Rare Rewards: Cardano Native Asset Loyalty Points & NFT Ticketing Platform - Powered by Rare Network / Rare Evo

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Wes Parkinson - Rare Network

[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)

Rare Network will build a loyalty points rewards protocol and NFT ticketing platform, allowing users making product purchases in fiat/crypto, to earn rewards back in Cardano native assets.

[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?

No

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

This project will not be open source. Initially the rewards platform/protocol will be rolled out exclusively on our website https://rareevo.io for any e-commerce product purchases, such as tickets, merch, and premium content. However, we do intend to allow other e-commerce vendors to utilize the protocol in an effort to push for onboarding new Cardano users on-chain. The NFT minting and claiming service will be piloted at Rare Evo 2025 and eventually provided to other event hosts.

[METADATA] Horizons

E-commerce

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The proposed solution involves the development of an unprecedented loyalty points protocol built on Cardano designed to reward customers for their purchases (both fiat and crypto). Upon execution of an e-commerce store sales transaction, Cardano native assets for every dollar spent, will be sent to the customers wallet rewarding them for their loyalty.

The tokens which ultimately act as the loyalty points, are flexible, allowing for the vendor to select whichever token is sent back to the customers wallet upon purchase for reward, whether it be tokens or NFTs.

Loyalty point multipliers can be applied dependent on a variety of factors, such as which NFTs exist in the wallet prior to purchase or which stake pool the customer's $ADA is staked to. The more loyal the user to the vendor, the more points are likely rewarded upon purchase.

Additionally, the platform will include an NFT ticketing minting and claiming service, which integrates with the loyalty points protocol. However, the loyalty points protocol is intended to be used in both web2 and web3 e-commerce settings for purposes not limited to just ticketing.

The NFT ticketing minting service will allow event attendees to mint their conference tickets. Tickets can then be claimed in order for attendees to retrieve their QR code in association with the NFT. From there, the user will register their info. The NFT metadata and the artwork will then be updated and flagged as a claimed status to avoid secondary sales clash.

During this project the Rare team plans to use the latest cutting edge Cardano technology, such as Hydra and incorporating Midnight as well.

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

The successful implementation of this project will have a significant positive impact on the wider Cardano community. By introducing a pioneering loyalty points program that integrates Cardano technology, Rare Network will onboard both web2 and web3 e-commerce vendors, ultimately bringing their customer base on chain. The same approach will be used for the NFT ticketing minting/claiming service -- allowing both web3 and traditional events to adopt this technology, improving their overall user experience and customer loyalty.

Furthermore, the project will serve as a catalyst for community engagement, fostering greater interest in Cardano technology among e-commerce vendors, online shoppers, and event organizers/attendees.

Ultimately, a Cardano-based loyalty points protocol has the ability to bring a massive amount of new on-chain transactions, with a potential to bring new users, wallets, and liquidity in the millions, once provided to vendors who are outside of the Cardano core user demographic.

[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?

Rare Network possesses extensive experience in web3 technologies, blockchain events, and media production, providing a solid foundation of skillsets for the successful delivery of this project.

To ensure high levels of trust and accountability, Rare Network will employ rigorous testing methodologies, gather user feedback, and continuously iterate on the app's features based on real-world usage. Feasibility will be validated through comprehensive market research, technical feasibility assessments, and collaboration with key stakeholders within the Cardano ecosystem.

The team has already successfully integrated NFT ticketing for Rare Evo 2024 by creating the Rare Perks - Rare Evo 2024 Collection. This offered the Rare Evo community to purchase GA or VIP NFT tickets for an exclusive time to gain added perks at the conference held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, NV.

With NFT technology, the team was able to introduce gamification, such as GA tickets having a 10% chance of added luck, with the possibility to win a free upgrade to VIP. While VIPs came with randomized tiers and metadata offering added Vegas experiences alongside the ticket for entry, such as night club access, a free Vegas buffet, an all-you-can-drink Ferris wheel, casino money, and/or a Vegas show ticket. The most rare VIP ticket tier known as the VIP High Roller, comes with all the Vegas experiences. VIP ticket holders will be placed in a raffle with additional giveaways, along with introducing an optional burn mechanism.

More information on the collection can be found at: https://rareevo.io/rareperks or https://www.jpg.store/collection/rareperksrareevo2024collection.

The NFT collection was a success, allowing us to prove our ability to complete a web3 events tech rollout. Since the mint, we have introduced wallet connect on our homepage allowing for users to have the ability to link their web2 account to their wallet, an exclusive holder merch catalog, and access to VIP holder forms to sign up for additional sporadic giveaways (such as free tickets to other conferences like Consensus 2024 in Austin, TX).

For our past NFT projects, we utilized certain areas of technology from other amazing tech partners treating the experimental POC more like leggo blocks/modules, rather than a cohesive all-in-one platform in order to ship in time for Rare Evo 2024. However, we quickly realized that we didn't have the agility necessary to evolve the solution quick enough to our full needs through enhancements, while not being in control of certain key components of the overall solution. In turn, leading us to decide that for 2025's ticketing, we would develop an in-house solution, from the ground up, in order to grow at the pace which is necessary to stay on the cutting edge of innovation. This will allow us to implement enhancements/fixes based on the needs of a real-world event production company, with real conference goer feedback for the sole focus/purpose of loyalty points and NFT ticketing (web3 events tech first and foremost, then e-commerce vendors worldwide), rather than a solution where pieces of the tech stack are intended for multiple across industry broader use cases.

Rare Network has a trusted reputation inside and outside of the Cardano community as well as the Project Catalyst ecosystem. Please view our past closeout video submissions in prior fund categories to better understand our level of professional production, consistent fair use of funds, and proven track record of executing to completion for the mutual benefit of the Cardano blockchain and our ever-growing Cardano originated business (Rare Network started off as RARE stake pool over 3 years ago -- more proof of our technical abilities):

Paris Blockchain Week - Rare Social: A Cardano Side Event & Vlog (322k views on X!):

https://youtu.be/QTJ_3HbcUXQ?si=DimjOAaJaw6rHJvA

Token2049 Dubai - Rare Social: A Cardano Side Event & Barcelona Fund 12 Launch Working Group (an impactful event produced by Rare Network) with Vlog:

https://youtu.be/csP2Uz_Qm7o?si=fvFCZG7eZdKuPnWi

Rare Bloom - A Cardano Community Event 2022: Mainstage & Live Stream Production:

https://youtu.be/TtIe1O43LYA?si=my1deN0GbaBDFK-Q

Can't get enough? Check out the recap of our past two annual conferences! The largest Cardano originated event in North America!

2023 Highlights of Rare Evo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6jw33X21Mc

2022 Highlights of Rare Bloom Promoting Rare Evo 2023:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzsTOZ0FVlU

You can find more of our media, including project interviews, on our YouTube!

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

Complete product design documentation, budget, and project plan.

A: Milestone outputs:

• 1x written product design overview with concept UI visuals
• 1x budget breakdown in a spreadsheet
• 1x project plan in spreadsheet

B: Acceptance criteria:

• The combination of the above documents will give users an insight to the overall product vision, deliverables, budget, and project timeline.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Providing the documentation in an organized fashion via Google Drive.

Provide a summary of progress during the 1st phase of the development cycle of the product.

A: Milestone outputs:

• 1x written progress report.
• 1x video presentation of the project team sharing the updates from the written summary.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• The combination of a written and verbal report will provide an update on where we stand in the product development cycle.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Providing the documentation and video in an organized fashion via Google Drive.

Provide a summary of progress during the 2nd phase of the development cycle of the product.

A: Milestone outputs:

• 1x written progress report.
• 1x video presentation of the project team sharing the updates from the written summary.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• The combination of a written and verbal report will provide an update on where we stand in the product development cycle.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Providing the documentation and video in an organized fashion via Google Drive.

Provide a summary of progress during the 3rd phase of the development cycle of the product. Additionally, including a live demo of the existing functionality.

A: Milestone outputs:

• 1x written progress report.
• 1x video presentation of the project team demonstrating what has been built thus far.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• The combination of a written and verbal report will provide an update on where we stand in the product development cycle.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Providing the documentation and video in an organized fashion via Google Drive.

Provide a summary of progress during the final phase of the development cycle of the product. Additionally, including a live demo of the loyalty points and ticket mint.

A: Milestone outputs:

• 1x written progress report.
• 1x video presentation of the project team demonstrating the web3 loyalty rewards points protocol and NFT ticketing minting service.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• The combination of a written and verbal report will provide an update on where we stand in the product development cycle, while showcasing feature functionality from the live technical demo.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Providing the documentation and video in an organized fashion via Google Drive.

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

Rare Network Leadership Team:

WES PARKINSON (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-parkinson-8591526a/ or https://twitter.com/RareEvo)

Co-Founder of Rare Network, Wes has 13 years of global software sales and services experience within the Content Services industry. Wes created the RARE stake pool with Rand in 2020. Wes has a bachelor’s degree in Information and Telecommunication Systems with a minor in Business and Marketing.

RAND MCHENRY (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rand-mchenry-126b25145/ or https://twitter.com/RandCorp_eth)

Co-Founder of Rare Network, Rand has 15 years experience creating live events and has been working in the crypto space for 7 years. Rand was an award winning pioneer in the cannabis industry. Additionally, he was a Sales Director for a $40M annual revenue logistics company. He is the one full-time employee at Rare Network.

EVAN FISCHER (https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-fischer-01a9a6113/)

Core member of the Rare Evo team, Evan heads business operations at Rare Network, with 10 years experience in live events production and co-founder of Lucid Investments with a focus in Web3 gaming.

The Rare Network team also consists of members, Vincent, Kevin, and Shafiq, who are the co-founders of VCD Studio, the media and development wing of the organization.

Vicario Communications & Design Studio (aka VCD Studio) is an international software development, video production and marketing specialized firm. Since 2013, the company's focus has been on increasing business efficiency through robust software integration and marketing strategy. This well rounded focus and experience ensures a positive user experience and project viability.

Regarding software, the team has developed the RareEvo.io Wallet Connect, RareEvo.io Website, E-Commerce Website Platforms, Event QR Ticketing Platforms, Rental Equipment Software, Inventory Management Systems (IMS), Customer Relation Management (CRM), API Database Integrations i.e. Shipping Label Propagation and much more.

Regarding video production and marketing, the team specializes in video advertising, interviews, short and long form content, Pay Per Click (PPC) and digital and print graphic creation.

VCD Studio is owned and operated by Vincent Vicario, Kevin Vicario and Shafiq Pasha. This core team has a combined experience of more than 75 years in computer technology. The team is continually committed to pushing the boundaries of all things digital.

Vincent Vicario is an entrepreneur, owner/partner and President of Vicario Communications & Design Studio, an international software development, video production and marketing specialized firm. 

Vincent has a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from University of Cincinnati, and an impressive knowledge and experience in front end/back software development, video production/editing and digital advertising. Vincent uses his skills to produce user friendly and robust software integrations and other digital interactions. 

Kevin Vicario is an entrepreneur, owner/partner and Creative Director of Vicario Communications & Design Studio, an international software development, video production and marketing specialized firm. 

Armed with a Bachelor's degree in Strategic Communications from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a specialized focus on marketing and journalism, Kevin uses his skills in crafting compelling narratives to provide impactful digital and physical marketing strategies and software.

Shafiq Pasha is owner/partner and Technology Director of Vicario Communications & Design Studio, an international software development, video production and marketing specialized firm. 

Shafiq has his Master of Computer Applications - MCA focused in Computer Software Engineering from Al-Ameen Institute of Information Science, and manages a team of software developers for VCD Studio’s entity in India. He has a significant amount of experience in front end/back software development. Shafiq is skilled in LARAVEL Frameworks, SQL, PHP, also Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET), C, and C++ and uses his knowledge to coordinate the production of robust and quality software integrations.

Rare Network Core Team:

LIAM WORSDELL (https://twitter.com/LetsTalkWerz)

As the Creative Director at Rare Network and entrepreneur in web2 with a background in property development, Liam brings a unique perspective to his role. Prior to his current position in real estate, he was a travel vlogger, proficient in producing and editing media content. Now, as the Creative Director at Rare Network, he is tasked with leading and creating all aspects of content and social media. Liam's responsibilities include crafting strategies and implementing creative solutions to drive engagement and brand growth. He finds joy in meeting new people and contributing to the growth of Cardano's remarkable individuals within its ecosystem.

NATHAN MANTIA (https://twitter.com/D3vryn)

Nathan is Rare Network's Cardano account manager and content coordinator. With over 2 decades in hospitality management, Nathan is a seasoned professional known for crafting exceptional guest experiences. He's been immersed in blockchain technology, particularly the Cardano ecosystem, for the past 8 years. He has a bachelor's degree in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. 

CLAIRE PARKINSON (https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-parkinson-120940284/)

As the customer relations lead at Rare Network, Claire helps onboard our exhibitors and sponsors to our main conference and produced side events. Additionally, she assists in content coordination, partner relations, and vendor communication. Claire has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati and has invested in crypto since 2019. Prior to her work at Rare Network, Claire built her decade long career as a professional child caregiver raising the next generation, a teacher, and also has past sales experience.

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

1. Research and Planning: This phase involves market research, defining features, creating wireframes, and developing a project plan. Cost: $5,000.
2. Design: Designing the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) including app screens, icons, and branding. Cost: $40,000.
3. Development: Building the app, including frontend and backend development, database setup, APIs, and integrations. Cost: $100,000 depending on complexity.
4. Testing: Quality assurance and testing across multiple devices and platforms to ensure the app functions correctly. Cost: $20,000
5. Deployment: Cost: $2,000.
6. Maintenance and Support: Ongoing updates, bug fixes, and technical support post-launch. Cost: $15,000
7. Marketing: $3,000

Above costs are in USD.

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

The proposed investment of 500,000 $ADA represents excellent value for the Cardano ecosystem. By kickstarting the development of a groundbreaking loyalty points protocol and NFT ticketing minting service, addressing a significant market need. While enhancing user experiences at Cardano events and e-commerce storefronts (eventually expanding to general conferences/side parties/working groups outside of Rare Evo), the platform will showcase the capabilities of Cardano technology within real-world applications. Furthermore, the long-term benefits of fostering community engagement, promoting adoption, and attracting new users to the Cardano ecosystem far outweigh the initial funding requested. A loyalty points program has the capability of massively increasing the amount of on-chain Cardano transactions and wallet creations per year.