ECC Founder Hub – Continuation of European Cardano Community

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

ECC Founder Hub – Continuation of European Cardano Community

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

60000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

6

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Not every founder is VC-ready, and not every project wants institutional VC. Boutique and SME teams still need room to grow. They are too often missing from marketing proposals and incubator programs.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://github.com/eucardano/operations-framework/blob/main/reports/f11/FiresideChats.md
,
• https://github.com/eucardano/operations-framework/blob/main/reports/f11/X-Spaces.md
,
• https://github.com/eucardano/operations-framework/tree/main/blueprints/Founders
,
• https://github.com/eucardano/brandassets/blob/main/templates/NFTweekend.md
,
• https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9x42YZBMQo8Ya55YWEveL2ct03i7eX_q&si=pCLc6o-CUJzIKdBE

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

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

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

(1) Discord (Community communication), (2) Zoom (Fireside Chats), (3) X (Spaces), (4) GitHub (Documentation, Output), (5) Promo Facie (Amplyfier of CNFT Engagement)

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

All project outputs will be made available as open source under the GNU license. Like the Apache or MIT license, it requires documentation and referencing of our original documents. GNU enforces subsequent open-sourcing of our blueprints. The code, blueprints, and resources will be accessible through our publicly available GitHub repository, ensuring transparency and community-driven contributions throughout the project's lifecycle.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Connected Community

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.

Our primary audience spans first-time founders to seasoned SMEs. We invite builders genuinely motivated to help one another progress.

Our Founder Tips series is currently unmatched in Cardano.

Some founders use their real names first time in our Chats – crossing the pseudonym to public identity bridge – building trust that compounds.

We also connect CNFT projects + enthusiasts via our NFTweekend. A strict founder-and-business focus sets us apart. No politics.

This gives teams the headspace to grow viable SMEs on Cardano, strengthing a pipeline of credible projects + reducing founder churn

Provide a list of key activities of your project?

As an open space, we use funds to drive engagement for SME projects through new connections, meaningful conversations, and knowledge sharing.

1. Fireside Chats: feature and connect founders on blockchain, crypto, and business development (recordings can be reused by projects).
2. X Spaces: focused sessions on go-to-market, marketing, and growth.
3. NFTweekend: spotlight CNFT projects through hands-on engagement, collect and distribute Cardano assets to the community.
4. NFTpurchase CNFTs for giveaways, selected via community votes on X.

What are your success metrics?

Acceptance criteria map directly to the activities:

1. Founders featured in Fireside Chats (count; teams).
2. Founders featured in X Spaces (count; teams).
3. CNFT projects supported via NFTweekend (count; projects).
4. NFTs distributed via NFTweekend (count; on-chain trackable).

Secondary metrics: social growth across X, Bluesky, and Discord.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Investors recognize flagship initiatives, mini-unicorns, and projects closely tied to the Cardano Foundation or IOG to signal growth and liquidity.

And while that reflects broader market dynamics, we focus on what builds structural resilience in stable economies: SMEs and boutique businesses.

In the Cardano ecosystem, we pioneered structured, professional online meetings for founders – and we still have more to give.

Over time, we have seen elements of these formats adopted by larger organizations that emphasize unicorn narratives and institutional events.

Which we view as quiet validation of our approach – even as our independent stance without formal affiliation can at times limit visibility.

Fireside Chats:

We evolved the standard town hall and interview format into a fortnightly, structured, 60-minute Zoom session with 2–3 panelists.

Panelists briefly introduce their businesses and then move into a facilitated conversation on blockchain, crypto, and business development.

The events are open to everyone, and recordings are published on YouTube where they can be reused by projects.

X Spaces:

Similar to the Fireside Chats, but sessions are focused on go-to-market, marketing, and growth.

• Late Night Unicorns (Sunday nights): 60-minute spotlight on the journey of a single project.
• Unternehmerfrühstück ("Entrepreneurial Breakfast") (Wednesday mornings): open 30-minute feedback loop for German-speaking founders.

NFTweekend:

A spotlight for CNFT projects through hands-on engagement on X.

Runs Friday to Tuesday.

Projects can send NFTs to our wallet; winners pick one NFT from that wallet.

Participants follow the widely adopted routine: tag favorite projects + three friends.

We collect the data and approach the tagged NFT projects to send NFTs to our distribution wallet.

Projects receive shout-outs when their NFTs are sent or picked by the community.

New: with an allocated budget, we will purchase CNFTs for giveaways—selected via community votes on X.

Translation of Blueprints:

We will allocate a dedicated budget to translate the Founder Blueprints into multiple languages, making them accessible to a broader, international founder community.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

We build trust within the founder community and provide direct, honest, and constructive feedback. This creates the environment early founders need to thrive and encourages established founders to be generous with new peers. Our approach shows that the ecosystem is more than governance, a few unicorns, and profile pictures. It positions SMEs as a core pillar of the convergence of Web2 and Web3, with NFT projects showcasing the power of Cardano’s capabilities.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & 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?

We have already delivered open-source projects for the Cardano community funded by Project Catalyst votes. All results are publicly and transparently documented on GitHub, Google Docs, and social media. Our internal workspace on Discord is available to the community as a read-only channel. We have already extended our work beyond funding, lowering our reward expectations through the prolonged bear-market while maintaining accountable to our deliverables.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Month 1 - 2

Milestone Outputs

• Public roadmap
• ECC Fireside Chats planned, executed, and published
• X-Spaces held and recorded
• Translated content of Founders' Blueprint
• Planning and execution of giveaways (merch + NFT)
• KPI tracking file and goals until End of Milestone

Acceptance Criteria

• GitHub documentation is available
• ECC Fireside Chats took place and the recording is available on YouTube
• X-spaces in different European languages were hosted and recorded
• Founders Blueprint content is publicly available on GitHub
• Merchandise and digital assets (e.g. NFT books, NFT music) were crafted, obtained, and partly distributed
• NOTE: Team Members are excluded from the distributions.
• The report of the Milestone was submitted and made publicly available to the Cardano Community (via Discord and X)

Evidence of Completion

• Link to public roadmap
• Links to the YouTube recordings
• Links to the X-spaces hosted and recorded
• Link to Blueprint-papers
• Statement of transactions
• Public reports summarizing merchandise, digital assets, and give-aways
• Statement of receiving addresses of the winners
• close-out video

Delivery Month

2

Cost

20000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Month 3 - 4

Milestone Outputs

• ECC Fireside Chats planned, executed, and published
• X-Spaces held and recorded
• Translated content of Founders' Blueprint
• Planning and execution of giveaways (merch + NFT)
• KPI tracking file and goals until End of Milestone

Acceptance Criteria

• GitHub documentation is available
• ECC Fireside Chats took place and the recording is available on YouTube
• X-spaces in different European languages were hosted and recorded
• Founders Blueprint content is publicly available on GitHub
• Merchandise and digital assets (e.g. NFT books, NFT music) were crafted, obtained, and partly distributed
• NOTE: Team Members are excluded from the distributions.
• The report of the Milestone was submitted and made publicly available to the Cardano Community (via Discord and X)

Evidence of Completion

• Links to the YouTube recordings
• Links to the X-spaces hosted and recorded
• Link to Blueprint-papers
• Statement of transactions
• Public reports summarizing merchandise, digital assets, and give-aways
• Statement of receiving addresses of the winners

Delivery Month

4

Cost

20000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Month 5

Milestone Outputs

• ECC Fireside Chats planned, executed, and published
• X-Spaces held and recorded
• Translated content of Founders' Blueprint
• Planning and execution of giveaways (merch + NFT)
• KPI tracking file and goals until End of Milestone

Acceptance Criteria

• GitHub documentation is available
• ECC Fireside Chats took place and the recording is available on YouTube
• X-spaces in different European languages were hosted and recorded
• Founders Blueprint content is publicly available on GitHub
• Merchandise and digital assets (e.g. NFT books, NFT music) were crafted, obtained, and partly distributed
• NOTE: Team Members are excluded from the distributions.
• The report of the Milestone was submitted and made publicly available to the Cardano Community (via Discord and X)

Evidence of Completion

• Links to the YouTube recordings
• Links to the X-spaces hosted and recorded
• Link to Blueprint-papers
• Statement of transactions
• Public reports summarizing merchandise, digital assets, and give-aways
• Statement of receiving addresses of the winners

Delivery Month

5

Cost

10000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Month 6 - Close out

Milestone Outputs

• ECC Fireside Chats planned, executed, and published
• X-Spaces held and recorded
• Translated content of Founders' Blueprint
• Planning and execution of giveaways (merch + NFT)
• KPI tracking file and goals until End of Milestone
• Close-out

Acceptance Criteria

• GitHub documentation is available
• Final closeout report is publicly available
• Final closeout video is publicly available
• ECC Fireside Chats took place and the recording is available on YouTube
• X-spaces in different European languages were hosted and recorded
• Founders Blueprint content is publicly available on GitHub
• Merchandise and digital assets (e.g. NFT books, NFT music) were crafted, obtained, and partly distributed
• NOTE: Team Members are excluded from the distributions.
• The report of the Milestone was submitted and made publicly available to the Cardano Community (via Discord and X)

Evidence of Completion

• Link to final closeout report
• Link to final closeout video
• Links to the YouTube recordings
• Links to the X-spaces hosted and recorded
• Link to Blueprint-papers
• Statement of transactions
• Public reports summarizing merchandise, digital assets, and give-aways
• Statement of receiving addresses of the winners

Delivery Month

6

Cost

10000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Our budget is lean and tied directly to measurable activities: Fireside Chats, X Spaces, NFTweekend, and Blueprint translations. Operations cover only core hosting, documentation, and outreach.

In our first month we will add CNTools and Farmbot to our stack, which temporarily increases the spending. The budget for X Spaces is primarily allocated for growth. If no new hosts are added, funds may be reallocated to translations or essential operations to ensure continued delivery.

NFTweekend purchases are community-voted and transparently tracked on-chain. This ensures frugal use of funds, high reusability of outputs, and full accountability.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

SME focus, real economy effects:

Support is directed to boutique teams and SMEs that are often overlooked by flagship initiatives. This improves founder retention and grows a credible pipeline for Cardano.

Extended value for the Cardano-ecosystem:

With a modest Catalyst grant, we maintain one of the few community-led programs dedicated to SMEs and boutique founders.

This strengthens the pipeline of credible projects, reduces churn, and demonstrates real-world applications of Cardano – a high return compared to the investment requested

Our proposal offers high leverage at low cost:

A small budget sustains activities that have already proven impact across multiple funded Catalyst rounds.

Low infrastructure costs:

Apart from Zoom and X, we use free tools (Discord, YouTube) and publish results transparently as open-source on GitHub and social media.

Reusable outputs – high reuse per ADA:

Recordings and materials can be repurposed by projects for marketing, fundraising, and hiring.

Open and auditable:

All outputs are public on GitHub, Google Docs and social media. The distribution wallet for NFTweekend is trackable on chain. Our Discord workdesk is open to read to the community.

Community reach:

Fireside Chats, X Spaces, NFTweekend, and Blueprints connect founders, SMEs, and CNFT projects with audiences across Europe and beyond.

Community leverage.

A significant share of NFTweekend giveaways comes from community donations. The allocated purchase budget is guided by open community votes on X, which aligns incentives and reduces waste.

Volunteer effort:

We have already extended our work beyond funding, lowering our own reward expectations during the prolonged bear market while keeping all deliverables on track.

Unique trust-building:

Our formats encourage founders – often pseudonymous in Web3 – to go on-record with their real names, building credibility that compounds across the ecosystem.

Evidence of delivery:

We have already delivered Catalyst-funded, open-source work and maintained activity beyond grant periods. The same team, formats and channels are in place, which reduces execution risk.

Sustain or shut down:

This request sustains proven founder infrastructure without expanding scope. If funded, we continue and report against the above unit metrics. If not funded, the program winds down responsibly.

Exchange value for the team:

At an exchange rate of 0,8–1,0 EUR per ADA, the net rate of €60–75 per hour (before income tax) represents highly competitive pricing. This level is only feasible because we treat the work as a contribution and a value add to our own business endeavors, not as a full commercial rate.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes