Business Lead Generation on Cardano

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

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

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Generate business leads to companies through a trusted network, help companies grow and support mass adoption. As a pilot, this proposal will generate business leads for 4 Cardano companies.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[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.”

The model will be built on the Andamio platform (andamio.io) as a service, which provides a content management system and on chain credentials 

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

We are using Andamio as a SAAS.

All the content will be available to view.

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG 4 - Quality Education: 

• Fostering a knowledge-sharing community contributes to this goal. Community members' involvement as lead generators allows for a learning process where individuals gain skills in networking, business development, and the use of blockchain technology. This educational aspect can empower individuals with new competencies, contributing to lifelong learning opportunities.

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth: 

• Creating a platform for lead generation enables community members to engage in meaningful work as lead generators. It can provide new income opportunities and professional growth. 

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: 

• The use of blockchain technology for innovative business solutions contributes to building resilient infrastructure and fosters innovation in the industry.

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities: 

• The project's decentralised nature can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable urbanisation by providing remote work opportunities and supporting diverse communities globally.

SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production: 

• Promoting a decentralised business model can lead to more efficient resource utilisation and reduced wasteful costs in business operations. Optimising the lead generation process could help contribute to more sustainable business practices.

SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals: 

• The proposal exemplifies this goal by fostering partnerships among different stakeholders in the Cardano ecosystem. Creating a space to include businesses, lead generators, and tech/business professionals. Efforts like this are essential for achieving all the SDGs, as they bring together diverse groups to work towards common objectives.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Background:

In fund 8, Smart Hubs had two proposals that were funded to perform and test a decentralised lead generation model:

Cross-chain impact lead generation and Community lead generation 

• Closing Report 
• Closing Video 

You can review the extensive work done with the process established and supporting presentations and documentation. The projects included 28 community members registered as lead generators, reaching over 40 leads and onboarding 10 companies to collaborate with the Cardano ecosystem. 

This video includes an overview of the project as well as testimonials: 

Overview of Decentralized Lead Generator

However, the process was manual, which created some bottlenecks and required human administrative steps that were not efficient for both the lead generators and the project team. While we piloted the model, we always considered how we could use Cardano technology to streamline the process and scale the service. 

This proposal is a summary of the next step: take the processes of the Lead Generator program and back it with a Cardano-powered platform using credentials, smart contracts, and on-chain treasury.

Following to completion of Fund 8 projects, we have continued the work with the following activities:

• Clients/Partners promotions: presentations and feedback from companies working on the Cardano ecosystem (e.g., CF, Emurgo, NMKR, etc.).
• Presenting to the Cardano Ambassadors network as part of the lead generation trusted network
• Evaluation & Discussion for collaboration with Andamio

The opportunity:

"The Cardano ecosystem needs strong sales and business development activities and reach for investors and clients" was the common feedback from numerous companies in the Cardano ecosystem, including CF and Emurgo. 

While most companies in the ecosystem are technology-driven, their success and growth depend on securing investment, clients, and partners. Companies normally need to dedicate significant resources to business development teams, marketing activities, and conferences. 

Introducing a decentralised lead generation solution will support the company’s growth, go-to-market, and business success and mass adoption of cardano technology and the projects utilising it.

The Lead Generation solution:

The lead generation model aims to support companies in the Cardano ecosystem by creating a pipeline of leads for clients, partners, and investors. The leads will be generated by a trusted network of community members who are great connectors and networkers. Lead generators will be compensated for successful leads. 

The project will include the following stages:

• Onboard lead generators - onboard 10 community members who have a strong network and like to connect people.
• To onboard the lead generators, we will create content on the Andamio platform, so lead generators can verify their skills and interests, and their credential will be registered on-chain
•  Selection of key companies in the ecosystem that need business leads - the companies we will be working with for this proposal include (but are not limited to) Zengate, Socious, Andamio, and Nmkr
• Creation of dedicated content on Andamio for those companies to be able to match with relevant lead generators
• Establish a process of lead requirements definition and lead approval process
•  Establish a treasury for successful lead generation 
• Lead generators will reach out to leads and will get paid based on the success of arranging meetings with the companies  

The lead gen will be built on the Andamio platform - the service includes:

• A content management system to upload lead generation and company information 
• On-chain skill registration for lead gen that took the general course as well as when they learned about specific companies' needs

Providing leads to companies 

For this project, we will work with leading Cardano dApps and provide business leads. Selected companies include Socious (socious.io), Zengate (Palmyra.app), Andamio (andamio.io), and NMKR (nmkr.io). 

The companies 

• Has the need to reach out to potential clients
• Each company will
• Provide details about the company's products
• The definition of business lead (type of company, position in the company) 
• Set up the compensation per approved lead generated (i.e., ADA 300)
• Lead generators will suggest potential leads
• The companies will approve the lead
• The lead generator will schedule a call between the company and the lead
• Following the call, the company will approve the lead
• Through a smart contract, the lead generator will receive compensation of 300 ADA per lead generated*

* The company will also provide further incentives for the lead generators to continue following up with the lead until a potential partnership is reached. In this case, a success fee remuneration can be applied.

Future plans

The goal is to become a new way to generate leads/agreements while benefiting companies and community members. The scope of LeadGen Networks could go beyond the Cardano ecosystem as an offering to any company while the product is being built on Cardano becoming a successful dApp 

Following this funding proposal and proving the model, we expect this solution to become self-sustained, where companies will pay for the service of generating successful leads. 

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

The platform's main goal is to create a new model of decentralised business lead generation, using the community's power and connections to generate business leads for the ecosystem. 

We will optimise the lead generation process using Cardano blockchain technologies and the Andamio platform. The lead generation will provide a great service for the companies operating in the ecosystem and showcase some core Cardano technology. 

The results will have a direct impact by generating business leads, partnership leads, or investor leads for companies operating in the Cardano ecosystem. They will also provide another great use case for blockchain technology and generate on-chain credentials and transactions.

Why It's Innovative:

• Decentralised Approach: Utilising blockchain technology for a decentralised lead generation model is innovative in itself. It moves away from traditional centralised business development models to a more distributed and community-driven approach. This can lead to greater transparency, trust, and efficiency in the process.
• Smart Contract Integration: The use of smart contracts for reward mechanisms in lead generation is a novel approach when using blockchain technology. It ensures that transactions are secure, transparent, and automated, reducing the need for intermediaries and manual oversight.
• Community Engagement and Empowerment: Engaging community members as lead generators is a unique approach that empowers individuals within the ecosystem. It creates a business development model where community members can actively contribute to and benefit from the ecosystem's growth.

Value to Businesses:

• Cost-Effective Lead Generation: By leveraging a community-based model, businesses can potentially reduce the costs associated with lead generation and business development. This is beneficial for startups and smaller companies with limited resources.
• Access to Diverse Networks: Community members might have diverse and extensive networks, providing businesses with access to a wider range of potential clients, investors, and partners.
• Increased Efficiency and Scalability: The model allows businesses to scale their lead generation efforts more efficiently. Automation through smart contracts and the decentralised approach can streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens.

Value to Cardano Community Members:

• Economic Opportunities: Community members can earn rewards through successful lead generation, providing them with new economic opportunities within the Cardano ecosystem.
• Skill Development: Participating in lead generation allows community members to develop valuable skills in networking, sales, onboarding new users, and understanding blockchain technology applications.
• Strengthening the Ecosystem: The lead generation model contributes to the growth and success of businesses within the ecosystem; community members are indirectly fostering a stronger, more vibrant Cardano community.
• Inclusive Participation: This policy promotes inclusive participation in the ecosystem's economic activities, allowing a broad range of individuals to contribute and benefit, regardless of their location or background.

[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?

Fund 8's results were a great success. We are developing the platform based on the learning and feedback we received during those projects, starting with a very lean product for the MVP. 

The team has been very active in the community for over 3 years and has worked closely together on multiple projects and successful community initiatives. The team leads a 25-year business development background for multiple companies and industries.

More about the members of the team can be found in the Team section.

Some strong companies in the ecosystem, such as zengate.global, NMKR and socious are supporting the proposal and will provide content about their companies. This show both the trust in the team and the interest in the lead generation model.

The Andamio.io Platform:

Andamio empowers organisations to teach skills that connect to contribution opportunities 

Andamio is bridging the gap between individuals seeking to learn skills that can be applied in real-world scenarios and organisations needing to identify, verify, and onboard talent to ensure effective contributions in today's dynamic work environment.

The Plutus PBL program, available at https://plutuspbl.io/, is a project-based learning initiative developed and delivered by Gimbalabs (https://gimbalabs.com), a prominent education provider in the Cardano ecosystem since 2022. This program has been instrumental in onboarding numerous Cardano enthusiasts by providing them with interactive and engaging educational resources. With the introduction of Plutus PBL 2023, each learner can now mint a token that records the skills they acquire through the program, providing on-chain evidence of their abilities.

To date, over 200 students have taken the Plutus PBL course, and 100s of students are expected to take the Gimbalabs Plutus PBL course in 2024. The course modules are evolving with the tech, and Plutus PBL version 5 is in the final implementation stage, which also includes Mesh and Aiken learning targets. 

From that cohort emerged the founders and developers of important startups in the ecosystem, such as JPG Store, Mesh, SIDAN Lab, and Ekival. This goes hand in hand with Andamio and Gimbalabs' mission to teach needed skills that will transform learners into contributors to the ecosystem. 

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

Project initiation with Andamio and onboard the various companies  

Milestone output - week 0-4

• Project setting and onboarding process to Catalyst
• Onboarding and alignments with the Andamio team
• Onboarding Socious, Zengate, and Nmkr to fine-tune lead generation needs 
• Content creation for onboarding lead generators 

Acceptance Criteria

• Reconfirm project schedule and milestones on the Catalyst Milestone platform
• Well-defined lead requests by companies 
• Content for onboarding lead is gen is ready

Milestone output, week 5-12

We will focus on developing the Leag Gen Andamio instance and content for companies' needs 

Milestone output

• Finalise the content creation on the Andamio platform for the led gen onboarding and company lead gen needs
• Front-end web page for the course 
• Integrate the treasury and adjust the credential system and smart contract 
• Complete test cycle - ready for usage

This milestone will focus on onboarding lead gen 

Milestone output - week 13 - 16

• reach out to the community and generate interest 
• lead gen will go through the lead gen course on Andamio and will confirm interest and skills 

Acceptance Criteria

• Lead gen to go through the course
• At least 5 lead gen confirmed (we expect 10+)

This milestone will focus on generating leads

Milestone output - week 17-24: 

• Community members will continue to apply to become lead gens
• Lead gen goes through companies content and starts suggesting leads
• Companies confirm leads generated 
• A smart contract is activated to pay lead gen for approved leads

Acceptance Criteria

• The smart contract is working properly 
• Around 10 lead gen using the service
• Generating leads to the companies in the program

Milestone output - week 25-28

• Summary of findings and next steps
• Presenting a plan to continue the lead gen service, including business sustainability
• Closing report and video
• Feedback report from Socious and lead gen

Acceptance Criteria

• Well describe project results, summary, and plan for next steps
• Plan forward for the Leadgen service
• Feedback form completed
• Closing report and video

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

Yoram Ben-Zvi, Project lead 

A social entrepreneur and mentor with international board, operations, and startup experience, Yoram has been an active Connector in the Cardano ecosystem, onboarding investors and companies (e.g., seedstars.com, goodwall.io, digifarm.io) for over three years. 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoram-ben-zvi-446836

Nori Nishigaya - Network Facilitator

Nori is the Founder of the Salmon Nation Decentralised Alliance (SANADA), co-founder of Bridge Builders, and a founding member of Andamio. He organizes meetups and events as a Cardano Ambassador and is a serially funded proposer. Nori brings over 30 years of experience in software development, agile methodologies, leadership in managing teams, and founding and running technology startups. His passion is discovering and sharing governance and organizational best practices for radically decentralized and self-managed communities through experimentation and hands-on practice.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nishigaya/ 

Cole Bartlett - Content & community

Co-Author of Recalibrating Value, Identity & Impact Through the Blockchain - Cardano Impact Report 2023 

Bachelors in Economics and Sustainability | Blockchain/Sustainability Researcher | Social Entrepreneur | Co-Founder of Impact Web 3 & Sustainable ADA | Positive Blockchain Contributor | Socious Business Development Ambassador | Impact Measurement Expertise | Donation Officer for Yagazie Foundation | Co-Founder of Vermont Fishing | Decentralized Lead Generation | UNITE 2030 Youth Delegate 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-bartlett

For the project we will coordinate directly with the teams of NMKR, Socious, Zengate and Andamio which will be also advisors for the project:

Zengate.global

Daniel Friedman, CEO 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dfriedman1/

Sam Lambert, COO

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lambert-s/

NMKR https://nmkr.io

Patrick Tobler, CEO 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-tobler-6593b912b/

Socious.io

Seira Yun, CEO

https://www.linkedin.com/in/seirayun/

Andamio.io

Roberto Mayen, COO

https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberto-mayen-hess/

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

Milestone 1

• Project team - 30 hours x 250 ADA = 7500 ADA:
• Coordination of the project
• Communication with companies and Andamio
• Admin 
• Content for \LeadGen course 10 hours x 250 ADA = 2500 ADA
• Andamio learning & contribution management platform payment 1 (of 3) - 12,000 ADA

Total milestone 1 = 22000 ADA

Milestone 2:

• Project Team: 30 hours for 2 months period / 250 ADA = 7500
• Coordination of the project
• Work with the Andamio team 
• Admin  
• Content for LeadGen course (continue) 10 hours x 250 ADA = 2500 ADA
• Treasury for lead generation 9000 (will be distributed through a smart contract when lead generated 300 ADA per lead)

Total milestone 2: 19000 ADA

Milestone 3

• Project Team: 30 hours / 250 ADA = 7500
• Coordination of the project
• Reach out to lead generation (direct, previous lead gen, and community channels such as Town Hall, various communities, and social networks)
• Onboard lead gen to the Andamio course
• Admin
• Support creation of companies x 4 content: 10 hours per company x 250 ADA x 4 companies = 10000 ADA
• Andamio learning & contribution management platform payment 2 (of 3) - ADA 12,000

Total milestone 3: 29500 ADA

Milestone 4

• Project Team: 40 hours for two months / 250 ADA = 10000
• Coordination of the project
• Onboard lead gen to the Andamio course
• Coordinate lead generators process to start generating leads
• Admin
• Andamio learning & contribution management platform payment 3 (of 3) - ADA 12,000

Total milestone 4: 22000 ADA 

Final Milestone:

• Project Team: 30 hours * 250 ADA = 7500
• Summary of findings and next steps
• Presenting a plan to continue the lead gen service, including business sustainability
• Closing report and video

Total final milestone = 7500

Total project: 100000 ADA

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

By the end of this proposal, the LeadGen model will be well established and provide valuable service to Cardano companies while using a product (Andamio) built on Cardano. This project shows another use case for the Cardano blockchain while generating more transactions. 

It is a real-world use case combining Cardano tech with value to companies and decentralizing systems (lead gen). It lays the foundation for an innovative business idea that remunerates lead generators to provide leads to companies. Generating relevant leads is time-consuming and expensive for companies, and in this way, it could be done much more efficiently. 

The project will also generate direct business leads for companies active on the Cardano ecosystem as a showcase for the model potential and impact on the ecosystem.