Antiques: The Ideal Blockchain Mkt

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The problem of widespread blockchain adaptation centers around ease of adaptation. Can the Cardano ecosystem set the standards and become the catalyst for a digital/blockchain awakening ?

The antiques market is International, fully decentralized, and represents all economic strata across many different cultures. Thus successful integration of the Cardano ecosystem here sets up successful integration everywhere.

This project will engage key people from all sectors of the antiques business: dealers, auction houses, collectors, show promoters, internet market providers, designers, decorators, and trade paper editors. It will also engage key Cardano contributors in the areas of payment systems, wallets, smart contracts, NFTs, and metaverse projects.

The total project will be implemented in 3 proposals:           

•   (This proposal): Analysis of the antiques market opportunity, and specific recommendations on how Cardano can become the ecosystem of choice.
•    Proposal 2: Astute planning and strategy for Cardano integration.
•    Proposal 3: Flawless execution.

The outputs of these proposals will be:

•    (This proposal) A Lite Paper that quantifies the challenge and lays out the path forward….a careful delineation of “action tracks” that will lead Cardano to the ultimate objective of widespread adaptation.
•   Proposal 2 Specific planning and strategy based on the selected action tracks created in Proposal 1.
•   Proposal 3 Flawless rollout, monitoring, and follow-up.
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The result of this work will be wide-spread adaptation of the blockchain and Web 3 due to a seamless interface evolving from the Cardano ecosystem.

This will be the first project to specifically identify and address a high value target market of potential Cardano adaptors that encompasses the full spectrum of social and economic metrics.

As Cardano advances, we all advance. This project will challenge Cardano developers to look backwards, not just forward, and thus seize the opportunity to build sustainable loyalty in a vast market that is sophisticated, highly profitable, endlessly creative, and totally entrepreneurial.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

Clear and careful assessment and recommendations of how to integrate Cardano into a market that is successful, powerful, international, and thoroughly socially diverse will lead to broad acceptance everywhere for blockchain technology and Web 3 innovations.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

The antiques market, at present, does not need Cardano. It is a huge, multi-layered market that is entrenched, profitable, fully decentralized and very happy. It is also tech wary. My challenge will be to convince Cardano to think upside down and integrate into the old rather than trying to encourage the antiques business to jump into the new.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

This initial Proposal 1 (see above) will aim to have a written report completed within 3 months.

This report will be an evolving document that is constantly accessible via a dedicated, interactive website that provides input from key participants. Everyone can monitor and contribute to the ideas and challenges that will evolve.

Many quality people with important input from the antiques side have been identified. It will take some time to seek out and engage the key potential contributors from the Cardano ecosystem.

The basic timeline for Proposal 1 is 6 weeks to make contact and collect input from key contributors, then a month to focus in on the best potential solutions, then two weeks to finalize the report.

Initial interactions will enhance later conversations and the written report will evolve from the information and data posted to the interactive website. The focus on action tracks will keep the objectives clear, with minimum clutter.

The report from Proposal 1 will set out in detail the careful planning and strategy goals that will be developed in Proposal 2.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Proposal 1 budget $9500.

IT work to set up web pages and interactive apps, plus data collection and analysis: $3500. This website will be utilized in all three Proposals of this project.

Antiques trade paper and social media campaign to generate web-based responses: $2500

Admin costs to develop materials, engage Cardano and antiques contributors, report writing, possible travel: $3500

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

I will be the organizer and manager of Proposal 1.

My website host will be the IT connection.

Input will come from many sources, and once identified, people from various Cardano Dapps, and from the various sectors of the antiques side, will contribute significantly as well

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

Yes, as noted above this is Proposal 1 of a 3 Proposal project.

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

Preliminary discussions with various stakeholders have been encouraging although the project impetus is much more with Cardano as the selected technologies will be the key integrators.

The key progress tracker will be the inter-active web site where the dialogues and contributions will be organized and kept in focus and all activity will be available for steady input and constant review.

The most important metric will be how many Cardano apps and projects will participate in, contribute to, and benefit from, this challenge. Everyone building wallets, payment systems, NFT apps, smart contracts, and metaverse creations will be invited to join in. A major goal is to identify the specific projects and people that fit best and are committed to work together.

The profitability of the antiques business evolves around authenticity, condition, provenance, and scarcity. Historically this has created a “hands-on” market with an aversion to new technology--unless it is seamless and ultra-user-friendly or something that enhances the appeal of mouse-click money.

Therefore a second key metric will the response from antiques people. Everyone will be asked to complete a basic questionnaire and there will be a separate part of the website to generate ideas, opinions, and the key issues from these ultimate users.

A third metric will be the on-going distillation of information into well defined action tracks so that Proposal 1 moves forward steadily and with specific points of agreement. All these invitations, media campaigns, responses, and activities will be open for constant review on the website.

This Proposal 1 will therefore concentrate on identifying the best Cardano applications that can blend together and lead to the ultimate goal of widespread blockchain acceptance and integration. Enthusiasm and basic agreement will determine the parameters of those action tracks that will prepare Cardano for successful engagement with the antiques DAO.

The interactive discussions on the website and the final report will then become the foundation for building out a comprehensive plan with strategic implementation. 

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

Ultimate success will be massive adaptation of blockchain benefits due to Cardano’s presence and proven processes that will allow people to engage with blockchain ecosystems as seamlessly as sending a text message.

Success for Cardano in the antiques market means success across the whole demographic of potential adaptors.

Success for this Proposal 1 will be a good response to the antiques media campaign, solid collaboration from the Cardano ecosystem, and a Lite Paper that lays out the groundwork and actions tracks that will lead directly to the ultimate objective.

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

This is a new proposal.