Cardano Vietnam Developer Boot Camp & Hackathon

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Dr. Dinh Ngoc Thanh (Will Dinh)

[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

📌Mr. Huong Pham:

• Title & Experience:
• CEO & Co-Founder at GFI Group.
• Contact Point: 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhamHuong_GFI 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phamhuonghlp 

📌Dr. Thanh (Will) Dinh (Proposer):

•  Title & Experience:
• Founder at VBI Academy
• CTO & Co-Founder at GFI Group
• Ex-Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
• Assistant Professor at Soongsil University. 
• Supervisor, PhD Blockchain Program at Vietnam National University
• Head & Supervisor at Techfest Vietnam Blockchain Hub, Vietnam Ministry of Science & Technology
• Contact Point: 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngocthanhdinh/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ngocthanhdinh

📌Ms. Lam (Riley) Tran:

• Title & Experience:
• CIO & Co-Founder at GFI Group.
• Ex-Marketing Director at Bibox Exchange. 
• Ex-Community Manager of Matrix AI Network. 
• Contact Point: 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-tran-35192563/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rileytran_gfi
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhuongLamTran

📌Ms. Jlo Tran:

• Title & Experience:
• COO at GFI Group
• Contact Point: 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlotranx/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jlo.tran.68

 

📌Mr. Vu Dang:

• Title & Experience:
• Head of Blockchain Training & Education at VBI Academy
• Lecturer in Blockchain Development at HCMC University of Technology and Education. 
• Contact Point:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vu-dang-quang-944b03259/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayden.dangvu

📌Mr. Thang Nguyen:

• Title & Experience:
• Assistant Business Development Manager at GFI Group
• Contact Point:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nguyenvucongthang/

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

83807

[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)

Our solution involves developing a comprehensive curriculum for Cardano developers by tech experts, followed by a major hackathon and mentoring/coaching to promote developer activities in Vietnam.

[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.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

[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

While our project primarily involves creating content and educational materials rather than software code, it aligns with the ethos of open access and knowledge sharing. While the specific content and educational materials we produce may not be open source in the traditional sense, we operate with a similar philosophy of openness and accessibility. Our boot camp content, problem sets, and workshops are freely available on our e-learning platform and YouTube page, providing unrestricted access to valuable educational resources in the Vietnamese language. Additionally, our project aims to foster a community-driven approach to learning, encouraging collaboration, feedback, and contributions from participants and stakeholders. While not strictly open source in the technical sense, our project embraces principles of openness and inclusivity, making educational resources widely accessible to all.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

[METADATA] SDG rating

📌SDG 4 - Quality Education: Our boot camps and educational programs can equip Vietnamese individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop and utilize blockchain technology, fostering a skilled workforce prepared for the demands of the growing blockchain industry.

📌SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth: By providing blockchain training programs, VBI Academy empowers individuals to gain new skills and potentially transition into high-demand blockchain careers.

📌SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: By educating and empowering individuals and businesses, VBI Academy accelerates the adoption of blockchain technology across various industries in Vietnam.

📌SDG 10 - Reduce Inequalities: VBI Academy helps bridge the digital divide and equips individuals with the skills needed to participate in the emerging blockchain economy, creating new job opportunities and reducing inequalities in access to knowledge and innovation.

📌SDG 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: VBI Academy's hackathons focus on developing solutions that promote transparency and accountability within Vietnamese institutions.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

📌Core Problem & Current Market Gap:

Our team's objective is to enhance accessibility to Web3 in Vietnam through educational initiatives, and democratizing access to high-quality resources to support aspiring Web3 developers in establishing a robust foundation with Cardano. Beyond providing quality education, we aim to bridge gaps in resources, knowledge, skills, and opportunities for individuals, teams, startups, and those interested in engaging in Web3, particularly focusing on Cardano. Some of the core problems that we aim to address include:

📌Importance & Development Engagement Philosophy:

At VBI Academy and GFI Ventures, we aim to unlock and boost Vietnam's Web3 market potential by tackling educational barriers, meeting the demand for skilled professionals, and nurturing the next generation of blockchain leaders and entrepreneurs. Our proposed initiatives target the urgent need for blockchain education and skill development in Vietnam, one of the world's fastest-growing Web3 markets. This initiative is built on three pillars:

1. Importance: At VBI Academy, our mission is to democratize blockchain through education, localization, mentorship, and development training via purposeful boot camps, workshops, and hackathons. By overcoming language barriers and offering accessible education, we empower individuals, particularly in rural areas, to join the Web3 market, driving innovation and expansion. This not only boosts economic prospects but also nurtures a vibrant ecosystem of skilled professionals and entrepreneurs, laying the foundation for a more mature market with sufficient human resources to support potential startup projects.
2. Evidence of Demand: The necessity of our service is evident from the rapid growth of the Vietnamese Web3 market, characterized by high crypto adoption rates and a digitally savvy population with a median age of just 30. Despite this potential, the English barrier poses a significant obstacle for many developers, limiting their access to quality education and hindering their participation in the market. Through our past efforts and collaboration with numerous partners, we've witnessed a strong demand for blockchain education, as evidenced by the thousands of developers we've helped secure high-paying jobs at both domestic and international firms/projects.
3. Sustainable Impact: With over 8 years in Vietnam's crypto industry, we've noticed a lack of quality educational programs for the young population. Despite growing interest in Web3, accessible high-quality localized education initiatives and resources are still scarce. Through our boot camp and hackathon, we aim to fill this gap, offering a comprehensive learning journey for developers interested in the Cardano ecosystem. Our 8-week curriculum includes video tutorials and weekly AMA sessions, supported by a dedicated mentoring and support team. Additionally, our plan entails a hackathon immediately following the boot camp, fostering innovation and collaboration to contribute to Vietnam's Web3 ecosystem. Our commitment to accessibility ensures inclusivity and continuous learning, as the boot camp content and course materials will always be freely available on our platform.

