[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

[Aladin] Securing Fair Pay for Freelancers Globally

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

68430

[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?

Freelancers face constant anxiety over non-payment. Clients risk losing money on unfinished work. Current platforms offer slow, costly mediation, leaving both parties feeling powerless and unheard.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://docs.aladin.work/en/usecases
,
• https://docs.aladin.work/en/whitepaper
,
• https://docs.aladin.work/en/how-it-works
,
• https://docs.aladin.work/en/app

[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

The core smart contract developed in this proposal and the accompanying technical documentation will be released under the Apache 2.0 open-source license. Our goal is to create a public good for the Cardano ecosystem—a secure, audited, and reusable escrow primitive that any developer or project can integrate into their dApps to facilitate secure value exchange.

[Theme Selection] Theme

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

Business Services

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).

While others build marketplaces, we build trust. Our innovation is creating a truly impartial financial guardian for every agreement. It’s not just tech; it's a tool for economic empowerment, ensuring that a freelancer in Ethiopia has the same payment security as one in New York. We're democratizing financial safety for the global workforce, making fair pay a universal standard, not a privilege. This goes beyond commerce; it's about creating economic justice.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

Imagine Alice hiring Bob. On our simple web app, they'll define the job and see the funds lock instantly on-chain. When Bob finishes, they both click 'Approve'. Bob gets paid immediately. No delays, no middlemen. The MVP will be a live Testnet dApp URL with a video demo showing this exact journey from contract creation to instant, successful payment. We are focusing on delivering this core, magical experience of secure and immediate value exchange.

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

Success means people feel safe using our tool. We'll track community impact: the number of successful contracts completed and the total value secured for users. Our SMART goal is to help secure 500+ jobs in the first 3 months. We'll also measure experience: collecting 50+ user testimonials and aiming for an 8/10 user satisfaction score via surveys. These stories, more than any on-chain metric, will prove our human impact.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Every year, the average freelancer loses nearly $6,000 to non-payment — a staggering 13% of their income. On the other side, businesses lose an estimated $50,000 for every single "bad hire," often caused by poor commitment or lack of skill verification. This is not a minor inconvenience; it is a multi-billion-dollar "trust tax" crippling the $582 billion global gig economy. (See more the research: https://docs.aladin.work/en/market-insight/global-gig-economy-market-opportunity-analysis)

For Cardano to become the platform of the real-world economy, it must address problems of this scale. The current centralized system has failed, leaving users powerless. The time for a decentralized, community-first solution is now.

This proposal will equip the Cardano ecosystem with an elegant, on-chain escrow protocol — a digital handshake backed by math, not middlemen. When an Aladin (client) hires a Genie (freelancer), funds are locked in a secure smart contract. The contract acts as an impartial, robotic judge, releasing payment only when both parties agree the job is done. This finally gives Genies freedom from the anxiety of non-payment and Aladins freedom from the risk of non-delivery.

This financial certainty is built with Aiken, a modern language that enhances security, on top of Cardano’s uniquely predictable eUTXO architecture. Imagine building with Lego bricks instead of dominoes — that’s the stability and safety this design provides.

Crucially, this vision is not starting from zero. The foundation is already live through the Aladin Work application on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. The community is not funding an idea, but accelerating a moving train. The user-facing product exists, and its market need is validated. This proposal is the final, strategic step to forge the on-chain financial primitive that will make decentralized work truly secure.

It is acknowledged that this first version focuses on the two-party “happy path,” intentionally deferring complex on-chain dispute resolution. This is a deliberate, strategic choice. By first perfecting the foundational building block and releasing it as an open-source public good, the ecosystem gains a vital, secure, and audited tool immediately. This will create the bedrock for more advanced features, like the future “Sultanate” arbitration system.

Introduction a bout the Aladin platform

Redefining the Gig Economy

Aladin is a decentralized protocol and application built on Cardano, with a mission to provide a fair, transparent, and efficient infrastructure for the global job economy.

Our philosophy is encapsulated in the name Aladin, inspired by the timeless story of empowerment. In our ecosystem, every user is an 'Aladin' - empowered as the protagonist of their own journey, holding complete control. The $LAMP token is not merely an asset; it is their 'Magic Lamp' - the key to unlocking the full power of the protocol.

By holding $LAMP and making a request - whether it's seeking talented personnel for a complex project or finding help to fix a gas stove at home - an Aladin summons their 'Genie', ready to turn their wishes into tangible outcomes, safely and transparently.

Our platform operates on three core utilities:

1. Simplified Hiring: Aladin helps employers easily find suitable candidates based on their on-chain reputation (represented by their CVC score), minimizing time spent on interviews and manual verification.
2. High-Commitment Contracts: Smart contracts automatically lock the committed assets ($LAMP) of both parties, creating a serious work environment and ensuring both sides fulfill their responsibilities.
3. Verifiable Proof of Experience: Aladin encodes the experience accumulated through each successfully completed contract into a CVC score. This reputation is immutable, owned by the user, and can be leveraged across the entire Web3 ecosystem, not just on the Aladin app.

The Problem: Hurdles of the Modern Gig Economy

• Lack of Trust and Commitment: Parties are often hesitant to engage due to the absence of mechanisms that guarantee contract enforcement and fair payment.
• Difficult to Verify Experience: Resumes and recommendation letters are easily forged and do not reflect true capabilities, leading to risks for employers.
• Walled Gardens (Data Silos): A worker's valuable experience on one platform (e.g., Upwork) cannot be transferred to another, forcing them to build their reputation from scratch repeatedly.
• High Fees and Opaque Processes: Incumbent platforms charge high service fees, and their dispute resolution processes are often centralized, non-transparent, and potentially biased.

Aladin's Solution: A Global Trust and Reputation Layer

Aladin is more than just an application; it is a foundational protocol that solves the above issues by:

• Establishing Trust through asset-backed escrow smart contracts.
• Building Immutable Reputation via the on-chain CVC score, which reflects both experience and commitment.
• Ensuring Justice with a decentralized arbitration system where the community, acting as Sultans, resolves disputes.
• Promoting Open Interoperability through the Job-SCaaS model, allowing any other application to leverage Aladin's infrastructure.

CVC: The Immutable Reputation Metric

CVC (Committed Value in the Contract) is Aladin's core reputation score.

Calculation: The CVC value of a contract is based on the value of the staked $LAMP, pegged to a reliable stablecoin to insulate the reputation score from token price volatility.

CVC = T *(P1 + P2 + ... + P}/n

while:

• T = The amount of LAMP tokens staked in the contract.
• P₁ = The exchange rate of the DJED/LAMP pair on the first DEX.
• n = The number of DEXs at the time the price is obtained.

Accumulation: Upon successful completion of a job, the final transaction consumes the old reputation UTXO and creates a new one with an updated CVC score for both the Aladin and the Genie, permanently recording the experience on-chain.

Aladin Ecosystem

The Aladin ecosystem consists of two key components working in symbiosis:

• The Aladin Protocol: The decentralized infrastructure layer, comprising smart contracts, Aladin Nodes, and governance rules.
• The Aladin App: The user-facing application (web/mobile) that allows end-users to easily interact with the Aladin Protocol.

Key Roles in the Aladin App

• Aladin: An individual or organization with a need, who posts a job or project.
• Genie: A skilled individual who performs the requested job.
• Sultan: The "arbiters," who are high-reputation Aladins or Genies (with high CVC scores). They can be nominated to the Petition Resolution Council to adjudicate disputes in specific job contracts.

How Aladin Works: The Lifecycle of a Job Smart Contract

The workflow of a contract on Aladin is designed to cover real-world scenarios, from initiation to either successful completion or failure.

1. Start: An Aladin posts a job request and criteria. The protocol suggests suitable Genies.
2. Contract Setup: The Aladin and Genie agree on terms and sign the smart contract.
3. Escrow: Both parties escrow $LAMP tokens. A Hydra Head can be opened for complex tasks.
4. Execution: The Genie performs the tasks.
5. Resolution: If it is Completed, both parties agree, the contract succeeds, funds are distributed, and the Treasury is updated. If it is Petition: In case of a dispute, the arbitration process with a Sultan is initiated (see Section 9). If the Deadline Risk: The Aladin may choose to outsource through a trusted Aladin Service Provider.
6. Reputation Update: Regardless of the outcome, the CVC scores of both parties are adjusted accordingly.
7. End: The smart contract is closed, the Hydra is closed also (if yes)

Layered Architecture

Application Layer: The Aladin App (Web, iOS, Android) and third-party apps integrated via Job-SCaaS.

Service Layer: Provides APIs, the Job-SCaaS service, Fiat gateway integration, and manages off-chain tasks.

Blockchain Layer: The core of the system, including Aladin Nodes, smart contracts (Plutus/Aiken) on Cardano, and the $LAMP token mechanism.

Identity Layer: Utilizes Atala PRISM for Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs).

Core Smart Contracts & Cardano Technology

Language: Smart contracts will be developed in Plutus V2 or Aiken.

Fee Optimization: We will leverage Reference Scripts (CIP-33, CIP-95) to significantly reduce transaction size and costs.

NFT Metadata Management: We will use CIP-68 to standardize metadata for Proof-of-Completion (PoC) NFTs.

Security: We will apply rigorous testing methods like formal verification and property-based testing.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

The impact of this project is to remove the "trust tax" from the gig economy, unlocking billions in economic value and making Cardano the premier platform for secure, decentralized work.

Our immediate goal is to help users secure over 500+ jobs and lock a significant Total Value Locked (TVL) on-chain within three months of launch. This is not just a number; it is tangible proof that our model works. Each successful transaction becomes a powerful data point, demonstrating to larger enterprise clients that high-value contracts can be executed on Cardano with unparalleled security and efficiency. This builds the on-chain traction necessary to attract B2B partnerships.

The exponential impact comes from its composability:

1. DeFi and Lending Protocols: Projects like Aada Finance or Liqwid Finance could integrate our escrow contract to offer undercollateralized loans, using the locked funds in a future, active job contract as a form of "income-backed collateral," creating a new financial product for the gig economy.
2. NFT Marketplaces: An NFT artist and a commissioner could use our protocol to secure a commission. The buyer locks the funds, and the artist is guaranteed payment upon delivery of the final artwork, preventing the common "ghosting" problem in the creative industry.

By achieving our initial success metric of 500+ secured jobs, we create a ripple effect. We prove the business case for other dApps to build on our open-source protocol, driving a wave of adoption and making Cardano the foundational settlement layer for a more equitable and efficient global workforce.

[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?

Our greatest asset is our proven momentum and the world-class team driving it. This proposal is not a leap of faith; it is a calculated next step on a journey we have already begun. Our existing Aladin Work application on the iOS and Android stores is tangible proof of our ability to deliver a polished, user-facing product.

The feasibility of this specific on-chain plan is guaranteed by a team forged in delivering complex, large-scale systems:

1. Duc Le (CEO & Project Lead): Successfully scaled a network to over 1,000 retail locations in just 3 years, demonstrating a mastery of building and operating complex, trust-based networks—the exact challenge of a decentralized marketplace.
2. Nguyen Mau Luu (CTO): Was the chief architect of the Optimal9 Core Banking System, a mission-critical platform demanding the highest levels of security and reliability. He has already built the enterprise-grade financial systems we now bring to Web3.
3. An Nguyen (Off-chain Lead): Led the development of an application that achieved over 500,000 downloads. He has proven experience building user-friendly mobile apps that achieve mass adoption, which is precisely what our escrow dApp will be built upon.
4. Nguyen Vu Hoang (On-chain Lead): Has a track record of successfully delivering on previous Catalyst-funded projects (ProSkill). He understands the accountability and transparency required by the community and will ensure our smart contract is built to the highest standards using modern tools like Aiken for enhanced security and efficiency.

We have the existing product, the expert team, and a clear, vertically-sliced plan. This combination makes our proposal one of the most feasible and lowest-risk opportunities for the community to fund a project with such significant ecosystem-wide impact.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

On-Chain Escrow Logic & CLI

Milestone Outputs

1. A technical specification document outlining the contract's state machine, datum structure, and validator logic..
2. The complete Aiken source code for the Plutus V3 smart contract, including validator scripts..
3. A full test suite for the Aiken contract, including positive and negative test cases for all core functions..
4. An open-source CLI tool capable of creating a new escrow contract, locking funds, and releasing funds by providing the necessary signatures.

Acceptance Criteria

1. The specification is approved by the lead developer and covers all core functions: contract initialization, fund locking, and mutual fund release..
2. The Aiken code compiles successfully, and all validator logic for the ""happy path"" is implemented as per the specification..
3. The test suite achieves >95% code coverage and successfully passes all tests, demonstrating the contract behaves as expected under various conditions..
4. The CLI tool can successfully execute the full ""happy path"" lifecycle of an escrow contract on the Preview Testnet.

Evidence of Completion

1. Link to the technical specification document in the public GitHub repository..
2. Link to the /contracts directory in the public GitHub repository..
3. Link to the test execution report and the /tests directory in the public GitHub repository..
4. Link to a video recording demonstrating the CLI tool in action and a link to the CLI source code in the GitHub repository.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

13720

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Web App Scaffolding & Wallet Connect

Milestone Outputs

1. A complete set of Figma mockups and a clickable prototype for the dApp, covering wallet connection, contract creation, and contract completion flows..
2. A GitHub repository for the frontend application with the core UI components and page structure built out..
3. A functional ""Connect Wallet"" feature in the web app that supports at least three popular Cardano wallets (e.g., Lace, Eternl, Typhon).;

Acceptance Criteria

1. The Figma prototype is approved and provides a clear visual blueprint for the frontend development team..
2. The web application's UI matches the approved Figma designs for all major screens. The application is deployed to a public staging URL..
3. Users can successfully connect their wallet to the dApp, and the dApp can read the user's wallet address and network.

Evidence of Completion

1. Link to the public Figma prototype..
2. Link to the frontend GitHub repository and the live staging URL..
3. The Connect Wallet feature is functional on the live staging URL. A video demo shows the connection process with multiple wallets

Delivery Month

1

Cost

8560

Progress

10 %

Milestone Title

End-to-End "Happy Path" Integration

Milestone Outputs

1. A transaction-building service (e.g., using MeshJS or Lucid) that can construct, sign, and submit all necessary transactions for the escrow lifecycle.
2. A fully functional MVP where users can complete the entire "happy path" journey (connect wallet, define job, lock funds, co-approve, receive payment) via the web interface.

Acceptance Criteria

1. The service can correctly build and submit the transactions for creating, funding, and completing an escrow contract on the Preview Testnet.
2. The end-to-end flow is testable on the staging URL. A user can successfully create and complete an escrow contract on the Preview Testnet using only the web app.

Evidence of Completion

1. Link to the specific service module in the frontend GitHub repository.
2. Link to a comprehensive video demonstration of the full end-to-end user journey on the live staging URL.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

12860

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Contract Hardening & Security Audit

Milestone Outputs

1. The Aiken smart contract is updated with a cancellation feature, allowing either party to reclaim their collateral if the other party fails to lock their funds within a set time. The test suite is expanded to cover this new feature.
2. A comprehensive security audit report from a reputable third-party firm.

Acceptance Criteria

1. The cancellation logic is functional and passes all tests. A user can successfully reclaim funds via the CLI if the other party does not engage.
2. The audit is completed, and the final report identifies zero critical or high-severity vulnerabilities. All medium/low findings are acknowledged or remediated.

Evidence of Completion

1. The updated contract code is pushed to GitHub. A video demonstrates the cancellation feature.
2. The final, signed PDF of the security audit report is published in the public GitHub repository.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

16000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Public Launch & Ecosystem Enablement

Milestone Outputs

1. The final, audited smart contract is deployed on Cardano Mainnet. The web dApp is publicly accessible and fully functional on mainnet.
2. A 3-5 minute video demonstration of the dApp and a publicly accessible documentation site (e.g., GitBook) with a step-by-step user guide.
3. A detailed technical document covering the smart contract's architecture, functions, datum structure, and instructions for integration for other developers.
4. A final, comprehensive Project Completion Report, including details of all milestone deliveries, community engagement, and budget expenditure.

Acceptance Criteria

1. The mainnet dApp is live and successfully processes at least one real transaction. The deployed contract address is made public.
2. The video is high-quality and clearly explains the user journey. The documentation is easy to understand for non-technical users.
3. The technical documentation is comprehensive and clear enough for another Cardano developer to understand and interact with our smart contract.
4. The final report is submitted to the Catalyst team and meets all requirements.

Evidence of Completion

1. Link to the live mainnet dApp. Link to the contract address on a Cardano explorer (e.g., CExplorer).
2. Link to the video on YouTube or Vimeo and the public documentation site.
3. Link to the technical documentation in the project's GitHub repository.
4. Link to the published Project Completion Report.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

17290

Progress

30 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

The total budget of ₳68,430 is strategically allocated across five key milestones to ensure maximum efficiency and accountability. The breakdown is as follows:

Milestone #1: On-Chain Escrow Logic & CLI

Cost: ₳13,720 - Progress: 20%

• ₳2,744 – Research & design the eUTXO-based escrow smart contract.
• ₳5,488 – Develop the core escrow smart contract in Aiken.
• ₳3,430 – Create a comprehensive property-based test suite.
• ₳2,058 – Develop a Command-Line Interface (CLI) tool for interaction.

Milestone #2: Web App Scaffolding & Wallet Connect

Cost: ₳8,560 - Progress: 10%

• ₳3,424 – Design the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX).
• ₳3,424 – Set up the frontend web application project and implement UI.
• ₳1,712 – Integrate a Cardano dApp-Wallet Connector (CIP-30).

Milestone #3: End-to-End "Happy Path" Integration

Cost: ₳12,860 - Progress: 20%

• ₳6,430 – Develop the off-chain code and transaction-building logic.
• ₳6,430 – Integrate the transaction-building logic with the frontend UI.

Milestone #4: Contract Hardening & Security Audit

Cost: ₳16,000 - Progress: 20%

• ₳4,570 – Implement a contract cancellation feature.
• ₳11,430 – Engage a reputable third-party security firm for a professional audit.

Milestone #5: Public Launch & Ecosystem Enablement

Cost: ₳17,290 - Progress: 30%

• ₳2,290 – Deploy the audited smart contract and web app to Mainnet.
• ₳3,000 – Create user-facing video tutorials and documentation.
• ₳3,430 – Develop and publish technical documentation for developers.
• ₳8,570 – Project Management & Final Reporting.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

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

This proposal is an asymmetric bet for the Cardano Treasury: a modest investment to secure a strategic foothold in the $582B global gig economy. Instead of every project rebuilding costly trust protocols from scratch, the Treasury can fund this infrastructure once and release it as a free, open-source public good, saving future builders time and tens of thousands of dollars.

The on-chain flywheel effect ensures direct returns to the network. As the table illustrates, the value generation for the Cardano network is designed to grow exponentially:

• It begins with the Foundation Phase, where achieving a modest 500 contracts per day will already generate over ₳36,500 in annual network fees—a solid return on the initial Catalyst investment.
• As the product-market fit is validated in the Optimize Phase, this activity is projected to increase significantly, generating over ₳219,000 in annual fees.
• This is where the flywheel truly ignites. During the Scale-Up Phase, as Aladin captures a larger market share, the platform is projected to handle 30,000 contracts daily, generating **over 2.1 million ADA **in network transaction fees every year.
• In its mature Governance Phase, the platform has the potential to generate over 7.3 million ADA in annual fees, turning real-world economic activity into a massive, sustainable source of value for the entire Cardano network.

This phased growth unequivocally demonstrates that the value returned to the Cardano Treasury is projected to be many multiples of the total funding required for Aladin's foundational proposals. But the impact transcends financials. This level of consistent, real-world economic activity serves as a powerful beacon, significantly enhancing social proof and trust in the Cardano ecosystem for the entire world to see. It is a direct and tangible contribution to transforming the vision of "1 billion users" by the Cardano from an aspiration into an achievable reality.

• This growth delivers far more than financial returns: it creates visible, sustained real-world economic activity on Cardano, boosting trust, social proof, and adoption worldwide.
• This is not speculation—it is a calculated investment in a proven team with live products and existing traction. Funding this proposal means acquiring a high-value strategic asset that will pay for itself many times over while accelerating Cardano’s mission to become the backbone of a fair, global economy.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes