SAIB: Aegis – Secure and Decentralized Staking Solutions for Cardano

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Clark Alesna

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

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

No Additional applicants

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

300000

[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)

ADA staked in retired or oversaturated pools are stagnant. Through automated staking, Aegis ensures continuous rewards and unlocked liquidity – enhancing the health of the Cardano network.

[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

Everything about Aegis will be open source under Apache Open-Source License found in the project repository.

[METADATA] Horizons

Staking

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Aegis is designed to solve the problem of ADA in retired or oversaturated pools through automated stake management. In this process, users will set parameters for their staking preferences, allowing Aegis to select pools accordingly. If the selected pool retires, becomes full, or becomes oversaturated, Aegis will restake their ADA to another preferred, optimal pool. This process ensures continuous staking rewards for the user, while promoting equilibrium in the Cardano ecosystem.

Using smart contracts, Aegis secures the system by ensuring that users retain full control of their assets and ownership of the pool's rewards. To guarantee this, Aegis introduces shielded ADA (sADA) - separating ADA's staking and payment power. This allows users to unlock liquidity without unstaking their ADA. Therefore, users can participate in decentralized finance (DeFi) activities such as trading and liquidity provisioning while their ADA is secured in a smart contract.

Aegis' automated staking process ensures a user's ADA is in an active, productive stake pool. It prevents the common issue of ADA being kept in ineffective pools, enhancing both the user's experience and Cardano's overall network health.

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

Positive Impact on the Cardano Community: 

Aegis will deliver significant improvements to both the staking experience and the overall health of the Cardano network. The project’s key benefits include: 

• Enhanced Staking Efficiency: Through its automated restake feature, Aegis prevents ADA from stagnating in retired, full, or oversaturated pools. It ensures that users' assets remain actively staked, continuously earning rewards, while adhering to their values and preferences. Therefore, Aegis saves its users' time and effort by managing their selected stake pools and searching for new ones when necessary. This contributes to a more balanced distribution of stake across the Cardano network.

• Unlocking Liquidity with sADA: Users receive sADA directly proportional to ADA they stake through Aegis. Separating staking and payment power, Aegis' sADA allows users to unlock liquidity while their ADA remains staked. Therefore, users may particiate in DeFi activities with sADA while retaining their stake rewards through ADA. This feature would increase flexibility and financial opportunities for users, allowing optimal stake management with no sacrifice to financial capability.

• Promoting Network Decentralization: Aegis' automatic restaking improves ADA distribution across stake pools. This reduces the risk of oversaturation and ensures a more even spread of currency and power. By promoting active stake pools, Aegis aims to diversify and balance the Cardano network's stake pools – promoting decentralization and strengthening the network. In turn, this would improve the health and security in the Cardano network, benefiting the entire community.

• Boosting Engagement with the Cardano Ecosystem: With its seamless "set-it-and-forget-it" functionality and integration with DeFi, Aegis encourages greater user participation in the broader Cardano ecosystem. This increased engagement will drive growth in decentralized applications, further enriching the community.

• Long-term Network Stability: By encouraging and maintaining continuous staking participation, Aegis reduces the use of inactive or oversaturated pools. Thus, Aegis helps build a more resilient and sustainable Cardano network. This improves network security, ensuring its long-term health and reliability for all participants.

Overall, Aegis offers a flexible, automated solution that not only enhances individual staking but also contributes to the broader success and decentralization of the Cardano network. 

[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?

With over fifteen (15) years of full-stack development experience across diverse platforms such as cloud, gaming, mobile, and server environments, I can confidently say that my comprehensive and diverse background uniquely qualifies me to lead this initiative. As the founder of SAIB Inc., a company specializing in blockchain technologies, I have successfully spearheaded several innovative projects on the Cardano platform. My collaboration with key entities such as TxPipe, dcSpark, Crashr, Coinecta, Levvy, and the Cardano Foundation highlights my strong understanding and deep commitment to the Cardano ecosystem.   

In addition to my leadership role, I bring hands-on experience as the operator of the ADAPH stake pool, and I have contributed to the development of open-source Cardano tools—further advancing the platform's functionality and accessibility. Our team's successful funding in Project Catalyst's Fund 12 demonstrates our ability to undertake projects with transparency and accountability. This ongoing work further reinforces my commitment to driving innovation within the Cardano ecosystem. For more details, you can learn about our project here: https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Argus 

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

Architecture Design (Month 1)

Objective: Define the comprehensive architecture of the Aegis system, which will include smart contract logic, backend services, and front-end integration points. This architecture should focus on automating stake management, handling shielded ADA (sADA) for liquidity unlocking, and ensuring secure user control over assets and rewards. 

 

Deliverables: 

• Detailed architecture document covering: 
• Smart contract design for automated stake management and sADA. 
• Pool selection and restaking logic. 
• Integration points for Cardano blockchain and DeFi functionalities. 
• Data flow design for handling staking parameters, pool monitoring, and ADA status. 
• Security protocols for asset management, user control, and smart contract execution. 
• Report summarizing design decisions, challenges, and architecture diagrams. 

UI/UX Design (Month 2) 

Objective: Design a user-friendly interface that simplifies stake management and DeFi activities while ensuring users can set and modify staking preferences seamlessly. The UI should be intuitive for monitoring staking status, pool conditions, and DeFi interactions. Additionally, it must be detailed enough to ensure the interface is fully functional and easy to understand, providing users with a smooth and efficient experience that enables them to navigate the platform effortlessly and perform all necessary actions with confidence. 

 

Deliverables: 

• UI wireframes and prototypes for the Aegis dashboard, including: 
• Stake management interface (pool selection, restaking preferences). 
• sADA interface (monitoring staked ADA and DeFi liquidity). 
• Notifications for pool status changes (retirement, oversaturation). 
• User journey maps highlighting key interactions. 

Smart Contract Development (Month 3) 

Objective: Develop and deploy smart contracts that automate stake management and shielded ADA (sADA) functionalities. These contracts will handle automated restaking, user-defined staking preferences, and unlocking liquidity while ADA remains staked. 

 

Deliverables: 

• Smart contract code implementing: 
• Automated pool monitoring and restaking mechanisms. 
• User-defined staking parameters and preferences. 
• Shielded ADA (sADA) for staking and liquidity separation. 
• Implement the logic of storing and releasing of staked ADA within smart contracts, ensuring secure handling of users’ assets. 
• Smart contract tests ensuring functionality, security, and performance. 
• Deployment of contracts on the Cardano testnet for initial validation. 
• Documentation detailing contract functions, logic, and usage guidelines. 

Backend Indexer & API Development (Month 4) 

Objective: Develop the backend services that will handle indexing of pool data, managing user preferences, and providing APIs for the frontend to interact with the smart contracts. This backend will also ensure real-time monitoring of pool status and secure API endpoints for DeFi activities. 

 

Deliverables: 

• Indexer for tracking pool status (retired, oversaturated, etc.) in real-time. 
• APIs for: 
• Retrieving pool data and monitoring ADA staking conditions. 
• Communicating with smart contracts for restaking and sADA functionalities. 
• Backend deployment on testnet and initial performance tests. 

Frontend Development (Month 5) 

Objective: Develop the frontend platform where users will interact with Aegis. The frontend will connect with the backend APIs to display real-time data, allowing users to seamlessly utilize the major features of Aegis: managing staked ADA, setting staking preferences, receiving sADA, and participating in DeFi activities without sacrificing staking rewards. 

 

Deliverables: 

• Frontend application featuring: 
• Dashboard for staking management (viewing status, setting preferences). 
• Real-time updates on pool conditions (retirement, saturation). 
• Integration with smart contracts via backend APIs. 
• Usability testing and refinement based on user feedback. 

Release (Month 6)

Objective: Launch Aegis for public use, enabling users to manage their ADA stakes automatically and participate in DeFi activities without unstaking their assets. This includes the deployment of smart contracts and the Aegis platform on the mainnet. 

 

Deliverables: 

• Full deployment of Aegis smart contracts on the Cardano mainnet. 
• Public release of the Aegis platform with documentation. 
• Community launch events (e.g. webinars, Q&A) to introduce users to the platform. 
• Final report summarizing the project lifecycle, including key milestones, challenges, and future development plans. 

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

Team Lead:  

• Clark Alesna - https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkalesna/

Backend Engineer:  

• Christian Benedict Gantuangco - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christan-gantuangco/ 
• Reza Jhay Lacanlale - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reza-jhay-lacanlale-6b8b62107/ 
• John Quinnvic Taboada - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-quinnvic-taboada-8801b9275/ 
• Wendell Mor Tamayo - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendell-mor-tamayo-41388b298/ 
• Rico Miles Quiblat - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rico-miles-quiblat-34a6b7298/
• Jonh Alexis Buot - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laplace-xd/

Frontend Engineer:  

• Stan Kiefer Gallego - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiefer-gallego/ 
• Kathea Mari Mayol - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathea-mayol/ 
• Caitlin Mariel Lindsay - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-mariel-lindsay-7341a3323/ 
• Ivanne Bayer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanne-bayer-a23b30302/ 

Marketing and Quality:  

• Melissa Naomi Legara - https://www.linkedin.com/in/misai-legara/ 
• Bern Villacura - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbiebern/

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

The project's cost breakdown ensures value for the Cardano ecosystem by focusing on key areas:

Design UI/UX (50,000 ADA): This covers the creation of a user-friendly interface and experience for Aegis, making it intuitive and visually appealing for users to manage their staking preferences and interactions.

Smart Contract Development – 1 Developer (100,000 ADA): This budget ensures that one skilled developer creates the smart contracts needed to automate staking and secure assets, including implementing shielded ADA (sADA) functionality for liquidity.

Indexer and API Development – 2 Developers (100,000 ADA): Two developers will focus on building the infrastructure needed to track pool statuses, handle data, and enable the automation and integration of Aegis with other services in the ecosystem.

Frontend Development (50,000 ADA): This amount funds the development of a smooth, responsive user interface that integrates the design and ensures seamless interaction for users across devices.

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

The costs of this project have been carefully structured to ensure they represent strong value for money for the Cardano ecosystem, while delivering high-quality results. Here’s a breakdown of how the costs were determined and why they are justified:

1.Design – 50,000 ADA 

The 50,000 ADA for design ensures a user-friendly interface that simplifies Aegis' automated staking process. A well-designed UI makes it easy for users to set staking preferences and navigate the system, increasing adoption and enhancing user experience. This investment is crucial for attracting users and improving the Cardano ecosystem. 

2. Smart Contract Development – 100,000 ADA (1 Developer) 

With 100,000 ADA for smart contract development, Aegis ensures secure and efficient automated staking and sADA functionality. A skilled developer creates contracts that protect user assets and allow for DeFi liquidity while maintaining control of staked ADA, enhancing security and innovation in the Cardano ecosystem. 

3. Indexer and API Development – 100,000 ADA (2 Developers) 

The 100,000 ADA for indexer and API development ensures Aegis can track pool statuses and automate restaking efficiently. Reliable infrastructure allows for smooth staking management, improving both the user experience and Cardano’s network performance. 

4. Frontend Development – 50,000 ADA 

The 50,000 ADA for frontend development brings the design to life, creating a responsive and intuitive interface. A smooth frontend allows users to easily manage staking and monitor their assets, driving engagement and contributing to Aegis' adoption within the Cardano ecosystem.