Last updated 2 weeks ago
Cardano has accelerators, and venture partners, but no central source of truth on startups, their readiness, funding needs, or talent gaps. Founders struggle to connect with investors and adopters.
We will create the Cardano Startup Intelligence Platform (CSIP) – a lightweight but high‑value data service inspired by Crunchbase, purpose‑built for Cardano.
Please provide your proposal title
Cardano Startup Intelligence Program - STORM Partners
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
59500
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
6
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Cardano has accelerators, and venture partners, but no central source of truth on startups, their readiness, funding needs, or talent gaps. Founders struggle to connect with investors and adopters.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
Warm introductions to accelerators and founders will speed data verification. We can do the initial checks based on websites. No technical integrations are required for the MVP.
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
No
License and Additional Information
Public-facing content will be shared under CC‑BY‑SA 4.0. STORM Partners’ methods and know-how remain confidential. Confidential decks or other information provided by startups will be kept confidential.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Incubator
Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.
We target Cardano-native startups, venture investors, accelerators, and talent. We’ll reach them via direct founder outreach, Catalyst directories, existing Cardano incubators, and warm introductions through STORM Partners’ enterprise network. This matters because Cardano lacks a single hub for startup intelligence, leaving founders underexposed and investors underinformed. By bridging this gap, we accelerate funding, hiring, and adoption, shifting the ecosystem narrative toward commercially successful startups.
Provide a list of key activities of your project?
Index & classify projects by initiative, licence, and commercial model.
Segment commercial projects by verifiable stage and surface key metrics.
Match‑make each project to investors, accelerators, and missing talent.
Ingest pitch decks & give feedback through a gated upload form.
Publish insights through a shareable Airtable / Google‑Sheet directory, monthly PDF digests, and on‑demand curated introductions (human‑in‑the‑loop).
Plan for v2 – (not in scope) collaborate with a Cardano dev shop in a future Catalyst round to productise the service (searchable web app & API).
What are your success metrics?
Outcome: immediate, manually curated value for founders, VCs, accelerators, and talent—without heavy engineering overhead. Success is measured by delivering and sharing lightweight outputs such as a verified startup directory, monthly digests, and curated introductions that demonstrate practical ecosystem impact.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
CSIP is a practical, human‑in‑the‑loop service designed to move Cardano startups from ambiguity to traction. In this first iteration we will take as many teams as we can onboard and go far beyond a directory of "what they do." We will organise each project by (a) startup stage (idea, pre‑seed, seed, TGE, growth/Series), (b) primary client type (enterprise, SMB, consumer, crypto‑native infrastructure), (c) commercial model (SaaS, protocol fees, marketplace take‑rate, professional services, licensing), (d) investor fit (thesis alignment, cheque size, geography), (e) accelerator fit (technical upskilling, GTM/marketing, enterprise sales, token/TGE readiness), and (f) current job openings and missing core roles (BD/networking, product, compliance, growth). This structure allows us to prioritise commercially promising teams while still giving non‑commercial/public‑goods projects a path to resources and collaboration.
The work starts with intake and verification. We will gather information from public sources (Catalyst proposals, websites, GitHub, documentation, social signals) and founder‑submitted forms and pitch decks. A short validation call resolves ambiguities and confirms stage claims with verifiable signals—live users, pilots or LOIs, revenue screenshots, on‑chain activity where applicable. We then apply a clear, explainable tagging and scoring rubric that avoids black‑box “ratings” and instead highlights readiness factors and blockers. Founders receive concise feedback on gaps (for example, "needs enterprise BD lead" or "pricing unclear for SMBs") and can update their record at any time.
Next, we assemble cohorts that make action easy: acceleration cohorts (strategy, GTM, TGE, growth, enterprise adoption) and fundraising cohorts (pre‑seed, crowdfunding, TGE, seed/Series, strategic). For each cohort, we compile warm contacts for relevant investors, accelerators, launchpads, and enterprise partners, and we curate shortlists on request. Introductions are facilitated manually and tracked to completion, with tight feedback loops so the data improves after every conversation. We also capture hiring needs so recruiters and independent operators can find suitable matches quickly, creating an immediate labour‑market benefit.
Outputs are intentionally lightweight and cost‑effective: a shared, read‑only directory (Airtable/Google Sheet) with precise filters; monthly PDF digests that spotlight investable and hire‑ready opportunities; and a human match‑making service that routes founders to the exact investor, accelerator, or enterprise buyer most likely to say yes. We will report tangible outcomes—intros facilitated, offers issued, hires made, pilots launched—and keep these proof points front‑and‑centre to build momentum.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
We’ll be focused on outputs at first–pre-assembled cohorts offered to accelerators, packaged startups that can be shown to crypto VCs, or projects with available positions. As we increase in volume, we’ll have a better understanding of the outcomes that can be driven.
The outcomes compound into network effects that matter in an ecosystem where it is “common knowledge” that startups don’t make money. As more founders see funding and revenue wins, they have a reason to keep their profiles current; as more investors and accelerators close deals through CSIP, they return to it as their default discovery tool; as more jobseekers find roles, talent concentrates around the most promising projects. The shared taxonomy creates a common language for Partnerships, Intersect, Cardano Foundation, accelerators, and VCs to evaluate readiness, remove blockers, and coordinate support. Over time, the running list of verified, revenue‑oriented milestones becomes the evidence base that challenges the old narrative with facts.
The benefit to Cardano is practical and near‑term: faster paths to capital and customers, clearer visibility of commercial traction, better allocation of scarce BD and engineering talent, and a rising bar for execution. By starting scrappy (think Instacart in a parking lot) and focusing on the hardest value—connecting startups directly to what they need to make money—we catalyse wins now while laying clean foundations for a productised v2 with a Cardano dev shop in a future round.
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?
STORM Partners is a Web3 strategy consultancy trusted by leading L1 ecosystems. We’ve supported Cardano’s growth through several Catalyst initiatives, DRep participation, and structured business development campaigns. Our team combines traditional enterprise expertise with proven Web3 execution, helping bridge the gap between Cardano and high-value external partners.
Specifically, we shipped three Catalyst‑funded GTM & BD programs with 100 % milestone acceptance. Our lean data team built the Swiss Blockchain Market Map and a DeFi Protocol Benchmark adopted by tier‑1 funds. We also participated as partners and mentors in both the Venture Hub and CV Labs accelerator programs, including Demo Day prp.
STORM Partners has also been supporting the Intersect Product Committee with direct enterprise outreach and discovery calls. Recent conversations include enterprises/NGOs like Hublot, Maerki Baumann, Vodafone, Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Committee of the Red Cross, among many others. In parallel, we have been collecting insights from emerging Cardano dApps on behalf of the Committee. Early sprints have focused on teams such as Strike Finance, Bodega Market, and Flow, with more to follow as we expand coverage.
In addition, STORM Partners is delivering both an off-chain and an on-chain impact analysis of Project Catalyst fund distribution and performance for selected proposals throughout funds 9 to 12. These funded initiatives are in progress with milestones published and tracked on Catalyst, which shows our capability to produce rigorous reporting and provide valuable data-driven insights for the community. Some case studies include Catalyst proposals from Rare Evo, USDM, MLabs CTL and Plutarch, Socious, and Lido Nation.
Milestone Title
Cross-referenced List
Milestone Outputs
A compiled list of active Cardano projects and teams, gathered through public sources and direct outreach.
Shortlist of Cardano projects and teams.
A concise methodology report documenting the approach.
Acceptance Criteria
The list of Cardano Projects and teams will aggregate information from at minimum CardanoCube, the Project Catalyst Funded Project Database, the Essential Cardano Directory, State of the Ecosystem reports, and any partnerships announced by founding organizations between significant global brands or institutions and Cardano projects or teams. Depending on ease of access and our ability to determine whether the project is live at the source (instead of manually checking), we will cap this list at 500 projects, with a minimum of 300, prioritizing indications of live projects, active teams, and recent news or participation in Cardano programs. A project is defined as a distinct product, module, or offering, even if one team is managing several projects, but not a single feature of a cohesive solution. So, for example, a contact list and a deal dashboard would both be features in a CRM project, but the website and socials builder would be a different project, especially if it could be purchased separately, was worked on by a different team, and accepted third-party data.
A shortlist of projects that have been visibly active in the past 6 months, filtered from the overall list above, and for which there is a clear means of contact. We will cap this shortlist to 100 projects and teams.
A report on the methodology we used to collect the information. This document shall be of at least 5 pages and contain at minimum a section on each of the information sources covering the amount, level of detail, and perceived validity of the data, how we selected the listed projects for both the long and short lists of projects above, and any gaps that would have made the information more useful.
Evidence of Completion
Note: Documents and links will be hosted on a public Notion page. We may additionally consider providing the evidence in other media to facilitate milestone reviewer access, but this shall not be the basis of a milestone rejection unless the reviewer is unable to access the page.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
15000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Initial Outreach
Milestone Outputs
Report on Outreach conducted by our team in support of fleshing out our data on the startups.
Methodology report on the outreach conducted by our team in support of fleshing out our data on the startups
Acceptance Criteria
A report, which is to say a typed document containing information, that will contain at minimum an anonymized list of outreach to at least 50 projects from the shortlist in Milestone 1; a sample outreach template which explains the project, the information we already found on the project, and invites the project team to provide more information or comment; the results of the outreach in terms of teams contacted, responded, commented, and what additional materials were provided. We may, at our discussion, expand beyond 50 projects, in which case we will include that information in the report.
A report that will focus on how the outreach was conducted, and will contain at least a section on each of the methods used (for example, but not prescriptively, Telegram, X, email, or others), the results of each method as a conversion %, and any facilitators in the ecosystem who helped us reach projects if and only if they agree to be mentioned.
Evidence of Completion
A public link to a downloadable .pdf report containing the anonymized outreach results.
A public link to a downloadable .pdf report detailing the outreach methods and outcomes.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
15000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Business Evaluation and Enriched Startup Shortlist
Milestone Outputs
A structured business evaluation taxonomy designed to categorize Cardano projects and teams.
An enriched and expanded shortlist of Cardano startups that integrates additional analysis and data points.
Acceptance Criteria
A report by our team on the fields we selected to categorize the projects and teams in the shortlist. The report will contain at least a section on 5 areas of evaluation: the project or team’s development stage (such as ideation, MVP, post-revenue, growth…), the type of funding they are most likely to receive (angel investor, SAFE, TGE, early VC, Series…), the type of accelerator they would most benefit from (enterpreneur training, product validation, MVP, GTM, TGE…), any job openings or co-founder roles unfilled, and partnerships they might benefit from. For each, we will include a glossary of terms, the criteria for each selection, and why we chose it.
An expanded version of the shortlist from Milestone that incorporates the information we were able to gather from public sources and what was sent to us by the projects. The fields we will use will be as defined in the business evaluation taxonomy.
Evidence of Completion
A public link to a .pdf report containing the business evaluation taxonomy.
A public link to a .pdf report with the enriched shortlist of startups and data points.
Note: Documents and links will be hosted on a public Notion page. We may additionally consider providing the evidence in other media to facilitate milestone reviewer access, but this shall not be the basis of a milestone rejection unless the reviewer is unable to access the page.
Delivery Month
5
Cost
15000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
From Intelligence to Action
Milestone Outputs
Report on Ecosystem Growth Framework & Engagement.
A forward-looking report on the Next Steps for CSIP.
A Closeout Report, prepared in line with Catalyst guidelines.
Closeout Video, in line with Catalyst guidelines.
Acceptance Criteria
A report on how the listed projects and teams could be clustered into cohorts and what support could be provided to them in terms of programs, accelerators, or events that would allow them to move to the next stage of development. There will at a minimum be a section for each of the fields defined in the business evaluation taxonomy. In addition, there will be an outreach summary of partners and organizations in the ecosystem already providing those services in terms of whether this clustering is useful to them, what costs might be associated with providing the support, and any other feedback they would be willing to provide and share with the community (we may have to treat some as confidential).