📌Proposed Solution:

In this proposal, our VBI Academy team would like to request funding from the Project Catalyst Fund 12 to host an extensive developer training and hackathon program spanning up to 5 months, with an 8-week Developer Boot Camp followed by a 4-week hackathon. The main objective of this program is to onboard new developers, students, enthusiasts, learners, and teams into Web3, specifically building on Cardano using Haskell. Our team’s mission and vision are to accelerate the mass adoption of Web3 and blockchain technology in Vietnam, creating opportunities for new entrants to dive deeper with full support from end to end, starting with education all the way to job and career opportunities.

Through our dedicated support and mentoring teams, high-quality educational boot camps and workshops, connections with the wider Web3 community and partners, and over 8 years of experience in this space focusing on investment, media, training and development, advisory, and event planning, we believe that we truly deliver high-quality localized educational curriculum to support existing and future Cardano developers in Vietnam. 

📌 Boot Camp Program & Syllabus:

Our boot camp program offers a comprehensive learning experience, featuring weekly lecture sessions, live Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions with regional experts and industry-leading engineers, and round-the-clock mentorship and support. Hosted on our educational e-learning platform, OpenEDU101, participants will engage with various quizzes and assignments to stay actively involved. Upon completion, they will receive an NFT certificate to highlight their accomplishments. The boot camp spans 8 weeks, divided into two main segments: the Basic Section and the Advanced Section. It's important to note that our approach differs from simply posting live recorded videos on platforms like YouTube. Instead, we've curated a furnished curriculum accessible through OpenEDU101 with similar course quality to that found on popular e-learning platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and Codecademy. This approach ensures a longer lifetime value and higher referencing rate compared to traditional recorded sessions or live workshops, often seen as one-off events with limited longevity. See the table below for the syllabus of both sections:

➥ Boot Camp Basic Section Syllabus:

1. Introduction to Cardano:
2. Cardano Blockchain Introduction & Insights
3. UTXO & eUTXO Explained
4. Introduction to Smart Contract on Cardano
5. Plutus Introduction 
6. The Big Picture with PlutusSmart Contract on Cardano:
7. Plutus Smart Contract Structure
8. Step by Step to Build and Deploy a Smart Contract with Plutus
9. Hands-on: Build & Deploy your First Smart Contract:
10. Counter Smart Contract with Plutus
11. Understand Plutus Contracts
12. The EUTxO Model and Plutus ContractsMonads
13. Validation
14. Module
15. Making Choices 
16. Static Analytic
17. Smart Contract Testing:
18. Smart Contract Testing with Plutus
19. Hands-on Basic Smart Contract 1:
20. Building an Aunction Smart Contract
21. Testing Smart Contract
22. Building Smart Contract with Marlowe:
23. Blockly and Marlowe
24. Datatype on Marlowe
25. Contract Metadata and Gists
26. Marlowe Embedded in Plutus Playground
27. Marlowe Embedded in JavaScript Playground
28. Marlowe Embedded in Haskell Local
29. Marlowe CLI:
30. Installing Marlowe CLI and Associated Tools
31. Running Marlowe/Plutus Contracts without Blockchain Transactions
32. Running Marlowe Contracts on the Blockchain
33. Running Marlowe Contracts with the Marlowe Backend
34. Hands-on Basic Smart Contract 2:
35. Apply Marlowe embedded in Haskell to Auction Smart contract
36. Marlowe/Plutus Advanced
37. Static Analysis and Linting
38. Formally Verified Properties
39. Actus & Marlowe
40. Standardization
41. Financial Contracts and Standardization
42. Some Example Contracts
43. Merkelization
44. Running Marlowe/Plutus Contracts with the Marlowe Backend
45. DApp Project - Building your First DApp on Cardano
46. Staking (Depositing Tokens into Contract for Yield)

➥ Boot Camp Advanced Section Syllabus:

1. Insight into Smart Contracts on Cardano:
2. Native Tokens
3. Using Native Tokens in Your Smart Contract:
4. Auction Smart Contract
5. Advanced Smart Contract 1:
6. Build a DEX on Cardano
7. Advanced Smart Contract 2:
8. EUTxO and English Auction
9. Vesting and Cardano Testnet
10. Emulator Trace
11. How to Optimize Smart Contract
12. Insight into Design Patterns on Cardono:
13. Insight into Design Patterns
14. Common Design Patterns on Cardano
15. Smart Contract Advanced 3:
16. Lending on Cardano
17. Security on Cardano:
18. Insight into Security with Plutus
19. Insight into Security with Marlowe
20. Insight into Security with Haskell on Cardano
21. Upgrade Security for Lending Smart Contract
22. Marlowe embedded in JavaScript Playground
23. Marlowe embedded in Haskell local
24. Advanced Smart Contract 4:
25. Vaults Smart Contract ( Decentralized Crypto Safe Storing )
26. Advanced Full-Stack DApp 1:
27. Building a Defi Project on Cardano - Part 1
28. Advanced Full-Stack DApp 2:
29. Building a Defi Project on Cardano - Part 2

