Last updated 9 months ago
Hackathons generate bold Cardano ideas, but without research and prototyping, these sparks fade wasting talent and losing real-world adoption opportunities.
We will validate hackathon ideas through research, low-fidelity prototypes, and feasibility studies, preparing them for Cardano adoption and future Catalyst Solution proposals.
This is the total amount allocated to NextGen Developers 2.0: From Hackathon Success to Mainnet.
Please provide your proposal title
NextGen Developers 2.0: From Hackathon Success to Mainnet
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
100000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
8
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Hackathons generate bold Cardano ideas, but without research and prototyping, these sparks fade wasting talent and losing real-world adoption opportunities.
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies. The project leverages existing hackathon alumni and Cardano mentors. We may collaborate with local SMEs for user research but execution is self-contained.
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Yes. Research findings, prototypes, and specifications will be shared openly with the Cardano community to inform future proposals and encourage reuse using Apache 2.0
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
Research
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
This project is innovative because it creates the first structured post-hackathon pipeline for African Cardano developers, focusing not on MVPs but on concept-stage validation. Unlike past funded work that centered on education or finished dApps, we emphasize research, low-fidelity prototypes, and feasibility testing, ensuring ideas are grounded in real user needs. By involving SMEs and communities in design research, we generate new, market-ready concepts and a pipeline of stronger proposals for future Catalyst funding.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
Our prototypes will demonstrate the core functionality of 3–5 Cardano use cases identified from the successfully completed NextGen Hackathon. These will be low-fidelity proofs of concept such as clickable demos and simple testnet contracts showcasing basic workflows (e.g., identity credential issuance, transaction flows, or supply chain records). They will be deployed on Cardano testnet and shared via GitHub/Discord. Some members of the community will be invited to test usability, provide feedback, and help validate assumptions before full MVP development.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
Success will be measured by delivering 3–5 functional prototypes deployed on Cardano testnet. Each prototype will target at least 20–30 active testers, generating 50–100 transactions or contract calls during usability sessions. Outcomes include research reports, feasibility studies, and validated design specs. By project close, we expect at least 2 teams to advance to submitting their proposals to Fund 15 or any other future funding rounds with ready-to-build Solution/Product proposals, ensuring continuity of adoption.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
The Problem We Are Solving
Hackathons have proven to be fertile ground for bold blockchain ideas. The recently concluded NextGen Developers Hackathon showed the creativity and energy of young, undergraduate African developers who want to build on Cardano. Yet, most of these promising concepts risk fading out after the event. Why?
Because hackathons are optimized for short bursts of innovation, not for the long process of validation. After the excitement, teams lack support for:
Without this bridge, Cardano loses a pipeline of unique innovations from Africa; innovations that could unlock adoption in areas like agriculture, education, and financial inclusion.
Our Solution: NextGen Developers 2.0 – Concept Stage
This project will directly build on the NextGen Hackathon’s success by taking 3–5 of its strongest concepts and guiding them through a structured pathway of research, prototyping, and feasibility validation. Instead of aiming for finished MVPs or live deployments (which belong to later Catalyst categories), we will create validated concept packages that prove utility, document user needs, and prepare teams for full product development in future Catalyst rounds.
How We Will Do It
1. Discovery & Research (Months 1–2)
2. Low-Fidelity Prototyping (Months 3–4)
3. Validation and Feasibility (Months 5–6)
4. Showcase & Roadmap (Months 7–8)
Who We Will Engage
Proving Our Impact
We will demonstrate impact through:
What Makes Our Solution Unique
Who Benefits Why It Matters to Cardano
Developers benefit from structured support, skill-building in design research, and Catalyst readiness.
Communities benefit by having their needs studied and translated into blockchain use cases.
Cardano Ecosystem benefits by gaining new, disruptive, and globally relevant use cases rooted in African realities. This matters because Cardano adoption depends not just on technology, but on use cases that people trust and need. Africa’s challenges in finance, supply chains, and digital identity are global in scale, and solutions tested here can inspire adoption everywhere.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Why This Matters to Cardano
Cardano’s long-term adoption depends not only on technology but also on real-world use cases that solve problems for people and businesses. Africa’s developer ecosystem is one of the fastest-growing globally, with hackathons producing disruptive ideas in finance, education, and agriculture. Without structured validation, these sparks fade, and Cardano risks losing both talent and unique innovations to competing blockchains.
By validating and prototyping 3–5 promising hackathon concepts, this project creates a pipeline of globally relevant Cardano use cases rooted in African realities. The wider Cardano community gains tested concepts, open research, and stronger follow-on proposals for future Catalyst funding.
Specific Impacts
1. Strengthening the Catalyst Pipeline
2. Expanding Ecosystem Diversity
3. Building Developer Capacity
4. Delivering Research & Insights for All
How We Will Measure Impact
Quantitative Metrics
Qualitative Metrics
How We Will Share Outputs
Value to the Wider Cardano Community
The success of this project ensures that Cardano doesn’t just run hackathons for inspiration but actually captures and sustains innovation. For the community, this means:
By building directly on hackathon energy and providing a bridge from idea → research → prototype → feasibility, we ensure that the Cardano ecosystem benefits from every spark of innovation and grows its global base of users and builders.
Long-Term Positive Impact for Cardano
Why This Matters Beyond Africa
While the immediate focus is on African hackathon outputs, the framework of validation and prototyping can be replicated globally. Lessons from this project can be:
In short, the project is local in execution but global in impact. As we capture post-hackathon energy and convert it into structured research, prototypes, and validation, we ensure that Cardano goes beyond inspiring ideas, it delivers pathways to adoption.
For the wider community, the impact is measurable:
The positive ripple effects i.e stronger proposals, better research, validated prototypes, and new global voices, position Cardano as the blockchain of choice for real-world, inclusive, and scalable innovation.
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?
Proven Track Record
Our team has already demonstrated delivery capability through multiple Catalyst-funded and cardano ecosystem-shaping initiatives:
West Africa Undergraduate and Early Developer Hackathon aka NextGen Developers Hackathon (Fund 13): We attracted dozens of young African developers, produced working prototypes, and created winning teams. The event delivered outputs on time and within budget, with transparent milestone reporting.
SingularityNET Africa Community (SNET Funded): We were funded to build and scale the SingularityNET Africa community, a project that has been completed successfully and continues to thrive today. This initiative onboarded developers, hosted conferences, produced researches, articles, conference papers as well as educational sessions that continue to strengthen AI–blockchain literacy and adoption across key sectors in Africa.
Marketplace Deployments: We have successfully onboarded 2–3 products into the SingularityNET marketplace and over 8 products onto the Cardano mainnet, directly contributing to ecosystem growth and adoption.
Pan-African Blockchain Networks: We maintain a solid network across the African blockchain ecosystem - including universities, developer communities, startups, and policy stakeholders - giving us unique reach and influence for projects like this.
Beyond Catalyst, our team has:
Together, these achievements demonstrate our ability to manage Catalyst funds effectively, deliver complex projects, and create sustainable community-driven ecosystems:
Why We Are Best Suited for This Project
Steps to Validate Feasibility
We will not assume that hackathon ideas are automatically viable, instead, we will validate systematically:
This phased approach ensures that only validated concepts advance, avoiding wasted Catalyst funds on untested assumptions.
Processes for Accountability and Fund Management
We will manage Catalyst funds with high levels of transparency and accountability:
Demonstrated Ability to Manage Funds Properly
Our past projects provide evidence that we deliver within budget, maintain open communication with funders and produce verifiable outputs accessible to the wider community.
For this project, we will extend those practices by providing quarterly progress updates in addition to milestone reporting and hosting a Concept Showcase event as live evidence of outputs.
There is no doubt we are best positioned to deliver this project seeing we have already run a successful Catalyst-funded hackathon, we have the networks, skills, and credibility in Africa’s developer ecosystem.
Our approach is methodical and transparent, focusing on research, prototyping, and feasibility.
We have robust accountability processes: milestone-based disbursements, open reporting, and external validation.
By trusting us with this project, the Catalyst community ensures that the energy of hackathon innovation is transformed into structured, validated, and transparent outcomes that strengthen Cardano’s global adoption.
Milestone Title
Research & Discovery
Milestone Outputs
We will identify and refine 3–5 of the strongest concepts from the recently concluded NextGen Hackathon. Each concept will undergo structured research and discovery, including detailed problem validation, market mapping, and Cardano ecosystem alignment. The result will be a research dossier for each concept, capturing pain points, user personas, value propositions, and opportunities for on-chain deployment. This lays the foundation for confident progression into prototyping.
Acceptance Criteria
At least 100 stakeholders, including potential users, Cardano developers, and industry domain experts, are engaged and their feedback incorporated. A complete research dossier is produced for each selected concept and made openly accessible. Concepts must demonstrate feasibility and strong ecosystem relevance before advancing to the next stage.
Evidence of Completion
Publication of the research dossiers on the Cardano Forum and GitHub. Supporting evidence includes documented stakeholder surveys, interview summaries, community feedback threads, and a video briefing summarizing insights and outcomes for transparency.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
30000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Low-Fidelity Prototyping on Testnet
Milestone Outputs
The selected 3–5 concepts will be transformed into functional low-fidelity prototypes on Cardano testnet. This includes creating basic smart contract or DApp prototypes that validate technical feasibility and enable early interaction. Each prototype will be stress-tested with a defined user group, collecting qualitative and quantitative feedback that ensures usability and alignment with the intended problem/solution fit.
Acceptance Criteria
Every concept must deliver at least one operational testnet prototype, accessible through open repositories or demo links. A minimum of 20–30 users per concept must test and provide feedback, and results must show that improvements were made based on this feedback. Only prototypes that meet technical feasibility and basic usability standards qualify as complete.
Evidence of Completion
GitHub links to codebases and functioning testnet addresses are provided as public proof. A written user feedback and iteration report is shared, alongside a recorded demonstration of each prototype. All documentation and outputs are published for community validation.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
20000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Feasibility Studies & Concept Packages
Milestone Outputs
Each of the advancing concepts will produce a comprehensive “Concept Package.” These packages combine the validated prototype, market research, technical feasibility studies, adoption roadmap, and potential business models. The packages will also outline clear paths to mainnet readiness, including ecosystem partnerships, scalability considerations, and regulatory or compliance needs if relevant.
Acceptance Criteria
At least 3 complete Concept Packages must be delivered, each containing a functional prototype, feasibility report, and adoption strategy. Packages should be well-documented, peer-reviewed within the Cardano community, and demonstrate clear next steps for future funding and development. Completeness and ecosystem readiness are essential to acceptance.
Evidence of Completion
Concept Packages are published on Cardano Forum and GitHub for community access. Each package is accompanied by peer review comments from the Cardano community are documented to show engagement and validation.
Delivery Month
6
Cost
20000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Showcase & Final Closeout
Milestone Outputs
The project concludes with a hybrid showcase event where the 3–5 concepts present their journey, results, and next steps to the global Cardano community. The event serves as a launchpad for the concepts to move toward mainnet development and future Catalyst proposals. A detailed closeout report, community video update, and performance analysis of the program will also be produced.
Acceptance Criteria
The showcase must be livestreamed with active community participation and replay published for transparency. At least 2 of the concepts must advance to prepare Fund 15 proposals or equivalent next steps. A comprehensive closeout report is created, summarizing learnings, impact metrics, and recommendations for scaling this model in the ecosystem.
Evidence of Completion
Event recording and attendance reports are published on Cardano Forum. Catalyst proposal IDs from advancing teams are shared as proof of pipeline creation. A final report and video closeout update are made publicly accessible, confirming successful project completion.
Delivery Month
8
Cost
30000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Budget & Resource Breakdown (100,000 ADA)
1. Research & Discovery – 18,000 ADA
2. Prototyping & Development – 30,000 ADA
3. Feasibility Studies & Packaging – 22,000 ADA
4. Community Engagement, Marketing & Showcase – 22,000 ADA
5. Project Management, Administration & Reporting – 8,000 ADA
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This project represents excellent value for the Cardano ecosystem because every ADA requested is tied directly to visible outputs that strengthen adoption, knowledge, and network resilience. Rather than funding abstract research or bloated overheads, this budget ensures that the community receives tested, audited, and openly documented prototypes that can be reused, improved, and scaled by builders across the ecosystem.
30% of the budget (30,000 ADA) delivers working prototypes deployed. These are not speculative ideas but usable prototypes that community developers can test immediately.
15,000 ADA secures professional audits and compliance checks, a cost far below global averages, yet sufficient in the African context where quality services are competitively priced. This ensures the ecosystem receives trustworthy outputs without excessive spending.
Workshops (15,000 ADA) and marketing (12,000 ADA) transform local prototypes into global community assets, amplifying Cardano’s reach.
Documentation (6,000 ADA) guarantees knowledge transfer, ensuring solutions don’t vanish after the project ends but remain as open-source building blocks.
Average professional rates in Africa are significantly lower than in the EU or US (a senior blockchain consultant costs ~$2,000/month locally vs. $8,000–$12,000 in the West). This geographic advantage means Catalyst funds go further, producing more outputs with fewer ADA.
Only 10% (10,000 ADA) is dedicated to project management and reporting, ensuring accountability without waste.
12,000 ADA is allocated for community testing and bug bounties, directly engaging developers and student clubs. This ensures that the ecosystem validates the work, not just the team.
By funding this project, Catalyst is not only supporting hackathon winners but is building a pipeline for continuous innovation. These prototypes will feed into the ecosystem for others to adopt, fork, or integrate. The result is network effects that extend far beyond the project timeline.
In summary:
For 100,000 ADA, the Cardano community gets prototypes, audits, community testing, global workshops, documentation, and knowledge transfer. This represents lean, transparent spending with high multiplier producing outputs that directly strengthen adoption, trust, and developer participation across the ecosystem.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Duke Peter (Tech community Catalyst)
Duke is the founder of Ubuntu and AI and a leading catalyst for blockchain adoption and ethical AI development in Africa. With over a decade of experience in community engagement and communications, he has built strong ecosystems that connect innovators, entrepreneurs, and developers within the Web3 space.
As the African Community Lead for SingularityNET, Duke has spearheaded the platform’s regional expansion across Africa - organizing conferences, roundtables, townhalls, and research collaborations that have introduced thousands of participants to decentralized AI and blockchain. His leadership has also advanced the development of Afrocentric and ethical AI tools, ensuring that emerging technologies are shaped by Africa’s unique values and perspectives.
Duke is also a funded proposer in Catalyst Fund 13 (F13), where he continues to design and deliver projects that strengthen blockchain ecosystems through education, community-driven research, and capacity building.
Duke’s work sits at the intersection of blockchain ecosystems, AI ethics, and community empowerment, positioning him as a strategic leader capable of delivering high-value, sustainable outcomes for funded initiatives.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dukepeter/
Remostart (Tech Startup):
Remostart will serve as the technical partner for this project, bringing a global network of thousands of skilled professionals, including hundreds already integrated into the Cardano ecosystem across Africa. The team at Remostart comprises experts in artificial intelligence IOT and blockchain technology, with over a decade of experience in developing solutions and training the next generation of developers.
Achi Emmanuel (Researcher, Data Privacy and Ethics Specialist):
Achi is a seasoned freelance writer and researcher, he works with international Masters and PhD students as a think thank to refine their research topics and achieve both academic and organizational success. His expertise also extends to consulting for innovative firms locally and globally, driving business growth through informed insights. Additionally, he collaborate with cutting-edge tech startups to craft product strategies and technology adoption models that propel market entry.
He has contributed to several research interests and projects in niches spanning across sustainability, healthcare management, project management, marketing, business development, real estate development, disruptive technology solutions such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, zero knowledge proof, virtual reality, big data, IoT, augmented reality, mixed reality, management tech, genetics, information technology, and biotechnology.
Rejoice Olie (M&E/Data analyst)
Rejoice is a data analyst par excellence with nearly half a decade of experience. As someone deeply passionate about the transformative power of knowledge, her journey spans content creation, data analysis, and digital archiving, each role feeding her drive to make information accessible and impactful. She has worked as a Data Archiving Consultant at SCIDAR, where she spearheaded initiatives to optimize data storage and retrieval systems, ensuring the sustainability of critical digital collections. In addition to this, she has led data analysis for an Inclusivity research project within SingularityNET, identifying key trends and shaping policies that promote inclusivity. She has worked as a Content Review Analyst with Nigeria's leading Ed-tech firm, uLesson, she has analyzed hundreds of sessions, identifying trends and generating reports that empowered senior stakeholders to make data-driven decisions, ultimately enhancing both the app's functionality and user experience.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rejoice-olie/TBC
Victor Maxwell (Operations Manager)
As an experienced operations professional with over 4 years of expertise in web3 community management and moderation, Maxwell has successfully led high-impact projects across decentralized communities, enhancing operational efficiency and user engagement. His journey spans moderating communities for leading blockchain protocols and managing strategic growth initiatives for web3 projects. In doing so, he has developed a unique ability to optimize processes, reducing support response times by up to 40% while increasing community retention by 22%. He excels in designing and executing strategies that align community management efforts with overarching business operations. His strengths include establishing clear communication across cross-functional teams, implementing scalable processes, and delivering measurable results in user growth and satisfaction. Additionally, he is proficient in developing key operational metrics, improving internal workflows, and leading teams through the complexities of decentralized ecosystems. Drawing on his expertise in operational oversight, team coordination, and process optimization, he has been instrumental in fostering seamless project execution and operational excellence.
Lazarus Christian Chinaza (Project Manager)
Lazarus is a Project Manager, Operations Strategist, and blockchain advocate known for leading diverse teams and executing high-value projects. His background in mechanical engineering, leadership, and sustainability, combined with a passion for technology, helps organizations transform ideas into results.
He holds various key roles, including Project Manager at Better Africa Foundation, where he oversees development initiatives in education, health, and youth empowerment. He was also the Head of Marketing at Ovviy Tactical and was also the Operations Lead at Farmatrix Agro Allied & Technological Ltd, where he manages large-scale agricultural projects.
Lazarus is particularly passionate about blockchain technology, especially Cardano, and explores its potential to improve supply chain traceability and create equitable financial systems.
A graduate member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (GMNSE) and the Institute of Disaster Management and Safety Science (GDMSS), Lazarus is multilingual, speaking English, Igbo, and Hausa. His career is defined by resilience, resourcefulness, and a commitment to using innovation and leadership to empower communities and drive sustainable development in Africa.
You can view his portfolio at lazarus-transforms-africa.lovable.app