Last updated 4 months ago
There's no automated way to verify how funded projects spend money. Manual reviews don't scale, and the community has no visibility into verification decisions or fund releases.
FundProof is an intelligent agent that monitors funded projects using AI and data analysis, automatically releasing funds on-chain when rules are met—fully verifiable by the community.
Please provide your proposal title
FundProof — Smart Funding Agent for Cardano
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
60000
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?
There's no automated way to verify how funded projects spend money. Manual reviews don't scale, and the community has no visibility into verification decisions or fund releases.
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
Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.
100% OPEN SOURCE — MIT LICENSE All project outputs released under MIT License: • Source Connectors (TypeScript) • AI Analysis Engine (Kotlin) • Plutus Smart Contracts • Community Dashboard (React) • Documentation & Rule Templates MIT License permits: commercial/non-commercial use, modification, redistribution, derivative works. No proprietary components. No retained IP. No licensing fees. Full codebase available for community to fork, modify, and self-host.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Governance
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).
FundProof introduces three innovations not found in existing Cardano oversight tools:
Current tools (Lido Nation, Cardano Cube) display project data but require manual interpretation. FundProof uses Claude Opus 4.5 and GPT-5.1 Pro to automatically analyze GitHub commits, documentation updates, and social activity—generating verification reports with confidence scores. No human reviewer bottleneck.
Existing dashboards show information but cannot act on it. FundProof's Plutus smart contracts hold funds in escrow and automatically release payments when AI-verified attestations meet configurable thresholds. This is the first system that closes the loop from monitoring to fund release entirely on-chain.
Rather than one-size-fits-all verification, FundProof uses a JSON-based rule engine that communities can customize per project type. DeFi projects might require security audit completion; documentation projects might require content publication. Rules are transparent and auditable.
WHAT EXISTS TODAY:
Lido Nation: Excellent project directory, but display-only
Cardano Cube: Good analytics, but no verification capability
Manual reviewers: ~50 active, cannot scale to 400+ funded projects
WHAT FUNDPROOF ADDS:
Autonomous monitoring (no human bottleneck)
Verifiable AI decisions (on-chain attestations)
Automated fund release (Plutus escrow contracts)
Community-customizable rules (JSON templates)
Full audit trail (every decision on-chain)
The innovation is not just displaying data—it's acting on it autonomously while remaining fully transparent and community-verifiable.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
LIVE PROTOTYPE: https://www.fund-proof.com
FundProof already has a working prototype demonstrating core capabilities:
WHAT THE MVP SHOWS TODAY:
218 Fund 15 proposals indexed and scored
11-phase quality detection system analyzing text quality, repetition, semantic content, Cardano relevance, and budget realism
Real-time scoring with 6-decimal precision for accurate ranking
Live at: https://www.fund-proof.com
Automated evaluation across Impact (35%), Feasibility (35%), and Value for Money (30%)
Detects low-quality submissions, spam, and unrealistic budgets
Compares against Fund 12-14 benchmarks (median budget ₳60k, median duration 6 months)
GitHub repository analysis (commits, releases, contributor activity)
Project website content extraction
Supporting documentation parsing
REST API at https://www.fund-proof.com/api/
OpenAPI documentation available
Ready for third-party integrations
VIDEO PRESENTATION: https://pub-7caa53501293471cb1dce0675e9fe962.r2.dev/projects/autonomous-on-chain-supervise-agents-for-cardano-treasury-funded-projects.mp4
GITHUB: https://github.com/fund-proof/agent
WHAT THE FUNDED PROJECT ADDS:
M1 (Month 2): Source Connectors
GitHub GraphQL API v4 connector
Discord bot integration
X/Twitter API v2 connector
Website scraper with RSS support
M2 (Month 4): AI Analysis Engine
Claude Opus 4.5 + GPT-5.1 Pro integration
Milestone detection with ≥75% accuracy
JSON-based rule engine for custom verification
M3 (Month 6): On-Chain Escrow
Plutus smart contracts for fund escrow
Ed25519 signed attestations
Automated payment release on testnet
M4 (Month 8): Mainnet Release
Third-party security audit
5-10 pilot projects monitored
≥3 automated fund releases on mainnet
The prototype proves the concept works. Funding enables production-grade infrastructure with on-chain execution.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
ON-CHAIN METRICS (Verifiable on Cardano blockchain):
Target: ≥20 test transactions on testnet (M3)
Target: ≥3 automated fund releases on mainnet (M4)
Measurement: Transaction count on escrow contract address
Verification: Anyone can query the contract UTXOs on-chain
Target: 100% of fund releases have on-chain attestation
Measurement: Ed25519 signed attestations stored in transaction metadata
Verification: Attestation hashes queryable via Cardano explorer
Target: ≥5 pilot projects monitored on mainnet
Stretch: 10 projects
Measurement: Unique project IDs registered in escrow contracts
Verification: Contract state shows active project count
Target: ₳2-4M in funded allocations under active oversight
Measurement: Total ADA locked in FundProof escrow contracts
Verification: Sum of UTXOs at contract addresses
OFF-CHAIN METRICS (Verifiable via public dashboard and API):
Target: ≥75% accuracy on milestone detection
Stretch: ≥85% accuracy
Measurement: Comparison of AI decisions vs manual reviewer consensus
Verification: Accuracy reports published on dashboard
Target: ≥80% of fund releases triggered by automated verification
Stretch: ≥90%
Measurement: (Automated releases / Total releases) × 100
Verification: Release logs on public dashboard
Target: <24 hours to detect milestone anomalies
Baseline: 2-4 weeks with manual review
Measurement: Time from anomaly occurrence to alert generation
Verification: Timestamped alerts in monitoring logs
Target: ≥95% uptime
Stretch: ≥99%
Measurement: (Uptime minutes / Total minutes) × 100
Verification: Status page at fund-proof.com/status
COMMUNITY METRICS (Verifiable via GitHub):
Target: ≥25 GitHub stars
Stretch: ≥50 stars
Target: ≥2 external contributors
Stretch: ≥5 contributors
Verification: https://github.com/fund-proof/agent
Target: ≥85% test coverage (connectors)
Target: ≥90% test coverage (smart contracts)
Verification: Coverage reports in CI/CD pipeline
ROI METRIC:
Target: Prevent 1.5% waste across monitored projects
At ₳4M under oversight: 1.5% = ₳60,000 recovered = 100% ROI
Measurement: Flagged issues that prevented fund misuse
Verification: Incident reports published quarterly
All metrics are designed to be independently verifiable—on-chain data via Cardano explorers, off-chain data via public API and dashboard.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
FundProof is an autonomous oversight system that monitors Cardano Catalyst-funded projects and automates milestone-based payment releases through smart contracts.
HOW IT WORKS:
CORE COMPONENTS:
INTELLIGENT AGENT (Kotlin + AI)
SOURCE CONNECTORS (TypeScript + REST APIs)
ON-CHAIN CONTRACTS (Haskell/Plutus/Aiken)
COMMUNITY DASHBOARD (React + TypeScript — FREE BONUS)
HOW THIS SOLVES THE PROBLEM:
• No automated verification → AI agents monitor 24/7
• Manual reviews don't scale → 1 agent can monitor 100+ projects
• No visibility into decisions → All attestations on-chain
• Slow payment releases → Automated release in <24 hours
• Off-chain verification → Plutus contracts enforce rules
BENEFITS BY STAKEHOLDER:
The solution transforms treasury oversight from manual, opaque, and slow to automated, transparent, and verifiable.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
QUANTIFIABLE IMPACT:
• TREASURY EFFICIENCY: ₳60k investment prevents 1.5% waste to break even. At ₳4M under oversight, preventing 5% waste = ₳200,000 saved (333% ROI)
• REVIEWER PRODUCTIVITY: 10x faster project verification through automation. ~50 reviewers save 100+ hours per fund cycle
• PAYMENT SPEED: 2-4 weeks faster fund releases for project teams. Automated verification eliminates manual bottlenecks
• TRANSPARENCY: 100% of fund release decisions recorded on-chain. 1.3M+ ADA holders gain visibility into treasury spending
• SCALABILITY: 1 agent monitors 100+ projects vs ~50 manual reviewers for 400+ funded teams
ECOSYSTEM MULTIPLIER EFFECT:
• REUSABLE SOURCE CONNECTORS: GitHub, Discord, Twitter, Website connectors available for any Cardano project to integrate
• OPEN RULE TEMPLATES: Community-customizable verification patterns for different project types (DeFi, documentation, infrastructure)
• PUBLIC API: Third-party wallets and governance tools can integrate FundProof data
• 100% OPEN SOURCE: MIT License enables forking, modification, and community contributions
WHO BENEFITS:
• REVIEWERS (~50 active): Automated anomaly detection, focus on edge cases instead of routine checks
• PROJECT TEAMS (400+ funded): Faster payments, clear verification criteria, reduced reporting overhead
• ADA HOLDERS (1.3M+ wallets): On-chain audit trail, verifiable decisions, treasury accountability
• GOVERNANCE VOTERS (50k+): Objective performance metrics for data-driven voting decisions
• FUTURE PROJECTS: Lower barrier to entry with reusable infrastructure and templates
LONG-TERM VALUE:
• No ongoing treasury cost — infrastructure funded personally for 2 years post-funding
• Community contributions reduce maintenance burden
• Self-hosting documentation enables decentralized deployment
• Foundation for automated governance across Cardano ecosystem
FundProof transforms treasury oversight from a bottleneck into a scalable, transparent, and community-verifiable system.
