Cryptofluency: Increasing Liquidity with Cardano DeFi Courses

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Derek Hopkins, Founder of Cryptofluency, is submitting this proposal to Project Catalyst on behalf of a multi-platform team, including members from Stuff.io, Work Courses, Andamio and Olympus Insights.

[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)

4

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

No

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

We'll produce free DeFi courses in collaboration with four Cardano education platforms. Programs confront risks, explore rewards & demo participation strategies that showcase diverse opportunities.

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

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

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

Yes

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

All DeFi course programming will be free to the community. People can access the content on three of the Cardano ecosystem's most respected learning management platforms: Work Courses, Andamio, and Olympus Insights, using traditional Web2 login or via a crypto wallet connection. Course participants have the option to mint accompanying course workbooks through our Stuff.io partnership.

[METADATA] Horizons

Education

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Cryptofluency will produce free online courses to educate learners about Cardano’s DeFi opportunities. Programs confront risks, explore rewards, provide walkthroughs & highlight participation strategies that align with varied risk levels. Content will bridge a learner from absolute beginner with no wallet to engaged participant with in-depth knowledge about the Cardano DeFi ecosystem. 

The course videos will invite interviews with DeFi founders and influential thinkers who are interested in sharing their insights and expertise. This participation introduces the community to the people building in our space. 

The Cryptofluency team will partner with three respected Cardano learning management platforms: Olympus Insights, Work Courses, and Andamio, to provide and market the courses to a broad audience. The community will benefit from this collaborative experimentation with decentralized learning models. Learners who successfully complete the course can earn special credential tokens that unlock future rewards, roles and opportunities. 

To further demonstrate the power of collaboration within the Cardano ecosystem, the courses will include optional workbooks learners can mint as Decentralized Encrypted Assets, or DEAs, on Stuff.io platform. Stuff.io is pioneering new technology that empowers people to own their own digital stuff. These digital workbooks let learners assess their comprehension using an "apply and verify" review method, which completes the learning cycle and prepares them for the next levels. Incorporating workbooks through Stuff.io introduces participants to a new asset class - Decentralized Encrypted Assets - which expands their understanding of value in the Cardano ecosystem.

This proposal will provide the DeFi courses for the community AND demonstrate three models future educators can replicate to incorporate Cardano's LMS resources in their content delivery. Demonstrated methods will pave the way for influencers, course authors and content creators to migrate their Web2 content and their audiences to a Web3 environment, encouraging onboarding. These models and their attributes will be outlined in the close-out videos.

All four platforms will proactively co-market the courses with Cryptofluency so that it reaches diverse audiences on multiple channels and compounds outreach efforts.

Finally, this proposal includes budget for marketing the opportunity to audiences BOTH in the Cardano ecosystem AND new to it so that we focus on bringing new participants to Cardano. We have enlisted team members with extensive expertise in marketing to make sure we expand the reach of this knowledge far beyond our current community.

How do you perceive the problem you are solving?:

We perceive this problem as a chasm that needs a bridge. On one side of the chasm, we have a vibrant and enthusiastic community of people who are excited about all the opportunities of the Cardano ecosystem of DeFi. On the other side of the chasm, we have a robust collection of Cardano DeFi protocols deployed on Mainnet and ready for participation. We also have incredible teams building educational platforms and frameworks that can use decentralized learning features to share knowledge.

Cardano DeFi has yet to be adopted and fully embraced by most Cardano holders. 

The chasm exists because there is a lack of experiential education to bridge the community from its current hesitant position to a position of knowledgeable confidence. That means the entire ecosystem is missing out on the collective knowledge that would be gained by the merging of the community and the tools. This can safely increase liquidity in the Cardano ecosystem.

This educational content should comprehensively inform the community, starting with analyzing the risks, providing experiential guidance and incorporating step-by-step demonstrations. This empowers learners with an educational foundation. We propose to do exactly that.

Who will your project engage?:

The courses will be free and accessible to learners of all types, backgrounds, and experiences. 

We particularly intend these three types of learners:

1. Cardano community members (ADA holders) who have not yet ventured into using DeFi instruments, or who may only be staking their positions. 
2. Crypto holders who are active in other blockchain DeFi environments who have yet to discover the brilliance of Cardano’s DeFi instruments.
3. New crypto enthusiasts who want to get started in the crypto space, engage in Cardano and leverage our ecosystem’s unparalleled DeFi opportunities. It is for this group that we have included the “Fundamentals” in COURSE 2. 

About the DeFi Programming: 

Cryptofluency’s proposed online DeFi programming includes four initial courses that educate learners about Cardano’s diverse DeFi instruments and prepare them to take part. As learners advance through the material, they delve deeper into Cardano’s DeFi offerings. 

