The Unchained Web Event

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Alexandros Ntolgkov

[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)

12

[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)

Create an event in the heart of Europe, Brussels Belgium on free speech, censorship, cryptocurrencies and blockchain inviting Cardano projects to speak, educate but also journalists and philosophers

[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.”

Would need other organisations for hosting the event, volunteers possibly, speakers, media. No matter how intelligent one may be, they never got far without the help of others.

[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

-

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Since the advent of the internet the world has changed dramatically by becoming more digital. Throughout the past 20 years what were once highly respected huge newspapers have been relegated to a news website and a social media account like the ones anyone can build with a budget of 100 euro and some work. Huge media empires are competing now with citizen journalists and a person with a camera can tell a story from an angle that corporate media often overlook and give depth and multidimensionality to a story.

Books, ideas and philosophers that were gathering dust in book shelves of universities 20 years ago are seeing a revival through the emergence of the internet philosopher explaining and talking about complex ideas of human psychology, politics, religion and society. The words of two internet philosophers are so powerful in reach that governments feel compelled to censor them at times.

What 20 years ago were the glory days of Hollywood and its actors, Hollywood is now trembling in light of the emergence of the social media influencers who steal the popularity and glamour of its actors.

What 20 years ago was an industry of high respect, Finance and economics is in its turn being shocked through the phenomenon of the internet and decentralised finance and token economics.

The Unchained Web's event aims to bring all this under 1 event:

Alternative Media that were natively born to the internet and citizen journalists, the below list is an example of the speakers aimed to POTENTIALLY bring to the event - not all of them will say yes and will not have funds to bring them all to the event anyway this is for illustration purposes:

Journalists:

• Tim Pool
• Michael Shellenberger
• Glenn Greenwald
• Tucker Carlson (due to his show on X)
• Lex Fridman
• Russell Brand
• Dave Rubin
• Lee Fang
• ...

Thinkers:

• Konstantin Kisin
• Jordan Peterson
• Sam Harris
• Richard Dawkins
• Michael Malice
• Steven Pinker
• Alex O'Connor
• Freddie Sayers
• Winston Marshall
• John Vervaeke
• ...

Cardano Blockchain Projects:

• Book.io
• Profila
• SundaeSwap
• Clay Nation
• Charles Hoskinson
• Eikonikos
• SingularityNET
• jpg.store
• ...

Other Blockchain Projects:

• Depending on sponsorships

Media:

• Classic crypto media
• Local Brussels and Belgian Media:
• Brussels Signal
• De Tijd
• ...
• Media that were born on the internet:
• UnHerd
• Rebel News
• ...

Politicians:

• Politicians from both the left and right that may be censored on social media platforms

TradFi Thinkers:

• Raoul Pal

Traditional Social Media platforms:

• Rumble

The idea is to bring people and entities that were born on or became really well known or/and are active primarily on the internet and are "cult" internet thinkers and personalities to discuss topics of internet censorship and its consequences and blockchain as a potential solution while also having Cardano and web3 projects talk about the latest developments in the space, educate and do workshops like in a normal crypto event.

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

1. Looking at some of the quality speakers both web3 and non web3 related, at least 1,000 attendees to the event who will be educated about the effects of censorship, web3, Cardano and will help demystify blockchain's applications.
2. Networking: The event will be a convergence point for developers, entrepreneurs, thinkers users and social media personalities which can help spark project ideas and different collaborations
3. Visibility and Credibility: Featuring prominent thinkers and projects associated with the Cardano ecosystem can enhance the visibility and credibility of Cardano in the broader tech and crypto communities. This can lead to increased adoption, more strategic partnerships, and greater influence in the blockchain space.
4. Supporting Decentralization and Innovation: The inclusion of discussions around decentralization, censorship resistance and token economics aligns with Cardano's philosophy and Cardano's mission to drive economic empowerment and foster innovation through a more secure, transparent, and fair platform.

[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?

I have extensive experience in organising and marketing events both on a small and large scale as I have worked and organised smaller events with Antwerp Business Community but also larger ones with TEDx as well as events in the Metaverse with BeInCrypto

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

Milestone 1:

Milestone Outputs:

• Sourcing of location - 1 week - 500 USD
• Sourcing of team / volunteers for marketing and other activities - 2 weeks - 500 USD
• Sourcing and outreach of speakers - 1 month max (including speakers reaching out)
• Buying the unchainedweb.com domain for the needs of the event - 10 minutes - 1000 USD

Acceptance criteria:

• Shortlisting of potential locations the event will take place
• Profiles of team members
• Shortlisting speakers and fees associated with them

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Presentation of a report of the acceptance criteria that is publicly available to everyone trough a link

Milestone output:

• Sourcing partners and sponsors for the event to cover as many costs as possible and give the event media exposure 1 - 2 months but ongoing on and off before the event as well. If a sponsor were to reach out 2 - 3 weeks before the event, would not say no.
• Pricing of tickets - 1 week
• Creating website - 1 week - 1500 USD
• Choosing final location for event - 1 week

Acceptance criteria:

• A comprehensible 3 tier ticket system with different pricing
• Website online and running smoothly
• Event location finalised
• 2 - 3 more sponsors or partners

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Presentation of a report of the acceptance criteria that is publicly available to everyone trough a link

Milestone output:

• Running ads to promote the event - 5 months - 6 months 5 - 50k USD depending on final budget
• Finalising speakers - 100,000 to 250,000 k USD for well known speakers such as Jordan Peterson, Konstantin Kisin and others. The biggest expense of the event together with Marketing. Will be offset by the sourcing of additional sponsors
• Finalising places of (potential) booths - 1 week -
• Finalising event programme - 1 week

Acceptance criteria:

• A list of final speakers
• Event programme
• Reports on effective ad advertising

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Presentation of a report of the acceptance criteria that is publicly available to everyone trough a link

Day of the event

Milestone output:

• Ticketing
• People on stage
• Networking app
• Speakers in place delivering talks and pannels
• Media coverage
• People enjoying the event
• Generally ensuring the event runs as smoothly as possible

Acceptance criteria:

• No one died :D
• Financial auditing and reporting
• People had fun and the event ran smoothly
• The event managed to at least break even with the costs
• Attendee satisfaction scores

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Presentation of a report of the acceptance criteria that is publicly available to everyone trough a link

Post event:

Milestone output:

• Following up with everyone, speakers, partners and using attendee surveys for lessons learned and for a potential next year similar event - 3 to 4 weeks max - 1000 - 2000 USD

Acceptance criteria:

• Creation of report of everything and drawing conclusions on what to do better next time

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Presentation of a report of the acceptance criteria that is publicly available to everyone trough a link

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

Alexandros Ntolgkov: Project Manager

Will recruit experienced volunteers and professionals from my network if I get the funding

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

Assuming only ADA funding applies and nothing else in order to organise a modest event with 100.000 ADA the cost breakdown would look something like this:

• Venue Sourcing and Booking: 20% (20,000 ADA)
• Includes deposits, potential rental fees, and insurance.
• Technology and Infrastructure: 10% (10,000 ADA)
• Website development, domain purchase (unchainedweb.com), and setting up networking apps.
• Team and Volunteer Organization: 5% (10,000 ADA)
• Some compensation for key roles and training
• Marketing and Promotion: 15% (15,000 ADA)
• Iinitial promotional activities, branding, running ads, and outreach.
• Food and beverage including special dietary accommodations.
• Printing and Materials: 5% (5,000 ADA)
• Event brochures, programs, name badges, signs, etc.
• On-Site Management: 5% (5,000 ADA)
• Last-minute supplies, emergency funds, and miscellaneous expenses.
• Staff and Security: 10% (10,000 ADA)
• Payments for event staff, security personnel, and technical support.
• Media and Coverage: 5% (5,000 ADA)
• Professional photography, live streaming, and other media services.
• Feedback and Reporting: 3% (3,000 ADA)
• Surveys, data analysis tools, and report generation.
• Contingency and Miscellaneous: 2% (17,000 ADA)
• Unexpected costs or overruns in any category.

Disclaimer: If I will only have to work with 100.000 ADA for the whole event then I doubt I would be able to afford high calibre speakers with well known brand recognition such as Jordan Peterson, Konstantin Kisin and others and hence I did not include speaker costs in this breakdown as then it would only look like a crypto event without them. Once I do find more partners however they would be added as well.

If more sponsors and partners are found of course, the quality of the event will be higher and the allocation will differ but the % of total allocation not so much

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

This is something I can source through quotes of event locations and other similar information. I have some older quotes but with inflation, I am not sure if they are still the same. But I can definitely source them and provide quotes if the costs seem excessive.