Last updated 3 months ago
Online reading is passive: views are fakeable, readers earn nothing, authors struggle to monetize, and there is no transparent on-chain way to fund and license story IP.
We build a Cardano-based Read & Earn platform: chapters and rewards on-chain, readers answer AI-generated quizzes to earn spins/tokens, while authors monetize and license their story IP transparently.
Please provide your proposal title
Read & Earn: Where Readers Invest and Stories Pay Back
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
180000
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?
Online reading is passive: views are fakeable, readers earn nothing, authors struggle to monetize, and there is no transparent on-chain way to fund and license story IP.
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?
No
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.
Our project will not be fully open source. Core on-chain smart contracts and protocol specifications will be published under an open licence (e.g. MIT/Apache-2.0) so others can integrate. The main web application, AI quiz/anti-farm engine, internal dashboards, brand assets and story content remain proprietary to MSCI Labs and individual authors.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Marketplace
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).
Our innovation is not a single feature but the way we combine reading, rewards, and IP licensing into one Cardano-native marketplace.
Reading becomes an investable, on-chain activity
Readers don’t just “consume content”; they invest time and attention, answer AI-generated quizzes and earn spin tickets/rewards recorded on Cardano.
This produces verifiable reading events instead of fakeable views/likes.
Integrated IP marketplace for stories
Each chapter/season/collector edition is a Content NFT; IP rights can be offered as License NFTs with on-chain revenue splitting.
This turns R&E into a marketplace where authors, readers and IP partners (games, anime, edtech) can find each other and transact natively on Cardano.
Milestone-based funding for long-form fiction
Investment Vaults allow communities to fund a story season by season, with escrow and refund logic enforced by smart contracts.
This is a novel “story crowdfunding + payout” mechanism specifically designed for serialized fiction.
Quiz-based proof-of-reading instead of pure “read to earn”
Rewards are tied to answering a limited number of AI-generated questions per chapter/day, with bonus spins for perfect scores.
Genuine readers are rewarded more, while large-scale farming becomes economically unattractive.
Privacy-aware design
Detailed reading behavior stays off-chain; Cardano (and, later, Midnight) store only the proofs and eligibility signals needed for rewards and B2B use, not a full surveillance log of the reader.
Together, this makes R&E more than a book NFT project or a read-to-earn app: it is a Web3 reading exchange for stories and IP, built on Cardano.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
Our MVP will be a public web application + Cardano testnet deployment that demonstrates the full basic loop for all three roles: reader, author, and IP partner.
It will show:
Reader journey
Sign in with a Cardano-compatible wallet or email-based onboarding.
Browse and read sample serialized stories.
Answer a limited number of AI-generated questions per chapter/day.
Earn spin tickets and claim testnet rewards (e.g. test tokens, badges).
Author journey
Create a story, publish chapters/season as Content NFTs on Cardano testnet.
Set prices for chapters/season/collector editions.
Open an Investment Vault for a season and see how funds are locked and released by milestones.
Configure revenue-sharing splits between collaborators.
IP partner / buyer journey
Browse a catalog of stories with basic reading metrics.
View and acquire License NFTs for certain usage scopes.
See how on-chain revenue splitting would route revenue to multiple stakeholders.
Technical access
Deployed on a public URL (desktop & mobile browser), with the code for smart contracts and basic SDK published in a public repository.
Connected to a Cardano testnet so reviewers and the community can interact without financial risk.
This MVP proves that the core mechanics of Read → Quiz → Reward → Monetize → License work end-to-end on Cardano.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
We define success in three layers: on-chain activity, creator economics, and user adoption.
On-chain metrics (Cardano testnet → mainnet pilot)
≥ 3,000 on-chain transactions per month during the pilot, including:
mint/update of Content NFTs and License NFTs,
reward claims and spin redemptions,
Investment Vault deposits, unlocks and refunds,
revenue-split payouts to multiple addresses.
≥ 500 unique addresses interacting with R&E contracts (readers + authors + partners).
At least 3 real licensing deals (even small-scale) executed and traceable via License NFTs and revenue-split contracts.
Creator and story metrics
20–40 active authors in public beta; 50–100 by the end of the funded period.
≥ 50 authors earning at least 100 USD equivalent in net revenue per month by the end of the pilot (from chapter/season sales, collector editions and/or IP licensing).
≥ 200 published stories/series with at least one paying reader each.
Reader and engagement metrics
1,000–2,000 monthly active readers in beta, with:
30% month-over-month retention for the core cohort,
an average of at least 3 quiz interactions per active reader per week.
A clear gap between genuine readers and farmers in terms of quiz accuracy and rewards (e.g. top 20% most accurate readers capturing >50% of rewards).
Ecosystem and reusability
Public release of the R&E smart contracts and protocol docs, with at least 2 external teams or projects experimenting or integrating with the contracts.
At least one Cardano community event, workshop or space demonstrating R&E and gathering feedback from authors and builders.
These targets are ambitious but realistic for a 12-month Prototype & Launch phase and can all be tracked transparently through on-chain data, analytics dashboards and usage statistics.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
Our solution is to build Read & Earn (R&E) – a Cardano-based reading & IP marketplace that turns reading time into verifiable on-chain activity, and turns stories into investable, licensable digital assets.