Each lesson builds on the previous for progressive, cumulative learning. The four series lead learners through the most relevant topics and concepts to help them take part with confidence, protect their assets, and explore Cardano’s DeFi tools. 

Learners can then practice their knowledge by getting involved in the space they are studying according to their interest, goals and comfort with risks involved. 

The use case course topics (three and four below) includes thorough explanations of risks and benefits, follow-along demonstrations of tools, walkthrough tutorials for different actions, and participation strategies. The participation strategies are ranked low, medium and high risk to help the learners align their comfort levels with their DeFi decision-making.

Our four initial DeFi course topics are: 

• COURSE 1: HISTORY & EMERGENCE OF DECENTRALIZED FINANCE TOOLS
• COURSE 2: FUNDAMENTALS FOR PARTICIPATING IN CARDANO
• COURSE 3: DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGES (DEXes) (USE CASE)
• COURESE 4: DECENTRALIZED LENDING & BORROWING (USE CASE)

The curriculum is further outlined below. The course content will be “living,” meaning we will regularly update it, add to it, and adapt it over time as the Cardano technology stack evolves. 

Educational Format:

For these courses, we will deliver each lesson in short, digestible 10-15 minute videos. The lesson videos will explain specific concepts and/or include follow-along demonstrations of Cardano’s protocols. We have included links below to three recent DeFi series on our channel that illustrate style and methods.

The courses feature accompanying workbooks and practice exercises so that learners can apply the skills equipped in each lesson. Courses also include a cumulative “review” delivered in quiz form so learners can confirm their answers.

This “apply and verify” process enables the student to check their work and creates the opportunity for credentials on completion. It also improves learning retention, demystifies the process, and establishes a solid DeFi knowledge base. Completing the course has the learner experience new Cardano tools: Work Courses, Andamio, Olympus Insights and Stuff.io.

Seeing these review results will also provide us with valuable data about how learners are progressing in the Cardano DeFi space. 

Here are Three Examples of DeFi Series We've Recently Produced:

• Cardano DeFi 7-Part Strategy Series
• Cardano DeFi Deep Dive
• 3 Calculations for Undervalued vs. Inflated Cardano Tokens

Cryptofluency DeFi Course Curriculum:

COURSE 1: HISTORY & EMERGENCE OF DECENTRALIZED FINANCE TOOLS

Overview: This course familiarizes the learner with decentralized finance concepts, structures and use cases. 

Course Goal: The learner is fluent in core DeFi concepts, how they work, and their relationships to each other. The learner is prepared to advance into the use case deep dives in Courses 3 and 4. 

1. Centralized Finance vs. Decentralized Finance
2. Cardano DeFi vs. Other Blockchain Ecosystems
3. Decentralized Applications
4. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)
5. Decentralized Exchanges
6. Decentralized Lending & Borrowing
7. Governance & Voting
8. Platform Use Cases

COURSE 2: FUNDAMENTALS FOR PARTICIPATING IN CARDANO (BASICS)

Overview: This course is a walkthrough of the process for getting involved in the Cardano ecosystem. It helps a learner acquire ADA, secure it and leverage it according to their interests. This course is designed for those who do not possess ADA or have limited knowledge about the included Cardano opportunities.

Course Goal: Learners accomplish the prerequisites for participation in Cardano DeFi. Learners have the knowledge necessary to acquire ADA, store it in a wallet and use it within the Cardano ecosystem for diverse purposes. They are familiar with the decentralized concepts needed to move further in the subsequent courses. 

1. Choosing & Setting Up a Cardano Wallet
2. Securing Cardano Assets
3. Staking & Stake Pools
4. Testnet Faucets
5. Cardano Decentralized Exchanges (DEX)
6. Acquiring Cardano Native Tokens on a DEX
7. Understanding Market Capitalization and Tokenomics
8. Basics of Staking, Liquidity Providing (LP) & Yield Farming (Concepts)
9. Decentralized OnChain Governance
10. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO)
11. Improvement Proposals, Voting Rounds, Voting Power
12. Monitoring Your Positions
13. Crypto Resources: CoinGecko, TradingView, TapTools, Defillama, and Others

COURSE 3: DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGES (DEXes)

Overview: Decentralized Exchanges offer the opportunity for leveraging assets in diverse ways. There are two types of Cardano DEXes with different considerations, risks, and benefits.

Course Goal: The learner understands how decentralized exchanges can be utilized for different participation strategies and is clear about the risks and responsibilities involved. 

