Virtual Hackathon for Dev Education

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem.

A virtual hackathon to inspire builders. Hackathons bring new and existing developers across the world together, building on Cardano and introducing a flow of high-yield projects into the ecosystem.

[GENERAL] Summarize your relevant experience.

We have 11 years of organizing hackathons - physically and virtually - globally. Currently, we have 260,000+ developers in 164 cities around the globe in our ecosystem. We have been trusted by companies of varying industries to run more than 10,000 hackathon projects till date.

[GENERAL] Requested funds in USD.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The solution to the problem outlined in the challenge statement is simple - we need to engage more developers to learn about the ecosystem through hands-on building. Hackathons are a good way to incentivize developers and builders to work together on a problem.

We will engage our 260k+ strong community of developers to participate in this hackathon. These developers are carefully cultivated over a period of a decade, and are highly enthused when it comes to building. These developers are on our mailing list, and we intend to market to more individuals through social media channels.

Ideally, we want to see high-quality projects built on Cardano by the end of the hackathon.

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

Organizing a virtual hackathon will inspire developers and focus their energy and focus to build on Cardano. The Cardano Hackathon will be run virtually, allowing for a wider pool of participants to join.

We chose a longer time period instead of the usual 48h format so more teams can be a part of this hackathon, and that teams can build solutions that solve real-world pain points with the input of mentors.

Additionally, hackathons were the start for impactful startups as well that adds value to the overall ecosystem as promising projects from the hackathon can be incubated and accelerated in other programs.

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

Risk 1: Lack of support/direction for hackathon participants

We will work with Cardano POCs to identify mentors from the ecosystem to guide and inspire the participants. We will also maintain a Discord channel to provide round-the-clock support for participants.

Risk 2: Hackathon attrition

We will set up regular check-ins by mentors in the hackathon, and open feedback loop for all stakeholders in the hackathon.

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

Phase 1: Pre-Hackathon

Conceptualisation and building of the program (6 weeks)

Both Angelhack and Cardano’s POC will work alongside each other to identify and confirm the themes, challenge statements, and overall key metrics for optimal hackathon performance.

Marketing and Community Outreach (4-6 weeks)

Marketing and community outreach will be carried out in tandem during a 4-6 week period. On top of social media and digital marketing, AngelHack will utilize local ambassadors of relevant communities to conduct up to 2 community events to increase targeting and attract the right mix of participants for the hackathon. Community events type can include Ask-Me-Anything sessions, developers gatherings, panel discussions, etc.

The above two segments will be conceptualised and executed over a span of 12 weeks. The point in which the hackathon launches will be marked by the Opening Ceremony, which will take place during the first week of the Hackathon.

Phase 2: Hackathon Commencement

The 4-week-long Cardano Hackathon schedule for the participants includes the following:

• Weekly Office Hours with Cardano experts and technical mentors
• Continuous developer support from Cardano and platform support from AngelHack

Phase 3: Post-Hackathon

Prizes will be distributed by AngelHack, post the hackathon in Week 5. The winning projects could be featured on Cardano’s social media and website for additional post-competition hype.

Possible next steps include:

• Recommendations of projects to selectively receive grants under the Cardano Ecosystem Fund
• Integrating participants into the Cardano community to maintain momentum and interest in Cardano and developer tools

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Amount requested: US$135,000 in ada

Hackathon prize pool: $40,000

• Large pool of money to attract buidlers who are serious about buidl-ing
• Tiered into themes and different categories of winners

Community management: $25,000

• Team of 2 tasked with this section over 6 weeks
• Ensures that the hackathon community is supplied with sufficient information during the hackathon
• Community management is performed around the clock to ensure that international participants’ concerns are addressed promptly

Planning, structuring, and executing the hackathon: $55,000

• Team of 4 tasked with this section over 6 weeks
• Planning of the hackathon to meet Cardano’s objectives
• Market the hackathon to communities inside and outside of Cardano’s ecosystem
• Acquiring relevant partners for the hackathon
• Running the hackathon for the entire duration

Content curation of hackathon resources: $7,500

• Team of 2 tasked to this section over 4 weeks
• Work with Cardano POC to identify resources that hackathon participants can use
• Internal testing and review of content for the hackathon

Analysis of hackathon outcomes: $7,500

• Team of 1 tasked to perform analysis over 2 weeks
• Prepare top-level and deep-dive in the hackathon participation metrics and feedback

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

We have 11 years of organizing hackathons - physically and virtually - globally. Currently, we have 260,000+ developers in 164 cities around the globe in our ecosystem. We have been trusted by companies of varying industries to run more than 10,000 hackathon projects till date.

Head of Angelhack

• 4 years of running events internationally
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-ng-1b031518b/

1x Program manager

• Ensures that the different members of the team are working seamlessly
• Troubleshoots issues experienced by internal and external stakeholders
• Liaises with client POC for updates
• Coordinate efforts between members

1x Marketing manager

• Design marketing campaigns to reach out to suitable participants
• Execute the marketing campaigns across different marketing channels

1x Designer

• Designs marketing collateral for the hackathon
• Ensures that the brand tone, values, and aesthetics are consistent with Cardano

1x Partnership manager

• Acquire external and relevant partners for the hackathon
• Manages partnerships to ensure a smooth working relationship

1x Community manager

• Manages the community on the hackathon Discord channel
• Raises issues regarding the hackathon to relevant stakeholders
• Engages the community regularly to ensure low drop-out rates

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

We will want to organize additional hackathons across different geographical locations to create a constant in-flow of talents and projects in the ecosystem. 

[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?

1. We will aim for 1,500 registrations by the time the hackathon starts
2. We want to have 50 high-quality project submissions by the first round. This are submissions that are made and qualified by the judging team in the first round of judging. These projects will be showcased in a public repository on Github.
3. We want to share the high-quality project submissions in a demo day, where members of the Cardano ecosystem can attend

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

1. Participants in our hackathon will appreciate the Cardano ecosystem better, and are inspired to launch startups based on products built on Cardano
2. Participants will also feel inspired and confident enough to participate in a Cardano-funded incubators and/or accelerators

[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 an entirely new proposal.