DAOJob: The HR Tooling for DAOs

Problem

There is a lack of effective tooling and channels to manage and advertise DAO-related jobs. This is particularly relevant as DAOs leave their niche existence and new talent (also with non-tech backgrounds) needs to be acquired. DAOs therefore currently resort to non-optimized pre-existing solutions, e.g., exploiting the functionality of technical bounty boards (seen at Bankless) or navigating open application processes via Discourse, manually linking application threads to niche job boards (seen at Idle.Finance). This inevitably leads to high transfer efforts and insufficient quality of the results.

Solution

DAOJob is an easy-to use tool to collaboratively create job ads that meet the specific needs of DAOs, such as adjustable timeframes (from bite-sized tasks and time-limited roles to open-ended job profiles), as well as DAO-specific governance (e.g. votings) and compensation schemes e.g. (token rewards). Job ads are connected to a high-quality distribution list, which matches ads with best-suited distribution channels, e.g. temporary jobs with design focus are matched with reviewed freelancer portals in this space.

With the completion of this Proof-of-Concept (PoC), the first technical functionalities for DAO-optimized job ad creation and distribution (Product Version 1) have been validated, laying the foundation for further development (MVP) & fundraising from Web3-focused venture funds and business angels (e.g. 1kx or Blueyard Capital).

Advantages for Cardano

Being part of DAOJob enables Cardano to be integrated into the DAO HR landscape down the road (e.g. payments for jobs and 3rd party distributors as well as reward infrastructure for referrals and contributors). Currently, there are hardly any DAO tools that have or plan to have Cardano integration. Hence, early project acceleration is key to breaking this cycle.

If Catalyst funds the DAOJob PoC, the project team agrees to put Cardano at the forefront of the integration roadmap. This will not only help expand Cardano's overall engagement in the DAO ecosystem but also give Cardano direct access to powerful HR tolling for its own operations.

Milestones & Deliverables

MONTH 1

Milestone 1.1: Preparing Interface & functionality specs as basis for user research.
Method: Drafting envisioned (basic) functionalities (e.g. via Keynote)
Deliverable: Working Document of the core functionalities (incl. collaborative ad creation, distribution, application management & payment)

Milestone 1.2: Listing most relevant distribution channels.
Method: Researching potential distributors and describing / tagging them in shared Spreadsheet
Deliverable: ≥ 30 distribution channels in spreadsheet (linked & tagged)

Milestone 1.3: Obtaining technical expertise for the development and validation of the tech stack.
Method: Word-of-mouth outreach to potential candidates using existing networks (friends, Telegram groups, Discord etc.)
Deliverable: 1 technical expert/consultant with experience in Web 2 & 3 architecture onboard at DAOJob 

MONTH 2

Milestone 2.1: Advanced specification of conceptual & technical requirements based on user research results. 
Method: Conducting interviews & surveys with fast-scaling DAOs; Documentation of insights using Notion
Deliverable: Documentation in Notion includes: a) catalogue of functionalities for V1; b) roadmap of further implementations; c) Recommendation of suitable tech stack.

Milestone 2.2: Signing DAO pilot partners.
Method: Utilize user research activities for recruiting DAOs as collaboration partners during the development phase
Deliverable: ≥ 5 DAOs as pilot partners (non-formal expression of interest)

MONTH 3

Milestone 3.1: Finalizing Business Plan incl. potential Token Economics & regulatory considerations.
Method: Creation of pitch deck based on learnings from Milestone 1 & 2 as well as experiential knowledge of the core team
Deliverable: Final Version of investors Pitch-Deck incl. Business Model & potential Token Economics

Milestone 3.2: Finalizing PoC.
Method: Creating interactive Wireframe (e.g. Invision, Mockplus…) 
Deliverable: Clickable prototype (V1)

Milestone 3.3: Onboarding distribution channel partners.
Method: Network sourcing/outreach
Deliverable: ≥ 3 cooperation agreements with distribution partners (non-formal expression of interest)

Milestone 3.4: Unlocking additional funding opportunities.
Method: Network sourcing/outreach
Deliverable: 3 appointments with potential investors scheduled

Roadmap / Outlook

From a technical and business perspective, DAOJob offers high scalability potential that goes far beyond job postings. Within 12 months (post-award), the following developments are foreseen:

MONTH 6 (MVP / Ecosystem Building)

• Early demonstration of Frontend / Backend functionality incl. payment & compensation infrastructure on Cardano
• Bold branding that stands for novelty in the growing HR-tooling market (incl. design system/logo/narrative)
• Ecosystem Engagement (Telegram, Discord, Twitter)

MONTH 9 (Closed Beta)

• Go-to-market with selected partners
• Start of DAO Ambassador program to encourage community contribution

MONTH 12 (Full Launch)

• Implementation of fully automated job ad dispatch via APIs (e.g. Stepstone)
• Integration with 3rd party DAO Tools (e.g. Dispute Solutions, Proposal mgmt.)
• Integration of Task Management tool, for example OKRs-derived tasks 

Budget allocation for PoC (3 months)

~80% of the funding to be requested will be used to provide stipends for the involved personnel for their execution on the proposal. The core team is composed of 2 members with capability in R&D and decentralized project/product management. Validation of the tech stack and any design support will be sought with additional experts. The remaining ~20% of the budget will be used to cover expenses in relation to user research (e.g. rewards for participants) and administrative expenses (e.g. Notion Subscription and Domain acquisition).

The budget for the proof-of-concept (3 months) is allocated as follows:

• R&D: $7,500 ($2,500/month x 3 months)
• Project/Product Management: $7,500 ($2,500/month x 3 months)
• Technical Architecture: $5,000 ($2,500/ month x 2 months)
• User Research / UX (fees & rewards): $4,000
• Admin expenses: $500

TOTAL: $24,500

The Catalyst Fund7 budget has been intentionally kept as lean as possible so as to maximize reaching the first milestones within the constraints of the Catalyst program. Continuing the project beyond this stage will require further funds to be requested, which can be requested from future Catalyst rounds and other sources (as noted earlier in this proposal).

Definition of success

Success is achieved when by using DAOJob the overall quality of applications has improved and the effort to do so is more efficient. And since HR is the engine of any DAO, further success is generated by the increased number of engaged members in the DAO ecosystem at large, which is especially relevant with regard to Ambassador recruiting. (Roadmap for 3, 6, 9, & 12 month timeframes is above.)

Respective anticipated improvements from using DAOJob (post-launch) are:

• Increase in the reach and quality of job applications;
• Increase in the overall contribution rate (paid & non-paid) of a DAO;
• Reduction in the time needed to create and manage jobs (relatedly, HR managers currently spend 50% on repetitive tasks, a recent survey found);
• Boost of internal collaboration on job creation & management

Relevant KPI's/metrics include:

• Number of applications (reach), also in relation to applications considered (quality);
• Amount of DAO contributors working on jobs/tasks (paid & non-paid);
• Amount of collaborators within DAOs identifying, editing and voting on job ads, as well as application selection processes;
• Measured average time from the point of identifying a new job to fill the position  

Success with respect to the Cardano ecosystem is envisioned as follows:

• DAOJob is a first-ever HR DAO toolkit, running on Cardano blockchain (MVP at 6 months)
• DAOJob has attracted >10 DAOs using Cardano as a governance/management chain within 6 months. 

Risk analysis and mitigation

Risk (1): Immediate hiring need. Our team is actively recruiting a technical consultant for this proposal's scope of work. Kathleen Olstedt currently serves as one of the Governors of H.E.R. DAO, a womxn-focused developer DAO in the making. Here she is in regular exchange with suitable intrinsically motivated talents. Gabriel Axel Montes is well-positioned in the SingularityNET ecosystem and community of technical talent and would be able to help source the needed talent. He is also in regular direct contact with internal SingularityNET staff, including its blockchain team and its project/spinoff, SingularityDAO, so there is ample blockchain and DAO expertise to leverage. (SingularityNET's blockchain will run on Cardano upon completion of its ERC-20 converter.)

Risk (2): Need for DAO pilot partners. To validate our PoC and to execute beyond this PoC phase requires that DAOs utilize our tools. Getting expressions of interest (EOI's) from DAOs is therefore part of our roadmap. We will also connect with other Cardano DAO proposals from this Catalyst Challenge category to offer our services from the beginning, thus helping to grow the Cardano (DAO) ecosystem.

Risk (3): Need for follow-up funding beyond PoC phase. The success of the follow-on financing is particularly likely due to Kathleen Olstedt's background in the VC industry. She has an existing network of institutional investors as well as Venture DAOs (e.g. own.fund). Future funding would be sought via one or more avenues, e.g. other Cardano Catalyst round, private investment, and/or initial DAO offering.

Team

Kathleen Olstedt ~ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenolstedt/

Kathleen is a Berlin- & Lisbon-based business-building professional with 15+ years of experience in emerging tech. Previous roles ranged from Future Research & Investment Management to hands-on project implementation. Amongst others, for IBB Ventures she has invested in Berlin-based software startups. As a consultant and venture builder for hy-Axel Springer Consulting Group, she evaluated new business opportunities for industrial clients and accompanied their venture initiatives as an interim manager (e.g. Good Stuff Ventures). Furthermore, Kathleen has been deeply involved in corporate development processes, be it as Collaboration Manager for Daimler Fleetboard or in the Management of the IoT-EU platforms initiative, where she fostered technology adoption amongst 120 corporate and public R&D departments in the area of IoT.

In 2017, when she piloted a decentralized supply chain data exchange protocol with large logistics & insurance providers, she ultimately found a home in blockchain and Web3. Since then she has been involved in several DAOs (e.g. Aragon, H.E.R DAO) while advocating for more diversity in the Blockchain ecosystem at large.

Gabriel Axel Montes, PhD ~ https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielaxel/

Gabriel Axel Montes, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist, consciousness educator, and facilitator of personal and organizational development and transformation.

Drawing from over a decade of neuroscience and consciousness research and experience as a facilitator, Gabriel taps latent human capability to optimize processes and unlock value from existing resources and human capital. He works to address today's global complexities and risks through the application of practicable neuroscience- and psychology-informed models and tools that elucidate the subtle habitual patterns at the root of inefficiencies. In his work, Gabriel promotes and teaches meta-learning—the capacity of "learning to learn", adapt, grow, change, and collaborate— to maximize human capability during organizational change.

Gabriel helps organizations synergize the relationship between human capital and technology implementation during digital transformation. He has worked with SingularityNET, the world's premier decentralized A(G)I organization, first by participating in the management of the initial $36 million fundraise as part of the launch team, and more recently he served as Head of People/HR, leading a doubling of staff count during a rapid growth phase and facilitating organizational development, collaboration, and well-being among its staff. Gabriel has conducted research in various subfields of neuroscience and published seminal work on the crucial role of neuroscience and consciousness in the design and ethics of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and virtual and augmented reality technologies.

Gabriel is bilingual (English & Spanish), an author, and an international speaker for diverse audiences on the intersection of consciousness, technology, and human culture, working and presenting at Harvard, Stanford, among various universities. Gabriel is a long-time mind-body/consciousness practitioner and instructor, eclectic experimental musician, and world traveller. For more information, visit neuralaxis.org.