1. Automated Market Maker DEXes 
2. Exploration of Risks: Impermanent Loss
3. Exploration of Benefits: Multiple Yield Options
4. Walkthrough Demonstration using Cardano AMM DEXes
5. Different AMM DEX Participation Strategies in Action:
6. Passive: Vault Staking (Low Risk)
7. Active: Liquidity Providing (Medium Risk)
8. Aggressive: Liquidity Bootstrapping Events, Zap Features & Arbitrage (High Risk)
9. Order Book DEXes
10. Exploration of Risks: Human Error & Learning Curve
11. Exploration of Benefits: Multiple Yield Options
12. Walkthrough Demonstration using Cardano Order Book DEXes
13. Different Order Book DEX Participation Strategies in Action:
14. Passive: Vault Staking (Low Risk)
15. Active: Liquidity Providing (Medium Risk)
16. Aggressive: Market Making & Arbitrage (High Risk)

COURSE 4: DECENTRALIZED LENDING & BORROWING

Overview: Decentralized Lending and Borrowing introduces unprecedented financial instruments for leveraging cryptocurrency assets. Cardano’s eUTxO accounting model and novel liquid non-custodial staking capabilities elevate Cardano’s lending and borrowing platforms above all other crypto ecosystems.

Course Goal: The learner understands risks and opportunities for staking, supplying/lending, borrowing against assets, and debt leveraging. They are also familiar with safeguard practices and responsibilities associated with Market Participation. 

1. How does Decentralized Lending & Borrowing work?
2. Risks of Supplying/Lending Your Assets
3. Benefits of Supplying/Lending Your Assets
4. Risks of Borrowing Assets
5. Benefits of Borrowing Assets
6. Liquidation & Health Factor Considerations
7. Market Participation Rewards
8. Different Participation Strategies in Action:
9. Passive: Supplying/Lending Only vs. Staking Only OR Both (Low Risk)
10. Active: Borrowing Against Your Supplied Assets (Medium Risk)
11. Aggressive: Debt Leveraging Strategies (High Risk)
12. Understanding the Responsibility for Your Decisions & Actions

Course lessons are subject to re-arrangement and change during production. 

What are your reasons for approaching it in the way that you have?:

Our intention is to make this content accessible and digestible for learners. We prioritize explaining risk to ensure that learners are well informed. Each lesson builds on the previous so that the material gets increasingly technical as the learner progresses. 

The curriculum structure is the aggregation of our personal experience in the space, extensive research and analysis and two years educating crypto enthusiasts one-on-one, in consulting groups, and via our YouTube channel, Cryptofluencyio. 

We have proven this curriculum to be the MVK (minimum viable knowledge) people need to understand and make their own decisions with confidence. 

To demonstrate maximum collaboration with other Cardano education hubs, we will deliver this programming on three platforms that have built their learning management systems (LMS) on the Cardano blockchain. These include: Olympus Insights, Work Courses, and Andamio. We may also offer the course on our cryptofluency.io website. 

The workbooks minting on Stuff.io introduces the DEA technology to new users, allows them to own their digital materials and closes the learning loop for highly interactive education.

Working with these teams will show new diverse ways that decentralized solutions can advance the overall knowledge base of a community through creative credentialing, incentivized learning and new roles and opportunities for credentialed learners.

How will you demonstrate or prove your impact?:

We will measure course impact and engagement using these four platforms’ analytics. Each platform provides different data that can be assessed individually and compared comprehensively for specific and broad patterns.

Beyond the fundamental quantitative measures, like number of students enrolled, courses completed, credentials distributed and the like, we will gain in-depth knowledge about the learners' successful engagement in the content. For example, work.courses "quiz" feature can help a learner evaluate her understanding of the materials. Stuff.io will be able to follow a learner's involvement with the workbooks in greater and greater detail as the tools advance.

We will also ask course participants to provide personal testimonials and stories. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve and update course curriculum, we will be regularly requesting feedback from enrolled learners. These details can be available to the public on our website and in our proposal reporting. 

Our YouTube and social media platforms’ analytics tools will help us measure reach and conversion of posts related to course content.

Our marketing strategy uses Google ads and social media tools that can evaluate the success of conversion in great detail. All of these resources will give us a picture of start-to-finish engagement that can be shared with the Cardano community.

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

In what way will the success of your project bring value to the Cardano Community? 

Value Goal 1: A More Knowledgeable Community

The Cardano community rises together as more and more participants join our ranks who understand the value of Cardano’s impact. It benefits the entire ecosystem when those participants are well-educated in what they are doing and committed to a long-term growth plan with the projects that are important to them. That increases the base of loyal Cardano enthusiasts.

