The State of BD in the Cardano Ecosystem

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

The State of BD in the Cardano Ecosystem

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

40000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

3

[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?

Fragmented BD efforts in Cardano hurt coordination and lead to inconsistent messaging, missed opportunities, and weak BD funnel performance.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://www.sososcaled.com
,
• https://x.com/sososcaled
,
• https://t.me/sososcaled

[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

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

[Theme Selection] Theme

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

Community

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

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

We target ecosystem BD teams, Catalyst projects, Emurgo, and the Foundation. We'll reach them via interviews, outreach, and community channels to improve visibility and strategic alignment.

We successfully carried out a similar initiative for another leading ecosystem last year, which has since helped their Foundation gain a clearer overview, identify where to focus efforts, and enabled BD teams across the ecosystem to work more effectively, efficiently, and in a more coordinated way.

Provide a list of key activities of your project?

• Map ecosystem BD actors via surveys and interviews, incl. BD satisfaction score
• Analyze gaps, redundancies, and bottlenecks
• Produce a strategic report with visuals and recommendations
• Deliver ecosystem presentations

What are your success metrics?

• Survey response rate and stakeholder coverage
• Clarity and relevance of the ecosystem map and visuals
• Number of reuse mentions (e.g. in Catalyst or Foundation decks)
• Increase in BD satisfaction score (for which we will measure the initial NPS, and aim for a follow up measurement around 6 months after)

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

We will conduct a comprehensive mapping of BD activities in the Cardano ecosystem. This includes outreach to active BD contributors across Catalyst, Emurgo, the Foundation, and IOG. We'll use surveys and semi-structured interviews to gather data on who is doing what, where, how, and with what results. We will then analyze the responses, identify patterns and gaps, and map them by sector, region, and function. Finally, we’ll produce a full report with actionable insights, clear visuals (like contributor heatmaps and funnel diagrams), and 5–7 ecosystem-wide recommendations. This process will clarify responsibilities, prevent redundant outreach, improve messaging consistency, and directly address mid- and bottom-funnel inefficiencies.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

You can’t fix what you can’t see.

This project gives the Cardano ecosystem a mirror - a clear view of where we stand in terms of Business Development (BD), what’s working, what’s fragmented, and what’s missing. It creates the analytical foundation for many improvements that can be proposed, coordinated, or directly tackled by ecosystem teams, from Catalyst to Emurgo to the Foundation.

Instead of operating in silos, this research gives all stakeholders the same map. That means:

• New teams entering BD efforts can onboard faster, understand their role, and avoid duplicating work.
• Catalyst proposers can build with confidence, knowing where the biggest BD gaps are and what’s already being addressed.
• The Foundation, Emurgo, and IOG can spot overlaps and opportunities to streamline their efforts.
• The community can hold ecosystem contributors accountable by seeing who’s focused on which regions and industries, and where results are materializing.

It also helps teams and governance bodies prioritize funding and strategy. With a clear sense of which sectors, geographies, and channels are underdeveloped or overserved, the community can shift from guessing to planning. On a strategic level, this initiative also shows that we are serious about professionalizing BD. That means:

• Showing credibility to external partners who otherwise get inconsistent or redundant messaging from different Cardano actors.
• Creating continuity across market cycles and funding waves.
• Enabling better tracking of MOFU (mid-funnel) and BOFU (bottom-funnel) impact, so we can build toward measurable adoption.

We will also host a live handover session to ensure sustainability and ecosystem ownership. Most importantly, this is not just a research piece. It is a tool for alignment and forward motion. It delivers the kind of visibility that allows builders, funders, and BD actors to move from isolated actions to ecosystem-wide momentum.

[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?

This project is led by So So Scaled!, a Berlin-based Web3 GTM Lab founded by experienced operators, C-level executives, and PhDs with strong backgrounds in strategy, Web3, and growth. Our team brings a unique combination of deep technical fluency and real-world business acumen.

We've delivered similar ecosystem-wide discovery efforts, mapping stakeholders, identifying operational gaps, and clarifying how teams can work together more efficiently. These initiatives have helped both Foundations and BD agents better understand where to focus efforts and how to collaborate more effectively. To ensure trust and accountability, we will:

• Use public Notion or Google Docs to document each step of the process.
• Share interim deliverables with reviewers and ecosystem leads.
• Publish the final report and visuals under an open Creative Commons license.
• Include attribution and transparency in research sourcing and methodology.

We scoped this project to be fast and feasible, requiring only ~10–15 interviews and surveys, plus desktop research. We are not reinventing processes from scratch but connecting existing dots and surfacing patterns already present in the ecosystem. Validation will come from:

• High participation from active Catalyst and Foundation teams
• Feedback loops with BD leads and Catalyst voters
• Clear usability of the final report in governance and proposal framing

The following testimonials from past projects in Web3 show that our approach creates real value, that we deliver results, and our results are already trusted by ecosystem leaders:

• "We take 130+ calls a month with new leads. It’s clear how much a shared understanding is needed. Without it, information gets lost and follow-ups fall through." //Founder & CEO, Web3 Investment and Advisory Firm
• "Their research-based approach has shaped the way we think about BD. It equips contributors with strategic insight and provides a service unit to support execution." //Founder, DAO Governance Analytics Platform
• "This type of coordination will be game-changers and make BD 10x more efficient." //Independent BD Agent

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Research Setup

Milestone Outputs

• Design and prepare a structured survey for BD-active teams in the Cardano ecosystem (including Catalyst teams, Emurgo, Cardano Foundation, etc.).
• Develop a semi-structured interview guide (30–45 minutes) to capture qualitative insights.
• Build a comprehensive outreach list of ecosystem stakeholders, ensuring diversity across regions, roles, and sectors.
• Set up tracking infrastructure to manage outreach, responses, and scheduling.

Acceptance Criteria

• Survey and interview guide are finalized and reviewed by at least 2 ecosystem contributors.
• Outreach tracker includes minimum 20 BD-relevant contacts across at least 3 ecosystem entities (e.g. Foundation, Catalyst, Emurgo).
• All tools are clearly documented and ready to launch, allowing feedback and smooth transition into data collection.

Evidence of Completion

• Shared Notion workspace or Google Drive folder
• Finalized BD survey form (e.g. Typeform or Google Form)
• Interview guide in PDF or Notion format
• Outreach tracker spreadsheet with statuses and stakeholders
• All links accessible and organized in a single workspace

Delivery Month

1

Cost

12500

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Data Collection & Mapping

Milestone Outputs

• Survey deployed, reaching target group with minimum 30 responses.
• 5–10 qualitative interviews completed with diverse actors.
• Thematic coding and synthesis of pain points, strategies, blockers.
• Drafted BD landscape map by actor, region, sector.

Acceptance Criteria

• Survey results gathered from at least 3 ecosystem stakeholder types.
• Interviews include reps from Catalyst, Foundation, Emurgo, or BD-active proposers.
• Preliminary insights memo completed, highlighting key patterns and gaps.
• Visual BD map draft complete and reviewed internally.

Evidence of Completion

• Notion or Google Slides with complete survey results and response summaries.
• BD ecosystem map showing actors, geographies, and initiative types.
• Thematically coded interview responses (visualized or tabulated).
• Preliminary insights memo outlining key findings and open questions.
• Workspace shared with reviewers and included in final submission.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

20000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Report & Ecosystem Briefing

Milestone Outputs

• Full ~20 page strategic report: intro, ecosystem overview, pain points, recommendations.
• 5–7 actionable recommendations grounded in data.
• Visual assets: BD heatmaps, contributor funnels, taxonomy diagrams.
• 8–10 slide deck version of key insights.

Acceptance Criteria

• Report reviewed by minimum 3 community stakeholders, with feedback integrated.
• All visuals finalized and clearly explain data in a usable format.
• Final version includes summary, key gaps, and ecosystem-wide insights.

Evidence of Completion

• Final report titled “The State of BD in Cardano” (Notion or PDF)
• Visuals: contributor diagram, regional heatmaps, BD strategy funnel
• Summary presentation deck (8–10 slides) for Catalyst or CF use
• Public access link to report and visual assets
• Optional feedback notes from stakeholders or community reviewers

Delivery Month

3

Cost

7500

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

The budget breakdown is outlined within each milestone, including associated costs and deliverables. All expenses are fully covered, including personnel, materials, tools, subscriptions, and any necessary travel to ensure successful project delivery.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

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

This project delivers the first full overview of BD across the Cardano ecosystem. For a relatively low cost, it provides clarity, coordination, and reusability across many actors – saving time, avoiding duplication, and improving BD success system-wide.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes