Last updated 2 months ago
Web3 builders and projects often struggle to work with traditional enterprises and NGOs, which might have complex structures, rules against using tokens, and other restrictions.
STORM Partners will provide contract review, project management, on & off-ramp, Web3 education, and other facilitation services to help Cardano enterprise adoption projects succeed.
This is the total amount allocated to Enterprise Support for Cardano Adoption - STORM Partners.
Please provide your proposal title
Enterprise Support for Cardano Adoption - STORM Partners
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
59500
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
8
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Web3 builders and projects often struggle to work with traditional enterprises and NGOs, which might have complex structures, rules against using tokens, and other restrictions.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
No
License and Additional Information
We’ll share anything broadly beneficial to the community within the bounds of professionalism and confidentiality requirements. The activities of the projects fall under their proposals.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Business Services
Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.
We are targeting enterprise-facing Cardano projects, NGOs, and traditional businesses exploring blockchain adoption. We will reach them through direct outreach, referrals from Cardano entities and organizations, and quarterly Town Halls to surface ecosystem needs. This matters for Cardano because enterprise adoption increases transaction volume, TVL, and provides replicable real-world use cases that attract further adoption and investment.
Provide a list of key activities of your project?
Web3 onboarding and enterprise education
Contract reviews and legal/compliance guidance
Project management support
On-ramp and off-ramp facilitation
Partner introductions and ecosystem alignment
Hosting quarterly Town Halls to gather needs and feedback
Providing updated reports and service lists per milestone
Supporting enterprise-focused Catalyst proposals and working groups through advisory and operational help
What are your success metrics?
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
Many L1 protocols have set the task for themselves to spearhead the mass adoption of Web3 technology by traditional enterprises, but this far-anticipated adoption rush has not occurred (outside of financial use cases, and most of those being centered around stablecoins or tokens in a private network).
Part of the challenge is that blockchain is, on an enterprise scale, still very new, and therefore suffers from not having enough traction to drive a self-sustaining cycle of adoption. In order to overcome this, visionary builders and traditional entrepreneurs crossing over to Web3 will have to come up with “killer use cases” that are so valuable they cannot be ignored.
But a large part of the challenge is simpler and operational. Many people who work in enterprises simply don’t understand what blockchain is, and the unknown is scary. Web3 founders can also tend to be younger, have less experience with general business management or corporate practices, and might therefore not know how to handle the rigid and hierarchical world of enterprises.
STORM Partners can help remove that administrative barrier so that founders and builders can focus on delivering extraordinary value and smooth user experiences. We will do this by providing (as needed and feasible, on a case-by-case basis):
Other non-technical services as necessary to facilitate the successful completion of POCs, POVs, and pilots related to the adoption of Cardano by enterprises
In order to help identify the most pressing needs of the community, we will host at least a quarterly town hall where various actors within the Cardano ecosystem can participate and exchange on topics related to enterprise adoption, project management, and scaling.
We will adopt a flexible approach to workload management, aiming to provide the highest impact support to those projects most closely aligned with ecosystem priorities and the BD and Partnership efforts of origin bodies within the Cardano ecosystem. In addition, where possible, we will provide content and materials that address ecosystem needs in a scalable manner.
Finally, in addition to the general offering we make available to the community as a whole, we will conduct active checks on enterprise proposals in project Catalyst and offer support if we identify opportunities to encourage progress.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Meaningful enterprise adoption has two primary impacts on the Cardano community.
The first is increasing the number of transactions and total value locked present on the Cardano Network. Increased usage, utility, and access to resources can help drive more Web3 adoption and investment in Cardano, as can the number of successful Enterprise use cases that can be put on the website and used for marketing. Many enterprises are only willing to publicly disclose POCs and pilots if they are successful, so having a smooth implementation that is framed according to the enterprise’s success criteria is key.
The second is that most enterprises are “smart followers” rather than innovators, so that even one successful use case can mean a massive difference in follow-on adoption, understanding of challenges in the implementation, and better-structured offers that align with the enterprise’s needs and use their corporate language.
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 consulting firm committed to making business possible within Web3. Part of our past interventions have been focused on enterprise, NGO, and public sector education to help them understand what the real-world applications of Blockchain could be within their areas of activity. We have spoken on panels, engaged with leaders, been brought on to conduct workshops, and provided reports to governments, innovation and technology departments, banks, luxury brands, manufacturers, and a variety of Web3 businesses that wanted to engage with the traditional industry. In addition, several of our team members regularly teach courses or participate in panels or student events at local universities.
We have furthermore been recognized as one of the Cardano Foundation’s certified implementation partners, and we taught the Enterprise Sales component of the Cardano Venture Hub accelerator program.
In addition, STORM Partners has been conducting outreach and business discovery calls with prospective enterprise partners on behalf of the Intersect Product Committee. These have included: Maerki Baumann, Hublot, Cité Gestion, Bondy, Incore, Vodafone, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Kaleido, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Fongit, among others.
Milestone Title
Project Kick-off & Initial Ecosystem Coordination
Milestone Outputs
A comprehensive written report that documents all project activities carried out during the milestone.
A full recording of the organized Town Hall meeting, publicly accessible and hosted on a recognized platform such as YouTube.
An initial, structured list of proposed services related to the project, outlining their scope, purpose, and intended beneficiaries.
Acceptance Criteria
Report of Activities
A narrative section detailing activities conducted during this setup phase, including outreach to Cardano origin bodies (Cardano Foundation, IOG, Intersect), assessment of early-stage enterprise-facing projects, and alignment with ecosystem BD strategies.
A section on takeaways from the Town Hall session, highlighting needs surfaced by the community related to enterprise adoption (e.g., legal questions, compliance issues, onboarding friction).
A financial and operations summary including billing hours and rates used to date.
Services are billed against a baseline of:
• 300 ADA/hour for specialists
• 500 ADA/hour for managers
• 750 ADA/hour for directors
Rates may be reduced as needed based on market conditions or to increase ecosystem accessibility.
Town Hall Recording
A video recording (≥45 minutes) of the first online Town Hall hosted by the project.
If no recording is available due to participant preference or technical failure, a detailed summary will be included in the Report of Activities.
Initial List of Services
A list summarizing the services offered to the community and enterprise-facing projects during this milestone (e.g., contract reviews, partner intros, project management).
Any additional services suggested by community members during the Town Hall will be included unless deemed out of scope or in bad faith.
Where relevant, service referrals may be published to Cardano channels.
Evidence of Completion
Link to a PDF: Report of Activities
Link to a non-public YouTube video: Town Hall recording (or PDF if unavailable)
Link to a PDF: Initial List of Services
Note: Documents and links will be hosted on a public Notion page. We may additionally consider providing the evidence in other mediums to facilitate milestone reviewer access, but this shall not be the basis of a milestone rejection.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
15000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Enterprise Support Execution
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Report of Activities
Expanded breakdown of services delivered to enterprise-facing projects (e.g., 1:1 advisory, legal review, operational support).
Town Hall analysis summarizing live feedback from projects and community members.
Updated breakdown of billed hours by team member role, scope of engagement, and comparison to milestone budget.
Billing at or above the allocated 15,000 ADA is required for milestone acceptance.
Town Hall Recording
A second Town Hall session, specifically focused on implementation bottlenecks, what’s working, and what enterprise projects still need.
If no recording is available due to participant preference or technical failure, a detailed summary will be included in the Report of Activities.
Updated List of Services
A refreshed list of services provided, modified based on evolving ecosystem demand.
This includes tracking who was helped, what service was delivered, and identifying any emerging patterns in support requests.
New collaborators and service providers identified through this process may be included.
Evidence of Completion
Link to a PDF: Updated Report of Activities
Link to a non-public Youtube video (anyone with the link can access, but not browseable)
Link to a PDF: Updated List of Services
Note: Documents and links will be hosted on a public Notion page. We may additionally consider providing the evidence in other mediums to facilitate milestone reviewer access, but this shall not be the basis of a milestone rejection.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
15000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Continued Enterprise Support Execution
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Report of Activities
Expanded breakdown of services delivered to enterprise-facing projects (e.g., 1:1 advisory, legal review, operational support).
Town Hall analysis summarizing live feedback from projects and community members.
Updated breakdown of billed hours by team member role, scope of engagement, and comparison to milestone budget.
Billing at or above the allocated 15,000 ADA is required for milestone acceptance.
Town Hall Recording
A recording of a live, public Town Hall (≥45 min), focused on implementation insights and community feedback.
If no recording is available due to participant preference or technical failure, a detailed summary will be included in the Report of Activities.
Updated List of Services
A refreshed list of services provided, modified based on evolving ecosystem demand.
This includes tracking who was helped, what service was delivered, and identifying any emerging patterns in support requests.
New collaborators and service providers identified through this process may be included.
Evidence of Completion
Link to a PDF: Final Report of Activities
Link to a non-public Youtube video (anyone with the link can access, but not browseable)
Link to a PDF: Finalized List of Services
Note: Documents and links will be hosted on a public notion page. We may additionally consider providing the evidence in other mediums to facilitate milestone reviewer access, but this shall not be the basis of a milestone rejection.
Delivery Month
6
Cost
15000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Continued Enterprise Support, Project Close-out and Report
Milestone Outputs
A public PDF with a close-out report summarizing project execution, covering activities, outputs, successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
A final list of services offered throughout the project, with clear descriptions of their scope, purpose, and intended user
A video summary of at least 2–3 minutes, published on a public platform such as YouTube,
Acceptance Criteria
Public Close-out Report
Covers the full project period from start to finish.Includes:
Summary of Delivered Services: Breakdown of support offered to enterprise projects and ecosystem-wide contributions (e.g. onboarding resources, FAQs).
Utilization & Budget Recap: Final accounting of hours billed by role, billing rates applied (300/500/750 ADA/hr), and total ADA used across milestones.
Key Outcomes & Recommendations: Highlights from project engagements and forward-looking suggestions for Catalyst, Cardano Foundation, and ecosystem leaders.
Final List of Services
Comprehensive list of all services offered and delivered during the project.
Indicates which were recurring, most requested, or high-impact.
Includes referrals made, new contributors onboarded, and any services excluded due to misalignment or bad faith (with rationale).
Close-out Video
3–5 minute public-facing video providing:
Project outcomes and key stats
Reflections from the team
Recommendations and next steps for the ecosystem
Evidence of Completion
Link to a PDF: Public Close-out Report
Link to a PDF: Final List of Services
Link to a public YouTube video
Note: Documents and links will be hosted on a public notion page. We may additionally consider providing the evidence in other mediums to facilitate milestone reviewer access, but this shall not be the basis of a milestone rejection.
Delivery Month
8
Cost
14500
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The budget for services will be broken up between milestones, with each milestone consisting of approximately 15,000 ADA worth of services. This is calculated against a baseline of 0.50 CHF per ADA, which reflects a conservative long-term average of ADA’s price during the preparation of this proposal. Using that benchmark, billing rates are set at 300 ADA/hour for specialists, 500 ADA/hour for managers, and 750 ADA/hour for directors. These rates are already discounted compared to equivalent boutique consulting services in Web3 and traditional industries.
If the price of ADA is higher, we’ll consider delivering more value either in this project scope or in other ways to support the ecosystem at our discretion, more likely in the later milestones, as we need to manage the risk throughout the duration of the project. If the price of ADA goes lower, we’ll try to optimize for cost effectiveness.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
Our prices are fair for a boutique management consulting firm specialized in the Web3 space, and we may, in fact, be undercharging for our more senior headcounts’ time. Generally speaking, this is because the minimum cost for junior team members is higher in our field (there are not enough specialized Web3 business analysts, accountants, lawyers, or marketers in the market), and we are operating at a discount for our senior management because we consider Cardano (as an ecosystem and in its component organizations) to be a strategic client, so if one of our directors can help deliver a high-leverage solution and clear blockages, we’re happy to do it.
The other way in which we optimize costs is by being cost-conscious on our work allocations. We will never assign a director to do a job an analyst could do, and we don’t multiply the number of people attending meetings or calls. There are also things that we do simply as part of the ecosystem, from producing documents and decks to share with the community or sharing knowledge in conversations. What we learn from helping Cardano projects and Cardano Partner integrations should, with each iteration, allow us to define frameworks and frequent issues that will make the ecosystem more self-sufficient, so we’re only being brought in for edge cases.
Our goal (if we have enough demand and are able to systematize recurrent issues) is to intervene at critical moments: scoping discussions, stakeholder misalignment, legal questions, changes in staff or market conditions, and managing difficulties with the Catalyst milestone review process. So the final value assessment will not be based on what we charged, but in the activity and value we managed to unlock.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Each of these team members is further supported by the staff of their respective departments.