Sustain and Maintain Gimbalabs

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Sustain and Maintain Gimbalabs

[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

5

[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?

Developers find it difficult to build on Cardano due to a steep learning curve, scattered resources, and limited access to a supportive developer community.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://www.youtube.com/@gimbalabs/playlists
,
• https://app.andamio.io/course
,
• https://github.com/gimbalabs
,
• https://x.com/gimbalabs
,
• https://discord.gg/jJcwaqJHPV

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

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

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

All community events and activities would be open to the public. All materials would be on (an) open-source Github repo(s) with Apache-2.0 license.

[Theme Selection] Theme

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

Education

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

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

• Our target audiences are mainly developers/learners who are new to the ecosystem and are interested in Cardano development and governance. We specifically provide access to learning resources, provide guidance, and a supportive technical community.
• Our community outreach is mainly through social media (discord, X, Reddit, Linkedin, Cardano forum, etc.)
• Developers are the lifeblood of the Cardano ecosystem. We aim to nurture and support them in their journeys.

Provide a list of key activities of your project?

• Creating free learning resources with on-chain credentials
• Maintaining/updating the resources
• Hosting governance and live-coding sessions (and uploading them to YT)
• Funding small-scale open-source initiatives

What are your success metrics?

• Number of learning resources created/updates
• Number of open-source initiatives funded
• Number of techical and non-technical spaces hosted
• Number of learners/developers involved in the community

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Gimbalabs was founded in 2021 as a space to learn Cardano development and get involved in live projects. In the course of four years, this space evolved into a virtual cohabitat that aims to, “provide open, replicable safe spaces to learn, to explore, and to empower individuals and organizations anywhere so that we can solve meaningful problems.”

Gimbalabs in general is solving the problem of maintaining, sustaining, and replicating spaces to learn, collaborate, and build on Cardano.

Our focus on maintenance ensures:

• Sustainable Operations: Regular upkeep of spaces, resources, and infrastructure to provide consistent value to the Cardano community.
• Preventive Maintenance: Proactively addressing potential issues to minimize disruptions and enhance resource longevity.
• Community Engagement: Continually gathering feedback from users to refine and improve the resources we offer.

Maintenance-focused Activities Include:

• Scheduled updates to digital tools, content, and resources to keep them relevant and functional.
  • Completed sample project: https://www.notion.so/gimbalabs/Community-Governed-Maintenance-of-Plutus-PBL-Course-1140db6d1d5d809b9714c3cbb4f18d03
• Regular infrastructure checks and maintenance tasks to prevent downtime.
• Dedicated budget allocation for training team members on best maintenance practices.

Various sub-spaces, projects, organizations, and project-based learning (pbl) courses have sprung from Gimbalabs. Below is a small sampling of some off-spring endeavors.

Sub-spaces:

• Plutus PBL Live Coding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3GnN_AHKvU&list=PLCCIAmutGEbelIedt4mKN5VDtDSTQTWKa&ab_channel=Gimbalabs
• Mesh PBL Live Coding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPuPhYp_Qhc&list=PLCCIAmutGEbd5V3deH6wE1C_yMePvqsGy&ab_channel=Gimbalabs
• Cardano Go PBL Live Coding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPSHFsblCgQ&list=PLCCIAmutGEbcUiIygqbkC25ibEVjWXDpf&ab_channel=Gimbalabs
• Gimbalabs Playground (an open space to share ideas, present projects, get feedback, etc. with the Cardano community) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgK85YnGNkU&list=PLCCIAmutGEbeNfD6PEK2Th-CPCSQFg3V-&ab_channel=Gimbalabs
• Gimbalabs Open Spaces (a co-creation and governance space for Gimbalabs open for anyone to join) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vph4XZUfOQ&list=PLCCIAmutGEbdijNNWGEfJMTpn9KVttV3t&ab_channel=Gimbalabs
• Community Code Review (a community lead initiative for mob code-reviewing)
• Gimbalabs Hong Kong (local community networking and learning space powered by SIDAN Lab)

Project Based Learning Courses:

• Plutus PBL https://app.andamio.io/course/4a79b279593a787b79da46df4dc34a3e59b003838dcf48a2f436094d)
• Mesh PBL https://app.andamio.io/course/510de33d6a31bce2e12d946f21ba616af3547a25c674edad8a7af6ba
• Cardano Go PBL https://app.andamio.io/course/fd28cf17d1869bcb1f1f3ceaa7daf02d14358ba74691fd679ba3b633
• Aiken PBL https://app.andamio.io/course/db22e013578fcead6c2fed5446d61891ad31f3cb4955e88d980107e7
• Marlow PBL https://app.andamio.io/course/b48c3718f2175f05cdb2767a4721d03e2df2f69f9302241ba200b792

Projects / Infrastructure:

Dandelion (open-source free to use Cardano Indexer) https://dandelion.link/

Gimbalabs Stakepool (Ticker: GMBL)

Andamio (a decentralized LMS built on Cardano) https://www.andamio.io/

Open-Source Learner Initiatives:

• African Developers Initiative https://www.notion.so/gimbalabs/Gimbalabs-African-Developers-Education-Initiative-2025-10d0db6d1d5d80a2a2f7cc167e4721b6
• Asteria-GL https://www.notion.so/gimbalabs/Asteria-Frontend-with-T3App-framework-and-Mesh-13e0db6d1d5d80b08492c2a69c487ab8
• Community Code Review https://www.notion.so/gimbalabs/Community-Code-Review-1f30db6d1d5d80309d32ccd39d0c1ae6

For a full list of activities taken up by Gimbalabs between 2023 and 2025 please checkout our Proposal Tracker https://www.notion.so/gimbalabs/Start-Here-b442b1441880487ca54bcf0e86530151

Gimbalabs is currently using Sociocracy 3.0 (https://sociocracy30.org/)))) as a framework for everyday collaborations and consent.

Note: Each new season of Gimbalabs we update courses and learning spaces as needed. All activities we take up are consented by the community and have associated proposals.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

Gimbalabs’ impact track record through the years:

• Gimbalabs started with this successful Fund2 Proposal: https://gimbalabs.com/fund2.pdf (and scored the leading vote tally in Fund1 - before there was real funding)
• Has delivered 5 iterations of Plutus PBL Course, with 5th iteration, Plutus PBL 2024, launched in May 2024
• Host of weekly Playground sessions for 3+ years
• Host of twice-weekly (and now more!) Live Coding sessions for 2+ years
• Each season Gimbalabs has added new courses (6+ as of 2025) and new spaces (10+ as of 2025)
• Since conception, Gimbalabs has successfully delivered on 6+ Catalyst Proposals
• Funded 10+ small-scale open-source projects

How will we measure the impact?

Gimbalabs will have a dual impact by providing both innovative and stable learning environments. By focusing on the maintenance and sustainability of these resources, we will reduce barriers to entry for new developers and ensure that experienced developers continue to find value in our offerings. This approach supports the Cardano ecosystem's resilience by prioritizing a “maintenance mindset” that values the ongoing upkeep of infrastructure alongside innovation.

Impact Metrics:

• Educational Impact: The number of maintained and regularly updated Project-Based Learning (PBL) courses and community spaces.
• Sustainability Metrics: Frequency of infrastructure updates, maintenance checks, and the success rate of preventive maintenance tasks.
• Community Satisfaction: User feedback on the quality and reliability of the maintained spaces.

By ensuring continuous maintenance, Gimbalabs contributes to a sustainable and thriving Cardano ecosystem that supports both current and future developers.

[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?

At Gimbalabs, we have built one of the best technical learning technologies in the Cardano ecosystem, with the ability to extract the fundamentals of complex topics (protocols, tooling, infrastructure, design patterns, etc.) and package them into skills. That is our know-how.

• Trust and accountability: Talented developers, today founders of renowned Cardano startups (JPG store, MeshJS, Cardano Name Service (CNS), Loxe inc, Ekival, others), trusted us to take their first steps in the ecosystem: to know everything they needed to know, without restrictions, and from there, build their own path. We did not let them down.
• Gimbalabs is an infrastructure builder: Dandelion, Andamio.
• Gimbalabs is consulting: Joey's Hot Sauce, challenge "Spend ADA in your local community!", OneUpOneDown, Oxford University, Handshake, Blink Labs, CNS, MeshJS, SingularityNET, and others.

Feasibility of implementation:

• Talents: Gimbalabs consists of a group of educators and diverse professionals. The budget would be easily justified by the collective professional hours contributed to deliver one of the best courses on the Cardano ecosystem we strive to be.
• Approach: With the 4+ iterations of Plutus PBL Course and 5+ new courses, Gimbalabs is proven the expert of delivering such education materials.
• Platform: Gimbalabs founds Andamio, which is a highly effective education platform built on Cardano, natively as the best platform of delivering Cardano education materials.
• Know-how: Gimbalabs gathers a group of expert software engineers with extremely deep knowledge in the discipline of operation.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Proposal onboarding and planning (1 Month)

Milestone Outputs

• Set up responsibilities for current community activities such as open spaces.
• Create a list of all infrastructure needed for coordination, communication, and governance
• Establish project management tools and practices
• Organizing the current Notion space for all activities and all ongoing cost items (e.g. subscriptions)

Acceptance Criteria

• All necessary responsibilities for proposal delivery are set up
• Al necessary project management and communication tools/services are agreed upon
• All current activities are set up on the proposal tracker/notion page

Evidence of Completion

• Document stating responsibilities
• A document listing all the tools currently used, and a list of project management practices we adopt.
• A publicly accessible link to Notion page stating current activities organization of Gimbalabs

Delivery Month

1

Cost

18000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Maintain Gimbalabs operation for a month covering activities based on proposal consent

Milestone Outputs

• All consented spaces for coding activities are hosted as per schedule
• All consented non-coding spaces (eg. open governance space) are hosted as per scedule
• All consented new courses/maintenance of current courses is on-schedule
• Keeping up community engagement through social media

Acceptance Criteria

• All consented spaces for coding activities have relevant links
• All consented non-coding spaces (eg. open governance space) have relevant links
• All consented new courses/maintenance of current courses is on-schedule
• All social media reports are publicly available

Evidence of Completion

• Publicly accessible link(s) to all the spaces
• Publicly accessible link to document w/ course updates (if any courses are scheduled for update or creation)
• Publicly accessible link(s) to social media reports

Delivery Month

3

Cost

18000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Project Close-Out

Milestone Outputs

• All consented spaces for coding activities are hosted as per schedule
• All consented non-coding spaces (eg. open governance space) are hosted as per scedule
• All consented new courses/maintenance of current courses is on-schedule
• Keeping up community engagement through social media
• All close-out artifacts are submitted

Acceptance Criteria

• All consented spaces for coding activities have relevant links
• All consented non-coding spaces (eg. open governance space) have relevant links
• All consented new courses/maintenance of current courses is on-schedule
• All social media reports are publicly available
• All close-out artifacts are submitted as per guidelines

Evidence of Completion

• Publicly accessible link(s) to all the spaces
• Publicly accessible link to document w/ course updates (if any courses are scheduled for update or creation)
• Publicly accessible link(s) to social media reports
• Close-out Report
• Close-out Video

Delivery Month

5

Cost

24000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1: Proposal onboarding and planning (1 Month)

Activities Budget:

ADA 2,000 - Set up responsibilities for current community activities such as open spaces.

ADA 2,000 - Create a list of all infrastructure needed for coordination, communication, and governance

ADA 2,000 - Establish project management tools and practices

ADA 2,000 - Organizing the current Notion space for all activities

ADA 10,000 - Treasury

Total Budget - ADA 18,000

Milestone 2: Month 2 & 3 - Gimbalabs Maintenance (2 months)

Activities Budget:

ADA 5,000 - Hosting all live-coding/technical spaces

ADA 2,000 - Hosting all governance and non-technical spaces

ADA 8,000 - Budget for additional proposals and spaces

ADA 3,000 - Keeping up the community engagement with social media

Total Budget - ADA 18,000

Milestone 3: Close-out (2 Month)

Activities Budget:

ADA 5,000 - Hosting all live-coding/technical spaces

ADA 2,000 - Hosting all governance and non-technical spaces

ADA 2,000 - Preparing close-out artifacts

ADA 12,000 - Budget for additional proposals and spaces

ADA 3,000 - Keeping up the community engagement with social media

Total Budget - ADA 24,000

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

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

This budget funds free, hands-on Cardano education, peer collaboration, and verifiable on-chain credentials—guiding learners into being productive contributors.

The return is outsized: faster onboarding, stronger tooling, and more shipped dApps for a fraction of typical onboarding & training costs.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes