Last updated 8 months ago
Creators lose revenue to high platform fees, lack crypto-native tools, and face limited access to fair, global marketplaces. Cardano adoption in the creator economy remains untapped.
We will Build a Cardano-based marketplace for digital products with stablecoin payments, low fees, ADA rewards, and global reach empowering creators while driving Cardano adoption.
This is the total amount allocated to ADAverse : Global Digital Market place in the Cardano World.
Please provide your proposal title
ADAverse : Global Digital Market place in the Cardano World
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
93000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
12
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Creators lose revenue to high platform fees, lack crypto-native tools, and face limited access to fair, global marketplaces. Cardano adoption in the creator economy remains untapped.
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?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Core smart contracts, wallet integrations, and fee structures will be open source (MIT). Educational content and documentation will be CC BY 4.0, ensuring transparency and reusability.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
Marketplace
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
Unlike traditional creator platforms that charge high fees, our marketplace uniquely leverages Cardano stablecoins (USDT/USDC) for fast, low-cost payments, offers commission-free periods with ADA rewards, and provides creators true ownership of their listings. This approach makes Cardano the backbone of a fair, scalable creator economy unlike centralized web2 platforms or NFT-only projects previously funded.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
The MVP will demonstrate wallet-based payments in USDT/USDC on Cardano, creator uploads for digital files (eBooks, PDFs, templates, NFTs), search and category browsing, and a test reward program. It will be deployed as a beta web accessible via browser and connected to Cardano testnet wallets, allowing early creators to upload and buyers to simulate purchases.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
• On-chain: number of stablecoin transactions, transaction volume, and wallet interactions.
• Platform: 5,000 creators onboarded, 50,000 products listed, 20,000 transactions in Year 1.
• Community: ADA rewards distributed transparently on-chain.
• Growth: Monthly active users >10,000 with steady transaction volume, proving sustainable adoption.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
The creator economy is one of the fastest-growing industries in the digital era. Millions of writers, artists, educators, developers, and innovators produce digital content daily ebooks, templates, scripts, courses, and more. Yet, these creators face persistent challenges: centralized platforms that take large commissions, limited ownership rights, slow payouts, and barriers to reaching global audiences. Moreover, most current platforms operate in a Web2 model that excludes the benefits of blockchain fairness, transparency, ownership, and borderless payments.
Our solution is to build a Creator Marketplace, a platform where creators can sell, distribute, and monetize their digital products fairly and transparently. The marketplace is powered by Cardano blockchain and designed with stablecoin (USDT, USDC) payments, ensuring reliability, global accessibility, and user trust. By integrating blockchain-native payments, creators and buyers can transact seamlessly without the volatility of ADA while still benefiting from the Cardano ecosystem’s low fees, security, and sustainability.
Key Features of the Solution
1. Broad Product Support
The marketplace will host a wide range of digital goods: eBooks, PDFs, Notion templates, arts, NFTs, courses, software, membership subscriptions, and scripts. This diversity makes it a true one-stop-shop for digital creativity.
2. Fair Fee Model
Unlike traditional platforms charging 20–30% in fees, our marketplace only deducts a small percentage of sales. Additionally, during promotional campaigns, commission fees will be waived entirely, making it commission-free for early adopters.
3. Stablecoin Payments via Cardano
Payments will be made in USDT or USDC on Cardano, ensuring fast, inexpensive, and stable transactions. This allows creators to confidently price their products in dollars while benefiting from blockchain transparency.
4. ADA Rewards & Promotions
To attract and retain users, promotional periods will include ADA rewards for both creators and buyers. Early contributors will receive bonuses for listing their products and making purchases.
5. Search and Discovery
The platform will include advanced search and category browsing, making it easy for users to find the digital products they want. A constantly updated feed ensures fresh content and continuous engagement.
6. Dynamic & Scalable Infrastructure
The marketplace will be cloud-hosted with scalable infrastructure, ensuring it can handle growing numbers of products, users, and transactions.
How It Addresses the Problem
• For creators: It removes barriers of high fees, limited payment options, and lack of control. By giving them fair commission models, stablecoin payouts, and blockchain-based ownership, creators can earn more and grow sustainably.
• For users: It ensures access to a global catalog of digital products at fair prices with secure blockchain transactions. Users benefit from transparent pricing, secure ownership of purchases in the case of NFTs/licenses, and lower costs.
• For Cardano: It introduces a large segment of the global creator economy to Cardano as their backbone platform, increasing real-world utility, stablecoin adoption, and transaction volume.
Roadmap and Implementation
• Milestone 1 (Months 1–2): Platform design, stablecoin integration, prototype MVP launch.
• Milestone 2 (Months 3–4): Beta launch, onboard 200 creators, upload 200+ products, integrate browsing/search.
• Milestone 3 (Months 5–8): Full public launch, promotional campaigns, ADA reward incentives, aim for 2,000 creators and 10,000+ products.
• Milestone 4 (Months 9–12): Expansion and sustainability 5,000+ creators, 50,000 products, partnerships with creative communities, advanced analytics for creators.
Our Global Creator Marketplace will be an established hub for digital creators, with thousands of products listed, tens of thousands of users onboarded, and sustainable revenue models to keep it growing.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Our Creator Marketplace is not just a marketplace it is a powerful adoption engine for the Cardano ecosystem. By positioning Cardano as the home of a global creator economy, this project delivers measurable, positive impacts across multiple layers of the ecosystem: users, developers, creators, and the global blockchain community.
1. Driving Real-World Utility
One of the most pressing challenges for Cardano is real-world adoption. Many blockchain projects remain theoretical or speculative, but this marketplace grounds Cardano in a practical, everyday use case: buying and selling digital products. Each transaction whether for an ebook, a template, or a course is a Cardano-based stablecoin transaction, increasing the network’s utility.
2. Expanding Stablecoin Usage on Cardano
By integrating USDT and USDC payments, the marketplace showcases Cardano as a strong competitor for stablecoin transactions. This helps Cardano prove its reliability for real-world commerce, positioning it alongside (or above) other chains where stablecoins dominate. More stablecoin activity directly boosts transaction volume and ecosystem confidence.
3. Onboarding Creators & Communities
Creators are natural multipliers of adoption. A single creator often brings dozens or hundreds of followers who want to access their products. By onboarding 5,000 creators in Year 1, we create ripple effects that could bring tens of thousands of new users into the Cardano ecosystem. These users are introduced to wallets, stablecoins, and ADA rewards deepening Cardano’s grassroots growth.
4. Supporting Financial Inclusion
Many digital creators come from regions underserved by traditional payment systems. By offering stablecoin payouts via Cardano, the platform enables global participation without dependence on banks, PayPal, or costly intermediaries. This strengthens Cardano’s mission of financial inclusion.
5. Strengthening Cardano’s Position in Web3
The marketplace bridges Web2 creators with Web3 tools. By making it easy for any digital creator to sell through Cardano without requiring technical blockchain knowledge we bring new communities into Web3. This supports Cardano’s long-term vision of mass adoption.
6. Transparent Growth & Community Trust
All fees, rewards, and payments are recorded transparently on-chain. Catalyst voters and the broader Cardano community can see the real impact through on-chain metrics: number of transactions, total stablecoin volume, ADA rewards distributed. This strengthens accountability and builds community trust.
7. Sustainability & Long-Term Impact
Unlike speculative projects, this marketplace generates sustainable revenue through small sales commissions. This ensures the project will continue to operate, grow, and benefit Cardano long after Catalyst funding ends. With scalability built in, the platform can expand globally, positioning Cardano as the preferred blockchain for the creator economy.
Projected Year 1 Impact
• 5,000 creators onboarded
• 50,000 products listed
• 20,000 transactions completed
• Tens of thousands of users introduced to Cardano stablecoins
• ADA rewards distributed transparently to incentivize early adopters
Our proposed solution directly addresses critical problems facing creators by building a fair, blockchain-native marketplace. Its positive impact on Cardano is immense: real-world stablecoin adoption, creator-driven ecosystem growth, financial inclusion, and transparent, measurable results.
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?
Our Creator Marketplace is an ambitious but realistic project, and our team has the proven expertise, technical skills, and track record of accountability needed to deliver it successfully. Trust and transparency are not only guiding principles of the Cardano ecosystem but also core values for our team.
Team Capabilities & Proven Track Record
As CBCA-certified and MBA candidate, Surafel combines technical leadership with business strategy. He has already built and launched a decentralized marketplace MVP that connects creators and buyers of digital assets demonstrating direct, relevant experience. His expertise in modern full-stack development (React, Node.js, Solidity, Firebase, PostgreSQL) and Cardano wallet/smart contract integration ensures that we can deliver a secure, scalable, and blockchain-native product.
Surafel’s leadership extends beyond code: he has managed cross-functional teams, organized major blockchain events, and built token-based systems that boosted engagement by 65%. This combination of technical execution and strategic oversight positions him as the cornerstone of project delivery and accountability.
Amanuel ensures that the marketplace is accessible, intuitive, and user-friendly. His past work—designing onboarding flows that reduced bounce rates by 40% and creating UX for NFT art platforms s hows his ability to build crypto platforms that first-time users can easily adopt. His background in Android development, data analysis, and blockchain education makes him especially effective in bridging the gap between complex blockchain tech and smooth user experiences.
Yostena brings both marketing expertise and blockchain advocacy. She has successfully grown user bases by 300% in six months through multilingual campaigns, making her uniquely equipped to market the platform across diverse global audiences. Her skills in community building, storytelling, and grassroots outreach ensure that we can reach creators and buyers at scale while building trust in the Cardano ecosystem.
Tigist adds performance-driven growth expertise. With a background as marketing lead for a SaaS marketplace and hands-on experience in PPC campaigns and funnel optimization, she has generated over 1 million impressions and 15,000+ leads. Her A/B testing strategies and growth-hacking mindset are critical for user acquisition and retention in our marketplace.
Together, our team blends technical depth, design excellence, marketing reach, and growth strategy. This holistic skill set ensures we can deliver the project end-to-end with accountability at every stage.
Our Framework for Trust and Accountability
• The platform’s smart contracts and core integrations will be open source (MIT License), ensuring that the community can audit our work.
• Regular GitHub updates will allow stakeholders to follow progress, test functionality, and provide feedback.
• The project is divided into 4 clear milestones (Foundation, Beta Launch, Public Launch, Expansion & Reporting).
• At each milestone, we will publish detailed progress updates, including user numbers, product listings, and transaction metrics.
• Reports will be accessible through community dashboards and directly on Catalyst reporting channels.
• Success metrics such as number of transactions, ADA rewards distributed, and stablecoin volume will be measurable on-chain.
• Catalyst voters and the Cardano community will have direct, verifiable evidence of our impact without relying solely on self-reporting.
• All Catalyst funds will be allocated transparently across setup, development, marketing, rewards, and operations.
• ADA reward pools will be managed through a multi-signature community wallet, preventing misuse and ensuring funds are distributed fairly.
• We will engage with the Cardano community via forums, Telegram/Discord groups, and town hall presentations.
• User feedback loops will be built into the platform to continuously refine UX, product offerings, and reward models.
• The marketplace is designed with built-in sustainability through commission-based revenue.
• This ensures that we remain accountable not just during the funded period but also long after, as our success depends on continuous growth and adoption.
Why Our Team is Capable of Delivering
• Proven Execution: Surafel has already developed a decentralized marketplace MVP; this project is not theoretical it builds directly on experience.
• Blockchain Fluency: All core team members are CBCA-certified, demonstrating verified knowledge of Cardano and blockchain fundamentals.
• Design & Accessibility Focus: Amanuel ensures the platform is inclusive and user-friendly, reducing friction for creators and buyers.
• Marketing & Adoption Expertise: Yostena and Tigist bring complementary strengths in community-driven growth and data-driven performance marketing.
• Ecosystem Commitment: As advocates and educators, the team has a track record of educating, organizing, and empowering communities, aligning fully with Cardano’s vision of financial inclusion and decentralized participation.
Building Trust with the Cardano Community
Our commitment is to ensure that every ADA spent by Catalyst is traceable to tangible impact:
• Code: open-source and auditable.
• Metrics: on-chain and transparent.
• Funds: distributed via multisig wallets with regular reporting.
• Engagement: continuous dialogue with Catalyst voters and the Cardano community.
We understand that Catalyst funding is not just financial it is a vote of confidence. By delivering with professionalism, transparency, and measurable results, we aim to strengthen both community trust and Cardano’s reputation as the blockchain of choice for fair creator economies.
Our team is uniquely capable of delivering the Cardano Creator Marketplace with high levels of trust and accountability. With proven technical expertise, marketing power, and a deep commitment to Cardano’s mission, we will execute transparently, measure impact on-chain, and ensure long-term sustainability.
We are committed to validating feasibility before scaling. Validation will occur through structured pilots, user feedback, and measurable on-chain activity.
• We will first deploy the MVP marketplace on Cardano testnet with stablecoin (USDT/USDC) payment flows, wallet integrations, and listing functionality.
• This ensures smart contract security, payment reliability, and transaction cost analysis before mainnet deployment.
• Our full-stack team has already built a decentralized marketplace MVP, proving feasibility at a smaller scale.
• Early creators will be invited to upload sample content (ebooks, courses, PDFs, arts) during beta testing.
• Their engagement, retention, and willingness to transact will validate usability and value.
• Usability testing will focus on onboarding (wallet setup, listing flow, purchasing process).
• We will launch targeted campaigns to onboard the first 1,000 creators and track listing growth.
• A “zero-commission launch phase” will attract early adopters, and their activity will validate demand.
• Feedback loops through surveys, interviews, and analytics dashboards will confirm whether the offering resonates.
• Transaction counts, volume of stablecoin payments, number of active wallets, and ADA reward distributions will provide objective, verifiable proof of feasibility.
• Catalyst voters and the community can independently audit these metrics.
Milestone Title
Foundation & Setup
Milestone Outputs
• Set up development environment and hosting infrastructure.
• Deploy marketplace MVP on Cardano testnet with stablecoin (USDT/USDC) wallet integrations.
• Core features: user registration, product upload, browsing by keyword/category, and testnet payment simulation.
• Draft platform policies, licensing (MIT for code, CC BY 4.0 for content), and documentation.
• Begin marketing prep branding, website landing page, early waitlist signups.
Acceptance Criteria
• Functional MVP running on testnet with seamless listing and purchase flows.
• Successful testnet payments in stablecoins (transaction confirmed and logged).
• 100+ creators signed up to beta waitlist.
• Community awareness established through first outreach campaigns.
Evidence of Completion
• Testnet demo link accessible.
• GitHub repository showing open-source code for contracts and integrations.
• Creator waitlist numbers published.
• Public screenshots/video demo of test transactions
Delivery Month
3
Cost
11000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Beta Launch & Early Adoption
Milestone Outputs
• Launch beta platform on Cardano mainnet.
• Core live features: product uploads (ebooks, PDFs, arts, NFTs, courses, software), category browsing, keyword search, and mainnet payments in USDT/USDC.
• Zero-commission promotional phase for early sellers.
• Integration of ADA reward pool for first transactions.
• Recruit 500 creators and onboard 5,000 listings.
• Launch targeted marketing campaigns (ads, influencers, social media).
Acceptance Criteria
• Live marketplace on mainnet handling first stablecoin transactions.
• 500 creators actively listing and testing the platform.
• At least 500 items uploaded.
• First 1,000 transactions completed.
• Reward system functioning with on-chain distribution.
Evidence of Completion
• Mainnet demo link and walkthrough video.
• On-chain data: wallet addresses, transactions, and ADA reward distributions.
• Marketing campaign reports (impressions, signups).
• Testimonials and feedback from early creators.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
26000
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
Public Launch & Growth
Milestone Outputs
• Official public launch of marketplace with full branding.
• Launch search and category refinements, creator dashboards (sales stats, payout tracking).
• Implement review/rating system for products.
• Commission-based revenue model activated (low fee ~3%).
• Onboard 2,000 creators and reach 20,000 products listed.
• Run second marketing wave (ads, partnerships, webinars).
• Ensure scalability and uptime, with monitoring systems in place.
Acceptance Criteria
• Public platform accessible globally.
• 20,000+ listings live on platform.
• At least 7,000 successful transactions.
• Commission model live and functioning without disrupting growth.
• User retention >60% month-over-month
Evidence of Completion
• Public marketplace link (live product).
• Analytics dashboard showing creator and buyer growth.
• On-chain proof of >7,000 transactions.
• Financial transparency reports showing fee revenue and ADA reward usage.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
32000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Expansion, Optimization & Reporting
Milestone Outputs
• Expand product categories (scripts, memberships, software, advanced courses).
• Optimize platform performance and implement new search filters.
• Release public reporting dashboard showing on-chain transactions, fees collected, and ADA rewards distributed.
• Conduct community governance experiment: early users vote on feature priorities.
• Publish final reports for Catalyst (learner numbers, creator onboarding, ADA impact).
• Position marketplace for long-term sustainability beyond Catalyst funding.
Acceptance Criteria
• Expanded product diversity beyond ebooks/art into courses, software, memberships.
• 5,000+ active creators, 30,000+ listed items.
• 15,000+ transactions achieved by end of Year 1.
• Community dashboard live and accessible for transparency.
• Clear roadmap for Year 2, including partnerships and scaling strategy
Evidence of Completion
• Live reports and analytics dashboards accessible online.
• On-chain verification of 20,000+ transactions.
• Final Catalyst report published with impact metrics.
• Community voting event documented
Delivery Month
3
Cost
24000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Milestone 1 – Foundation & Setup
Team Compensation
• Surafel (Tech Lead & Full-Stack Dev): 3,500 ADA
• Amanuel (UI/UX Developer): 2,000 ADA
• Marketing Setup (Yostena): 1,000 ADA
• Community & Growth Prep (Tigist): 1,000 ADA
Subtotal: 7,500 ADA
Tools & Infrastructure
• Hosting, domain, APIs, wallet integrations: 2,000 ADA
Promotion & Awareness
• Branding, landing page, basic design assets: 1,500 ADA
Milestone 1 Total: 11,000 ADA
Milestone 2 – Beta Launch & Early Adoption
Team Compensation
• Surafel (Backend integrations): 3,500 ADA
• Amanuel (Frontend polish, UX): 3,000 ADA
• Yostena (Marketing execution): 1,500 ADA
• Tigist (Influencer outreach, campaigns): 1,000 ADA
Subtotal: 10,000 ADA
Tools & Infrastructure
• Smart contract audits, server scaling, analytics: 5,000 ADA
• Domain: 1,000 ADA
Promotion
• Targeted ads, social media campaigns, creator outreach: 6,000 ADA
User Rewards
• Incentives pool for first 1,000 transactions: 5,000 ADA
Milestone 2 Total: 26,000 ADA
Milestone 3 – Public Launch & Growth
Team Compensation
• Surafel (Scaling backend + new features): 5,000 ADA
• Amanuel (Dashboards, UX testing): 3,000 ADA
• Yostena (Content campaigns): 2,000 ADA
• Tigist (Growth hacking, A/B testing): 2,000 ADA
Subtotal: 12,000 ADA
Tools & Infrastructure
• Platform scaling, advanced analytics, bug fixes: 6,000 ADA
Promotion
• Creator-focused campaigns, partnerships, events: 7,000 ADA
User Rewards
• Reward pool for first 10,000 transactions: 7,000 ADA
Milestone 3 Total: 32,000 ADA
Milestone 4 – Expansion, Optimization & Reporting
Team Compensation
• Surafel (Optimization, governance features): 3,500 ADA
• Amanuel (UX refinements, category expansion): 2,000 ADA
• Yostena (Community building, final reporting): 1,500 ADA
• Tigist (Global campaigns, sustainability): 1,000 ADA
Subtotal: 8,000 ADA
Tools & Infrastructure
• Reporting tools, governance features, extended hosting: 3,000 ADA
Promotion
• Global final push, community contests/events: 6,000 ADA
Community Rewards
• ADA pool for engagement and voting events: 7,000 ADA
Milestone 4 Total: 24,000 ADA
Overall Total of 93,000 ADA
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
Our proposed budget of 93,000 ADA is carefully structured to maximize ecosystem impact, transparency, and sustainability. Every allocation is tied directly to deliverables that will bring measurable growth to Cardano in terms of transactions, adoption, and visibility. This is not an abstract investment it is a direct injection of activity, utility, and engagement into the Cardano blockchain.
The requested ADA is not a recurring operational grant; it is a one-time catalyst to build infrastructure that will sustain itself through a commission-based revenue model and network effect adoption. After the first year, the marketplace will continue to grow without needing further Catalyst support, proving the long-term leverage of this funding.
Our budget is distributed across four categories Team Compensation, Tools & Infrastructure, Promotion & Outreach, and User Rewards each delivering visible and auditable results:
• Team Compensation : Ensures the Cardano-certified developers, designers, and marketers deliver a high-quality, secure marketplace. By compensating skilled professionals fairly, we ensure reliable execution and accountability.
• Tools & Infrastructure Covers hosting, APIs, wallet integrations, and audits guaranteeing that the marketplace is technically robust and secure on Cardano.
• Promotion & Outreach: Direct investment into bringing creators and buyers to Cardano, expanding the user base and showcasing the network’s utility globally.
• User Rewards (19,000 ADA): Incentivizes early adoption with ADA-based rewards for first-time creators and buyers, creating on-chain activity and engagement that would not otherwise occur.
Unlike many proposals that fund research or off-chain community work, this project directly generates measurable on-chain activity:
• Each product listing = a new on-chain interaction.
• Each purchase = a stablecoin transaction on Cardano.
• Each reward payout = ADA distributed transparently on-chain.
• Each governance feature (in later milestones) = on-chain voting event.
By funding this project, Catalyst voters are essentially seeding thousands of transactions and expanding Cardano’s role as a settlement layer for real-world commerce.
Stablecoins are a gateway to blockchain adoption. By enabling USDT and USDC payments directly on Cardano, this project provides a practical use case beyond speculation. Creators and buyers from authors and designers to educators and developers — will interact with Cardano wallets not because they are crypto enthusiasts, but because it becomes the most efficient and rewarding way to exchange value.
This bridges mainstream users into Cardano, reinforcing its competitive advantage as a low-fee, high-security network.
The global creator economy is projected to exceed $500B in the next decade. Currently, most creators rely on centralized platforms (Amazon, Udemy, Gumroad, Patreon) that charge high commissions (10–20%). By building a Cardano-based creator marketplace, we shift part of this multi-billion-dollar industry onto Cardano rails.
This not only increases transaction volume but also strengthens Cardano’s image as the blockchain that empowers creators through fairer economics.
A significant portion of the budget is allocated to promotion and outreach. This is intentional: Cardano already has world-class infrastructure, but adoption lags behind Ethereum and Solana in public perception. By aggressively marketing this marketplace highlighting low fees, stability, and ADA incentives we increase Cardano’s visibility in the global creator economy.
Every ad campaign and influencer collaboration doubles as Cardano education, introducing the blockchain to entirely new demographics.
19,000 ADA is allocated as rewards for early users. Instead of being absorbed into internal operations, this portion of budget flows directly back into the community, distributed to real users in exchange for activity (uploads, purchases, governance votes).
This means Catalyst funds aren’t just “spent”; they’re recycled into adoption, turning ADA into an active driver of network usage.
We deliberately adjusted our original higher estimatetion down to 93k ADA to reflect the current ADA price. This demonstrates:
• Responsibility: We do not ask for more than what is necessary.
• Efficiency: Each milestone was trimmed without losing core functionality.
• Accountability: We optimized costs to match Catalyst expectations while ensuring deliverables remain realistic. this balance of lean budgeting + high impact ensures voters see maximum value for every ADA.
The marketplace does not just create one-time adoption; it creates a compounding effect:
• Each creator who joins brings their existing audience into Cardano.
• Each buyer transaction reinforces Cardano as a settlement layer.
• Each listing grows the platform’s value, attracting more creators in a positive feedback loop. the initial 93k ADA investment multiplies into sustained growth in users, transactions, and visibility, long after the budget is spent.
Each ADA spent is tied to specific milestones with verifiable outputs:
• Milestone 1: Testnet MVP + creator waitlist.
• Milestone 2: Mainnet launch + 500 creators + 1,000 transactions.
• Milestone 3: Public launch + 2,000 creators + 10,000 transactions.
• Milestone 4: Expansion + 20,000+ transactions + governance dashboard.
The community will be able to audit progress through on-chain data, GitHub repos, and public dashboards, ensuring every ADA is justified.
This budget is not an expense, but an investment into Cardano’s growth. By funding this project :
• A working marketplace that brings stablecoin payments and creator economies onto Cardano.
• Tens of thousands of on-chain transactions proving Cardano’s scalability and real-world utility.
• New users, creators, and audiences who may have never touched Cardano otherwise.
• A sustainable, revenue-generating platform that thrives beyond Catalyst funding.
With 93,000 ADA our proposal represents exceptional value-for-money: lean enough to respect voter funds, but powerful enough to drive adoption, visibility, and measurable impact for Cardano’s ecosystem.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Our team brings together technical, design, marketing, and growth expertise, all certified and experienced in blockchain and Web3. Each member plays a critical role in ensuring delivery with high trust and accountability.
• Surafel Desalegn – Team Lead, Full-Stack Developer & Business Strategist
CBCA-Certified | MBA Candidate | Blockchain Specialist
• Role: Project Lead, Tech Architect, and Strategic Planner.
• Responsibilities: Oversees development of marketplace architecture, smart contract integrations, stablecoin payment flows, and ensures alignment with business goals. Manages coordination between dev, design, and marketing teams.
• Background: 5+ years in blockchain/software projects, event organizer, and strategist. Built decentralized marketplace MVPs and token reward systems with proven adoption impact.
• Amanuel Elias – UI/UX Developer & Web3 Educator
CBCA-Certified | Android & Data Analysis Certified
• Role: Frontend Developer & UX Designer.
• Responsibilities: Designs intuitive interfaces for marketplace browsing, uploads, purchases, and wallets. Leads user onboarding flows to ensure accessibility for both crypto natives and first-timers.
• Background: Designed platforms and reduced drop-offs by 40% in past projects.
• Yostena Beniyam – Marketing & Content Lead
CBCA-Certified | Blockchain Advocate
• Role: Marketing Manager & Community Engagement Lead.
• Responsibilities: Creates multilingual campaigns, manages social media and community channels, collaborates with influencers, and ensures that creators understand the platform’s value.
• Background: Managed campaigns that grew user bases 300% in 6 months. Fluent in multiple languages, ensuring wide inclusivity.
• Tigist Worku – Digital Marketing Strategist & Growth Hacker
• Role: Growth & Acquisition Specialist.
• Responsibilities: Runs targeted ads, builds acquisition funnels, manages promotions for early adopters, and optimizes campaigns through A/B testing and analytics.
• Background: Scaled SaaS marketplace users, achieved 55% conversion boosts with growth strategies, and led campaigns generating.
Together our team blends blockchain tech, user-friendly design, community outreach, and aggressive growth strategy ensuring that the marketplace is not just built, but also adopted at scale.