Cardano Innovation Hub

A Community space designed of openness and collaboration; to allow people to share their experiences and learn from one another.

I already have a co-working space now and can now focus my work more on Cardano developers.

Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rwo8wMdaUQylm36dmIUF1MlYTnpvi1qcODBjARlyVqg/edit?usp=sharing

Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N9ebcA-UsxmLkHtcfPlWPqx_Gk9NvkdT0jeS2r1tOBw/edit#slide=id.gd5b09a965_5_0

Vision

Our vision is to establish a co-creation space in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It will be set up as a social business and become a hub for Cardano developers, entrepreneurs, students, and freelancers. Endubis Hub strives to become a physical platform in a stimulating and inspiring environment from where Cardano Enthusiasts cannot only work but also share knowledge, interact with one another, innovate solutions for the future and make ideas grow.

Open Space

The open space in the ground area will be semi-open to the public. This means that those within the Cardano community in Ethiopia can come over and interact/ work from there. They are free to use the cafe and bar area as well as the backyard. This is especially attractive for new members of the community that want to get more understanding of Cardano and the possibilities.

Co-working Area

The second floor will be only open for members. They have the choice between different membership deals. Membership for the first 3 months will be dedicated only to Cardano developers, Plutus students, and entrepreneurs and will be free of charge. 

From the 3rd month until the 6th month period the space will be open for a wider community of developers and entrepreneurs for a monthly membership fee but still remain free for Cardano developers.

After the 6th month period, Cardano developers will have to submit a business plan and apply for a time period of their development project, and depending on their project (decided by all members) they will still be eligible for the free use of the space. 

Membership Fees

The Membership deals will be

1. Full-time Membership: 6 days a week with 24 hours access and will cost 100 USD per month. Dedicated desk
2. Limited Membership: 3 days a week with limited access and a price of 80 USD. Guaranteed seat
3. Meeting room rental: Teams could rent out an extra room on an hourly basis.

Self Service

In order to keep costs low, the cafe will be self-service. A limited number of soft drinks, as well as snacks, will be offered the prices will be listed up and a cash box will be available there. Additionally, users can bring their own snacks and use the kitchen to warm up their food.

Platform for Sharing

Even more than a place to work from, creatives are in need of a physical platform to interact and share knowledge on a professional level. Endubis hub will encourage this as much as possible through specific features that can support this. 

We will install a big users board with Polaroid photos of the community members (Citizens Board). Around the pictures, there will be information about the members; their competencies, what kind of support they could need, projects they are currently working on, job offers, and searches. Even more, members can also offer time swapping with others through the wall, so a UI/UX designer can borrow some hours from a backend developer in exchange for doing UX designs.

The citizen board is the formal space that ties the network together. It is where you find out what people are working on and how you can help. It's where you find out whom to ask for what.

Next to it will be a little table with a desktop. On it not only can the users go online, but there is also a database with contacts, information, and references that members can add about themselves if they want to. Additionally, there will be a complete reference guide and well-organized learning materials that will be updated by the community.

Target Groups

We have identified three target groups that Endubis Hub wants to attract.

1. Students of creative and tech schools: Student from higher education facilities in Addis Ababa.
2. The aspiring entrepreneur: A young entrepreneur that is looking for inspiration to start a business. We also considered people that are currently employed but are planning to start their own business within the near future.
3. The freelancer: Freelance developers and designers looking to expand on their skills and find new opportunities

Marketing Channel

The only marketing channel that Endubis Hub will use is word of mouth. This is due to two major reasons:

1. The community, especially the core team, is worried about having too many strangers in the backyard
2. The capacity of the space is very limited

In the early phase, people will be invited to come to the space. Those that find out about the space are able to visit it and use the cafe. However only if they have been invited and applied for a membership can they have a more permanent desk solution or use the citizen wall.

Implementation Plan

++Renovation Phase:++October 2021 - November 2021

A design team closely related to the community will plan out how to set up the whole interior as well as exterior. Eventually, the community will renovate the entire interior of the space up to a point where it is ready to be furnished. The space is already a functioning area, so the renovation will not be extensive and the major works should be done by the end of November.

++Finishing off phase:++November 2021 - December 2021

In this period most construction work should be done. While there are still some minor adjustments to be done, the space can slowly be reopened for evening gatherings. It is continuously brought to life while the rooms are slowly being furniture with finding from the flea market, second-hand stores, and self-made furniture.

Testing Phase: January 2022

This phase should be seen as a testing and experimenting phase for the community in an informal setting. It can be done by working from the space and just using it frequently. In this phase, we will determine What works? What doesn't? How should the furniture be rearranged? What could be changed? How does the citizen wall work?

Moreover, this phase should be used to actively start thinking about who to invite as initial citizens. Consciously building up a bigger network, the kick-off can be promoted towards individuals. This can also be done through a series of regular events such as meetups or workshops in the location.

Operating the co-working Space: February 2022 and on

The fundament is set, things have been prototyped, tried over and over again. Now it is time to get into business. Are there too few users? Do they need to make more promotions? Or is it actually too full? Opening hours and rules can be adjusted.