Cardano Use Cases: Prototype & Launch

Overview

This category is dedicated to funding the technical creators who build the Cardano ecosystem. We’re looking for entrepreneurial teams and engineers, experienced blockchain developers both - native or new to Cardano - and small, agile teams who have an idea for a new on-chain utility and the skills to build it. This fund allows builders to scope a project from its initial validated design through to a functional prototype or application deployed on testnet or mainnet. The primary goal is to achieve a public launch of the prototype on a Cardano testnet or mainnet for testing and feedback, not necessarily a full commercial launch with a completed business model.

Budget & Constraints

• Total Budget: $ADA 6,000,000 
• Proposal Range: From $ADA 15,000 to $ADA 200,000

Areas of Interest

Proposals should focus on:

• Industrial or commercial use cases with significant potential adoption using Cardano’s blockchain and smart contracts.
• DeFi solutions with unique approaches e.g. a peer-to-peer yield and novel bond curve protocol MVP.
• Privacy, oracles, or zero-knowledge proof applications.
• Projects porting or bridging from other ecosystems e.g. a wallet prototyping Cardano Native Token support.
• Prototyping on Cardano scaling solutions like Hydra e.g. a high-throughput payment prototype.
• Prototyping new substantial features to existing on chain products extending their usage.

Core Eligibility: Who Can Apply?

This category is for the builders. It is open to individuals and technical teams. To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrate Foundational Work: Your project must be past the idea stage. You must provide evidence of prior work, such as user research, whitepaper, UX/UI mockups, technical diagrams, or a proof-of-concept.
• Possess Verifiable Technical Skills: Proposers must demonstrate the technical capability to deliver the project. This can be verified in one of two ways: 
  1. In-House Talent: The proposal provides verifiable credentials (e.g., public code repositories, project portfolios) for the core team members who will be building the software.
  2. Confirmed Development Partner: The proposal clearly identifies a development partner or agency by name, providing links to their prior work, and includes evidence of the collaboration (e.g., a Letter of Intent or scope of work document).
• Maintain Good Standing with Catalyst: The lead proposer and all named team members must be in full compliance with commitments for any previously funded Catalyst projects. Proposers can verify their compliance status by reviewing their reporting dashboard on the Project Catalyst platform. All milestone reports for previously funded projects must be submitted and approved on time prior to this fund's submission. Learn more about it here.

Proposal Requirements

All proposals must adhere to the following standards. The primary focus is on turning a validated concept into a tangible, working piece of software - a prototype on Cardano’s testnet or mainnet.

• Define the Problem & Use Case: Clearly define the problem you are solving and why your on-chain utility is valuable for Cardano users. Explain the ‘So What’ of your proposed solution. This must include a thorough analysis of the existing ecosystem. The responsibility to conduct this research lies entirely with the proposer. Your analysis must specifically address:
  1. Ecosystem Research: Describe the results of your research into previously funded projects (via Project Catalyst) and existing solutions in the wider Cardano ecosystem.
  2. Value Proposition: Based on your research findings, demonstrate your project's value in one of two ways:
     1. If similar solutions exist: Justify why your proposal is sufficiently unique, detailing how it substantially differs from, improves upon, or builds on them.
     2. If the solution is novel: State clearly that no direct precedent was found and explain why introducing this new capability is a valuable and strategic addition to the Cardano ecosystem.
• Deliver a Functional Prototype: The primary goal of your project must be a working software prototype deployed on at least a public Cardano testnet that users can interact with. Non-technical projects (e.g., marketing, events) or foundational research only are not eligible. These can be submitted via “Cardano Open: Ecosystem” instead.
• Detail Verifiable Team Credentials: Simply listing names and roles is insufficient. The proposal must include verifiable references (e.g., comprehensive LinkedIn profiles, project portfolios, public repositories) that clearly demonstrate each key team member's specific experience, accomplishments, and suitability for their role in the project.
• Outline a Credible Technical Plan: Describe your technical approach, including the architecture and key technologies you will use.
• Propose a Realistic Scope: The budget and timeline (maximum 12 months) must be realistic for delivering the proposed prototype.
• Justify On-Chain Transaction Impact: The proposal's core proposition must include a clear and compelling explanation of how the project will drive meaningful on-chain transaction volume for Cardano. Applicants must articulate why their solution requires a blockchain and how its implementation on Cardano will directly lead to a verifiable increase in network activity once launched.
• Plan for Community Engagement & Feedback: Instead of a formal marketing plan, outline how you will engage with the Cardano community to get your prototype into the hands of early users. Describe your plan to gather, analyze, and potentially iterate on user feedback.
• Detailed Use of Funds: Proposals must provide a clear budget. Your budget must be for future activities only and allocated exclusively to the project's execution. Proposals seeking retroactive funding are not eligible. Funds cannot be used for purchasing digital assets, providing liquidity, local treasuries, speculation, or simple branded merchandise. Proposals involving re-granting or incentives/giveaways are not eligible either. Please review Fund Rules for further details in addition to these.

Self-Assessment Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure your proposal meets all foundational and content requirements before submission.