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?
TEAM CAPABILITY:
Luca Marrocco (Off-Chain Lead / AI Engineer — 80% commitment)
• 20+ years software engineering experience
• 2+ years building Cardano payment and trading platform infrastructure
• Expertise in AI/ML, distributed systems, and data pipelines
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucamarrocco
Piyush Thapa (On-Chain Lead / Plutus Developer — 60% commitment)
• 3+ years Haskell and Plutus smart contract development
• 4+ years building Cardano payment and trading platform smart contracts
• Deep experience with Cardano's eUTXO model
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyush-thapa
PROVEN EXECUTION:
• 2 years building Cardano platform together as a team
• Working prototype already live at https://www.fund-proof.com
• GitHub repository with active code: https://github.com/fund-proof/agent
• 218 proposals already indexed and scored
TRUST & ACCOUNTABILITY:
• All code 100% open-source (MIT License)
• All fund releases recorded on-chain with immutable audit trail
• Third-party security audit included (15% of budget)
• Public dashboard for community verification
• Milestone-based funding with clear acceptance criteria
FEASIBILITY VALIDATION:
M1 Validation: Source connectors tested against live project data from GitHub, Discord, Twitter
M2 Validation: AI accuracy measured against manual reviewer consensus (target ≥75%)
M3 Validation: 20+ testnet transactions demonstrating end-to-end flow
M4 Validation: ≥5 pilot projects on mainnet with ≥3 automated releases
RISK MITIGATIONS:
• AI accuracy below target → Fallback to hybrid human+AI verification
• Smart contract vulnerabilities → Third-party audit before mainnet
• Low adoption → Incentivize early pilot projects, target governance-focused teams
• API rate limits → Caching layer, respect provider limits, offer self-hosting
NO ONGOING TREASURY COST:
• Infrastructure funded personally by Luca Marrocco for 2 years post-funding
• Community contributions reduce long-term maintenance burden
Milestone Title
Source Connectors (TypeScript + REST APIs)
Milestone Outputs
• GitHub connector via GraphQL API v4 (commits, PRs, releases, issues, contributor activity)
• Discord connector via bot integration (community activity, announcements, member counts)
• X/Twitter connector via API v2 (project updates, engagement metrics, follower growth)
• Website connector via web scraping + RSS (documentation, changelog, status pages)
• Unified data ingestion pipeline with PostgreSQL storage
• REST API for data retrieval with OpenAPI documentation
• Docker containers for self-hosting
• ≥85% test coverage, CI/CD pipeline
Acceptance Criteria
• All 4 source connectors (GitHub, Discord, X/Twitter, Website) operational and collecting data from live projects
• ≥85% test coverage across all connector modules with automated CI/CD pipeline
• REST API documentation complete with OpenAPI specification
• Docker containers published and ready for self-hosting deployment
Evidence of Completion
• GitHub repository with all 4 source connectors: https://github.com/fund-proof/agent
• Live API endpoint returning data from GitHub, Discord, X/Twitter, and Website connectors
• OpenAPI documentation published at API endpoint /swagger-ui
• Docker images published to container registry (Docker Hub or GitHub Container Registry)
• Test coverage report showing ≥85% coverage
• CI/CD pipeline logs showing passing builds
• Video demonstration of connectors collecting live project data
Delivery Month
2
Cost
12000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
AI Analysis & Scoring Engine (Kotlin + Claude Opus 4.5 & GPT-5.1 Pro)
Milestone Outputs
• Intelligent analysis engine using OpenAI GPT-4 API for project activity evaluation
• Milestone detection with ≥75% accuracy and confidence scores
• Risk and anomaly detection with configurable thresholds
• JSON-based rule engine with community-customizable verification patterns
• React + TypeScript dashboard (MVP) showing live project status
• Rest API for third-party integrations
• Rule template library for common project types
• Redis caching for performance optimization
Acceptance Criteria
• AI verification accuracy ≥75% on milestone detection validated against manual reviewer consensus
• Scoring engine produces structured reports for 3+ project types (DeFi, documentation, infrastructure)
• Dashboard shows live project status, scores, and verification history
• JSON-based rule engine operational with community-customizable verification patterns
Evidence of Completion
• GitHub repository with AI analysis engine source code: https://github.com/fund-proof/agent
• Live dashboard showing project scores and verification reports at https://www.fund-proof.com
• Rest API endpoint with documentation for third-party integrations
• Accuracy validation report comparing AI decisions against manual reviewer consensus (≥75%)
• Rule template library with JSON schemas for 3+ project types
• Video demonstration of milestone detection and scoring workflow
• Test coverage report for AI engine modules
Delivery Month
4
Cost
13500
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
On-Chain Escrow & Payment Release (Plutus/Aiken)
Milestone Outputs
• Plutus smart contracts for milestone-based fund escrow using native script multi-sig
• On-chain verification logic accepting Ed25519 signed attestations
• Automated payment release with configurable approval thresholds
• Gas-optimized contracts for minimal transaction fees
• Integration with off-chain AI agents via attestation bridge
• Testnet deployment with 20+ test transactions
• ≥90% test coverage on contracts
• End-to-end flow: connector → AI → attestation → on-chain release
Acceptance Criteria
• Plutus smart contracts deployed on Cardano testnet with verified script addresses
• 20+ test transactions demonstrating complete lock/verify/release flow
• ≥90% test coverage on all smart contract modules
• End-to-end integration working: source connector → AI analysis → attestation → on-chain fund release
Evidence of Completion
• GitHub repository with Plutus/Aiken smart contract source code: https://github.com/fund-proof/agent
• Testnet contract addresses published and verifiable on Cardano testnet explorer
• Transaction logs showing 20+ lock/verify/release test transactions
• Test coverage report showing ≥90% coverage on contract modules
• Video demonstration of end-to-end flow from data collection to on-chain fund release
• Technical documentation for contract integration
Delivery Month
6
Cost
16500
Progress
70 %
Milestone Title
Security Audit & Mainnet Release
Milestone Outputs
• Third-party security audit of Plutus smart contracts (15% of budget)
• All critical/high audit findings addressed before mainnet
• Mainnet deployment of contracts and monitoring agents
• 5-10 pilot projects onboarded with ₳2-4M under oversight
• Complete documentation: user guides, API docs, self-hosting guide
• Community workshop with ≥20 participants
• Kubernetes deployment manifests for production
• ≥3 automated fund releases on mainnet
• Agent uptime ≥95%
Acceptance Criteria
• Third-party security audit report published publicly with all findings documented
• All critical and high severity findings resolved and verified before mainnet deployment
• ≥5 pilot projects actively using automated verification on Cardano mainnet
• ≥3 successful automated fund releases executed on mainnet with on-chain proof
• Agent uptime ≥95% measured over 30-day period
• ≥1 community workshop conducted with ≥20 participants and recorded for public access
Evidence of Completion
• Published security audit report from third-party auditor
• Mainnet contract addresses published and verifiable on Cardano explorer
• Dashboard showing ≥5 pilot projects under active monitoring at https://www.fund-proof.com
• Transaction records of ≥3 automated fund releases on mainnet
• Uptime monitoring logs showing ≥95% availability
• Workshop recording published on YouTube or similar platform
• Complete documentation at GitHub repository: https://github.com/fund-proof/agent
Delivery Month
8
Cost
18000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
BUDGET BREAKDOWN (₳60,000 Total):
• On-Chain Development (Plutus): ₳16,500 (27.5%)
Smart contract design and implementation
Escrow logic and payment release mechanisms
Testnet and mainnet deployment
• AI Agents & Monitoring Engine: ₳15,000 (25%)
Claude Opus 4.5 + GPT-5.1 Pro integration
Milestone detection and scoring algorithms
Rule engine development
• Source Connectors: ₳10,500 (17.5%)
GitHub, Discord, X/Twitter, Website connectors
Data ingestion pipeline
REST API development
• Third-Party Security Audit: ₳9,000 (15%)
Professional audit of Plutus smart contracts
Vulnerability assessment and remediation
• Infrastructure & Operations: ₳6,000 (10%)
Cloud hosting and CI/CD
Monitoring and logging systems
• Documentation & Handover: ₳3,000 (5%)
User guides and API documentation
Self-hosting guide
Community workshop materials
COST EFFICIENCY:
• Cost per month: ₳7,500 (below Fund 12-14 median of ₳10k)
• Cost per milestone: ₳15,000 (below Fund 12-14 median of ₳25k)
• Security audit allocation: 15% (industry standard)
WHY ₳60K IS SUFFICIENT:
• Lean team: 2 senior engineers, no project managers or overhead
• Existing infrastructure: Luca Marrocco personally covers hosting for 2 years post-funding
• Reusable components: Connectors designed for 100+ projects
• Focused scope: MVP with 5-10 pilot projects, not enterprise-scale
• Open source efficiency: Community contributions reduce maintenance burden
NOTE: Community Dashboard provided FREE by Luca Marrocco—not included in costs/budget.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
TREASURY ROI:
• Break-even: Prevent just 1.5% waste across monitored projects
• At ₳4M under supervision: 1.5% = ₳60,000 recovered = 100% ROI
• At 5% waste prevention: ₳200,000 saved = 333% ROI
• At 10% waste prevention: ₳400,000 saved = 667% ROI
COST COMPARISON:
• Manual review (current): ~₳500k+ annually for ~100 projects = ₳5,000/project
• FundProof (automated): ₳60k one-time for 50-100+ projects = ₳600-1,200/project
• Result: 8-10x cost efficiency vs manual review
UNIT ECONOMICS:
• Cost per month: ₳7,500 (below Fund 12-14 median of ₳10k)
• Cost per milestone: ₳15,000 (below Fund 12-14 median of ₳25k)
• Cost per monitored project: ₳6,000-12,000 (decreases with scale)
• Cost per ₳1M supervised: ₳15,000-30,000 (1.5-3% overhead)
WHAT ₳60K DELIVERS:
• 4 production-ready source connectors (GitHub, Discord, Twitter, Website)
• AI-powered verification engine with ≥75% accuracy
• Plutus smart contracts for automated fund release
• Third-party security audit (15% of budget)
• 5-10 pilot projects monitored on mainnet
• ₳2-4M in funded allocations under oversight
• 100% open-source (MIT License) — reusable by entire ecosystem
BONUS VALUE (FREE):
• Community dashboard provided by Luca Marrocco at no cost
• Infrastructure hosting covered personally for 2 years post-funding
• No ongoing treasury cost
ECOSYSTEM MULTIPLIER:
• Reusable connectors for any Cardano project
• Open rule templates for community customization
• Public API for third-party integrations
• Foundation for scalable automated governance
FundProof delivers ₳125 of oversight value per ₳1 spent at scale.
I confirm that evidence of prior research, whitepaper, design, or proof-of-concept is provided.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes ecosystem research and uses the findings to either (a) justify its uniqueness over existing solutions or (b) demonstrate the value of its novel approach.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal demonstrates technical capability via verifiable in-house talent or a confirmed development partner (GitHub, LinkedIn, portfolio, etc.)
Yes
I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal clearly defines the problem and the value of the on-chain utility.
Yes
I confirm that the primary goal of the proposal is a working prototype deployed on at least a Cardano testnet.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal outlines a credible and clear technical plan and architecture.
Yes
I confirm that the budget and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic for the proposed work.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes a community engagement and feedback plan to amplify prototype adoption with the Cardano ecosystem.
Yes
I confirm that the budget is for future development only; excludes retroactive funding, incentives, giveaways, re-granting, or sub-treasuries.
Yes
I Agree
Yes
LUCA MARROCCO — Off-Chain Lead / AI Engineer (80% commitment)
• 20+ years software engineering experience
• 2+ years building Cardano payment and trading platform infrastructure
• 2+ years various blockchain payment and custody platforms
• Expertise in AI/ML, distributed systems, and data pipelines
• Responsible for: intelligent agents, source connectors, monitoring infrastructure, dashboard
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucamarrocco
PIYUSH THAPA — On-Chain Lead / Plutus Developer (60% commitment)
• 3+ years Haskell and Plutus smart contract development
• 4+ years building Cardano payment and trading platform smart contracts
• Deep experience with Cardano's eUTXO model
• Responsible for: payment contracts, on-chain verification logic, security
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyush-thapa/