Value Goal 2: A Shareable Resource

The courses provide a highly shareable tool, which empowers every community member with a resource for grassroots marketing - sharing the course with a curious friend. It can become a trusted resource for newly onboarded Cardano enthusiasts because Course 2 covers the fundamental prerequisites required for Cardano DeFi. The advanced DeFi programming increases DeFi content knowledge among the current Cardano community members.

Each learning platform can show different ways to reward learners and pass the opportunity on to others in their circles. 

Value Goal 3: Strengthening of the CNT Ecosystem

Increased participation in DeFi also supports the CNT ecosystem so that emerging Cardano Native Token projects can grow. More involvement equals more liquidity on Cardano. 

Value Goal 4: Knowledge in Action

These courses have the potential to birth enthusiastic DeFi discussion that encourages exchange of ideas, knowledge and diverse thought, collaboration, co-working and entrepreneurship. For example, existing community members could launch learning groups in their local regions or online communities and progress through the content as a collaborative learning experience. Or, they could begin mentorship programs that serve contacts in their circle of influence.

Value Goal 5: Meaningful Insights & Analytics

Across the scope of this project, we will collect qualitative and quantitative data to show how the existing Cardano community engages with learning and how newcomers perceive the ecosystem. The results from participation in the programming will equip the community with better understanding of the areas in DeFi and in Cardano overall that need deeper explanation.

Value Goal 6: Decentralized Education Frameworks

Our ultimate goal is that this project serves as a case study for decentralized educational frameworks that use multiple Cardano platforms to deliver interactive learning. Ideally, other experts in Cardano utilize the models we create to deliver their own topical teaching.

It is our broader vision that influential educators and influencers outside of the Cardano ecosystem begin to onboard to Web3 from Web2 learning management platforms. Through that positive experience, they can invite their often large audiences to join in the innovation in a natural, accessible way and as an introduction to Cardano's ecosystem.

How will you measure this impact?:

We will measure the impact of the course programming by:

• Monitoring the quantitative data in our learning environment analytics, which allows for reporting on: number of learners enrolled, content completed, scores on reviews and questions asked and number of credentials issues.
• Capturing qualitative data by requesting personal testimonials from learners who are taking part in the ecosystem as a result of the educational programming.
• Soliciting regular feedback from enrolled learners about their involvement. 
• Offering 15-minute windows for consultations with enrolled learners every 90 days for deeper dives.
• Encouraging credentialed members to extend their earned knowledge to their local or online communities. 
• Comparing and contrasting the analytics and results on all four platforms to discover cross-platform patterns, learning trends and opportunities for improving the programming. The Cardano community and the LMS platforms themselves will have in-depth insight about educational tendencies and preferences of our engaged learners. 

How will you share the outputs and opportunities that result from your project?

We will provide a dedicated reporting page on our website at cryptofluency.io that shares comprenehsive qualitative and quantitative analytics, themes, patterns, and course accomplishments. All four platforms' data will be compiled regularly and served to the community via this hub. This page can be viewed at any time. The proposal includes multiple short marketing videos to update the community on progress. We will also produce a post-launch video featuring all the platform leaders to talk about what we found in collaborating on this project.

[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?

Please describe your existing capabilities that demonstrate how and why you believe you’re best suited to deliver this project?

The Cryptofluency team has been taking part in the cryptocurrency space since 2017. Here are some of our key actions relevant to this proposal:

• Eight years' experience creating educational experiences about blockchain and specifically Cardano. This includes in-person events, online courses, videos, one-on-one consulting and speaking engagements.
• Participants in Cardano’s DeFi protocols from day one, starting in early 2022, with consistent involvement ever since. 
• We have produced nearly 300 free videos that demonstrate our capability to educate via online content with warm reception from the community. You can watch them here. 
• We have a great stamina for analysis, research and experimentation. Derek has spent over 10,000 hours reviewing whitepapers, actively participating in the ecosystem’s projects and protocols, and listening to thought leaders across the space. 
• We stay up to date on emerging opportunities and are active in the different Discord servers that inform our greater Cardano community. 
• Our content blends technical know-how with investment acumen learned entirely in the crypto space. 
• We have extensive experience onboarding individuals and groups who are starting from scratch and consulting established investors looking for ways to grow their portfolios using Cardano’s DeFi tools. 
• Members of our team have two funded, completed Catalyst Proposals focused on structured expansion and engaging the community in governance: Catalyst Global Participation Solution (#800102) and CA/VCA Treasury for Rapid Funding (#800061).

Here is a selection of our historical actions to reinforce our DeFi expertise:

Overall:

• Experienced with setting limit orders, properly setting price, managing slippage tolerance, canceling orders and troubleshooting on CEXes and DEXes. 
• Maintain a vigilant focus on impermanent loss in AMM DEXes.
• Proactively monitor keeping a safe health factor in lending & borrowing platforms.
• Actively taking part in governance voting on each of these protocols across time.

Centralized Exchanges: 

• Experienced in centralized exchanges and maintain accounts with Coinbase and Kraken exchange.
• Creating and managing limit orders.
• Arbitrage opportunities.

Decentralized Exchanges: 

• Minswap:
• Voted on the MinSwap DEX Proposal in Catalyst.
• Became a Liquidity Provider (LP) on MinSwap DEX on day one and managed twelve Yield Farming (YF) Pools.
• Participated in two Liquidity Bootstrapping Events (Indy & SmartPlaces)
• Experienced with the Zap Feature.

• SundaeSwap:
• Participated in SundaeSwap ISPO.
• Became an LP on SundaeSwap DEX on day one and managed three YF pools.

• Wingriders:
• Became an LP on Wingriders DEX on day one and managed nine YF pools.
• Was awarded the Gold FirstRiders NFT due to our level of trading volume.

• VyFinance:
• Became LP on VyFinance day one managing two pools.
• Utilize seven of their staking vaults.
• Member of the VyFinance Bar.

• Blueshift:
• Experienced in Milkomeda sidechain C1 wallets.
• Liquidity Providing on BlueShift DEX in their automated yield optimizer pool using Milkomeda C1.

• Genius Yield: 
• Staking in Genius Yield vaults for over a year using NFT as APY boosters.
• Became LPs on day one.
• Participated in the pre-prod testnet using Cardano’s testnet faucet and provided helpful feedback to the Genius Yield community. 
• Traded and became LPs in Genius Yield Mainnet from day one. 
• Participated in their Accelerated Yield Event setting limit order positions in the order book at the Tier 2 level.

Lending & Borrowing:

• Liqwid Finance: 
• Staking LQ on their platform. 
• Actively Lending and Borrowing assets on Liqwid Finance for 18 months. 
• Stable pairings: for example, supplying ADA, borrowing DJED.
• Exotic pairings: for example, supplying AGIX, borrowing ADA.

• LenFi V2:
• Created supply positions. 
• Successfully completed debt leverage strategies.

• Yamfore:
• Participated in Testnet phase.
• Completed full evaluation of the new model & potential.
• Participated in CBLP launch.

...and more

Establishing a Collective Collaboration:

The collaboration with proposal team members from the Olympus Insights, Work Courses, Andamio and Stuff.io teams infuses the project with extensive developer, educator and marketer experience. Joining forces in this way creates a collective of visionaries excited to work together to bring new frameworks and models to life using the tools these teams are developing on Cardano. The outcome will demonstrate how collaboration can work this ecosystem. It is truly an occasion where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You can read more about each team's representative and their extensive accomplishments in our team section below.

Please describe your existing capabilities that demonstrate how and why you believe you’re best suited to deliver this project?

Demonstrated Knowledge & Consistency:

We have a proven track record of producing educational content for the blockchain community specific to Cardano. We are active in continuing to educate ourselves and have been participants in the technical education and programming offered by Cardano protocols. Derek is completing the Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate program with the Cardano Academy by the Cardano Foundation. 

A Strong Collaborative Team:

Partnering with our four platform team members (see team below) engages enthusiastic educational minds who love the process of bringing knowledge to a community. This collaboration will help all ships rise together and bring diverse perspectives to the building process. And, it creates accountability and responsibility to each other because each member of our team represents a different educational entity. It also builds a marketing expert into our process with an emphasis on connecting people with what we create.

Well-Refined, Tested Curriculum:

We have been developing and refining the proposed curriculum in real-world conversations and have implemented the online resources necessary for its execution. We have been mentoring and coaching new members to the space for multiple years, fielding diverse questions and helping participants to grow their positions, update their tools, and upgrade their understanding as the technology emerges. 

We have also established an effective process of producing learning materials that allows learners to learn, apply their knowledge, and check their comprehension all in one educational process. 

Strong Community Relationships:

Our long-term involvement in the Cardano space has blessed us with many meaningful relationships with founders, developers, professionals and peers across DeFi projects and protocols. We stay up to date on emerging opportunities, and are active in the different Discord communities that serve our greater Cardano community. We will utilize the expertise of our crypto family to enhance the materials as we complete them. 

We intend to leverage community involvement by interweaving insights from topic experts where relevant. We will also reward feedback from community members willing to test drive the content once it’s produced. 

Experience Stewarding Individuals & Communities:

Cryptofluency offers personalized consulting and memberships that include regular updates. We have experience in being accountable to a community that learns from us, and we are enthusiastic about witnessing lives change for the better. 

Lastly, we value our reputation in this community that has given us so much opportunity, and our goal is to give back with these course offerings.

Please include the steps or processes that demonstrate that you can be trusted to manage funds properly:

For this proposal, we have set our milestones to require completion of course content prior to funds being delivered. That will allow the Cardano community to benefit in real time as we progress and to hold us accountable for providing what’s promised. 

As established above, we have a high discipline for stewarding funds safely and transparently, and intend to use that same acumen in managing the Catalyst funds. We have also successfully completed two previous Catalyst proposals. 

Wallet Etiquette: We utilize multiple Daedalus, Nami, Eternl, Gero, NuFi, and Lace wallets for our own portfolio. We have allocated our Cardano holdings to each of these wallets accordingly in order to support independent stake pool operators and take advantage of initial stake pool offerings. Every six months, we update and protect the private keys of each wallet we handle, following the best security practices. 

We will create a dedicated wallet for the Catalyst funds so they can be intentionally and transparently preserved.

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

Milestone Outputs:

(1) Completed production of Course 1.

(2) All course completion credentials & incentive structures completed on partner LMS platforms.

(3) Course 1 Workbook available for minting on the Stuff.io platform.

(4) Creation of a proposal-linked Project Page that will provide links to the three platforms and show ongoing analytics about learners’ engagement. 

Acceptance Criteria:

Potential learners should be able to sign up for Course 1, access it, and complete it, including Course 1 Workbook, all videos and lesson reviews. Community should be able to view Project Page.

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

(1) Course 1 is live on partner platforms.

(2) Course 1 Workbook available for mint at Stuff.io.

(3) Weekly marketing content posted on Cryptofluency YouTube channel and X.

(4) Project Page live on Cryptofluency website.

Milestone Outputs:

(1) Completed production of Courses 2 and 3.

(2) Course 2 & 3 Workbooks available for minting on the Stuff.io platform.

(3) Updates logged on the Project Page.

Acceptance Criteria:

Potential learners should be able to sign up for Courses 2 & 3, access the content, and complete it, including Course 2 & 3 Workbooks, all videos, and lesson reviews. Project Page has been updated.

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

(1) Courses 2 & 3 are live on partner platforms.

(2) Course 2 & 3 Workbooks available for mint at Stuff.io.

(3) Weekly marketing content posted on Cryptofluency YouTube channel and X.

(4) Course analytics are viewable on the Project Page.

Milestone Outputs:

(1) Completion of Course 4.

(2) Course 4 Workbook available for minting on the Stuff.io platform.

(3) Production of a marketing video that explains the education process and opportunities to potential learners.

(4) Production of a video outlining the three models and their opportunities. 

Acceptance Criteria:

Potential learners should be able to sign up for Course 4, access it, and complete it, including Course 4 Workbook, all videos, and lesson reviews. Community can access the marketing video and share. Community can track analytics on Project Page and understand how learners are using the three learning models.

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

(1) Course 4 live on partner platforms.

(2) Course 4 Workbook available for mint at Stuff.io.

(3) Weekly marketing content posted on Cryptofluency YouTube channel and X.

(4) Course analytics viewable on the Project Page.

Milestone Outputs:

(1) Marketing materials and ads finalized and actively running.

(2) Targeted marketing effort launched capturing ongoing analytics on audience response.

(3) Follow-up video with LMS partners produced to chronicle learning model outcomes and insights.

Acceptance Criteria:

All four courses live and accepting registration. Strategic marketing plan launched and collecting data available to the public via the Project Page. Follow-up video live on Cryptofluencyio channels.

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

(1) Weekly marketing content posted on Cryptofluency YouTube channel and X.

(2) All project-related marketing and promotional material, videos and course analytics available on the Project Page.

(3) Follow-Up Compilation Video with full team is produced and live on Cryptofluency channels.

(4) Project Page is updated with current data.

(5) Marketing plan strategy is launched and viewable on the Project Page with initial results posted as available.

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

Derek Hopkins: Lead Proposer

Derek Hopkins is the founder of Cryptofluency with proven expertise in the Cardano DeFi space. He has been consistently educating about the Cardano ecosystem for eight years through mentorship, interactive courses, in-person events and online channels. Prior to working in Cardano full time, Derek spent a decade growing multiple businesses in the health and fitness space that offered intensive year-long credentialing programs for professionals. He is passionate about helping people to improve their condition by empowering them through learning.

For this proposal, Derek will design the educational content, ensure quality of materials, and demonstrate the unique elements included in the courses using Cardano instruments. Derek will also serve as liaison to the Cardano community, sharing updates and project milestones via the Cryptofluency channels. He will connect with other team leaders to broaden the reach of the opportunity across CNT protocol communities.

Cryptofluency: https://www.cryptofluency.io/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cryptofluencyio

Twitter: https://x.com/cryptofluencyio

DeFi Series: Cardano DeFi 7-Part Strategy Series

.................................................................

Nadia Hopkins: Co-Proposer

Nadia Hopkins has been active in the Cardano space since 2018. Her career background includes extensive curriculum development and construction of learning frameworks. She currently produces the Cryptofluency YouTube Channel content, Cryptofluency website and graphic collateral. She was the Catalyst Circle V3 Representative in 2022 and has completed two funded Catalyst proposals from Fund 8. The regional Cardano community just elected her to represent the Philadelphia cohort at the Cardano Constitution Convention in Argentina as Philadelphia’s Constitutional Delegate. 

For this project, Nadia will oversee the production of course videos, materials and supplementary content (workbooks, reviews, graphics, learner communications, etc.), maintain the analytics on the Cryptofluency Project Page, and serve as liaison with the platform partners from Stuff.io, Work.Courses, Andamio and Olympus Insights. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiashopkins/

Completed Catalyst Proposals:

Catalyst Global Participation Solution (#800102)

CA/VCA Treasury for Rapid Funding (#800061)

.................................................................

Sheila Dohmann: VP of Marketing, Stuff.io/Book.io

Sheila Dohmann is the Vice President of Marketing for stuff.io (http://stuff.io) and Book.io. She has been active in the Cardano community since 2022. Before full-time in Web3, Sheila had a diverse International sports marketing career that ranged from corporate social responsibility, large event management, analytics, to graphic design. Learning Blockchain in the sports broadcasting space in 2020, Sheila understands how to connect the human side of learning with technical information inside quality-made digital media. 

Sheila’s role in this project will be as liaison to the Stuff.io team and a marketing consultant.

Twitter: https://x.com/Touring_Tiki

Stuff: https://stuff.io/

Book: https://book.io/

.................................................................

Sean Davies: Founder of The Working Dead & Work Courses

Sean Davies is an ambitious developer pushing the limits of education and cross-chain in web3 using Cardano as the core technology under the hood. He was one of the first in the United Kingdom to become a certified cross-platform mobile app developer using Xamarin.Forms. In his career, he has been working commercially leading the development of production-ready mobile applications and websites for almost a decade. He started his career working at an e-learning company building powerful e-learning courses for large brands in the hospitality sector. He has been actively involved in the Cardano community since 2021 and is the creator of Work Courses, an innovative cross-chain, mobile compatible, Learn and Earn platform leveraging both the Cardano and The Working Dead ecosystems. Previous experience as a developer at the prominent Cardano NFT project Ape Society.

Sean will be the liaison to the Work.Courses team, helping to develop and integrate the courses onto the platform to incorporate maximum features for learners.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanworkingdead

Work Courses: https://work.courses/

.................................................................

James Dunseith: Andamio Platform Creator

James Dunseith is a teacher, facilitator, and Cardano developer. As a teacher, James is passionate about student-centered teaching and project-based learning. Before jumping into Cardano full-time, he spent a career in high-school classrooms and at ed-tech startups, designing learning experiences and coaching teachers. James is a co-founder of Gimbalabs and of Andamio.

James will be the consulting liaison to the Andamio team, helping to develop and integrate the courses onto the Andamio platform and uncover novel educational framework ideas.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dunseith-0135651/

Andamio: https://www.andamio.io/

.................................................................

Nathan Barkell: Olympus Insights Platform Founder

Nathan Barkell is the founder of Olympus Insights, dedicated to empowering individuals through education and financial literacy. With over a decade of teaching experience, he has developed numerous lessons on cryptocurrency and finance, aiming to engage the next generation of learners. Through the OLi education platform, Nathan is committed to bridging the financial education gap, integrating innovative technologies like blockchain and Web3 to enhance learning experiences worldwide. His vision is to unlock the full potential of learners, enabling them to take control of their financial futures.

Nathan will be the consulting liaison to the Olympus Insights team, helping to develop and integrate the courses onto the OLi platform and utilize features of the OLi ecosystem to share this knowledge with people around the world.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nate_Olympus

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nathan-barkell/…

Olympus Insights: https://olympusinsights.io

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/olympusinsights

OLi App: https://app.oli4education.io

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

Total Budget Request: ₳85,000

Milestone 1: ₳25,000 (1 Month Labor & Subcontracting ₳20K + Overheads ₳3K + 1 Month Consulting ₳2K)

Milestone 2: ₳24,000 (1 Month Labor & Subcontracting, ₳20K + 1 Month Consulting, ₳2K + Initial Ad Spend, ₳2K)

Milestone 3: ₳24,000 (1 Month Labor & Subcontracting, ₳20K + 1 Month Consulting, ₳2K + Second Ad Spend, ₳2K)

Milestone 4 (Final): ₳12,000 (1 Month Consulting, ₳2K + Remaining Ad Spend, ₳10K)

Conversion Rate:

Our team is making the proposed budget for the Proposal's Funding Allocation at a conservative conversion rate at $0.40 USD per ADA.

PRODUCTION:

Labour & Subcontracting Costs: ₳60,000

This will cover the cost of full-time staff & part-time subcontractor costs for video production, website enhancement, curriculum component completion, workbook writing, and graphic design. 

• ₳100/hour at 30 hours/week, 120/month for Course Filming & Production (₳12,000)
• ₳60/hour at 25 hours/week, 100/month Video Editing & Workbook Composition (₳6,000)
• ₳60/hour at 4 hours/week, 16/month Graphic Design/Materials (₳1,000)
• ₳60/hour at 4 hours/week, 16/month Website Components (₳1,000)

Totals: ₳20,000/month for 3 months course content production = ₳60,000

LMS & Platform Consulting Compensation: ₳8,000

• ₳2,000 for the Andamio Team for platform integration and consulting
• ₳2,000 for the Olympus Insights Team for platform integration and consulting
• ₳2,000 for the Work Courses Team for platform integration and consulting
• ₳2,000 for the Stuff.io Team for platform integration and consulting

Total: ₳2,000 distrubuted evenly across teams each month for the four month project duration = ₳8,000

Overheads: ₳3,000 

• Subscriptions and upgrades to products & tools that provide the online infrastructure (WordPress learning management software, design, security, analytics, and commerce plugins, graphic design & video editing) (₳1,000)
• Additional Computer & External Drive Space dedicated for editing & production (₳1,500)
• Addition of a lavalier microphone & accessories for videos with whiteboard instruction (₳500)

PROMOTION/MARKETING:

Materials & Marketing: ₳14,000 

• Google & Social Media Ads to promote the course to new targeted audiences BOTH inside AND outside the existing Cardano community, and capture analytics (₳12,000)
• Resources related to Digital Marketing materials for ads and promotional materials (₳1,000)
• Printing of marketing and course-related materials for distribution at upcoming Cryptofluency events (₳1,000)

Regarding budget, the fees for staff services are commensurate with industry rate, all requested tools and overhead are necessary for the project. 

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

The cost of the project will produce the following value adds:

1. Adds the potential for increasing the Cardano community’s knowledge about the Cardano DeFi ecosystem. Learners develop a sense of the value of their involvement and a propensity to increase their impact as they learn.
2. Inspires current Cardano community members to deepen their consideration of DeFi risks, rewards and opportunity, which strengthens the ecosystem overall. A community that is well educated about DeFi opportunities and considerations can have a ripple effect on overall growth and production. 
3. Serves Cardano DeFi protocols by highlighting their solid work, exemplary products and decentralized accomplishments. Increased involvement in their instruments will bolster the teams and protocols.
4. Encourages a greater familiarity with Cardano among the broad population of crypto participants. Because Cardano is the chosen blockchain for this content, established crypto enthusiasts in other chain environments will have a fast learning track for our ecosystem and can become quickly acquainted with these different DeFi instruments.
5. Establishes educational content geared at preventing loss through poor decision making and unnecessary or uninformed risk, which reinforces the integrity of our community.
6. Leverages insightful analytics - our course reporting will enable us to speak to the topics and content areas where people feel most confused or have the greatest challenge learning. This will equip our overall community with a better understanding of new users’ learning processes, which increases our collective wisdom.
7. Empowers individuals to get involved in each of these Defi protocols’ Governance proposals so they become more experienced with decentralized governance overall. 
8. Demonstrates three models future educators can replicate to incorporate Cardano's LMS resources to deliver their content. These models and their attributes will be outlined in the close-out report.
9. Introduces the community new and diverse assets, including the Decentralized Encrypted Asset (DEA), and familiarizes them with the use of multiple learning platforms. Empowers the community to own their own stuff through Stuff.io and furthers the idea of sovereignty over owned assets.
10. Engages new community members from outside of the current Cardano ecosystem through targeted marketing that connects them to a learning experience. A positive learning experience endears new members to a community invested in showing others why Cardano is so special.