[Proposal setup] Proposal title
Please provide your proposal title
Trusted Product Reviews on Cardano Blockchain
[Proposal Summary] Budget Information
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
250000
[Proposal Summary] Time
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
8
[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?
Product reviews in Vietnam & SEA are fragmented, easily manipulated, and often paid for. No trusted platform exists to ensure authentic, tamper-proof reviews accessible to all.
[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation
Supporting links
[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?
No
License and Additional Information
Not all project outputs will be open source due to sensitive user data and proprietary mobile app code.
However, all on-chain components - including smart contracts, schemas, and public APIs - will be released under the Apache License 2.0 in a public repository for transparency and reuse.
[Theme Selection] Theme
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
E-commerce
[Campaign Category] Category Questions
Describe your established collaborations.
The project will be fully developed and operated in-house by iCheck Joint Stock Company, utilizing our technical, product, and operations teams.
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We will leverage our existing ecosystem:
- 25,000+ brands and distributors already managing product data via our platform.
- A large active consumer base using the iCheck app for product scanning and verification.
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These established assets ensure immediate adoption and measurable impact upon launch.
Describe funding commitments.
- This project will be funded entirely by the requested Catalyst grant.
- No external collaborators or third-party funding are involved.
- 100% of the budget will be allocated to in-house personnel, infrastructure, and resources to develop, deploy, and maintain the solution.
Describe your key performance metrics.
- Number of verified product reviews stored on-chain → measures trust and transparency.
- Monthly active users engaging with the review platform → shows adoption and retention.
- Average reviews per user per month → indicates sustained engagement.
- Number of brands/products reviewed → reflects ecosystem coverage.
- Detection of fake or altered reviews → demonstrates fraud prevention effectiveness.
[Your Project and Solution] Solution
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
We aim to build a blockchain-based social platform for product reviews, ensuring all reviews are transparent, traceable, and tamper-proof on the Cardano blockchain.
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The Problem Context
Currently, product reviews in Vietnam and Southeast Asia are fragmented across e-commerce platforms, often tied to individual sellers rather than the products themselves. Many reviews are biased or manipulated — with sellers paying for 5-star ratings or offering incentives for users to change their feedback. This undermines consumer trust and distorts the market.
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Our Approach
We will integrate a blockchain-powered review module into the existing iCheck mobile application — a social network for products already used by millions of consumers in Vietnam.
- Review Creation: Users will write and submit product reviews via the iCheck app.
- Blockchain Verification: Each review will be hashed and recorded on the Cardano blockchain, storing both the review content and metadata (user ID, product ID, timestamp) in an immutable way.
- Review Display: When consumers browse products or scan barcodes in the iCheck app (a legally required identifier on all products in circulation), they will see the blockchain-verified review history.
- Review History Tracking: Any edits or updates to a review will create a new blockchain entry, preserving the full change history to prevent tampering or hidden modifications.
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Target Users & Stakeholders
- Consumers: Access genuine, verifiable product reviews before making purchase decisions.
- Manufacturers & Distributors: Gain market trust through authentic user feedback.
- Regulators: Monitor market sentiment and detect suspicious review manipulation patterns.
- Cardano Community: Demonstrates a real-world application of blockchain in consumer protection and trust-building.
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Why iCheck Can Deliver
- Existing millions-strong user base ensures immediate adoption without starting from zero.
- Established infrastructure for barcode scanning and product data management.
- Proven track record in delivering large-scale transparency and traceability solutions.
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Impact Validation
- Number of verified reviews on-chain, active reviewers, and unique product entries.
- Average reviews per user, review reads before purchase.
- Survey results showing increased consumer trust in blockchain-verified reviews versus conventional reviews.
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Why this is important to Cardano
This project showcases how Cardano’s blockchain can power a large-scale, high-trust consumer application in a growing market. By embedding Cardano at the core of our platform, every interaction becomes a live demonstration of blockchain’s practical benefits. It drives awareness, adoption, and credibility for Cardano across Southeast Asia, with potential replication in other regions.
This solution is unique, combining a popular consumer app with Cardano’s blockchain technology to directly address review manipulation, restore trust in product feedback, and set a new standard for transparency in digital commerce.
[Your Project and Solution] Impact
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Value to the Cardano Community
- This project will serve as a real-world showcase of Cardano’s blockchain capabilities in consumer trust and product transparency.
- Every review stored on-chain will visibly display a “Verified on Cardano Blockchain” badge in the iCheck app, directly exposing millions of Vietnamese consumers to Cardano’s brand and technology.
- Creates a scalable, replicable model that can be expanded beyond Vietnam into other Southeast Asian markets, boosting Cardano’s regional presence.
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Impact Measurement
- Number of blockchain-verified reviews created, updated, and read by consumers.
- Monthly active reviewers, review reads per user, and repeat contributors.
- Number of brands and products with blockchain-verified reviews.
- Consumer survey results comparing perceived reliability of blockchain-verified reviews versus standard reviews.
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Sharing Outputs
- Publish final reports detailing metrics, adoption, and lessons learned.
- Release the smart contracts and on-chain schema used for review storage.
- Share results and demos via iCheck’s social media channels, and relevant blockchain/consumer protection events.
- Develop a publicly available case study highlighting how blockchain mitigates review manipulation, which can inspire other Cardano-based consumer solutions.
By combining a popular consumer platform with blockchain-backed trust mechanisms, this project will not only solve a pressing market problem but also drive real adoption and visibility for Cardano in an untapped, high-growth region.
[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?
We are iCheck Joint Stock Company, a leading Vietnamese technology firm established in 2015, specializing in product information transparency, QR/barcode-based traceability, and consumer engagement solutions.
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1. Why we are best suited to deliver this project:
- Proven experience: 10+ years in developing and operating large-scale digital platforms for product verification.
- Market presence: Serving 25,000+ brands and millions of consumers via the iCheck mobile app.
- Technical expertise: In-house R&D team with capabilities in blockchain development, mobile & backend infrastructure, and large-scale data management.
- Deployment readiness: Existing platform and user base ensure immediate adoption without starting from zero.
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2. Trust and fund management processes:
- Dedicated project manager responsible for milestone delivery and reporting.
- All expenditures tracked and aligned with approved budget items.
- Milestone-based fund release, with progress evidence provided before each stage.
- Transparent reporting to Catalyst, with willingness to undergo external review if required.
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3. Validating feasibility:
- Pilot onboarding of selected manufacturers and distributors to the blockchain-integrated platform.
- Tracking KPIs such as products onboarded, active users, and detected inconsistencies.
- Gathering consumer and merchant feedback to validate usability and trust impact.
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4. Supporting Evidence
We strongly believe that our domain expertise, technological capacity, and long-term market presence uniquely position us to deliver this solution effectively and responsibly.
[Milestones] Project Milestones
Milestone Title
Requirements & System Design
Milestone Outputs
- Comprehensive requirements document detailing functional and non-functional needs for blockchain-based product review storage.
- Full system architecture diagram integrating Cardano smart contracts with iCheck mobile and backend systems.
- Technical specifications for UI/UX components to enable secure review submission and display.
Acceptance Criteria
- Requirements document approved by internal product team and technical leads.
- Architecture diagram covers both on-chain and off-chain components, security layers, and API communication flows.
- UI/UX specs validated against existing app design standards to ensure smooth integration.
Evidence of Completion
- Signed-off requirements document in project repository.
- Final architecture and workflow diagrams stored in shared drive.
- Version-controlled UI/UX design files in the design system repository.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
55000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Smart Contract & Backend Development
Milestone Outputs
- Cardano smart contracts for immutable review storage, including schema for product ID, user ID, timestamp, and review content hash.
- Backend API endpoints to read/write review data from blockchain and link it to existing product database.
- Basic admin panel functions to monitor and moderate reviews.
Acceptance Criteria
- Smart contracts deployed and tested successfully on Cardano with all intended functions operational.
- Backend API passes functional and performance QA tests.
- Admin panel features verified by internal QA for accuracy and reliability.
Evidence of Completion
- Testnet contract addresses and source code in GitHub repo.
- API documentation and QA test reports uploaded to project workspace.
- Screenshots/video recordings of working admin panel operations.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
65000
Progress
40 %
Milestone Title
Mobile App Integration & UI/UX Implementation
Milestone Outputs
- Updated iCheck mobile app with ability to submit blockchain-verified product reviews and view existing ones.
- “Verified on Cardano Blockchain” badge implemented on all on-chain reviews.
- Review submission flow optimized for minimal friction while maintaining verification security.
Acceptance Criteria
- App passes internal usability testing with no major UX issues reported.
- Blockchain badge displays correctly across all supported devices and operating systems.
- Review submission and retrieval times meet performance benchmarks.
Evidence of Completion
- Internal test build APK/IPA with documented changes.
- QA test results for feature functionality and device compatibility.
- Screenshots and videos showing on-chain review submission and retrieval process.
Delivery Month
6
Cost
50000
Progress
70 %
Milestone Title
Pilot Deployment & Feedback Loop
Milestone Outputs
- Pilot deployment involving selected manufacturers, distributors, and a test group of consumers.
- Real-world generation of blockchain-verified reviews across multiple product categories.
- Feedback collected from both end-users and business participants on usability, trust, and satisfaction.
Acceptance Criteria
- At least 500 verified reviews stored on-chain during the pilot period.
- Pilot participants provide measurable feedback showing increased trust in product reviews.
- Issues identified are resolved in a documented adjustment cycle.
Evidence of Completion
- Pilot analytics report with metrics on review volume, engagement rates, and blockchain transactions.
- Feedback survey results from both consumers and businesses.
- Updated app release incorporating adjustments from pilot learnings.
Delivery Month
7
Cost
50000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Project Close-out
Milestone Outputs
- Final public video summarizing the project’s design, development, deployment, and measurable impact.
- Comprehensive written report detailing process, results, KPIs, and lessons learned.
- Open-source release of smart contracts and on-chain data schemas for community use.
Acceptance Criteria
- Video published on public channels including YouTube and Cardano community forums.
- Report reviewed and accepted by internal stakeholders, with clear KPI measurement results.
- All open-source deliverables uploaded to a public GitHub repository with documentation.
Evidence of Completion
- Public links to final video and report.
- Live GitHub repository containing agreed open-source components.
- Confirmation from Catalyst community of accessible deliverables.
Delivery Month
8
Cost
30000
Progress
100 %
[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Tech Stack & Budget Breakdown (Total: ₳250,000)
- Product Owner: ₳35,000
- UX/UI Designer: ₳20,000
- Blockchain Developer: ₳50,000
- Backend Developer: ₳35,000
- Mobile Developer: ₳35,000
- Tester / QA: ₳25,000
- Infrastructure & Hosting (servers, blockchain nodes, cloud services): ₳25,000
- Data Backup & Recovery (redundant storage, security monitoring): ₳15,000
- Contingency Reserve (unexpected technical or operational costs): ₳10,000
[Final Pitch] Value for Money
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
- Competitive Salaries: Rates for developers, designers, and testers follow Vietnam’s industry standards (~$2,000–$3,000/month), ensuring top talent at cost-effective rates.
- Milestone-Based Funding: Budget tied to 5 clear milestones with specific deliverables for maximum accountability and transparency.
- Ecosystem Impact: Expands Cardano adoption in Vietnam, providing a high-visibility real-world use case to millions of consumers and thousands of merchants.
- Long-Term Sustainability: Built on iCheck’s existing infrastructure and user base, ensuring continued use and ecosystem benefits well beyond the funding period.
[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation
Terms and Conditions:
Yes