Last updated 7 months ago
Ethiopian cuisine lacks a trusted, digital-first platform that preserves authentic recipes while rewarding creators and engaging global communities.
A recipe & cooking app with video tutorials, ADA-based tipping, and recipe NFTs that preserve culture and reward creators via Cardano.
This is the total amount allocated to InjeraTime: Discover & Cook Ethiopian Classics.
Please provide your proposal title
InjeraTime: Discover & Cook Ethiopian Classics
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
59700
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
6
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Ethiopian cuisine lacks a trusted, digital-first platform that preserves authentic recipes while rewarding creators and engaging global communities.
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
All platform code, smart contracts, and documentation will be open-sourced and available on GitHub for reuse, localization, and global collaboration.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
Social Media
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
Unlike existing recipe apps, InjeraTime uses Cardano smart contracts to guarantee fair payouts to creators, anchors recipes as NFTs for cultural preservation, and introduces a replicable food-culture model for global blockchain adoption. It fuses traditional culinary heritage with decentralized tech, creating an inclusive on-ramp for new users through food.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
Web & mobile app with 30+ Ethiopian recipes.
Step-by-step videos.
Smart contracts for ADA tipping.
NFT minting of recipes.
It will be publicly accessible through a demo site and open GitHub repository.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
30 authentic recipes live on platform.
10 creators onboarded and receiving ADA payouts.
At least 100 ADA distributed in first quarter.
50 NFTs minted with cultural metadata.
200 active users within 6 months.
On-chain evidence: ADA payouts, transaction records, and NFT mints.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
Our solution is InjeraTime, a web and mobile platform that blends culture, education, and blockchain to preserve Ethiopian cuisine while rewarding creators through ADA micropayments and recipe NFTs.
At its core, InjeraTime is designed as a multimedia recipe library where users can explore, learn, and share authentic Ethiopian dishes. Unlike generic cooking apps, our platform focuses on authenticity, bilingual accessibility, and blockchain-powered engagement. Every recipe will be accompanied by step-by-step video tutorials, written instructions in both Amharic and English, and cultural background stories that explain the origins and significance of each dish. This ensures that users are not just learning how to cook, but also understanding the traditions and heritage behind the food.
A critical feature is ADA-based tipping and creator rewards. Chefs, homemakers, and culinary influencers who share their recipes will be directly compensated through Cardano smart contracts. Each time a user engages with their content—by watching, following instructions, or bookmarking—the creator can receive ADA micropayments. This creates a fair, transparent, and decentralized reward system that bypasses exploitative centralized platforms.
In addition, InjeraTime introduces Recipe NFTs, which act as digital cultural assets. Popular or iconic recipes can be minted as NFTs that contain not just cooking instructions, but metadata about the dish’s history, region, and contributors. These NFTs can be collected, traded, or used as digital cookbooks, creating a new dimension of cultural preservation. For contributors, NFTs also provide recognition and royalties, ensuring their knowledge remains valuable over time.
The platform also incorporates community features to strengthen engagement. Users can comment on recipes, participate in cooking challenges, and build their own personalized digital cookbooks by saving or remixing recipes. These social layers turn InjeraTime into more than a static recipe archive—it becomes a living cultural community on Cardano.
The initial launch will focus on 30 iconic Ethiopian dishes from different regions, ensuring representation of Ethiopia’s diverse culinary landscape (Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, Somali, etc.). As adoption grows, the platform can scale to include more recipes, languages, and even expand to cuisines from other cultures, making the solution globally adaptable.
InjeraTime thus combines cultural preservation, economic empowerment, and blockchain adoption in one platform. It shows how Cardano can power everyday human experiences, like cooking and sharing food, while ensuring creators are rewarded and culture is celebrated.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
The impact of InjeraTime extends far beyond being a recipe app; it is a cultural, economic, and technological bridge that introduces entirely new communities to the Cardano ecosystem. By focusing on Ethiopian cuisine, one of the world’s most unique and diverse culinary traditions, the project leverages a universally relatable entry point food to drive blockchain adoption in a way that is accessible and inclusive.
For the Cardano community, InjeraTime provides a fresh narrative. It shows that blockchain is not only about finance or technical development but also about cultural preservation, creator empowerment, and real-world use cases that ordinary people can connect with. This expands the ecosystem’s appeal to demographics that are often overlooked, such as homemakers, chefs, students, and diaspora communities. Each ADA transaction, whether as a tip or an NFT purchase, directly demonstrates the utility of Cardano in everyday life.
For content creators, the impact is economic and social. Chefs and food creators many of whom currently share recipes informally or through centralized platforms that don’t fairly compensate them gain a transparent, decentralized income stream. This empowerment helps small creators sustain themselves while spreading cultural knowledge. It also provides an alternative to systems that often exploit content without proper credit or financial recognition.
For Ethiopian society and the diaspora, InjeraTime becomes a digital cultural archive. Recipes are preserved permanently through open metadata and NFTs, ensuring they remain accessible to future generations. This strengthens cultural identity, especially among younger Ethiopians and those living abroad who want to reconnect with their heritage.
Globally, InjeraTime sets a replicable model. Once the Ethiopian platform proves successful, the same framework can be adapted to other cuisines and cultures worldwide African, Asian, Latin American turning Cardano into a global hub for cultural preservation through decentralized technology.
Ultimately, the impact is threefold: Cardano adoption grows through new users, creators gain economic empowerment through ADA rewards, and culture is preserved for generations using blockchain permanence. This positions Cardano as not only a financial system but also a cultural innovation platform that brings people together in everyday, meaningful ways.
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 team combines technical, cultural, and creative expertise to ensure InjeraTime is both feasible and impactful. On the technical side, we have experienced full-stack developers who have previously delivered blockchain-based applications, with strong familiarity in ADA wallet integration, Plutus smart contracts, and NFT metadata standards. This ensures that the ADA tipping and NFT recipe functionalities will be delivered reliably and securely. Our smart contract engineer will design automated payout logic so creators receive ADA instantly, without relying on centralized platforms.
On the cultural and content side, our chefs and culinary consultants represent multiple Ethiopian regions (Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, Somali, etc.), giving diversity and authenticity to the recipe collection. They will ensure that what is documented and shared reflects real heritage, not watered-down or commercialized content. The translator and content writer will make every recipe accessible in Amharic and English, with potential expansions to Tigrigna and Oromifa if demand grows.
We also have a dedicated video producer and editor who will deliver high-quality, engaging cooking tutorials suitable for both local and global audiences. Combined with our community lead, who has experience in outreach and cultural event promotion, we can engage diaspora communities, culinary influencers, and students in Ethiopia.
From a feasibility perspective, the project timeline is realistic—9 months with defined deliverables at each stage. The MVP will be built in months 4–5, allowing us to test ADA-based tipping early. By month 7, NFT minting will be functional and tested. Community engagement will validate adoption, and by month 9, the project will be fully launched, open-sourced, and self-sustainable through ADA-driven interactions.
This balance of technical reliability, cultural authenticity, and user engagement makes the project both feasible and well-positioned for long-term success.
Milestone Title
Recipe Collection & Platform Design
Milestone Outputs
We will collect and document at least 30 authentic Ethiopian recipes from diverse regions, record 20 step-by-step cooking videos with local chefs, and prepare bilingual text guides in Amharic and English. A complete UI/UX design prototype for the app will also be created to establish a clear user flow
Acceptance Criteria
Recipes must be verified by culinary consultants for authenticity and accuracy. Videos must be recorded in high-definition with clear instructions, and subtitles must be available in Amharic and English. The UI/UX prototype must be functional, reviewed by the team, and approved as the design standard for MVP development.
Evidence of Completion
A GitHub repository will contain design assets, wireframes, and recipe documentation. Video files will be uploaded to a project drive for review. A public progress report will be published showing the full recipe list, video samples, and design mockups, ensuring the milestone is fully transparent and verifiable.
Delivery Month
1
Cost
14000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
MVP Development & ADA Tipping
Milestone Outputs
We will build a functional MVP for both web and mobile platforms. Features will include recipe browsing, video playback, creator dashboards, and ADA tipping via smart contracts. At least 10 creators will be onboarded and trained to upload recipes, ensuring early adoption and platform use.
Acceptance Criteria
The MVP must allow users to browse recipes, watch videos, and send ADA tips through wallet integration. Smart contracts must process payments without error. A minimum of 20 successful test transactions must be executed, and creators must confirm they received payouts into their wallets without delays.
Evidence of Completion
A live demo site will be launched with public access for testing. On-chain ADA transactions will be verifiable via Cardano Explorer. GitHub commits will show code progress, and screenshots or demo videos will be shared with the community. A written report will summarize creator onboarding and test transactions.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
18000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
NFT Integration & Creator Rewards
Milestone Outputs
The platform will integrate NFT minting for recipes, enabling contributors to create digital assets containing instructions, cultural metadata, and ownership rights. Royalty smart contracts will be deployed to ensure contributors receive ADA whenever their NFTs are collected, traded, or accessed by user
Acceptance Criteria
Users must be able to mint recipes as NFTs with complete metadata (title, cultural story, contributor credits). Royalties must automatically distribute ADA payouts to original creators. At least 20 NFTs must be successfully minted on Cardano, and creators must verify receipt of royalties in their wallets.
Evidence of Completion
On-chain evidence of NFT minting will be available and verifiable via Cardano Explorer. A GitHub repository will contain open-sourced royalty smart contracts. Public dashboards and screenshots will demonstrate NFT creation and sales, while payout transactions will confirm that royalties were successfully delivered to contributors.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
15000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Launch, Community Events & Open Source
Milestone Outputs
The full platform will be publicly launched, with recipe browsing, video tutorials, ADA tipping, and NFT minting fully functional. We will organize online and offline cooking challenges to engage the community, and the complete codebase will be released under MIT open-source license on GitHub.
Acceptance Criteria
The live platform must include at least 30 recipes, 20 high-quality videos, bilingual guides, working ADA tipping, and NFT minting. At least 200 users must engage with the platform, and a minimum of 100 ADA in tips must be distributed. The GitHub repo must include full code and documentation.
Evidence of Completion
The project website will be accessible to the public, with user analytics showing engagement and ADA tips distributed. Video recordings of cooking challenges will be published online. A GitHub repository with complete code and open documentation will serve as proof of open-source release, alongside a final Catalyst report.
Delivery Month
1
Cost
12700
Progress
20 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The total requested budget for InjeraTime is 59,200 ADA, carefully structured to cover development, content creation, and community engagement within a 6-month timeline. A significant share goes to the technical build, with 8,000 ADA for the full stack developer and 4,000 ADA for the smart contract developer, ensuring reliable ADA tipping and NFT royalty distribution. The project coordinator is allocated 6,000 ADA to manage strategy, reporting, and team coordination. For cultural authenticity and media quality, 5,500 ADA supports chefs and culinary consultants, 3,000 ADA supports translation and bilingual content, and 4,500 ADA funds professional video production. Equipment and studio costs (3,000 ADA) and hosting and infrastructure (2,500 ADA) guarantee stable content delivery. To ensure adoption, 4,500 ADA is dedicated to community outreach, events, and promotion, while 2,000 ADA covers NFT minting fees and wallet API integration. Finally, a 6,200 ADA contingency secures flexibility for unforeseen expenses. Each allocation is milestone-linked, ensuring funds directly produce measurable outputs while maximizing transparency and efficiency.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
For just under 60k ADA, InjeraTime delivers a working MVP, cultural content, ADA integration, and NFTs within 6 months. This is highly cost-effective compared to typical dApp development, which alone can exceed this range without including multimedia production or cultural outreach.
The project drives Cardano adoption in non-technical communities by using food as an entry point, making blockchain approachable and practical. It also creates a replicable model that can expand globally, multiplying its impact far beyond Ethiopia. Creators gain fair compensation through ADA, increasing circulation and demonstrating blockchain’s ability to empower people directly.
The open-source release ensures that the platform’s code, smart contracts, and documentation remain accessible for future developers, educators, or cultural groups to build on. This means Catalyst funds create not just one app, but an ecosystem foundation others can expand.
In short, the project offers cultural preservation, new-user onboarding, economic empowerment, and open-source contributions all at a fraction of typical blockchain project costs. This makes InjeraTime an exceptionally high-value investment for Catalyst and the Cardano ecosystem.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Our team combines technical, cultural, and creative expertise. Firaol Gezahegn (Coordinator) manages strategy and reporting. Nataniem Seyoum (Lead Developer) builds the platform and ADA integration. A Smart Contract Engineer ensures payout/NFT logic. Chefs & Culinary Consultants provide authentic recipes, supported by a Video Producer and a Community Lead for outreach.