CardanoHTX Developer Hub

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Developers are in high demand, within the blockchain industry and beyond. To reach its potential, the industry and Cardano will need to attract, orient and support developers in the broader community.

While developers may be able to work in a decentralized fashion, communities also thrive in face-to-face. Local, in-person social venues are particularly appropriate for drawing new people into the community.

Houston has an annual GDP of $470B (2020) and Texas has a GDP of more than $1.8T. Houston possesses world class bases in the health care, energy and space industries. As a result of its position as the energy capital of the world, it is quickly becoming a center of gravity at the nexus of energy and proof-of-work blockchains. I propose that an economically rich environment (as measured by GDP) will a greater number of potential use cases, and that relationship is super-linear.

Houston also has several major universities, including Rice University, University of Houston (including three regional colleges), University of St. Thomas, and Houston Baptist University. Like other universities worldwide, these schools produce graduates in the fields of mathematics, computer science, and engineering, all of which are entry points for potential developers. RIce University is a nexus of a developer meetup focused on Ethereum. The local Bitcoin meetup typically draws crowds of 200-300.

The growth of the blockchain industry in Texas has been strong. In the Bitcoin space, hashrate is relocating to Texas. The Texas legislature has sponsored initiatives to grow the blockchain industry, and the industry is gaining the bipartisan support of elected officials in Austin as well as the Texas Congressional delegation.

Over the past 9 months, I have been attending local blockchain events, including the monthly Bitcoin meetups and the Texas Blockchain Council sponsored events. At these events, I have met dozens of people who hold ADA, but not one was aware of Project Catalyst.

CardanoHTX will form a social network with monthly meetings to inform members about news and opportunities in the Cardano blockchain, provide opportunities for members to collaborate, and enable members to promote their projects.

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

CardanoHTX will create a social network with the following purposes:

• Outreach to universities training students in software engineering, blockchain developement, etc
• Raise awareness of and the benefits of development on Cardano
• Publicize Cardano educational opportunities and developer tools
• Introduce businesses and other entities with use cases to Cardano
• Introduce prospective project owners with developers (and project leaders)
• Create venues to publicize projects and enable exposure to capital sources
• Create a support network of adjacent professionals like web developers, application developers, marketing experts, grant-writers, accountants and lawyers.

CardanoHTX will utilized platforms (Meetup, Twitter, Discord) to communicate with members. CardanoHTX will host events to bring community members together. These events will initially utilize non-rented restaurants, breweries and maker-spaces, and refreshments will be purchased to encourage attendance.

CardanoHTX "Rucks" will be smaller, monthly meetings focused on developers and building projects on Cardano. Each meeting will feature a "news" update and a guest speaker. New tools and opportunities (e.g. GimbaLabs) will be highlighted. With the ultimate goal of sparking a startup project, owners / sponsors will be able to pitch use cases to development teams. Support professionals will be able to make their services known. "Hack" sessions will be encouraged.

CardanoHTX "Mauls" are large community-wide meetings to include the broader enthusiasts (ADA holders). Mauls will be focused more on social networking. Once each quarter, a Maul will be held concurrently with a TBC event with CardanoHTX as a co-sponsor. This will provide greater exposure of CardanoHTX to the broader Houston blockchain community. Like the Rucks, the meetings will feature a news update and a guest speaker. Additionally, "Lift" sessions will allow project teams to give their elevator speech introductions. Sponsors will also be given a short minute or two to introduce their services. One of the objectives of Mauls is to raise awareness of Catalyst and increase participation in its voting.

I expect that Rucks and Mauls will provide developers with a support network that will attract them to the Cardano blockchain. Simultaneously, the network will expose projects to necessary sources of capital.

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

Developer scarcity.

Developers are in high demand, and traditional industries may be more attractive than blockchain for many. There are several strategies to mitigate this risk.

1. Link with professors in assorted schools to expose students to blockchain and Cardano
2. Educate and promote opportunities within the Cardano community to acquire skills
3. Be prepared if necessary to focus on project managers as key roles in Rucks; they can meet with use case owners and translate needs to a global developer community

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

Month 1:

• Finalize website
• Commission logo design
• Design and order handouts from printer
• Select venues
• Schedule first Ruck and Maul.
• Schedule cosponsored meetings with TBC.

Month 2:

• Host first Ruck
• Host first Maul

Month 3:

• Have hosted first TBC co-event by end-of-month

Month 4:

• Continuation

Month 5:

• Begin assessing performance and growth
• Begin reporting for Catalyst
• Assess future funding needs
• Prepare proposal for Catalyst if necessary

Month 6:

• Continuation

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Total budget requested for 6 months operation: $6,980

Startup

Meetup fees for 6 months: $180

TBC Annual Membership: $400

Marketing

Logo design on Fiverr: $200

Printing for handout materials: $200

Events

Rucks (developer meetings), 6 @ $250 each: $1500

Mauls (community meetings), 4 @ $500 each: $2000

TBC-Mauls (co-sponsorships), 2 @ $1250 each: $2500

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

John Jackson (me) will coordinate the group and its social media. I will host the meetings.

Alexisthe.dev is developing the website with landing page.

Jim Flint is the director of marketing for the Texas Blockchain Council (TBC) and has advised on marketing strategies for the group. I will coordinate co-sponsoring with Jim.

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

CardanoHTX is an initiative created to promote the development of a community around Cardano, for the benefit of the community and its members. It is not presently monetized and will likely need subsequent support to continue. With success, it is feasible that sponsors may emerge that will help CardanoHTX become self-sufficient.

[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?

The following are measures:

• Number of contacts in database (collected through website capture)
• Size of Meetup group
• Number of attendees at Rucks (counted at meetings)
• Number of attendees at Mauls (counted at meetings)
• Number of members registering wallets with Catalyst (self-report)
• Number of developers introduced to Cardano (meeting attendance, Twitter engagement)
• Number of developers referred to education programs (e.g. pioneers, GimbaLabs, Emurgo, IOHK)
• Number of projects arising (count at Lift sessions)

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

Success is a growing network:

• 10 attending Rucks by Month 3, 15 by Month 6
• 20 attending Mauls by Month 3, 50 by Month 6
• Co-sponsor with TBC, 1 by Month 4 and 2nd by Month 6
• Introduce 100 people to Catalyst
• 3 projects initiated by Month 6
• Build-up of support network for projects (web & app devs, legal and accounting services, marketing)

Reach goal: 2 sponsors by Month 6

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

CardanoHTX is a new project. It has not been previously funded.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

The Houston blockchain community is very diverse. CardanoHTX will promote collaboration and will not permit discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, disability, religion, sexuality or sex or gender.