Instead of treating online reading as passive “views”, R&E makes every key action explicit and programmable:
A story, its chapters/season/collector editions, and its IP licences are represented by NFTs and smart contracts on Cardano.
A reader invests time and attention, answers AI-generated questions about each chapter, and receives spin tickets / rewards recorded on-chain.
An author earns income directly from chapter/season sales, collector editions and IP licensing, with automatic revenue splitting.
IP partners (games, anime, edtech, publishers) can browse stories with reading metrics and acquire licences in a standardized, on-chain way.
This directly addresses today’s problems: fakeable views, readers earning nothing, authors struggling to monetize, and the lack of a transparent marketplace for story IP.
We will implement a set of Cardano smart contracts and standards that can also be reused by other builders:
Content NFTs (CIP-68 based)
Each chapter/season/collector edition is a Content NFT with updatable metadata (status, pricing, tags, links).
This NFT is the canonical on-chain reference for the story asset.
License NFTs
A licence (e.g. “Vietnamese mobile game rights for 3 years”) is modelled as a License NFT with machine-readable fields: scope, territory, duration, royalty rules.
Owning this NFT plus the accompanying off-chain agreement gives the partner clear, traceable rights.
Revenue Splitter contract
When a reader buys a chapter/season, or when licence revenue arrives, funds flow into a splitter contract.
The contract automatically routes ADA or tokens to multiple stakeholders (author, artist, editor, platform, investors) according to pre-defined percentages.
This removes the need for manual calculations and builds trust between collaborators.
Investment Vault contract
Communities can fund a season via a vault. Contributions are locked until story milestones (e.g. N chapters) are delivered.
If the author delivers, a tranche is released; if not, contributors can be refunded according to the rules.
This is a milestone-based crowdfunding mechanism tailored for serialized fiction.
Checkpoint & rewards logic
We record daily “checkpoints” (Merkle roots / aggregated data) of who has qualified for which rewards, without storing every micro-event on-chain.
This allows us to prove eligibility and distribute rewards while keeping detailed reading behaviour off-chain.
On top of those contracts we will build a Web2-friendly portal (desktop & mobile web):
Reader experience
Sign in with a Cardano wallet or a simple email-based flow (using a custodial wallet provider).
Browse stories, read chapters with a clean UI.
After each chapter or per day, answer 3–5 AI-generated questions about the content:
Each correct answer = one spin ticket.
A perfect score (e.g. 5/5) grants a bonus ticket.
Use tickets to spin for rewards: testnet tokens, badges, discounts on collectors, or other perks defined for the pilot.
All significant actions (purchases, rewards, badges) are recorded on-chain so both users and partners can verify them.
This design rewards genuine readers and makes large-scale farming economically unattractive without over-complicating UX.
Author experience
Create a story, upload text, set reading order and metadata.
Mint chapters/season/collectors as Content NFTs, set prices and access rules (free, premium, early access…).
Configure revenue splits with collaborators once, then let the contract handle payouts.
Optionally open an Investment Vault for a new season, defining milestones and total target.
See dashboards of sales, reader engagement and vault status.
This gives authors a clear path to earn from their stories and to fund long projects in smaller, safer steps.
IP partner experience
Discover stories ranked by engagement and reader performance (quiz accuracy, completion rates, etc.).
View available Licence offers and propose or accept deals via License NFTs.
Once a deal is made, connect their own payment flows to our Revenue Splitter, so that royalties automatically reach the author and other stakeholders.
This removes friction from IP deals and gives partners better data and clearer rails to work with creative communities.
To link rewards to real reading, we will build a quiz engine:
The engine ingests the story text and, with the help of AI models, generates questions focused on characters, plot points and details that are hard to guess without reading.
Questions are randomly sampled from a pool, with a strict limit per chapter/day to reduce brute-force attempts.
Over time, we can adapt difficulty based on user performance (easier questions for casual readers, deeper ones for “power readers”).
We do not aim for perfect anti-Sybil; instead, our goal is to make farming costly and less profitable than simply reading and enjoying the story.
R&E is a reading product, so we are careful not to create a surveillance machine:
Detailed behavioural data stays in our off-chain systems.
Cardano is used to store aggregated proofs and the economic events (purchases, vault flows, revenue splits).
In later stages, we plan to leverage Midnight (or similar privacy tech) so that partners can verify a user’s eligibility or a story’s performance without accessing raw reading logs.
This balance respects readers while still giving IP partners trustworthy signals.
It gives readers a way to invest time and attention and receive transparent, provable rewards instead of empty likes.
It gives authors multiple, programmable income streams and a safer way to fund long-form work.
It gives partners a marketplace with better data, standardised licences and automated royalty distribution.
It gives Cardano a flagship real-world application that showcases NFTs, smart contracts and (later) privacy, anchored in a global market: stories and IP.
By delivering this end-to-end system on Cardano, R&E directly addresses the pain points of today’s reading platforms and unlocks a new category: the Web3 reading & IP exchange.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
R&E is designed to create tangible, measurable value for the wider Cardano community across three layers: users, builders, and ecosystem narrative.
R&E onboards readers, writers and IP partners who normally never touch wallets or DeFi, and brings their first transactions onto Cardano.
Every chapter purchase, reward claim, vault contribution and revenue split is an on-chain event, adding real usage rather than speculative volume.
