Last updated 2 months ago
Traditional hiring is inefficient, opaque, and trustless, especially in freelance and global gig markets. There is no standard for verifying skills, reputation, or reliability across borders.
OPUS is a Web3 hiring platform using smart contracts and trust scores to verify work history, reputation, and availability. It eliminates middlemen and brings transparency to global hiring.
This is the total amount allocated to OPUS: Trust-Based Hiring for the Future of Work.
Please provide your proposal title
OPUS: Trust-Based Hiring for the Future of Work
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
100000
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?
Traditional hiring is inefficient, opaque, and trustless, especially in freelance and global gig markets. There is no standard for verifying skills, reputation, or reliability across borders.
Supporting links
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
Parts of OPUS will be open source, including smart contracts, blockchain interactions, and the trust score logic. Components involving sensitive data (KYC, identity, moderation) will remain closed to protect users. Open parts will be MIT licensed and shared via GitHub.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
Smart Contracts
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
OPUS introduces a new hiring paradigm built on verifiable trust and decentralisation. Unlike traditional platforms or previously funded tools, OPUS does not rely on CVs or centralised profiles. Instead, it uses smart contracts and a dynamic TrustScore to match professionals with opportunities based on verified work history, availability, and reputation.
This approach eliminates the need for middlemen, reduces fraud, and empowers individuals with portable reputations. OPUS also integrates optional blockchain payments, enabling transparent agreements and automated settlements.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
The OPUS MVP will demonstrate how users can create a profile, get matched to jobs based on skills and availability, and build a TrustScore through verified work. It will include both on-chain and off-chain flows, a working smart contract, and a simple hiring agreement. The MVP will be accessible at www.opus-hub.com and will be tested with real users and early partners to validate matching logic and trust-based workflows.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
Success will be measured by user adoption, completed job contracts, and TrustScore growth. Targets include 500 user signups, 100 posted jobs, and 50 completed contracts within 3 months. On-chain metrics will track the number of smart contract interactions, wallet-based job agreements, and TrustScore updates. Off-chain metrics include active users, job matching accuracy, and user feedback. All metrics will be transparently reported through dashboards and GitHub updates.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
OPUS is a hybrid on-chain/off-chain hiring platform designed to replace outdated CV-based recruitment with verifiable, trust-based hiring.
It allows job seekers and service providers to create portable profiles linked to skills, work history, and availability.
Employers can post roles or gigs and match candidates using a dynamic TrustScore that grows through verified work.
Smart contracts on Cardano enable secure hiring agreements, escrow payments, and milestone-based releases, while off-chain workflows ensure speed and accessibility for users who do not require blockchain execution.
This dual approach maximises adoption across both Web2 and Web3 communities.
OPUS integrates with Managewise, allowing work records like approved timesheets and milestones to feed directly into the TrustScore.
This creates a portable, tamper-evident reputation that can be reused across multiple opportunities.
Open APIs will allow third parties to build on OPUS infrastructure, fostering ecosystem growth.
By combining trust, automation, and accessibility, OPUS directly addresses inefficiency, fraud, and lack of transparency in global hiring.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
OPUS will directly benefit the Cardano community by delivering a real-world application that brings measurable adoption, wallet activity, and on-chain transactions tied to verified work and hiring agreements.
By offering both off-chain and on-chain pathways, OPUS will attract Web2 users into the Cardano ecosystem while showcasing blockchain’s value in solving trust and fraud issues in global hiring.
Through wallet login, smart contract job agreements, and portable TrustScores, OPUS creates a repeatable model for verifiable identity and reputation on Cardano.
Open APIs, published contract templates, and integration guides will enable other projects to adopt these patterns, fostering ecosystem-wide standards for trust-based hiring and service delivery.
This approach strengthens Cardano’s position as a leader in decentralised, real-world applications by generating daily active wallets, increasing transaction volume, and providing tangible value for both individuals and businesses. It also builds community resilience by enabling fairer, more transparent economic opportunities globally.
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 product, full stack, mobile, and blockchain engineering plus growth expertise. We have shipped Managewise core modules and similar SaaS systems, and we understand Cardano integrations.
We have completed the design architecture, data models, and wireframes, laying a strong foundation for the development phase.
We will execute milestones with fortnightly public updates and transparent budget tracking. Smart contracts will undergo peer review and, if budget allows, an independent audit.
Code and APIs will be documented and open where feasible to encourage reuse.
Feasibility validation will be staged:
Milestone Title
OPUS MVP Core Platform Foundation
Milestone Outputs
Deliver the essential OPUS MVP so users can sign up, create a basic portable profile, and post or apply for roles/gigs. Include core profile fields, skill tags, and availability calendar. Employers can list roles, review applicants, and mark hire intent. Build a lightweight backend with APIs for profile, role posting, and application management. Implement responsive dashboards for desktop. Provide basic admin moderation (approve/flag users or roles).
All functions will operate off-chain by default to maximise speed and minimise complexity at this stage, with clear API hooks prepared for later blockchain integration in future milestones.
Acceptance Criteria
Users can complete core MVP flows without critical or high-priority bugs: sign-up, profile creation, posting a role, applying to a role, and marking hire intent. Admin can approve/flag roles and users. Core APIs respond within agreed latency limits, and the interface functions consistently across common browsers. QA confirms at least 90% pass rate for core flows.
Evidence of Completion
Staging access for reviewers, demo video walking through sign-up, profile creation, role posting, application, and hire intent. QA report with test cases, pass rates, and issue list with status. API documentation for core MVP endpoints, including blockchain integration hooks. Changelog showing completion of each deliverable.
Delivery Month
6
Cost
30000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
TrustScore Engine and Basic Matching Service
Milestone Outputs
Develop the initial TrustScore engine using the agreed non-linear formula with diminishing returns. Ingest signals from verified work history, timely delivery, and validated references (initially using synthetic or pilot data). Build a simplified matching service ranking candidates by skills, availability, and TrustScore, with basic explainability (showing top match factors). Implement rate limiters and basic integrity checks to flag suspicious score changes. Deliver core API endpoints for score retrieval and candidate matching.
Acceptance Criteria
TrustScore updates run consistently on synthetic/pilot data with no critical errors.
Matching returns relevant candidates in at least 85% of evaluator test cases, based on skills and availability.
Integrity checks flag suspicious score changes.
API responses meet latency targets for MVP (≤500ms for single queries).
Unit and integration tests for core scoring and matching pass ≥90%.
Evidence of Completion
Demo video showing TrustScore changes after sample events and a live matching session for a role. Algorithm notes that describe inputs, weights, and curve behaviour. Test logs for batch updates and integrity checks. A small evaluator study write up with relevance ratings and outcomes. Updated API documentation for score retrieval and match queries, with examples.
Delivery Month
8
Cost
25000
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
Smart Contract Hiring Agreements (MVP On-Chain Capability)
Milestone Outputs
Develop and deploy Plutus smart contracts to handle job agreements, escrow-based payments, milestone tracking, and final completions.
Contracts will support:
Funding escrow upon agreement activation
Partial milestone-based releases
Dispute pause function with off-chain resolution in MVP
Users can create, view, and complete on-chain agreements via the OPUS platform (integrated wallet interaction).
Contracts will be structured for reuse and published under an open-source MIT licence.
The scope focuses on delivering fully functional testnet contracts and stable wallet-to-platform integration, deferring advanced DAO/arbitration dispute handling to a later release.
Acceptance Criteria
Hiring agreements can be created, funded, and completed on Cardano testnet with a success rate of 95%+
Escrow logic correctly releases funds upon milestone approval or pauses on dispute flag
Frontend integration allows users to trigger contract events via wallet interaction
Backend accurately tracks contract states and logs events for TrustScore calculation
Off-chain resolution logic is active and prevents unintended releases
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
11
Cost
25000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Pilot, Refinement, and Close-Out (Testnet)
Milestone Outputs
Run a structured pilot with at least 100 job seekers and 20 employers across Web2 and Web3 teams. Execute both off-chain and on-chain agreements on Cardano testnet. Gather feedback on matching quality, TrustScore clarity, and payment flows. Improve UX, performance, and onboarding based on pilot results. Publish integration guides and templates for partners. Prepare and submit the final project close-out report and a hosted video walkthrough showing OPUS operating with real pilot outcomes on testnet. Clearly document next steps for mainnet deployment and scaling in a future phase.
Acceptance Criteria
Pilot completes with meaningful adoption and successful hires, including a demonstrable set of on-chain testnet agreements. User satisfaction meets the target set at the start of the pilot. All major usability issues from testing are resolved. Partner integration documentation is complete and reviewed. Final report and video walkthrough are delivered to Catalyst, detailing metrics, lessons learned, and a roadmap for mainnet readiness.
Evidence of Completion
Pilot report with anonymised usage data, hire counts, agreement types, and case studies
Testnet transaction IDs from pilot agreements
Changelog of UX and performance improvements
Published partner integration guides
Final close-out report in the required Catalyst format
Hosted demo video showing live flows and pilot outcomes on testnet
Delivery Month
12
Cost
20000
Progress
90 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
OPUS delivers exceptional value to the Cardano ecosystem by creating a scalable, trust-based hiring infrastructure that demonstrates real-world utility of smart contracts and decentralised identity. The requested ₳100k enables us to build both the platform and blockchain components, while also integrating with our existing Timewise system. This integration ensures that verifiable timesheets, milestones, and work approvals flow seamlessly into OPUS TrustScores, creating portable, tamper-evident records that can be reused across the Cardano ecosystem.
This investment supports the development of open APIs, on-chain work verification, and optional smart contract payments, making OPUS and Timewise a reusable foundation for other builders. By bridging Web2 and Web3 users through practical, everyday workflows, we expand Cardano’s reach, generate on-chain transactions tied to real economic activity, and establish patterns that other projects can adopt. The result is lasting infrastructure that drives adoption, trust, and transparency for global work and hiring.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Leads the vision, roadmap, and execution of OPUS. Experienced in product strategy, team leadership, and Web3 hiring models.
Responsible for the overall architecture and backend systems. Brings deep expertise in scalable systems.
Develops frontend and backend features for OPUS. Skilled in API integrations and responsive platform design.
Focuses on building and maintaining the OPUS mobile application for iOS and Android.
Drives community engagement and user growth through campaigns and partnerships across Web2 and Web3 channels.