Nymph - open source social and identity platform

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Hephaestus Cardano

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

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

150000

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

6

[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)

A decentralized social platform will enable public, on-chain messaging and identity building, letting users share content openly, own data, reducing reliance on centralized services

[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.”

N/A

[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

The project will be fully open source under the MIT license, with all code hosted in a public GitHub repository.

[METADATA] Horizons

Identity & Verification

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The solution is a decentralized, on-chain social messaging platform for Cardano called Nymph. It will enable users to post public messages that are fully owned and controlled by them, including the ability to delete them at any time. The system will be composed of three parts: smart contracts for managing messages, a backend to prepare on-chain data for use, and a frontend for displaying the content intuitively.

Nymph will benefit a wide range of groups within the Cardano ecosystem, including emerging projects, developers, governance participants, ADA holders, influencers, and end users. The platform will add transparency, facilitate community interaction, and promote a sense of on-chain identity and accountability, ultimately contributing to a more cohesive and decentralized community experience on Cardano.

The Nymph platform will be built in three core components that together create a seamless user experience for public, on-chain messaging:

Smart Contracts for Messaging:

• The foundation of the platform will be smart contracts that enable users to add, edit and remove messages on-chain.
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• The message structure will include metadata such as timestamps, user references, and message IDs, allowing for thread-like replies and creating a more conversational environment.
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• This public messaging framework will be accessible for other systems and applications, allowing them to read, use, and display these messages appropriately, driving interoperability across the Cardano ecosystem.

Backend Infrastructure:

• The backend system will be designed to fetch on-chain data and process it for various applications, including the frontend and third-party services.
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• Key industry standards will be used to create efficient endpoints such as:
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• Recent Messages: Fetches the most recent posts to keep the conversation current.
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• Threads: Allows for displaying all the replies to specific messages.
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• Messages Per User: Enables filtering messages by specific users, promoting user profiles, identity and their public contributions.

Frontend Interface:

• The frontend will be designed to present on-chain data in a user-friendly manner, focusing on creating an engaging, intuitive experience that mirrors social media interfaces users are already familiar with.
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• It will include features like:
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• User Profiles with on-chain identities, displaying users' public contributions, which helps build credibility.
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• Message Threads to follow conversations seamlessly, incorporating replies and timestamps to create structured discussions.

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

The Nymph platform aims to bring a decentralized social interaction and identity building layer to Cardano, benefiting a wide spectrum of the ecosystem by enabling transparent, public discussions, user-driven content, and on-chain representation. Here's how different groups benefit from this:

Emerging and Established Projects, Developers and Technical Users: The platform provides a decentralized space for project updates, feedback, and collaboration, with on-chain identity adding credibility and traceability to their contributions. This greatly enhances community-driven development and trust-building.

Governance Participants (Catalyst Participants and Voters), DAOs: On-chain identity ensures transparency in governance, allowing discussions, proposals, and votes to be verified and associated with credible participants. This strengthens accountability, improves decision-making, and enables the community to take more informed actions.

ADA Holders and Investors: On-chain identity brings greater visibility and credibility to projects and their developers, helping investors assess who is involved and make more informed decisions. This added level of transparency directly impacts investment confidence and ecosystem growth.

Stake Pool Operators (SPOs): SPOs can establish on-chain identities, which help build trust with delegators, promote pool benefits, and provide verifiable communication. This direct relationship with delegators adds value by increasing transparency and engagement.

Influencers: Verified on-chain identities help influencers gain credibility, ensuring authenticity in their posts and interactions. This is particularly valuable as they communicate with followers without centralized censorship, thereby building stronger trust within the community.

Minters and NFT Collectors: Minters gain credibility by establishing on-chain identities, which helps build trust with collectors. The platform also facilitates verified artist interactions, enhancing visibility and engagement for the NFT community while ensuring authenticity.

End Users and General Public: On-chain identity allows users to establish and build their reputation within the community. It ensures that their interactions and content are tied to a verifiable identity, which strengthens their presence and impact on the platform.

Knowledge Sharing and Education: Educators can share resources and tutorials with the added credibility of on-chain identity, making their content more trusted and accessible to the community. This enhances the educational environment by ensuring that contributors are verifiable.

Cardano Foundation and IOG (Core Entities), Blockchain Explorers and Wallets: Nymph helps gather community feedback and identify trends with contributions tied to on-chain identities, ensuring inputs come from credible participants. This helps guide strategic decisions, improve wallet features, and align community expectations with platform development.

Enterprise and Institutional Users: On-chain identity provides enterprises and institutions transparency into who is engaging with the ecosystem and how. This insight helps in evaluating partnerships, verifying project credibility, and understanding authentic community sentiment, which is crucial for future collaborations.

Service Providers and Off-Chain Integrators: Verified on-chain identities linked to community discussions provide valuable feedback, enabling service providers to adapt offerings more effectively to meet the community’s needs.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Social Impact Projects: On-chain identity tied to transparent initiatives helps NGOs and social projects establish authenticity, ensuring that contributions are genuine and garnering community support.

Regulators and Policymakers: Public discussions tied to on-chain identities offer regulators a deeper insight into who is involved in the ecosystem, providing a more transparent and verifiable understanding of how Cardano operates and allowing for better regulatory assessments.

[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?

The project team possesses the necessary skills and experience to deliver Nymph with high levels of trust, accountability, and technical excellence. With a core team led by a full-stack Cardano developer with 3 years of experience in the Cardano ecosystem, the team is well-versed in the technologies required to develop and deploy smart contracts, manage on-chain interactions, and build scalable decentralized applications. This deep expertise in Plutus and Aiken, combined with a background in web technologies, enables the team to handle both the backend and frontend of the platform effectively.

The team's 5 years of experience in DeFi, TradFi, and FinTech further reinforce its capability to manage decentralized financial applications with a high level of professionalism and technical rigor. This experience ensures that security and scalability are always top priorities, particularly when dealing with user-generated content, on-chain identities, and the handling of sensitive data.

Additionally, with 5 years of expertise in multimedia and media platforms, the team has a proven track record of designing user-friendly interfaces that engage and retain users. This experience is critical for ensuring that Nymph’s frontend is intuitive, accessible, and delivers an exceptional user experience, which will be key to driving platform adoption.

Validating Feasibility:

The approach to building Nymph is grounded in a clear, structured development process that ensures feasibility at every step. The project will follow established best practices for blockchain development, including:

1. Research and Benchmarking: As part of the first milestone, we will conduct in-depth research into existing decentralized social platforms across other blockchains, ensuring that we leverage the most effective solutions and avoid known pitfalls.
2. Prototyping and Testnet Deployments: Early development will focus on creating smart contract prototypes, which will be deployed on the Cardano Testnet. This will allow for iterative testing and validation of the system’s core functionalities, including the ability to add, edit, and remove on-chain messages.
3. Community Feedback and Iteration: We will actively engage with the Cardano community to gather feedback during development. This ensures that Nymph meets user expectations and that any issues or concerns are addressed early in the process.

Trust and Accountability in Managing Funds:

To ensure proper management of funds and demonstrate accountability, we will implement the following steps:

1. Transparent Milestone Delivery: The project is divided into well-defined milestones, each with clearly stated deliverables, acceptance criteria, and evidence of completion. This ensures that funds are only released upon the successful delivery of each milestone, with all outputs publicly available on GitHub.
2. Open-Source Development: All code and documentation will be hosted in a public GitHub repository, ensuring complete transparency in how the project is developed. This open-source approach allows the Cardano community to track progress, review the code, and verify the quality of the work at any stage of the project.
3. Community Reporting and Engagement: Regular updates will be provided through social media and community channels, ensuring continuous communication with stakeholders. Additionally, a Community Engagement Report will document feedback, issues raised, and the actions taken to resolve them, further demonstrating transparency in project development.

By following these steps, the team can deliver the Nymph project with the high levels of trust, accountability, and transparency required to successfully manage and deploy the platform, ensuring both feasibility and responsible use of funds.

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

Research of Similar Projects on Different Blockchains

Outputs: 'Research reports' detailing strengths, weaknesses, and features of existing similar projects on different blockchains. Each 'Research report' contains summary analysis of which features can be applied to the Nymph platform.

Acceptance Criteria: 'Research reports'

1. Completed for at least three existing decentralized social platforms.
2. Contains chapters for
3. Features
4. Strengths
5. Weaknesses
6. Lessons Learned (for Nymph)
7. Any additional chapters that emerge as appropriate during this research milestone
8. Shared publicly in GitHub under MIT licence.

Evidence of Completion: Links to 'Research reports' uploaded to the GitHub repository.

Smart Contracts Development, Testing, and Testnet Deployment

Outputs:

1. Smart contract code for adding, editing, and removing messages, including metadata such as timestamps, users and replies.
2. Unit tests for all functionalities of the smart contracts.
3. Deployment of smart contracts on the Cardano Testnet.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Smart contracts code supports adding, editing, and removing messages.
2. Successful passing of all unit tests for smart contracts.
3. Successful transactions interacting with all features of the smart contracts on Cardano Testnet.

Evidence of Completion:

1. Links to smart contract code uploaded to the GitHub repository and links to each supported functionality within the code.
2. Link to unit test results uploaded to the GitHub repository.
3. Link to the list of Transaction IDs from the Cardano Testnet shared in the GitHub repository.

Backend Development

Outputs:

1. Backend code to fetch on-chain messages.
2. Unit tests for fetching on-chain messages.
3. RESTful API endpoints including:

• Recent messages.
• Fetch replies to a message.
• Fetch messages per user.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Backend code to fetch on-chain messages fetches all messages from smart contracts.
2. Successful passing of all unit tests for fetching on-chain messages.
3. RESTful API endpoints work and include all messages from smart contracts that satisfy criteria.

Evidence of Completion:

1. Link to backend code uploaded to GitHub repository.
2. Link to unit test results uploaded to the GitHub repository.
3. Link to screenshots of API endpoints demonstrated via Postman or curl commands, with results uploaded in GitHub repository.

Frontend Development

Outputs: Minimal but functional web interface to display public on-chain messages.

Supported features:

1. Create a message.
2. Edit message.
3. Remove message.
4. Display all recent messages.
5. User profiles, with all messages from individual users.
6. Message threads.

Acceptance Criteria: Functional web interface allowing users to:

1. Create a message.
2. Edit message.
3. Remove message
4. Display all recent messages.
5. User profiles, with all messages from individual users.
6. Message threads.

Evidence of Completion: Link to the web interface code uploaded to GitHub repository.

Screenshots of features:

1. Create a message.
2. Edit message.
3. Remove message
4. Display all recent messages.
5. User profiles, with all messages from individual users.
6. Message threads.

Community Engagement and Feedback Integration

Outputs: 'Community Engagement Report' detailing:

1. Regular updates posted about the project’s progress on Twitter.
2. Feedback from the community on project updates and the GitHub repository.
3. Identification and assessment of significant issues raised by the community.
4. A summary of updates or fixes implemented based on community feedback.

Acceptance Criteria: 'Community Engagement Report' must include:

1. Social Media Updates: A compilation of all updates made to Twitter and feedback.
2. GitHub Interactions: Records of comments, suggestions, or bug reports from the GitHub repository.
3. Identified Issues: A list of all issues brought up through Twitter and GitHub.
4. Implemented Fixes: Documentation of fixes or feature improvements made to address the issues raised by the community.

Evidence of Completion: Link to the 'Community Engagement Report' uploaded to the GitHub repository contains:

1. Social Media Updates.
2. GitHub Interactions.
3. Identified Issues.
4. Implemented Fixes.

Project Close-out Report and Video

Outputs:

1. Project Close-out Report (2-3 pages) including:
2. Project name, URL, and other required details.
3. Summary of key achievements, key learnings, and next steps.
4. Project Close-out Report (2-3 pages) including:
5. Project name, URL, and other required details.
6. Summary of key achievements, key learnings, and next steps.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Submission of the Project Close-out Report covering all requested sections.
2. Upload of the Project Close-out Video to YouTube or Vimeo.

Evidence of Completion:

1. Close-out Report uploaded to GitHub and the IdeaScale platform.
2. Vimeo video.

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

The project is led by an experienced full-stack Cardano developer with a strong background in blockchain technology and decentralized applications. With 3 years of hands-on experience in the Cardano ecosystem, the team leader has deep expertise in web technologies, the Cardano toolset, including Plutus and Aiken.

In addition to Cardano expertise, the team lead brings 5 years of experience in the DeFi, TradFi, and FinTech sectors. This background provides a strong understanding of financial infrastructures and decentralized finance solutions.

With 5 years of experience in multimedia and media platforms, the team lead also has a deep understanding of user experience design and the creation of engaging interfaces. This skill set ensures that the frontend of Nymph will not only be functional but also intuitive and accessible, enabling users to interact with the platform easily, regardless of their technical background.

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

Milestone 1: Research of Similar Projects on Different Blockchains

Timeline: 1 month

Funding Amount: ADA 15,000

Milestone 2: Smart Contracts Development, Testing, and Testnet Deployment

Timeline: 1 month

Funding Amount: ADA 27,000

Milestone 3: Backend Development

Timeline: 2 month

Funding Amount: ADA 60,000

Milestone 4: Frontend Development

Timeline: 1 month

Funding Amount: ADA 27,000

Milestone 5: Community Engagement and Feedback Integration

Timeline: 1 month

Funding Amount: ADA 15,000

Milestone 6: Project Close-out Report and Video

Timeline: Estimated 1 week

Funding Amount: ADA 6,000

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

The Nymph project represents a strategic, transformative investment for the Cardano ecosystem, addressing a critical gap that limits the network's growth and potential. With Cardano’s emphasis on decentralization, transparency, and self-sovereignty, the lack of a native, on-chain communication platform presents a fundamental shortfall. Nymph is the solution that will bring cohesion, visibility, and engagement directly on-chain—turning Cardano into a more connected and thriving ecosystem.

Today, much of Cardano’s community conversation happens on centralized platforms like Twitter, Reddit, or Discord. This reliance means that critical community discussions, governance proposals, and project interactions are fragmented, non-permanent, and vulnerable to censorship. Nymph will change this by creating a decentralized social layer that lives directly on Cardano, ensuring every conversation is immutable, open, and owned by the users themselves. The value that this platform will bring to Cardano far outweighs the cost.

Why is this an Investment Worth Making?

1. Unlocking the True Potential of Decentralization: Cardano was built with the vision of creating a truly decentralized world. Yet, without a native on-chain social tool, the ecosystem relies on traditional platforms that are anything but decentralized. By investing in Nymph, Cardano will eliminate this dependency, offering a communication solution where users fully control their data, interactions, and identity—true to Cardano's ethos.
2. Building Trust with On-Chain Identity: Trust is the cornerstone of any thriving community, and in blockchain, trust is directly linked to transparency and identity. Nymph will enable users to build on-chain profiles that are verifiable and permanent. This will foster authentic engagement between developers, investors, SPOs, and the broader community. When users know who they are interacting with and can verify contributions transparently on-chain, the entire ecosystem benefits from enhanced credibility and a reduction in bad actors.
3. Unifying Community Voice and Governance: Cardano’s governance is fundamentally community-driven, yet current limitations hinder true community cohesion. Nymph will create a unified platform for governance discussions, public debates, and project updates. This empowers everyone—from ADA holders to SPOs and Catalyst participants—to have their voice heard on-chain without fear of being silenced by third parties. By unifying communication, Nymph turns Cardano’s decentralized governance into a more inclusive, transparent, and effective mechanism.
4. Catalyst for Ecosystem Growth: Other blockchains that have invested in decentralized social platforms have seen significant returns in terms of increased user retention, project visibility, and community activity. For Cardano, Nymph is not just a communication tool—it is a catalyst that will boost user engagement and attract new projects. As developers gain a direct communication channel with users, as SPOs build relationships with delegators, and as new users join to participate in transparent, on-chain discussions, the value of Cardano will grow exponentially.
5. Value Beyond Immediate Utility: The real return on investing in Nymph lies in the long-term benefits it brings to Cardano. By creating an open and public channel for ideas, initiatives, and updates, Nymph will foster innovation, collaboration, and transparency—core values that drive blockchain adoption. The more cohesive and interconnected the community becomes, the more attractive Cardano will be for both users and developers. This ripple effect will lead to greater ADA usage, adoption of dApps, and interest from institutional partners—all built on a foundation of trust and decentralized ownership.

Why is This Worth the Cost?

The budget for Nymph has been meticulously crafted, with each component—from smart contract development to community outreach—designed to maximize impact while minimizing unnecessary spending. The cost is proportional to the value this project will provide:

• Development Costs reflect the specialized nature of building robust, scalable smart contracts and ensuring data integrity on-chain.
• Community Outreach is a deliberate investment because engagement is key to ensuring that the end product meets the community's needs and drives adoption.
• Long-term Open Source Value: Nymph will be released under the MIT license, making it open source and accessible to anyone wishing to build on or extend its features. This means that the initial investment continues to provide value over time, as developers across the Cardano ecosystem can contribute, enhance, and adapt the platform for evolving needs.

For Cardano, Nymph is not just about adding another application—it’s about creating an essential infrastructure layer that enhances user ownership, builds trust, and fosters a cohesive ecosystem. The cost of this project is, in fact, an investment into Cardano’s future, enabling it to fully realize its vision as a truly decentralized, transparent, and self-sovereign platform. The impact of Nymph will ripple through every layer of the ecosystem, making Cardano more robust, connected, and prepared for mass adoption.

In a blockchain world where trust and community engagement are the keys to success, Nymph is the tool that will unlock the next stage of Cardano’s evolution. The money invested today will be returned many times over through increased adoption, greater community satisfaction, and a solid foundation for Cardano’s decentralized future.