Our 12-month goal is to reach:
1,000–2,000 monthly active readers,
50–100 active authors,
≥3 real IP licensing deals,
and 3,000–5,000 Cardano transactions per month during the pilot.
This turns Cardano into the home chain for a new type of creator economy: serialized stories and IP.
We will publish R&E’s smart contracts and protocol specs (Content NFTs, License NFTs, Revenue Splitter, Investment Vaults) under an open licence.
Other projects (gaming, education, media, DAOs) can reuse these contracts to:
sell and license their own content,
implement milestone-based funding,
or build new frontends and experiments on top of the same rails.
This directly strengthens Cardano’s developer toolset for NFTs and real-world applications, beyond PFP collections.
By combining reading, rewards, IP licensing and (later) privacy via Midnight, R&E showcases Cardano as a chain that can power consumer-grade media platforms, not just finance.
The project demonstrates that Cardano can host:
Web2-friendly UX,
on-chain royalty splits for many stakeholders,
and privacy-respecting usage data for B2B partners.
This supports the broader Cardano narrative as a serious home for creative industries and IP markets, not only DeFi.
We will run community calls, workshops and AMAs with authors, readers and builders to share:
how the contracts work,
how to publish and monetize a story on Cardano,
and how other teams can integrate R&E components.
Feedback from these sessions will shape our roadmap and documentation, making R&E a community-informed platform rather than a closed product.
In summary, R&E brings new users, on-chain volume, reusable infrastructure and a compelling real-world use case to the Cardano ecosystem, while opening a new frontier for creators and IP owners.
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 believe R&E is feasible because we have a battle-tested team, a clear delivery process with milestones, and a validation plan that combines testnet deployment, user pilots and transparent reporting.
R&E will be delivered by MSCI Catalyst ADA team from MSCI Labs:
Nguyen Duc Thuan – Project Lead & Product Architect
Founder of MSCI Labs, experienced game designer and ecosystem builder.
Led multiple Web2/Web3 products from idea to launch and won first prize at Avalanche Game Jam 2025, proving the ability to ship under competitive, time-boxed conditions.
Senior backend & smart-contract engineers
Experience with Web3 stacks (wallets, NFT standards, on-chain marketplaces) and scalable backend architectures.
Responsible for implementing Cardano smart contracts (Content NFTs, License NFTs, Revenue Splitter, Investment Vault) and integrating them with the web application.
Frontend & UX engineers
Background in consumer apps and gaming UX, used to building Web2-friendly flows on top of Web3 wallets.
Focused on making “read → quiz → reward → buy → license” simple enough for non-crypto users.
Content & community team
Experienced in working with authors and creative communities, curating stories and running online events.
Will lead author onboarding, beta programs and feedback loops.
Collectively, the team has years of experience in games, content platforms and Web3, with a track record of delivering real products, not just whitepapers.
We will organise work into 5 milestones over 12 months, each with:
A clear technical scope (what contracts, what features),
Publicly verifiable outputs (code, demos, txids),
And KPIs (number of users, transactions, deals) when relevant.
To ensure trust and accountability:
Transparent repositories and documentation
Smart contracts and protocol specs will be in public repos.
We will maintain a public documentation space (e.g. Gitbook/Notion) describing architecture, APIs and how others can integrate.
Testnet-first, then constrained mainnet pilot
All contracts will be deployed and battle-tested on Cardano testnet first, with community testers and bug-bounty style incentives.
Only after passing tests and internal audits will we run a limited-scope mainnet pilot (limited set of authors, capped volumes).
Monitoring and security practices
Automated tests, continuous integration, and monitoring of contract calls and anomalies.
Review of critical contracts by external peers or auditors where budget allows.
Conservative design: minimal upgradeability, explicit limits and pause functions for early phases.
Regular reporting to the Cardano community
Monthly or milestone-based updates posted publicly (Forum, Discord, X/Telegram), including:
progress vs plan,
key metrics (users, tx, revenue split flows),
issues encountered and how we addressed them.
This makes it easy for the community and Catalyst voters to track whether we are delivering what we promised.
We will validate that the R&E approach is feasible using a combination of technical, product and market validation:
Technical feasibility
Deploy each contract to testnet with scenario tests:
minting/updating Content NFTs and License NFTs,
buying chapters/season, triggering revenue splits,
opening, funding and resolving Investment Vaults,
recording checkpoints and distributing rewards.
Run load tests to see how the system behaves under higher transaction volumes and multiple concurrent users.
Collect and publish metrics like failure rates, latency and gas costs to refine contract design.
Product & UX feasibility
Run a closed alpha with a small group of authors and readers (e.g. Vietnamese and regional communities where we already have a footprint).
Measure:
completion rates of chapters,
quiz participation and accuracy,
how many readers convert from “free” to “paying” or “collector”.
Conduct qualitative interviews with authors and readers to understand friction and iterate on UX (e.g. how we present wallets, how we explain spin tickets and rewards).
Economic & IP feasibility
Pilot at least 3 small IP licensing deals between authors and partners (for games, illustrations, or other formats), using License NFTs and Revenue Splitter contracts.
Analyse:
whether the contract structure matches real-world legal needs,
whether the royalty flows are clear and acceptable to both sides.
Use these pilots to refine contract templates and marketplace flows.
Go/no-go gates
At each major milestone we will define simple go/no-go criteria (for example: minimum number of users in beta, number of successful contract interactions, absence of critical bugs in a 30-day period).
If criteria are not met, we will adapt scope (prioritise stability over new features) and document changes transparently.
Through this staged approach, we can prove that R&E is technically sound, usable for non-crypto users and economically meaningful before attempting to scale beyond the pilot.
Milestone Title
Core Protocol & Smart Contracts v1 (Testnet + Reader Alpha)
Milestone Outputs
Finalised high-level protocol & data model for Read & Earn, covering: Content NFT, License NFT, Revenue Splitter, Investment Vault, Checkpoint / rewards aggregation.
First implementation of all core smart contracts deployed on Cardano testnet.
Backend & database skeleton running (user/accounts model, story model, contract interaction service, basic logging).
Web portal reader alpha:
wallet/email login,
chapter reading UI,
AI-generated quiz for each chapter or reading session,
basic reward logic on testnet for internal testers.
Architecture & protocol documentation (diagrams and description of reader, author and IP-partner flows).
Acceptance Criteria
Protocol & data model document completed and shared with the team (covers all contract types and main flows).
All core contracts (Content NFT, License NFT, Revenue Splitter, Investment Vault, Checkpoint) compile successfully and are deployed to Cardano testnet addresses.
For each contract there is at least one “happy path” scenario executed on testnet (mint/update/buy/payout/vault open–close/checkpoint).
Backend can call each contract on testnet via internal admin UI or scripts, without manual intervention.
Reader alpha allows an internal tester to:
log in,
open a test story,
read a chapter,
answer at least one AI-generated quiz,
receive a testnet reward recorded by the system.
Evidence of Completion
Public GitHub repository links containing:
smart contract source code,
backend skeleton code,
protocol & data model documentation.
Cardano testnet explorer links (addresses and txids) proving deployment of each contract plus at least one successful interaction per contract.
Screenshots or short Loom video showing:
internal admin / script calling the contracts on testnet,
reader alpha flow (login → read → quiz → reward).
Short written summary (1–2 pages) explaining what was implemented in M1 and any technical decisions/trade-offs made.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
36000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Reader Beta, Author Dashboard & Investment Vault v1 (Testnet)
Milestone Outputs
Upgrade the web portal from reader alpha to reader beta on Cardano testnet, including:
improved UX for library, chapter list and reading progress,
AI-generated quizzes with configurable limits (e.g. 3–5 questions per day/chapter),
spin-ticket style reward logic connected to quiz results,
basic anti-farming rules (cooldowns, per-account limits, simple abuse checks).
Fully integrated purchase & reward flows on testnet:
readers can buy chapters or season passes as Content NFTs,
Revenue Splitter contract automatically allocates testnet revenue according to configured percentages,
all on-chain interactions are logged and visible from the backend.
Author dashboard v1 on testnet, enabling:
author registration / profile,
creation of stories and chapters with metadata upload,
minting of chapter, season and collector Content NFTs on testnet,
configuration of prices and revenue sharing percentages (author / platform / vault / community pool).
Investment Vault v1 on testnet, enabling:
creation of a funding vault linked to a specific story or season,
definition of goal, timeframe and simple participation rules,
whitelisted testers to contribute testnet funds into the vault,
closing a vault and triggering the appropriate on-chain record (e.g. issuing proof-of-support NFT or recording shares) and future revenue split configuration.
Closed beta group established and onboarded:
at least 5–10 test authors using the dashboard,
at least 20–50 readers using the reader beta loop.
Acceptance Criteria
Reader beta is deployed on testnet and accessible via browser; internal and closed-beta users can:
log in,
browse available stories,
buy at least one paid chapter or season using testnet ADA,
read that content,
complete quizzes with enforced limits,
receive spin tickets and rewards according to the configured logic.
Author dashboard v1 is deployed on testnet and allows test authors to:
create at least one story with multiple chapters,
mint chapter, season and collector NFTs on testnet,
set prices and revenue sharing percentages without manual intervention from the dev team.
Investment Vault v1 is live on testnet; at least two test vault campaigns are created and completed, with:
multiple contributors,
vault state transitions correctly recorded on-chain (open, contribute, close),
configuration of future revenue splits based on vault participation.
The backend successfully processes and logs the complete end-to-end flows for:
chapter/season purchase and revenue split,
quiz & reward distribution,
vault contributions and closure.
Closed beta metrics dashboard or report exists with at least:
number of active test authors and readers,
number of chapters published and purchased,
number of quizzes completed and rewards issued,
summary of vault test campaigns.
Evidence of Completion
Updated public GitHub repositories containing:
frontend code for reader beta and author dashboard,
backend services for purchase, reward and vault flows,
configuration files for revenue sharing and quiz limits.
Cardano testnet explorer links (addresses and txids) showing:
Content NFT mints (chapters/season/collectors),
chapter/season purchase transactions,
Revenue Splitter executions,
Investment Vault open / contribute / close transactions.
Screenshots or Loom video(s) demonstrating, end-to-end:
an author creating a story, minting chapter NFTs and setting prices,
a reader buying a chapter/season, reading, taking quizzes and receiving rewards,
a vault campaign being created, funded and closed on testnet.
A short written beta report (2–3 pages) summarising:
how many testers participated (authors and readers),
key usage numbers (purchases, quizzes, rewards, vault contributions),
main UX/technical learnings to be used for the next milestone.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
54000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Public Beta (Testnet) & IP Marketplace v1
Milestone Outputs
Public beta launch on Cardano testnet:
onboard at least 20–40 authors using the author dashboard,
onboard at least 1,000 registered readers (or equivalent active wallets/accounts),
run continuous public beta for the duration of this milestone.
Stabilised reader beta & author dashboard based on M2 feedback:
improved performance and loading times,
refined quiz difficulty & reward curves,
clearer UI copy and error handling.
IP Marketplace v1 implemented on testnet, including:
listing of stories / seasons / characters as “IP Offers”,
creation of License NFT templates for different use cases (e.g. game adaptation, illustration, translation),
simple offer / negotiation flow (creator posts terms, partner can submit request or accept pre-defined terms).
Integration between marketplace and existing contracts:
when a licensing agreement is accepted, a License NFT is minted on testnet,
a Revenue Splitter configuration is created/updated to reflect the IP deal,
the relationship between Content NFTs, License NFT and Revenue Splitter is recorded in the backend.
At least 2–3 experimental licensing deals signed on testnet between authors and friendly partners (e.g. game devs, illustrators) using the marketplace flow.
Acceptance Criteria
Public beta portal is accessible on testnet and:
at least 20 authors have created profiles and published at least one story with multiple chapters,
at least 1,000 reader accounts/wallets have been created,
key usage metrics (daily active readers, completed chapters, quizzes, rewards claimed) are being tracked.
Reader and author flows are stable enough that:
no blocking bugs persist in the main journeys (read, quiz, buy, publish),
95%+ of purchase and quiz transactions on testnet complete successfully over a 2-week observation window.
IP Marketplace v1 allows:
an author to list at least one IP Offer linked to their story/season/characters,
a partner to view offers, submit a request or accept terms,
automatic minting of a License NFT on testnet once both parties agree.
For each experimental licensing deal:
a License NFT exists on testnet with correct metadata (parties, story, scope, revenue share),
a corresponding Revenue Splitter configuration is stored and used for future revenue routing,
both parties confirm via short feedback form that the workflow is understandable and acceptable for a pilot phase.
A beta analytics dashboard or report is available that summarises:
number of active authors and readers,
number of stories, chapters, purchases, quizzes, rewards,
number and type of IP Offers created,
number and basic terms of the 2–3 test licensing deals.
Evidence of Completion
Updated public GitHub repositories with:
frontend code for marketplace pages and public-beta UI improvements,
backend code for IP Offer management, License NFT minting and Revenue Splitter linkage,
analytics/telemetry configuration.
Cardano testnet explorer links showing:
License NFT mints for the experimental IP deals,
associated Revenue Splitter and relevant Content NFT transactions,
representative user actions (purchases, quizzes, rewards) during public beta.
Screenshots or Loom video(s) demonstrating:
public beta experience from a reader’s perspective (browse → read → quiz → reward),
author publishing and using marketplace to create an IP Offer,
partner accepting an offer and the resulting License NFT & configuration.
Public beta & marketplace report (3–5 pages) containing:
quantitative metrics (authors, readers, usage, deals),
qualitative feedback from at least 5 authors and 3 partners,
list of UX / technical issues and planned fixes for the next milestone.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
36000
Progress
70 %
Milestone Title
Mainnet Pilot & Operational Optimisation
Milestone Outputs
Promote the most stable versions of all core contracts (Content NFT, License NFT, Revenue Splitter, Investment Vault, Checkpoint) from testnet to Cardano mainnet, with final parameter tuning.
Deploy production-ready instances of:
reader portal,
author dashboard,
IP marketplace,
connected to mainnet contracts and production infrastructure (monitoring, alerting, backups).
Launch a limited-scope mainnet pilot with:
at least 10 curated authors and their stories,
at least 300–500 real readers (not just internal testers).
Run 1–3 real IP licensing deals on mainnet using the marketplace flow:
License NFTs minted on mainnet,
Revenue Splitter configurations applied to real (even if small) mainnet revenues.
Implement operational playbooks:
incident response and rollback procedures,
guidelines for onboarding authors/partners safely,
data retention and basic compliance/privacy guidelines.
Acceptance Criteria
All core contracts are deployed to Cardano mainnet and verified via explorer links; contract addresses are documented and used by the production frontend/backend.
Production reader portal, author dashboard and marketplace are available at public URLs and:
at least 10 authors have onboarded and published content on mainnet,
at least 300 unique readers have connected wallets / accounts and interacted with the dApp.
Mainnet usage during the pilot shows:
successful purchase and reading of chapters/season passes on mainnet,
quizzes and rewards functioning with mainnet-compatible logic (monetary rewards may remain small/experimental but technically live).
For each of the 1–3 mainnet IP deals:
a License NFT with correct metadata exists on mainnet,
at least one mainnet transaction has flowed through the corresponding Revenue Splitter,
both parties have signed off via a short confirmation or MoU that this deal is acceptable as a pilot.
Monitoring and alerting for key services (contracts, backend, frontend) are in place and tested (e.g. simulated failure / threshold breach triggers an alert).
Operational documentation is produced and shared internally (runbooks, onboarding guides, basic compliance notes).
Evidence of Completion
GitHub repositories updated with:
mainnet deployment configurations for contracts and infrastructure,
environment-specific settings for production dApp.
Cardano mainnet explorer links showing:
deployed contract addresses,
representative user transactions (purchases, quizzes, rewards),
License NFT mints and Revenue Splitter flows for the 1–3 IP deals.
Screenshots or Loom video(s) demonstrating:
access to the mainnet dApp (reader, author, marketplace flows),
an example of a complete user journey (reader buys → reads → quizzes → receives reward on mainnet),
an example of a licensing deal from marketplace listing to mainnet License NFT + revenue split.
Pilot report (2–3 pages) including:
number of onboarded authors and readers,
key mainnet usage metrics,
description of the 1–3 IP deals,
summary of incidents/bugs and how they were resolved.
Internal operational documentation (can be shared as PDFs / wiki exports) for runbooks and onboarding procedures.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
18000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Hardening, Open Source Release & Project Close-Out (Final Milestone)
Milestone Outputs
System hardening & quality improvements based on mainnet pilot feedback:
performance tuning of contracts and backend,
resolution of all critical / high-priority bugs discovered in M4,
optimisation of quiz/reward parameters for sustainable long-term operation.
Open-source release of the core R&E protocol on Cardano, including:
smart contract repositories (Content NFT, License NFT, Revenue Splitter, Investment Vault, Checkpoint),
basic SDK or integration helpers for other builders (API docs, code examples),
protocol & architecture documentation ready for external developers.
Public transparency package for the Cardano community:
an online documentation hub / wiki summarising how R&E works,
user-level guides for readers, authors and IP partners,
clearly described risk / limitation notes for the current version.
Project analytics & dashboards:
final dashboards / reports showing key metrics across the whole project (testnet + mainnet usage, revenue flows, licensing deals, community participation),
high-level business and ecosystem insights derived from those metrics.
Project Close-Out materials required by Catalyst:
Project Close Out Report (written),
Project Close Out Video demonstrating the live UI and main flows,
final roadmap proposal indicating how R&E will be maintained and extended beyond Fund 15.
Acceptance Criteria
No open critical or high-severity issues remain in the bug tracker for contracts, backend or frontend; medium issues are documented with mitigation or scheduled fixes.
Open-source repositories are publicly accessible, contain clear README files and basic developer documentation, and are licensed under a recognised open-source license (e.g. Apache-2.0 or MIT).
SDK / integration helpers include:
at least one reference integration example (e.g. how a game dApp or external site can query R&E data or trigger key flows),
clear instructions on how to connect to mainnet/testnet contracts.
Public documentation hub is online and includes:
a “How it works” section,
separate guides for readers, authors and partners,
a section on known limitations and planned improvements.
Final analytics dashboard/report includes, at minimum:
number of authors, readers and partners onboarded,
number of stories, chapters, purchases, quizzes, rewards,
number and type of IP Offers and licensing deals (testnet + mainnet),
headline revenue / flow figures (even if values are small in pilot phase).
Project Close Out Report is completed and submitted via the Catalyst process, summarising:
which deliverables were achieved in each milestone,
key learnings, risks and next steps.
Project Close Out Video is produced and submitted, demonstrating:
the live mainnet UI (reader, author, marketplace),
at least one complete user journey,
overview of dashboards and open-source code.
Evidence of Completion
Public GitHub links to:
open-source smart contract repositories,
SDK / integration helper repository,
documentation source (where applicable).
Screenshots of the documentation hub/wiki and user guides, with public URLs.
Links or exports of analytics dashboards and/or a final metrics report (PDF/Markdown) covering the specified KPIs.
Bug-tracker export or summary showing zero open critical/high issues at the time of close-out.
Link to the Project Close Out Report submitted to Catalyst (PDF/Markdown).
Link to the Project Close Out Video submitted to Catalyst (e.g. unlisted video URL) where the working UI, flows and dashboards are demonstrated.
Delivery Month
1
Cost
36000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
We request 180,000 ADA for a 12-month delivery of the Read & Earn (R&E) protocol and dApp on Cardano.
The budget is mainly team time (design, engineering, ops) plus infrastructure, community incentives and a small audit/contingency buffer.
A. Team compensation – 135,000 ADA (~75%)
Covers 12 months of part-time work for a 6-person team:
Nguyen Duc Thuan – Project Lead & Product Architect
~24,000 ADA – product ownership, protocol design, partner outreach, milestone & risk management, reporting.
Jack (huantt) – Senior Technical Lead (Backend, Infra, Cardano)
~30,000 ADA – backend & infra architecture, smart contract integration, security, CI/CD, monitoring.
Nguyen Hoang Vu (SkyTik) – Senior Backend & Web Integration
~30,000 ADA – business logic (revenue splitter, vaults, quiz & rewards), API design, analytics pipelines.
Yellow Umbrella (nhathuy7996) – Lead DApp / Frontend & SDK Samples
~30,000 ADA – reader portal, author dashboard, IP marketplace, SDK examples and UI integration with Cardano.
Van Phat (Phatjiro) – Gamification & UX Flows Engineer
~12,000 ADA – reward design, anti-farm rules, quiz difficulty curves, cross-engine prototypes.
Le Nghia Dung – Junior Frontend, QA & Documentation
~9,000 ADA – UI implementation, testing, user guides, documentation hub and close-out materials.
The team also contributes unpaid time and pre-existing work (MSCI IP, early prototypes, relationships with authors and game studios) which is not billed to Catalyst.
B. Infrastructure, tools & services – 18,000 ADA (~10%)
Cardano node access / hosting, testnet & mainnet infrastructure.
Cloud servers, storage and CI/CD runners for backend and web apps.
Monitoring, logging and error-tracking services.
Paid SaaS tools used for AI-quiz generation, design (Figma), project management, and collaboration.
C. Community incentives & pilot support – 18,000 ADA (~10%)
Rewards for early authors, readers and IP partners participating in public beta and the mainnet pilot (within regulatory constraints).
Small grants / bounties for external builders who test the R&E SDK or integrate it in their own dApps or games.
Marketing materials (landing pages, explainer videos, translation) focused on attracting real users and builders to Cardano via R&E.
D. Audit, legal & accounting – 5,400 ADA (~3%)
External review / peer review of smart contracts and protocol design (security and economic sanity checks).
Consultation on IP-licensing terms and basic legal templates for authors and partners.
Accounting and compliance costs related to reporting and tax handling for the funded period.
E. Contingency – 3,600 ADA (~2%)
Buffer for unexpected costs: infrastructure spikes, small scope changes requested by reviewers, or additional testing support.
Any unused contingency will remain in the project treasury to support further R&E development on Cardano.
The total 180,000 ADA is distributed across milestones as follows (within Catalyst rules: 5–30% per non-final milestone, ≥15% final):
M1 – 20% (36,000 ADA): Core protocol & smart contracts v1, backend skeleton, reader alpha on testnet.
M2 – 30% (54,000 ADA): Reader beta, author dashboard, Investment Vault v1 and closed beta on testnet.
M3 – 20% (36,000 ADA): Public beta, IP Marketplace v1 and experimental licensing deals (testnet).
M4 – 10% (18,000 ADA): Mainnet deployment, limited pilot with curated authors/readers, first real IP deals.
M5 – 20% (36,000 ADA, Final): Hardening, open-source release, dashboards and Project Close-Out report & video.
This structure front-loads enough funding to build the core protocol and user experience, while reserving 20% for the final milestone, as required, to ensure quality, transparency and long-term usefulness for the Cardano ecosystem.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
The requested 180,000 ADA funds 12 months of work by a 6-person team to design, implement and open-source a reusable Read & Earn (R&E) protocol on Cardano, plus a production dApp (reader portal, author dashboard, IP marketplace) and documented SDK.
R&E is not a single app; it is a horizontal protocol that any story IP, game studio or content platform can plug into.
Once the contracts, backends and SDK are built, new projects can reuse them at near-zero marginal cost, bringing additional users and transactions to Cardano without new Catalyst funding.
The same infrastructure supports novels, comics, educational content and game lore, turning one grant into a multi-vertical onboarding funnel.
The MSCI Catalyst ADA team already has working IP (MSCI universe, existing games and community) and internal prototypes.
Catalyst therefore pays mainly for Cardano integration, protocol hardening and open community access, not for starting from zero or buying expensive licenses.
Team members are based in Vietnam, where cost of living is lower, so the effective hourly rate is significantly below Western market rates for senior backend, DevOps and DApp talent.
New users: R&E is designed to onboard non-crypto readers and authors, guiding them from simple accounts into wallets and on-chain rewards.
New builders: the open-source contracts and SDK reduce the time and risk for other Cardano teams to add “read-to-earn / learn-to-earn / IP-sharing” mechanics to their own products.
New IP flows: the IP marketplace and License NFTs create on-chain deal flow between authors, game studios and other media partners, showcasing Cardano as a home for creative economies.
Funding is split across 5 milestones (20/30/20/10/20) with a strong 20% final milestone, aligning with Catalyst guidelines and ensuring quality delivery before the last payment.
Each milestone has concrete outputs, acceptance criteria and evidence (live testnet/mainnet deployments, metrics, open-source repos, dashboards).
The contingency portion is small (2%), showing that most funds go directly into building and operating, not into vague buffers.
The protocol and dApp are designed so that future revenue (author sales, IP deals, optional platform fees) can fund ongoing operations after the Catalyst period.
Open-source code and documentation ensure that, even if the original team slows down, other Cardano builders can maintain or fork the stack, preserving the value of the grant.
Overall, for 180,000 ADA the ecosystem receives:
a fully implemented and battle-tested R&E protocol,
production dApp and UX for readers/authors,
an IP licensing marketplace,
open-source contracts + SDK + documentation, and
a live user base and measurable on-chain activity.
This represents strong value for money compared to the cost of multiple separate grants for similar functionality, while directly growing real usage and creative IP on Cardano.
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
Core organisation – MSCI Labs & “MSCI Catalyst ADA” team
MSCI Labs is a Vietnam-based game studio and software company focused on mid-core and competitive games and IP such as the MSCI universe. The studio has shipped multiple playable builds of MSCI Web3 and MSCI MOBA, and recently won 1st prize at Avalanche Game Jam Vietnam 2025, with MSCI showcased at Sui Hub events and in collaboration with VTC Academy.
For this proposal, MSCI Labs is represented by the “MSCI Catalyst ADA” team: 1 project lead and 5 specialised engineers who will design and implement the Read & Earn (R&E) protocol and dApp on Cardano.
Role: Overall owner of the R&E project; responsible for scope, product direction, milestones and coordination with Catalyst and the Cardano community.
Links: https://www.facebook.com/sinmsci
Background:
Founder & CEO of MSCI Labs, with 10+ years in game design and production (casual, mid-core, MMO, esports).
Creator of the MSCI story IP and lead designer of the “Read & Earn” model that connects readers, authors and IP investors.
Experience leading cross-functional teams and winning awards (including 1st prize at Avalanche Game Jam Vietnam 2025).
Responsibilities in R&E:
Define the R&E protocol from a product & ecosystem perspective: how readers earn, how authors monetise, how IP partners license stories.
Own overall roadmap and milestone delivery, making sure the scope stays realistic and aligned with Catalyst expectations.
Lead partnerships with authors, publishers and Game/Web3 teams who want to use R&E and the IP marketplace.
Links: GitHub: https://github.com/huantt – Blog: https://dev.to/jacktt
Role: Senior technical lead for backend architecture, infrastructure and secure integration with Cardano.
Background:
Software engineer and DevOps/Golang specialist with many public repositories and experience building production-grade tooling and services.
Strong focus on reliability, observability and performance in distributed systems.
Responsibilities in R&E:
Design the overall backend and infrastructure for the R&E protocol (Cardano node connectivity, off-chain services, CI/CD, monitoring).
Implement the server-side logic for rewards, revenue routing and Investment Vaults, ensuring consistency between on-chain and off-chain state.
Ensure stable testnet and mainnet environments for public beta, pilots and long-term operation.
Links: GitHub: https://github.com/SkyTik – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vunh/
Role: Backend and web integration engineer focusing on R&E business logic and web stack.
Background:
Software Engineer at Ahamove (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
Experienced with Node.js/TypeScript backends and clean, production-ready boilerplates.
Responsibilities in R&E:
Implement and maintain core backend services for the R&E dApp: reader loop (quiz & rewards), payment flows, revenue splitter and analytics.
Expose secure APIs and webhooks so that external platforms (e.g. author tools, games) can interact with the R&E protocol.
Build data pipelines for dashboards and reporting (authors, readers, licensing deals, revenue flows).
Links: GitHub: https://github.com/nhathuy7996 – TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gamedevtoi – YouTube: game-dev content channel
Role: Lead DApp/front-end engineer responsible for the reader portal, author dashboard, IP marketplace and public SDK sample integrations.
Background:
Active game developer and content creator focusing on web game engines (Cocos Creator, HTML5).
Used to explaining technical concepts to other developers and learners via TikTok/YouTube.
Responsibilities in R&E:
Design and implement the R&E web experience: reading UI, AI-quiz flow, reward spin wheel, author publishing tools and IP marketplace screens.
Ensure the user experience is friendly for non-crypto users (simple login, clear error handling, safe transaction flows).
Maintain example integrations / SDK samples showing how external dApps and games can plug into the R&E protocol on Cardano.
Links: GitHub: https://github.com/Phatjiro
Role: Game developer focusing on Read & Earn gamification, reward design and cross-engine integration.
Background:
Unity game developer with a degree in Software Technology from Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City.
Experience building prototypes, game loops and tools in Unity/C# and other engines.
Responsibilities in R&E:
Design engaging but sustainable gamification for R&E: quiz difficulty curves, reward probabilities, anti-farm mechanics and progression systems.
Work with frontend and backend engineers to translate economic and UX goals into concrete flows and parameters.
Experiment with using the R&E protocol from other engines (e.g. Unity prototypes that consume R&E APIs) to prove it is reusable beyond the core web app.
Links: GitHub: https://github.com/LeNghiaDung
Role: Junior frontend developer and UI/UX & documentation support for the R&E dApp and public site.
Background:
Web Developer & Designer (IT student at Hanoi Open University), working with Laravel, ReactJS and Figma.
Familiar with HTML/CSS/Sass, Tailwind, Bootstrap, MySQL and basic DevOps tools.
Responsibilities in R&E:
Implement and polish UI components across the reader portal, author dashboard, IP marketplace and analytics dashboards.
Support testing and QA of user flows (read → quiz → reward, publish → license → revenue share) to ensure they are stable before each milestone.
Maintain user-facing documentation and tutorials, contributing to the public documentation hub and the final Project Close-Out materials.
Why this team can deliver R&E on Cardano
The MSCI Catalyst ADA team combines:
Real product and IP experience: years of game design and production plus the existing MSCI universe and Read & Earn concept.
Strong backend & DevOps skills: to run a reliable protocol that connects Cardano smart contracts with scalable off-chain services.
DApp, UX and gamification expertise: to make R&E attractive for readers and authors, not just technically correct.
Dedicated UI and documentation support: to turn the R&E protocol into a polished public dApp and an integration-ready platform for other builders.
This lean but complete structure (1 product lead + 5 engineers) covers protocol design, smart-contract integration, backend, frontend, gamification and documentation—exactly the capabilities required to deliver the milestones defined in this proposal.