RYP/Reach Your People: Cross Chain Integration

[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)

We will enable Cardano projects that are active on other chains to reach out to their entire community, leveraging the consistent experience RYP provides, while users benefit from its security & UX.

[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 project itself does not have dependencies on other organizations, but in the context of this proposal, as we are not intending to deploy our own EVM or Solana infrastructure, we will be depending on whichever API/RPC node solution we will select for the concept.

[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

Apache License 2.0

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The solution in a single paragraph:

Danketsu, a well-known NFT project on Cardano, has since expanded to Polygon. Along their many endeavors are NFTs, Mangas, Music and a Gamification Platform. As they expand their reach across chains, they have announced their mass retail deal with North America's largest licensor for Apparel and Toys, and are kicking off their plushie line. With the new RYP cross-chain integration, getting in touch with their entire community via a single announcement is just a click way. Linda and Alejandro are both Danketsu holders, Linda on Cardano, Alejandro on Polygon. Linda has opted to get Danketsu announcements via email, while Alejandro prefers text messages, and just a few minutes after the Community Manager of Danketsu has verified their identity, the announcement is out to all NFT holders, including Linda and Alejandro - without ever revealing their contact info to the announcing project. ⚡

The RYP (Reach Your People) cross chain integration project will enhance the reach of any project using Cardano to be able to connect with people outside our ecosystem (through our subscription feature), as well as to holders across blockchains. At the same time, it will enable projects that run on other chains, to easily connect with and build new communities on Cardano, fostering interoperability and cooperation across the entire Crypto ecosystem.

The initial prototype of RYP is available and can users can connect their wallets. Publishing is currently restricted as part of the beta launch, but working example videos taken from the live websites are available in the Milestone module of the previous RYP proposal at https://milestones.projectcatalyst.io/projects/1000156/milestones/4

We will add the ability to connect at least one (ideally two) new blockchains and allow their NFT projects to announce to holders the same way it is currently possible on Cardano. This includes both the project publishing part (i.e. finding methods to verify the rights to announce for a certain collection) as well as wallet connectivity for subscribers.

As the messaging integrations (currently Discord, Text Messages and browser notifications) are chain-independent, we will be able to leverage any social media connectors that already exist, and projects will be able to use any that are being additionally developed.

What we are NOT trying to solve with this solution

• We are not building an encrypted messaging solution (messages sent through relays will be publicly visible, which makes sense considering everyone should be able to read them if they would like to get updates from the DAO/project)
• The initial version will focus on NFT projects, not fungible tokens, DAOs or Validators on other chains, unless their community can be identified by the same mechanism that NFT holdings are verified.

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

The RYP cross chain integration is expected to provide value to Cardano by bringing projects from other chains more easily into the Cardano ecosystem. It will simplify outreach to their constituents and holders and onboarding to the community management tools available on Cardano. In addition, Cardano projects that are looking to bring in additional customers and members will be able to focus on their core competencies and do not have to build out additional infrastructure to reach holders on any chains they might build upon. With the advent of partner chains on Cardano, the RYP cross-chain solution paves a path for a unified announcement and engagement platform.

Measurements will be as follows:

• Number of existing cross-chain projects that are signing up for the cross chain beta test, which will give us an indication for the appetite. We already have two cross-chain projects on board for the general RYP beta test (which will be limited to Cardano)
• Number of new-to-Cardano projects that sign up to leverage the solution
• Number of non-Cardano wallets that register (and will at that point be able to receive notifications from Cardano and non-Cardano projects)

The metrics will be shared in our Milestone outputs as well as in a public Grafana dashboard.

[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?

Initial tests for our Discord solution have already been performed for both Solana and Polygon (Polygon whitelists are an existing feature of one of our products). We have previously shown our ability to implement the Reach Your People prototype via a Catalyst grant in Fund 10. Currently, milestones 1-4 out of 6 have been delivered and we have proven to deliver on time, with well designed architecture and showcased our ability to build thoroughly tested and scalable products.

We have a consistent presence in the Cardano ecosystem and have shown to implement reliable services with Vibrant (previously HAZELnet). Vibrant has been a cornerstone in the Discord servers of many projects since early 2022, currently used by over 700 servers and with 44000 verified wallets (Source: Public Vibrant Dashboard )

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

Milestone 1 will be the design and research phase:

• Research RPC and API services for EVM blockchains and Solana, to discover which integration is feasible from an implementation and cost perspective, and decide which one to implement first.
• Design the User Interface changes that will be necessary to the existing Reach Your People website to accommodate cross-chain integrations while still keeping the product easy and pleasant to use.
• Come up with the changes to the architecture to support cross-chain integrations and how wallet connectors can be added extensibly.

Outputs will be Decision Records that document our research, findings and next steps in the public repository, as well as the UI mockups or links to prototypes. Based on the research, architecture diagrams for the existing solution will be enhanced to cover the proposed capabilities and initial tickets will be written up in the public issue tracker.

Milestone 2 is the core implementation

• Build the core services that were designed in Milestone 1 to do basic reading of on-chain information from either EVM chains or Solana.
• Enhance the site to allow users from the chosen blockchain solution to connect their wallets and ensure social media connections remain accessible to them.
• Research methodologies available on the chosen chain to verify project owners, in addition to the social media verification process that may be in place for the general RYP prototype at the time.

Outputs will be a demo video publicly shared on YouTube, as well as the open source code and deployment instructions, shared in our repository.

Milestone 3 is finalizing the implementation

• Ensure test and security coverage for the newly built services
• Complete missing capabilities that are not complete from Milestone 2,
• Invite Cardano and non-Cardano projects and users that are looking to join our ecosystem to a beta test, through direct communications and social media outreach.
• Research feasibility of repeating the same steps for a second blockchain, and start implementation, depending on the outcome of the research

Outputs will be a demo video publicly shared on YouTube, as well as the open source code and deployment instructions, shared in our repository. For the beta test, it will be the list of invited teams and proof of their interest, where given. Output of the research will be shared as Decisions Records in the source repository.

Milestone 4 is integrations and public tests

• Complete and document the implementation and potential integration SDKs
• Collect metrics and feedback from beta tester on their experiences and gather improvement suggestions in public issue tracker.
• Implement bugfixes and optimizations for any urgent issues encountered
• Summarizing the project outcomes

Outputs will be the documentation and any SDK links that are available, metrics will be shared on a public Grafana Dashboard and reviews or experience will be shared either through an appropriate tool or through our public issue tracker. A final video showcasing the project outcome will be provided via YouTube.

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

The project consists of me as the core developer and a yet to be determined consultant that will help us with any technical integrations with the blockchain(s) of choice.

I am Director of Development at a leading business process management solution that builds enterprise grade web applications. With over 25 years of experience in web development, building full stack applications for companies with more than 50.000 employees, I was able to bring this knowledge to Cardano via VibrantNet, a widely used Cardano community tool, as a stakepool operator of HAZEL as well as providing educational content for the ecosystem, I have shown the ability to build, deliver and reiterate on my projects, all the while making sure that the input of the community comes first in deciding what needs to be done.

With our network of projects on Vibrant and the RYP prototype, we have access to various existing cross chain projects (Cornucopias, Danketsu, Cherubim Club) and are confident we can get their assistance or recommendations from them for any technical experts they may have connections with.

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

The cost breakdown is as follows:

• Basic server costs are in row 4 (Additional costs are expected for the RPC nodes of the other chain): Total of $500 for 4 months
• Engineering time (3/4 of full time) for the core development in row 5: Total of $27000 for 4 months
• Blockchain consultancy in row 6 is expected starting from milestone 2, for 3 months total, for a total of $4500
• UX/UI design will be in focus during the first 2 months, then less in focus in months 3-4 for a total of $6000

A link to the spreadsheet is available here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EoyPjpI0uZVTTwHI-J66p6cQDCC2UIqAPH0ytricEwA/edit?usp=sharing

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

To build a global community across blockchain ecosystems, it is crucial to provide tools and products that enable interaction between all stakeholders, be it validators, DAOs, projects, foundations and even L1 and L2 developers.

Reach Your People aims to fill this gap in a secure way while ensuring a great user experience. During events like the Cardano BUIDLfest, as well as NFTxLV, RareEvo and others, I have had the opportunity to speak to many founders, community managers, stakepool operators and potential dReps. Almost all of them mentioned the lack of ability to reach their respective communities as one of the greatest hurdles, not just on Cardano, but in every ecosystem.

Our solution will continue to unite Web 2 communication streams with Web 3 communities.

With this in mind, with the current transaction fees, the costs for this project would be recouped for Cardano if we helped onboard projects that did about half a million transactions total over their lifetime. Alternatively, if we saved 20 projects $500 of effort every month, the costs would be paid back within less than 4 months.

Our cost explanation is as follows:

4 months x ~$100-150 for ongoing operational costs

• $100/month (monthly backend server cost - current)
• $50/month expected for RPC/API nodes for EVM/Solana

4 months x $6750 for a full time Full Stack Developer

• Based on an annual salary for a mid-level Full Stack Engineer of $108000 in the US Northwest, but at a 3/4 time commitment only. Engineers with this level typically have no blockchain knowledge or no enterprise experience. The in-depth knowledge required to work with Cardano commonly comes at a premium that is ignored here.

3 months x $1500 for a part-time EVM/Solana consultant

• Based on an annual salary of $90000 and the expectation that we only need a part-time role with ~ 8 hrs/week.

4 months x $1500 for a part-time UX/UI design role

• This can be a service offering or part time position, or frontend engineering work done part time, as needed for the UX/UI work and prototyping.