalyst.

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

GateKeeper has already had a positive impact on the wider Cardano community by being one of the first Native Assets to IRL Event bridges in the ecosystem. However, its adoption has been limited due to its open source nature and high technical barrier to entry. With this proposal we should be able to bring necessary features to the platform to make it even more useful to even more venues and types of events while providing the system as an easy SaaS web framework that anyone can quickly and easily use. Revolutionizing the ticketing industry to use cryptographic proofs and blockchain-backed native assets for ticketing is the future and GateKeeper is uniquely positioned to take advantage of that future and firmly place Cardano as a primary contender in the landscape.

[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?

In the past two years, I have served as the Chief Technology Officer at DripDropz and co-founded Tokhun.io, one of the first NFT marketplaces on Cardano. Currently, I am leading the development of the next iteration, TokenRiot.io. Prior to these roles, I worked as a Senior Engineer at MVF Global, a London-based digital marketing firm, for a duration of seven years. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Hull, England.

Throughout my career, I have gained extensive experience in building scalable and secure backends, with a strong passion for A.I. and Blockchain technologies. I have also contributed to several open-source projects, including Heidrun, GateKeeper, and Unfrack.it, among others.

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

• Add Hardware Wallet Support
• SaaS UI/UX development
• Harden Security

• Google/Apple Wallet Integration
• Manual Ticket Generation
• Expanded Policy ID Management (sans fungible token support)

• Fungible Token Support

• Initial Preprod Deployment of GateKeeper SaaS
• Multi-Tenant Support
• Role-based Access Control

GateKeeper SaaS Payment & Invoicing

• Go to Market Strategy Development
• Business Entity formation, licensing, and registration
• Full End-to-End Deployment on Mainnet
• Demo videos/documentation
• 1 year infrastructure operational runway for SaaS

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

Lead Developer: Latheesan Kanesamoorthy

Junior Developers (3): NGong Blockchain Lab

UI/UX: Dmitry Yakovich

Marketing Strategy Development: Doug Brown

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

Budget: $17,664/month (58,880 ADA @ $0.3 per month)

This is average spend over the entire 6-month period. Some months and milestones may require more or less of a certain individual’s time.

• Project Management: ($45/hr @ 32 hours): Outsourced: $1,440/month
• UI/UX Development: ($100/hr @ 20 hours): $2,000/month
• Lead Developer: ($150/hour @ 40 hours): $6,000/month
• Developers: 3x ($60/hour @ 40 hours): $7,200/month
• Marketing Strategy Development: ($32/hour @ 32 hours): $1,024/month

Closeout: $16,464 due at closeout (54,880 ADA @ $0.3)

• Operational Overhead: 12 months @ $1,000/month

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

The proposal makes a strong case that the Cardano ecosystem currently lacks an easy-to-use, full-featured solution for native asset ticketing for real world events. GateKeeper aims to fill this gap, but has been limited in adoption due to technical complexity. The proposed upgrades like hardware wallet support, improved security, wallet integrations, manual ticket generation, and multi-tenant SaaS delivery seem very well suited to address current limitations.

The requested budget of ~58,880 ADA per month over 6 months appears reasonable to support a distributed team covering critical areas like project management, development, UI/UX, and strategy. The breakdown maps various specialist roles to hourly rates and time allocations per month.

Expanding GateKeeper with these enhanced features and delivering it via a simple SaaS platform stands to provide excellent value by making native asset ticketing seamless and accessible for event organizers. Considering the important problem being solved for the Cardano ecosystem, the expertise of the team, and the comprehensive plan to evolve GateKeeper, this proposal offers very strong value for money.

The milestone-based delivery plan also ensures value delivery at each project stage. Overall this proposal promises to deliver features that could drive real mainstream adoption of native assets for digital ticketing.

[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