📌 Hackathon Program

Following our boot camp program is a 4-week hackathon journey where we will continue with our workshops, inviting speakers from various projects, researchers, and VCs. During this hackathon period, we will also support all the teams with their submissions. Our level of support and mentorship for each team and participant is one of our standout highlights. Our team is dedicated educators at heart, and we have the human resources to provide 24/7 support even after office hours and over the weekends, from beginner teams of students to professionals looking to showcase their projects. As hinted above, we will also be working with VCs for the project to pitch in front of. Our network of VCs extends both internationally and domestically with players such as DWF Labs, Humla Ventures, Kyros Ventures, K300 Ventures, UG Ventures, KX Ventures, TRGC, and Outlier Ventures.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

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

📌Campaign Goals & Objectives

1. Comprehensive Education Program: Develop a high-quality educational program covering beginner to advanced topics, facilitating smooth and rapid engagement with Web3 technology for both learners and developers.
2. Simplified Learning: Implement strategies to simplify learning development on Cardano and the Haskell programming language, particularly for beginners or those familiar with imperative or object-oriented programming languages. This will ensure a smoother transition and understanding of functional programming concepts.
3. Enhanced Mentoring and Support: Provide high-quality mentoring and support to guide developers, equipping them with the necessary resources to accelerate their learning curve and improve their skills effectively.
4. Facilitating Industry Connections: Create opportunities for developers to connect with leading VCs, investors, and potential business partners on both domestic and international scales, fostering collaboration and investment in Cardano projects and startups.
5. Increasing Industry Awareness and Validation: Raise awareness and validate the blockchain industry to attract more talent, developers, and human resources, highlighting the potential opportunities and significance of participating in the Cardano ecosystem.
6. Supporting Sustainable Projects and Startups: Offer guidance, resources, and support to nurture sustainable and high-quality projects and startups, addressing the challenges related to guidance, resources, awareness, and talent shortage.

📌Unique Value Proposition:

In Vietnam, high-quality educational resources, particularly within the Cardano ecosystem, are scarce. Most meetups, events, and courses for the Cardano community are small-scale and often below expected standards. Our extensive surveys and previous programs with developers across Vietnam have revealed a heavy reliance on self-learning through fragmented YouTube tutorials and documentation. This presents a challenge for traditional Web2 developers and students who lack accessible resources, hindering their career pursuits. Existing programs and boot camps often lack quality, featuring lengthy, unfurnished videos and lacking curated curricula found on platforms like Coursera. The evident need for high-quality, localized educational curricula for blockchain, DApp, and Web3 developers underscores a gap we aim to bridge. 

As stated in our introduction, our team's vision is to democratize access to high-quality education and knowledge for Vietnamese blockchain and web3 developers. This is where our proposal excels, offering a comprehensive approach that guides learners from beginners to building their very first decentralized application on Cardano and taking a more active role within the community. Our curriculum covers a wide range of basic to advanced topics, providing a complete learning journey for any participant. At VBI we recognize the effort required to keep students and learners engaged throughout the entire process, offering the right mix of incentives, support, and a well-designed curriculum to boost impressive graduation and participation rates. What sets us apart from other education providers is our plan to host our boot camp and curriculum on our e-learning platform, OpenEdu101, providing learners with a comprehensive learning experience at their own pace and always available for revisiting and sharing with others. On our platform, we also provide learners with practice problem sets and AI tools to assist them on their development journey. Here are our unique selling points in summary:

1. Comprehensive Learning Journey: Our proposal offers a complete end-to-end learning experience, guiding participants from beginner to building their first decentralized application on Cardano, covering a wide range of basic to advanced topics.
2. Dedicated Support: We provide a dedicated team of mentors and supporters to assist learners throughout the entire 8-week curriculum, ensuring they receive the guidance they need to succeed.
3. Engaging Curriculum: Our boot camps are organized to be easy to understand, follow, and commit to, keeping students engaged from start to finish.
4. Personalized Learning: We offer a well-designed curriculum with practice problems and AI tools to assist learners in their development journey, tailored to their pace and needs.
5. Platform Accessibility: Hosted on our e-learning platform, OpenEdu101, our curriculum provides learners with a comprehensive and accessible learning experience, available for revisiting and sharing with others at any time.

In addition to the boot camp course, our planned subsequent Hackathon program will offer more developer-focused activities in Vietnam. While the courses alone will provide participants with learning materials, in our experience, we need something extra to truly capture people’s attention and engage developers more effectively. This is precisely why Hackathons are so effective; they offer the right mix of incentive and excitement to attract developers, enabling teams and participants to compete, learn from mentors and experts, and connect with additional opportunities. From the boot camp to the hackathon and demo day, our objective is to orchestrate an end-to-end campaign that facilitates learning, knowledge exchange, community involvement, and skill refinement and ultimately catalyzes growth within the Cardano developer community in Vietnam. Many existing activities need a more specific focus for developers seeking to enhance their skills and access robust opportunities.

📌Grand Timeline:

📌Success Metrics:

To assess the effectiveness of our campaign and maximize its impact on the Cardano ecosystem and community in Vietnam, our team will focus on the following key metrics:

1. Number of Registrations: Measure the total registrations for both the boot camp and hackathon, indicating the level of interest and participation in our educational and developmental programs.
2. Qualitative Feedback and Testimonials: Gather feedback and testimonials from participants and developers regarding their experience with the program, providing insights into the perceived value and impact of our initiatives.
3. Hackathon Project Submissions: Count the total number of project submissions for the hackathon, indicating the level of active participation and creativity among developers within the Cardano community. Additionally, our team will also evaluate the quality of those submissions to ensure that we are attracting quality, serious teams.
4. Demo Day Attendance: Evaluate the turnout for the demo day event, measuring the level of interest and engagement in showcasing and witnessing the projects developed during the hackathon.
5. Developer Discord Community Activity: Monitor the activity level within our developer Discord community throughout the campaign, including interactions, discussions, and collaborations, to gauge ongoing engagement and support within the Cardano developer community.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

[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?

