VESPR: Mobile Governance - Activating 100M+ ADA

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

VESPR: Mobile Governance - Activating 100M+ ADA

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

200000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

9

[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?

61% of VESPR’s 200M+ ADA is inactive or abstaining in governance. Complexity blocks participation, weakening Cardano’s decentralization and decision legitimacy.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://vespr.xyz/
,
• https://x.com/vesprwallet
,
• https://github.com/vespr-wallet

[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

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.

Part of proprietary product

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Governance

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).

Governance today is fragmented: users must search for DReps on external sites, interpret unclear data, then manually delegate inside their wallet. This friction is why most ADA in VESPR remains inactive or abstaining.

Our innovation is delivering the entire governance experience natively inside a mobile wallet:

• Integrated DRep discovery with real metrics

• Clear DRep profiles built for mobile

• Simple DRep delegation

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

The MVP will show a fully working governance flow inside VESPR:

• Live DRep lists and delegation status

• Searchable DRep discovery interface

• Functional DRep profile pages

• End-to-end delegation with confirmation screens

Pre-launch (MVP) access will be via:

• VESPR TestFlight (iOS)

• VESPR Play Store internal testing (Android)

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

On-chain:

• 50M+ ADA moved from abstain/undelegated to active DReps

• More VESPR users taking part in governance

• Reduction in “always abstain” ADA

• Increased delegation txs originating from VESPR

In-app:

• DRep list views and searches

• DRep profile views

• Delegation conversion rates

These metrics are realistic because VESPR already holds 200M+ ADA in active use, making governance activation immediately measurable.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Understanding the Problem

Although VESPR users collectively hold over 200M+ ADA, more than 61% does not participate in governance. Many are delegated to “always abstain” or remain undelegated. The complexity of finding, comparing, and choosing a DRep leaves capable users on the sidelines. This undermines Cardano’s decentralization and weakens decision legitimacy.

Our Approach

VESPR will make governance participation simple by focusing on the essentials:

1. DRep Discovery – Users can browse and compare DReps through rich profiles showing delegation size, participation rate, and voting history.
2. One-Tap Delegation – A streamlined flow allows users to delegate ADA to a chosen DRep in seconds, while preserving their stake pool.
3. DRep Dashboard – An in-app dashboard gives visibility into how chosen DReps perform, making delegation choices transparent and easier to revisit.

Why This Matters

By removing barriers to discovery and delegation, we aim to activate at least 50M+ ADA from inactive or abstaining holders. This increases voter diversity, strengthens decentralization, and ensures Cardano’s governance decisions better reflect its community.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Activating ADA from abstain or undelegated states directly strengthens Cardano’s decentralization. By enabling VESPR users to easily find and delegate to DReps, this project ensures more voices influence governance decisions.

Quantifiable Impact:

• At least 50M+ ADA moved from inactive to active DReps
• Significant reduction in “always abstain” delegations
• Growth in unique delegators participating through VESPR

Qualitative Impact:

• Governance outcomes backed by a broader share of ADA, improving legitimacy

• Increased transparency builds trust in the governance process

This focused improvement ensures Cardano’s flagship governance system is actually used, delivering stronger decentralization and more representative decision-making.

[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 created Cardano's entire Flutter ecosystem:

• Cardano Flutter SDKs: Core infrastructure (self-funded, 2+ years in production)
• Ledger SDKs: Only stable Ledger Flutter SDK globally + Cardano-specific version (Fund 11 delivery)
• VESPR Wallet: Cardano’s leading mobile wallet, only self-sustaining product with 30K MAU and $400M+ secured

Core Tech Team: 30+ years combined experience in fintech and mobile development, with deep expertise in Flutter, Cardano integrations, and production-grade financial applications.

We don’t just understand Flutter-Cardano integration, we built the foundations others use.

Validation and Feasibility

Technical: Governance delegation transactions are already supported by Cardano; VESPR’s existing transaction engine handles them today. Adding DRep data aggregation, discovery UI, and a delegation dashboard is a natural extension with minimal protocol risk.

Market: 70% of blockchain users are mobile-first, and Flutter dominates cross-platform frameworks (3.3% vs 1.6% React Native). VESPR is already the market leader in Cardano mobile wallets, providing an immediate user base to validate adoption.

Trust: Previous Catalyst proposal (Fund 11) delivered on time and budget. VESPR has a public track record of building complex integrations (Ledger, Midnight) and maintaining 99.95% uptime at scale.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Governance Data Integration

Milestone Outputs

Assess and integrate governance data sources to provide DRep lists, delegation status, and key information. Build backend services to query, aggregate, and serve this data to the wallet.

............

Acceptance Criteria

DRep data is reliably fetched and returned via API, including delegation status, DRep info, and overall DRep list. Data refresh within 1 hour of on-chain changes.

..................................

Evidence of Completion

Screenshots of API calls showing:

• List of available DReps

• Delegation status for a given wallet

• Detailed info for queried DRep

Delivery Month

2

Cost

40000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

DRep Discovery Interface

Milestone Outputs

Implement DRep browsing and search interface in VESPR. Users can view their delegated drep and available DReps.

.....................................................................................

Acceptance Criteria

Users can see their delegated DRep and search for DReps, results display correctly.

.................................................................................................................

Evidence of Completion

Screenshots and demo video showing:

• DRep list view

• DRep Search working correctly

• Wallet's delegated DRep is visible

Delivery Month

4

Cost

40000

Progress

40 %

Milestone Title

DRep Info Page

Milestone Outputs

Develop detailed DRep profile pages showing essential information such as delegation size, participation rate, and voting history where available. Provide clear layout for comparing DReps and understanding their activity.

Acceptance Criteria

Profile pages display accurate delegation amounts and data for each DRep.

...................................................................................................................................

Evidence of Completion

Screenshots showing:

• DRep profile page layout

• Accurate drep name, delegation size, drep status, drep image

Delivery Month

6

Cost

40000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

One-Tap Delegation

Milestone Outputs

Implement delegation transactions from within VESPR, allowing users to delegate governance voting power to a selected DRep with a streamlined confirmation flow.

......................................

Acceptance Criteria

Delegation flow is fully functional in the app, from DRep selection to transaction build and confirmation screen. User interface must guide the process clearly and display accurate details before submission.

Evidence of Completion

Demo video showing end-to-end delegation inside VESPR wallet test build

......................................

Delivery Month

8

Cost

40000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Beta Launch & Catalyst Close-out

Milestone Outputs

Release governance features (DRep list, search, info pages, and delegation flow) in a closed beta to a group of VESPR users. Deliver Catalyst Final Report and Close-out Video.

........................

Acceptance Criteria

Governance features available in a published beta build for iOS and Android. Catalyst Final Report and Close-out Video submitted.

............................................................................

Evidence of Completion

Picture showing TestFlight and Play Console beta releases

Catalyst Final Report

Catalyst Close-out Video

Delivery Month

9

Cost

40000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Product and Development Team - 150k ADA

• Senior SDK/Flutter Developer: 90 days
• Flutter Developer: 90 days
• Technical Architect: 40 days
• QA Engineer: 30 days
• UI/UX Designer: 25 days
• Project Manager: 25 days

Marketing Community and Engagement: 12k ADA

Video Production and Reporting: 8k ADA

Hosting, monitoring, CI/CD pipelines: 30k ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

This proposal requests 200,000 ADA to deliver governance discovery, delegation, and transparency features directly in VESPR. The expected outcome is to activate 50M–100M ADA that is currently inactive or abstaining in governance.

That means for every 1 ADA spent by Catalyst, between 200–400 ADA could be unlocked into active voting power, only based on today's users. Over time, would be even more.

[Self-Assessment] Self-Assessment Checklist

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

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

I Agree

Yes