A report on the next steps for the CSIP, which may include a technical concept for turning the project into an on-chain or off-chain application, how it could continue to be updated and expanded, any business model that might be associated, and any proposals that could be put forward as either a Catalyst grant or a treasury proposal to act on the gaps identified in the Ecosystem Growth Framework and Engagement.
Under the Catalyst guidelines, a report covering the execution of the project, successes and failures, lessons learned, and conclusions that would be useful for the community.
Under the Catalyst guidelines, a short video summary of the closeout report.
Evidence of Completion
A link to a .pdf
A link to a .pdf
A link to a .pdf
A link to a public YouTube video on a Notion page
Note: Documents and links will be hosted on a public Notion page. We may additionally consider providing the evidence in other media to facilitate milestone reviewer access, but this shall not be the basis of a milestone rejection unless the reviewer is unable to access the page.
Delivery Month
6
Cost
14500
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Activities and costs:
Data aggregation and verification – 20,000 ADA. Aggregating from multiple sources such as CardanoCube, Project Catalyst, Essential Cardano, and partnership announcements. Removing duplicates, filtering out inactive projects, and validating activity. Deliverable: 300–500 verified entries. Comparable commercial data validation runs $50–$200 per record; our cost is ~$30 per record.
Outreach to shortlisted projects – 15,000 ADA. Contacting at least 50 projects via Telegram, X, email, or other channels. Documenting methods, conversion rates, and additional materials received. Comparable startup scouting programs budget $5k–$15k to identify 50 viable startups in a niche; we deliver more than double that in one ecosystem.
Business evaluation and categorization – 15,000 ADA. Creating a taxonomy to classify startups by development stage, likely funding type, accelerator fit, open roles, and potential partnerships. Enriching shortlist entries with these structured fields. Professional startup intelligence platforms charge $20k–$60k per year for access to generalized databases without this customization.
Ecosystem growth framework and recommendations – 10,000 ADA. Clustering startups into cohorts, mapping them to suitable programs, identifying support gaps, and providing a roadmap for next steps, including possible on-chain or off-chain applications. Public-sector innovation mapping projects often cost $25k–$50k for baseline data collection; our work includes strategic recommendations on top.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
Overall, this is a low-cost, high-leverage investment compared to commercial and public-sector benchmarks. It delivers verified, categorized, and contactable intelligence on the ecosystem, plus a clear plan for turning that intelligence into growth. If the market is higher than our conservative estimate, it will be easy (and we intend to) increase the number of projects and teams included in the reports.
The greater value will be created when the information in the reports is put to use. Recruitment is a major speedbump and quality impact for accelerators–if startups are already aggregated into cohorts, it will be easier and less costly for accelerators to work within Cardano. Similarly, if a wide view of the ecosystem is available, both STORM Partners and other participants will be able to put together programs around that information that wil benefit the concerned startups and Cardano as a whole.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Sheraz Ahmed – Managing Partner: Ensures client and ecosystem alignment, leads high-level partnership engagements, and handles senior stakeholder communication.
Axel Sabbag - Innovation Manager: Axel runs the corporate innovation program. He is responsible for BD and outreach to enterprises, producing reports on blockchain use cases in different industries, and bringing together the needs of our industry partners to be addressed by ecosystem product teams.
Ellissa Koch - General Manager: Elli is the general manager of our events space, where the meetings and round tables will be held. She coordinates scheduling, media relations, catering, advertising, and event management for the events.
Natchanok Chaiprasit - Strategy & Research Specialist: Natcha is the project manager for the program and will ensure that the project stays on schedule, evidence is collected, and reports are submitted within the Milestone reporting tool.
Darby (D.J.) Bodden - Strategy & Research Director: D.J. has over 20 years of both public and private sector experience. He consults on Enterprise sales and scoping for POCs, POVs, and Pilots to facilitate the successful initiation of projects.