📌Capability Overview:

At VBI Academy, our team comprises seasoned professionals deeply involved in Vietnam's blockchain and Web3 landscape. We are well-known in the Vietnamese market, collaborating with leading partners, experts, government officials, and institutions, bridging both Web3 and Web2 domains. With over 70 members covering diverse facets of our ecosystem, we empower blockchain and Web3 developers, investors, enthusiasts, and students. Our legitimacy and credentials are verifiable through the attached links to this proposal. Backed by extensive experience, resources, and a strong track record, we have built a reputable brand known for excellence in fostering developer communities across various platforms. We aim to deepen our engagement with the Cardano ecosystem, bringing more value to our Vietnamese audience, particularly aspiring Web3 engineers and developers.

Additionally, our capabilities are demonstrated by successful collaborations with esteemed partners and clients over our 8-year tenure, including projects with Near Protocol, Automata, Flow, Filecoin, Sweatcoin, Sui Network, Avail Project, and ongoing initiatives with the Etherem (see highlights below). At VBI Academy, we have extensive expertise and experience in organizing impactful activities spanning marketing, event planning, training and development, and developer community engagement. These accomplishments underscore our expertise in the Vietnamese Web3 market and our capacity to organize impactful activities, ensuring widespread outreach and delivering top-notch educational experiences. Through rigorous validation processes and a commitment to transparency, we assure the feasibility and success of our approach, maintaining high levels of trust and accountability throughout our endeavors.

📌Case 1: Ethereum Exploration Meetup Series: From Basic to Advanced & Road to Devcon 

➥ Campaign Overview:

Over the past few months, from January to April 2024, our VBI Academy team has been supporting the Ethereum Foundation through a variety of initiatives as part of our Road to Devcon event series here in Vietnam. The first meetup that we hosted was on January 20th at Hello World Saigon, followed by a second meetup at HUTECH University on March 29th; reports for both events are available in the links below. 

1. Meetup 1 - Hello World Saigon: Link Here
2. Meetup 2 - HuTech University: Link Here

The goal for both of these events was to gather developers, builders, researchers, and students in Ho Chi Minh City, fostering discussion and the exchange of succinct tutorials covering various facets of Ethereum and Web3 technologies. These topics included:

➥ Performance Statistics

Meetup 1 Full Campaign Report: Link Here

Meetup 2 Full Campaign Report: Link Here

• Meetup 1 - Ethereum Exploration: From Basic to Advanced - Hello World Saigon:

• Registrations: 196 (96% over KPI)
• Participants: 106 (6% over KPI)

• Meetup 2 - Ethereum Exploration: From Basic to Advanced - HUTECH University:

• Registrations: 319 (219% over KPI)
• Participants: 216 (116% over KPI)

📌Case 2: Near Protocol & Near APAC 2023

➥ Campaign Overview:

Over the past 2 years, VBI Academy has worked closely with Near Protocol to create a thriving community within the Vietnamese Web3 market. Through strategic initiatives and engagement efforts, we have successfully established one of the largest crypto communities in Vietnam, boasting over 14,000 and 40,000 active members on Near Vietnam’s Telegram and Twitter (X) pages respectively.

A highlight of our collaboration with Near Protocol was the hosting of Near Apac 2023, a flagship Web3 event held in Vietnam, which drew an attendance of over 10,000 participants. This event was a significant milestone in solidifying Near Protocol's presence in the region and fostering community engagement.

➥ Key Channel & Links

• Near Vietnam Hub Telegram: Link Here
• Near Vietnam Hub Twitter (X): Link Here
• Near Vietnam Hub Facebook: Link Here
• Near APAC 2023 Facebook: Link Here
• Near APAC 2023 Website: Link Here

➥ Near Protocol in Vietnam Statistics:

• Near Vietnam Hub Twitter Followers: 42,300+ members
• Near Vietnam Hub Telegram Members: 14,315+ members
• Near Vietnam Hub Facebook Members: 11,000+ members

➥ Near Apac 2023 Statistics: 

• Event Registration: 25,000+
• Event Attendees: 10,000+
• Event Attending Institutions: 50+
• Campaign Social Impressions: 15,000,000+
• Campaign Mainstream Media: 10+ 
• Campaign Media Headlines: 200+ 

➥ Videos: 

• National Television Feature: Link Here
• Event Recap Video: Link Here

📌Case 3: Sui Network & Sui Vietnam Hackathon 2024

➥ Campaign Overview:

Since late 2023, our VBI Academy team has collaborated with the Sui Network on several key initiatives in Vietnam. Among these efforts is the creation of our Move Developers Vietnam Discord Community, 4now boasts over 1,200 members. Additionally, we have launched the "Move On Sui" boot camp, attracting over 400 developers; a prelude event to Sui’s first-ever hackathon event in Vietnam, the Sui Vietnam Hackathon. This event marks Sui's inaugural hackathon in the region, currently underway with a total of 44 project submissions. Moreover, we are partnering with AWS and many other venture capital firms, including GFI Ventures, Outlier Ventures, K300 Ventures, Kyros Ventures, Fundgo Ventures, and UG Ventures, to support various projects building on the Sui Network.

➥ Key Channel & Links:

• Move Developer Discord Community: Link Here 
• Sui Move Developer Boot Camp: Link Here
• Sui Vietnam Hackathon: Link Here

➥ Performance Statistics:

Full Campaign Report: View Here

• Move Developers Vietnam Community (Discord): 1,200+ Members 
• Boot Camp Participant (Move on Sui Boot Camp): 500+ Participants
• Sui VN Hackathon Project Submissions: 41 Projects (273.3% over KPI)
• Sui VN Hackathon High-Quality Project Submissions: 25 Projects (250% over KPI)
• Sui VN Demo Day & Developer Meetup Registration: 865 (160.8% over KPI)
• Sui VN Demo Day & Developer Meetup Participants: 408 (204% over KPI)

📌Case 4: Web3 Hackfest 2023:

➥ Campaign Overview:

The Web3 Hackfest 2023, one of VBI's flagship events, attracted over 2,600 participants, including 5,000+ online and offline participants for the Coding Challenge. With 116 project submissions and a $110,000 prize pool, it showcased significant talent and innovation. Featuring a multichain theme, the event provided developers with opportunities to explore diverse blockchains and programming languages through boot camps. Participants had access to mentors, workshops, and tutorials. Top teams received prizes such as cash, scholarships, and hardware, emphasizing our commitment to fostering innovation in the Web3 space.

➥ Key Channel & Links:

• Official Web3 Hackfest Website: Link Here
• Web3 Hackfest Devfolio: Link Here
• Offline Web3 Coding Challenge: Link Here

➥ Performance Statistics:

• Developer Participants: 2,600+ (5,000+ total including the offline Coding Challenge participants)
• Total Bootcamps: 6 Boot Camps (Solidity Boot Camp, Rust Boot Camp, Move Boot Camp, BOS Boot Camp, Substrate Boot Camp, Javascript Boot Camp)
• Total Bootcamp Participants: 3,900+
• Project Submission: 160 Projects+
• Total Prize Pool: $110,000 (Sponsors: Near Protocol, Polkadot, Proximity Labs, QuillAudits, Web3 Foundation)
• University Tours: 3 Universities (Ton Duc Thang University, Saigon University, RMIT University)

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

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

📌Milestone 1 - Campaign Preparations & Strategy Completion: 

Cost of Milestone 1: 15% of Total Budget = 12,586.05 ADA

The first phase and milestone will involve preparing all necessary materials, content, and strategies, spanning approximately 2 to 3 weeks. During this time, our team will collaboratively devise the overarching strategy and content pipeline for the entire campaign, ensuring a solid foundation for the seamless execution of subsequent activities. Additionally, if possible, we would love to collaborate closely with the Cardano Foundation team and/or community to refine and enhance the campaign, aligning it with Cardano’s vision and branding criteria. Key activities include crafting the course syllabus, problem sets, and supplementary training materials for the boot camp campaign, formulating the marketing strategy and content pipeline, and identifying potential partners such as VCs, Media and Community Partners, Guest Speakers, Mentors, and Strategic Partners.

➥ Scope of Work:

1. Education & Academic Team: Develop a curriculum that forms the foundation of the entire program. This includes planning for the course syllabus and learning objectives to ensure a structured and effective learning experience for the participants. Additionally, the team will also create practice problems and exercises that reinforce key concepts and allow participants to apply their newfound knowledge in practical scenarios. These practice problems serve as valuable learning tools, enabling participants to hone their skills and build confidence in their abilities. Furthermore, the education team will be responsible for developing training materials, including slides, handouts, and other resources, to support the delivery of instructional content during the boot camp sessions.
2. Marketing Team: Craft a comprehensive marketing plan that outlines the strategic approach to promoting the program effectively. This involves identifying target audiences, defining key messaging, and selecting appropriate channels for reaching potential participants. Additionally, the team will work on developing a content pipeline that includes various promotional materials such as social media posts, email campaigns, blog articles, and promotional videos. By covering both the boot camp and hackathon components of the program, the marketing plan aims to create a cohesive and engaging narrative that attracts participants and generates excitement around the entire campaign.
3. Partnership Team: Identify key partners, including but not limited to: media partners, community partners, guest speakers, VCs, potential sponsors, and relevant stakeholders proposed by either the education team or marketing team, to either enrich the experience or increase exposure.

➥ Milestone 1 Output:

1. Entire Boot Camp Syllabus & Course Outline
2. Boot Camp Sample Practice Problem Set
3. Boot Camp Training Materials: Presentation Slide, Useful Resources, and Relevant Tools
4. First 2 Pre-Recorded Lectures Ready for Week 1 Launch
5. Week 1 AMA Session Plan & Speaker List
6. Dedicated Discord Channel for Engagement, Support, Mentorship, and AMA Sessions
7. Registration Forms with Market Surveying Questions for Future Developments & Improvements
8. Proof of Lecturer Training & Research To Ensure High Teaching & Education Quality
9. Entire Campaign Marketing Timeline (Includes: Boot Camp, Hackathon, Demo & Developer Meetup Day)
10. Marketing Theme, and Visual Direction
11. Marketing Posting Templates
12. Detailed Partnership & Collaboration Plan for Boot Camp Phase 
13. Media & Community Partner Tracking Channel

➥ Milestone 1 Acceptance Criteria:

1. Completeness: Is all preparatory work complete, covering the boot camp syllabus, marketing plans, Discord channels, tracking sheets, and the timeline for the entire campaign from boot camp to hackathon, and finally demo day?
2. Clarity: Does the preparatory plan and timeline provide rich clarity into the entire program, with great detail and contingency plans for potential risks that might occur affecting the campaign execution?
3. Relevance: Are the topics covered and problem sets relevant, covering a wide range of difficulty levels and concepts from basic to advanced, allowing developers a comprehensive learning experience?

➥ Milestone 1 Evidence of Completion:

1. The boot camp syllabus and course outline are fully presented with the videos and content for the first week of the boot camp ready for launch.
2. Marketing direction, theme, templates, and content pipeline are laid out for the entire campaign from boot camp to demo day.
3. Lecturers are well-trained with a clear understanding of development on Cardano, a rich understanding of Haskell, and developer tools and environments such as Plutus and Marlowe.
4. Administrative items are prepared and completed including registration forms, tracking sheets, surveying questions, developer resources, and other relevant items for operations.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

📌Milestone 2 - Boot Camp Basic Section (4 Weeks) Completion + Prepare for Hackathon and Demo Day

➥ Cost of Milestone 2: 20% of Total Budget = 16,781.4 ADA

After completing Phase 1's preparatory work, we'll transition to Phase 2, which features an 8-week developer boot camp split into 2 Milestones: one after the Basic Section and the other after the Advanced Section. This phase begins with a 2-week marketing campaign to attract registrations, followed by commencing the basic section of our boot camp. Each week, our team will release 2 to 5 lecture videos, host at least 1 AMA session on Discord for inquiries and Q&A, and provide ongoing support and mentorship for developers, offering a comprehensive and high-quality learning experience, all for free. Additionally, our business development team will focus on partnership development for the hackathon following the boot camp, seeking collaborations with potential strategic partners, media partners, community partners, VCs, guest speakers, and even other sponsors like AWS to add more value and benefits to the entire campaign’s participants.

➥ Scope of Work:

1. Education & Academic Team: Develop and produce engaging content and lecture videos in alignment with the curriculum design, delivering a total of 2 lecture sessions per week. These sessions will cover a diverse range of topics essential for participants' understanding and proficiency in Web3 development on Cardano. Furthermore, the education team will curate and facilitate weekly Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions, which may include expert guest speakers from the industry. These sessions will serve as invaluable opportunities for participants to seek clarification, deepen their understanding, and gain insights directly from seasoned professionals.
2. Marketing Team: Implement and execute the comprehensive marketing strategy as developed in the preparation phase for Milestone 1. The marketing implementation plan should encompass a variety of marketing tactics and promotional activities, including but not limited to social media marketing, email marketing, and partnerships with relevant industry influencers, KOLs, and/or institutions. Throughout the campaign, the marketing team will also monitor and analyze key performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of their efforts and make necessary adjustments to optimize the campaign’s reach and exposure.
3. Partnership Team: Reaching out and connecting with potential key partners, including but not limited to strategic partners, media partners, community partners, guest speakers, VCs, sponsors, and any other relevant stakeholders. By the end of this phase, the business and partnership team is expected to complete only up to 50% of the detailed partnership and collaboration plans, with the remaining portion to be completed by the end of the entire boot camp program (Milestone 3).

➥ Milestone 2 Output:

1. Completion of the Basic Section of the Entire Boot Camp with All Materials & Videos Uploaded Online (Refer to Basic Section Syllabus)
2. Detailed Report of the Basic Section of the Boot Camp Including Qualitative & Quantitative Results & Analysis
3. Detailed Marketing Report & Statistics of the Basic Section of the Boot Camp Program
4. List of All Social Media Posts from VBI Academy & Distribution Partners (E.g., Media Partners, Community Partners, etc.) for the Basic Section of the Boot Camp Program 
5. Detailed Partnership & Collaboration Plan for the Hackathon Phase (50% Completion)

➥ Milestone 2 Acceptance Criteria:

1. Completeness: Are all the modules and topics within the Basic Section covered and uploaded online for participants to see?
2. Quality Assurance: Are the videos of high quality, and professionally edited, and do they provide a great learning experience for the developers?
3. Performance: Is the Basic Section of the boot camp well attended with high registration and participation rates?
4. Detail & Specificity: Are the reports insightful and useful, with clear qualitative and quantitative metrics reflecting the Basic Section of the boot camp?

➥ Milestone 2 Evidence of Completion:

1. Completion of all modules and topics within the Basic Section, with all instructional materials and videos uploaded online.
2. All materials must be uploaded without technical issues, organized logically, and accessible to participants.
3. Reports are provided with insightful charts, graphs, or tables presenting quantitative data, along with quotes or testimonials providing qualitative feedback.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

📌Milestone 3 - Boot Camp Advanced Section (4 Weeks) Completion + Prepare for Hackathon and Demo Day:

➥ Cost of Milestone 3: 42% of Total Budget = 35,240.94 ADA

Similar to Milestone 2, Milestone 3 will focus on completing the remainder of the boot camp, covering the advanced section for the remaining duration. While the topics are more advanced, building upon the basic lectures, the structure remains consistent with the release of 2 to 5 lecture videos and 1 AMA session per week. Participants will continue to receive ongoing support and mentorship as needed to complete the program and navigate through all the problem sets. Upon completing Milestone 3, the partnership team should have a detailed partnership and collaboration plan for the hackathon phase, while the marketing team should provide a comprehensive report on the entire boot camp program, offering insights into participating developers' current skill levels and challenges faced by Cardano developers for future improvement and optimization.

➥ Scope of Work:

1. Education & Academic Team: Continue developing and producing engaging content and lecture videos aligned with the curriculum design, covering the remaining advanced section. Similarly to the basic section of the boot camp, the team will continuously deliver 2 to 4 lecture sessions and 1 AMA session weekly. Participants will also continue to receive ongoing support and mentorship as needed to complete the program and navigate through all the problem sets.
2. Marketing Team: Continue to implement and execute the marketing strategy as developed in the preparation phase for Milestone 1. The marketing implementation plan should encompass a variety of marketing tactics and promotional activities and continuously monitor and analyze key performance metrics for analysis.
3. Partnership Team: Finalizing detailed partnership and collaboration plans with potential key partners, including strategic partners, media partners, community partners, guest speakers, VCs, sponsors, and other relevant stakeholders.

➥ Milestone 3 Output:

1. Completion of the Entire Boot Camp (Basic + Advanced) with All Materials & Videos Uploaded Online
2. Detailed Report of the Entire Boot Camp (Basic + Advance) Including Qualitative & Quantitative Results & Analysis
3. Detailed Marketing Report & Statistics of the Entire Boot Camp (Basic + Advance)
4. List of All Social Media Posts from VBI Academy & Distribution Partners (E.g., Media Partners, Community Partners, etc.) for the Entire Boot Camp (Basic + Advanced) Program
5. Detailed Partnership & Collaboration Plan for the Hackathon Phase (100% Completion)

➥ Milestone 3 Acceptance Criteria:

1. Completeness: Are all the modules and topics within the Advanced Section covered and uploaded online for participants to see?
2. Quality Assurance: Are the videos of high quality, and professionally edited, and do they provide a great learning experience for the developers?
3. Performance: Is the Advanced Section of the boot camp well attended with high registration and participation rates?
4. Detail & Specificity: Are the reports insightful and useful, with clear qualitative and quantitative metrics reflecting the Advanced Section of the boot camp?

➥ Milestone 3 Evidence of Completion:

1. Completion of all modules and topics within the Advanced Section, with all instructional materials and videos uploaded online.
2. All materials must be uploaded without technical issues, organized logically, and accessible to participants.
3. Reports are provided with insightful charts, graphs, or tables presenting quantitative data, along with quotes or testimonials providing qualitative feedback.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

📌Milestone 4 - Hackathon & Demo Day Completion + Full Campaign Report & Photos:

➥ Cost of Milestone 4: 23% of Total Budget = 19,298.61ADA

After the completion of the boot camp, the final leg of the journey involves encouraging participants to form teams and challenge themselves by competing in a hackathon to showcase their learnings. Naturally, teams from outside can also participate, enhancing the competitive spirit of the Web3 landscape in Vietnam. Similar to the boot camp phase, our marketing team will initiate our marketing campaign early, two weeks before the event and continuing throughout, to ensure maximum participation, registrations, and, most importantly, project submissions. During this phase, our education team will work closely with the teams to provide support throughout their competition journey, offering additional workshops and content to add further value to the boot camp program. Additionally, while the hackathon focuses on the Cardano blockchain, our partnership team will connect with other VCs, service providers, and potential sponsors to enhance the value of our hackathon event, offering bigger prize pools and other opportunities for our winners across a wide variety of tracks catering not only to professional teams but also to newbies, students, and more.

➥ Scope of Work:

1. Education & Academic Team: Provide ongoing mentorship, guidance, and technical support to assist teams in submitting their projects. Our mentors will also help teams navigate challenges with business models and go-to-market strategies, a common hurdle observed across many hackathons in our hosting experience. This proactive engagement ensures a high submission rate with quality projects showcased to judging guests.
2. Marketing Team: Initiate the marketing activities outlined in Milestone 1 for the Hackathon Phase to attract teams and individual participants who have not yet joined a team. Throughout the hackathon, the marketing team will continuously share updates about workshops, mini-games, team shortlisting, and any other relevant news/updates. Additionally, they will ensure that all media and community partners are distributing information about the hackathon in a timely and correct.
3. Partnership Team: Ensure excellent hospitality for all attending guests, partners, and key stakeholders throughout the entire hackathon campaign, and Demo Day. After the campaign, the business development team will collaborate closely with all other teams to produce a fully comprehensive campaign report.

➥ Milestone 4 Output:

1. 15+ High-Quality Hackathon Project Submission (Minimum)
2. Top 5 Teams Shortlisted for the Hackathon Demo Day & Developer Meetup
3. 4 Workshop Sessions Completed & Recordings Uploaded on Youtube and/or our platform, OpenEDU101
4. Detailed Marketing Report & Statistics of the Entire Hackathon Program
5. List of All Social Media Posts from VBI Academy & Distribution Partners (E.g., Media Partners, Community Partners, etc.) for the Hackathon Program
6. Complete List of all Attending Partners, Guest Speakers, and Relevant Stakeholders
7. Distribution of Appreciation Gifts to all Stakeholders
8. Full Campaign Report Including Details Analysis & Statistics

➥ Milestone 4 Acceptance Criteria:

1. Quality Hackathon Project Submissions: Do the project submissions meet the predefined quality standards that demonstrate innovation, functionality, and relevance?
2. Workshop Quality Assurance: Are the workshops of high quality, and professionally edited, and do they provide a great learning experience for the developers?
3. Demo Day & Developer Meetup Attendance: Is the demo and developer meetup well-attended?
4. Detail & Specificity: Are the reports insightful and useful, with clear qualitative and quantitative metrics reflecting the entire campaign from boot camp to demo day?

➥ Milestone 4 Evidence of Completion:

1. Completion of the hackathon program with clear links to all the projects submitted, marketing posts, and registration.
2. Completion of the demo day and developer meetup with clear links to all the marketing posts and registration. Photos of the demo day should also be provided as a demonstration and testament of attendance results.
3. Comprehensive reports of the entire program are provided with insightful charts, graphs, or tables presenting quantitative data, along with quotes or testimonials providing qualitative feedback. This comprehensive report should also cover the results in comparison with the initial set of KPIs to measure the performance of the entire campaign.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

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

📌Mr. Huong Pham:

• Title & Experience:
• CEO & Co-Founder at GFI Group.
• Contact Point: 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhamHuong_GFI 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phamhuonghlp 

📌Dr. Thanh (Will) Dinh (Proposer):

•  Title & Experience:
• Founder at VBI Academy
• CTO & Co-Founder at GFI Group
• Ex-Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
• Assistant Professor at Soongsil University. 
• Supervisor, PhD Blockchain Program at Vietnam National University
• Head & Supervisor at Techfest Vietnam Blockchain Hub, Vietnam Ministry of Science & Technology
• Contact Point: 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngocthanhdinh/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ngocthanhdinh

📌Ms. Lam (Riley) Tran:

• Title & Experience:
• CIO & Co-Founder at GFI Group.
• Ex-Marketing Director at Bibox Exchange. 
• Ex-Community Manager of Matrix AI Network. 
• Contact Point: 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-tran-35192563/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rileytran_gfi
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhuongLamTran

📌Ms. Jlo Tran:

• Title & Experience:
• COO at GFI Group
• Contact Point: 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlotranx/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jlo.tran.68

 

📌Mr. Vu Dang:

• Title & Experience:
• Head of Blockchain Faculty at GFI Group.
• Lecturer in Blockchain Development at HCMC University of Technology and Education. 
• Contact:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vu-dang-quang-944b03259/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayden.dangvu

📌Mr. Thang Nguyen:

• Title & Experience:
• Assistant Business Development Manager at GFI Group
• Contact:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nguyenvucongthang/

📌Relevant Links & Resources:

1. Deck & Information: VBI Deck, GFI Deck
2. E-Learning Platform: OpenEDU101 Platform
3. Facebook Pages: GFI Blockchain, VBI Dev & Tech Forum, VBI Page
4. Telegram Pages: GFI Channel, GFI Community Chat
5. Youtube Channels: GFI Blockchain Insights, VBI Academy
6. Twitter: GFI Blockchain
7. Discord Channels: VBI Academy, Near Developer Vietnam, Solidity Developer Vietnam, Rust Developer Vietnam, Substrate Developer Vietnam, Move Developer Vietnam
8. Tik Tok: VBI Academy
9. Website: GFI Blockchain News Webpage, VBI Academy Webpage

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

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

📌Item 1: Cardano Developer Boot Camp - From Basic to Advanced:

📌Item 2: Cardano Vietnam Hackathon:

📌Item 3: Cardano Vietnam Hackathon Demo Day & Developer Meetup:

📌Item 4: Core Marketing & Community Building Activities:

📌Total Budget & Costs = $36,875 ~ 83807 ADA (USD/ADA Rate = 0.44)

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document

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

📌Cumulative Cost Breakdown By Key Components:

1. Bootcamp Organization: 20909 ADA 
2. Hackathon Organization + Mentoring: 36818 ADA 
3. Hackathon Demo Day & Developer Meetup: 11080 ADA 
4. Marketing and Brand Awareness Building for Bootcamp and Hackathon: 15000 ADA

Executing a campaign of this scale demands meticulous attention and effort. At VBI Academy, we deploy a dedicated team of over 40 members to ensure that this campaign becomes one of the largest, if not the largest, within the Cardano Vietnam community, ensuring maximum exposure, reach, and developer onboarding, both new and existing. The following details further break down how the boot camp and hackathon add value to the Cardano community and ecosystem and why we believe the results and the quality of those results warrant the suggested pricing we have proposed. Please note that we have extensively reviewed both past funding proposals and current estimates to feel confident in delivering the best possible program.

1. Fostering Innovation & Development on Cardano:
2. Bootcamp: Equip over 200 participants with the technical skills to build dApps (decentralized applications) on Cardano. This injects a pool of skilled developers capable of creating innovative solutions on the platform.
3. Hackathon: Provide a platform for developers to showcase their creativity and develop groundbreaking applications leveraging Cardano's features. The hackathon has the potential to generate over 20 innovative projects built on Cardano, further enriching the platform's offerings.
4. Attracting New Talent and Projects to Cardano's Ecosystem:
5. Bootcamp: Graduates equipped with their newfound knowledge and expertise in Cardano development are more likely to build their projects within the ecosystem, expanding the developer base.
6. Hackathon: Winning projects with innovative solutions have the potential to attract further investment and establish themselves within Cardano, thereby strengthening the network.
7. Strengthening Community Engagement and Collaboration:
8. Bootcamp: Creates a network of Cardano developers who can learn from each other, exchange ideas, and foster a collaborative environment for future projects.
9. Hackathon: By organizing the hackathon, we aim to bring together developers with diverse skill sets to tackle challenges, fostering collaboration and a sense of community within the ecosystem.
10. Demonstrating Cardano's Potential to a Wider Audience through Innovative Projects:
11. Bootcamp: By showcasing the applications built by graduates, we demonstrate Cardano's capabilities and potential to a broader developer audience, aiming to attract over 200 developer registrations for the program.
12. Hackathon: Winning projects can serve as real-world examples of innovative solutions built on Cardano, attracting new users and developers.

Full Proposal Here: View Google Document