Cardano for Asia - impact ventures

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem.

Connect with impact entrepreneurs in Asia to understand their knowledge and needs, and offer them intro workshops on blockchain and Cardano, and the potential of participation in Project Catalyst.

[GENERAL] Summarize your relevant experience.

Impact Hub is a global network of 24,250 people driving change – 4,000+ of whom are spread across 12 locations in Asia-Pacific. In 2016, Impact Hub & UNDP from Geneva launched Accelerate2030: a global program supporting 450+ entrepreneurs from emerging markets.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

This proposal offers an unparalleled opportunity to raise awareness and understand the opportunities for Cardano in Asia through the global Impact Hub Network. Impact Hub is the world's largest network focused on building entrepreneurial communities for impact at scale, with 16,000+ members in 100+ locations around the world. This project will be implemented through collaboration among Impact Hub Asia Pacific, and the network’s largest program Accelerate2030. Accelerate2030 is a global program supporting entrepreneurs from developing & emerging markets to scale their solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals. Launched out of Geneva in 2016 by Impact Hub Geneva and UNDP, it’s been implemented in 33 countries, supporting nearly 500 entrepreneurs, with a strong presence in Asia. 

This proposal aims to better understand impact entrepreneurs’ needs across Asia, share information on blockchain technology, and offer intro workshops to impact entrepreneurs on blockchain for business based on identified needs and opportunities. The process includes two steps: 

• Survey a pool of 100+ impact driven entrepreneurs in innovation ecosystems in Asia, facilitated by local Impact Hubs through the Impact Hub Asia Pacific network, who have participated in Accelerate2030. The survey will explore the status quo and needs of these entrepreneurs when it comes to the use of blockchain (and Cardano particularly), especially in terms of improving traceability, supply chain management, identification and payments, impact measurement, and monetization.  

• Deliver 3 virtual introduction workshops on how impact entrepreneurs can benefit from the use of blockchain in their businesses & foster adoption of Cardano in Asia. These workshops will be offered to 30+ companies across Asia and we will explore the opportunity to deliver them in partnership with Cardashift and the Cardano School and in coordination with the Cardano Foundation on the basis of the needs emerged from the survey. Working with local Impact Hubs, we will ensure the relevance of the workshops to local realities and foster greater understanding and enthusiasm for blockchain in emerging innovation ecosystems, while offering a space for participants to ask questions and share insights with blockchain experts and other impact entrepreneurs. These workshops will serve a dual purpose: 
• Providing knowledge to entrepreneurs on blockchain technology and its potential benefits for business operations, impact measurement and monetization; 
• Facilitating access to Cardano and opportunities to participate in Project Catalyst across Asia. 

This proposal is created in synergy with other approved and submitted proposals to Project Catalyst planning similar activities in Africa and in Geneva and a needs assessment among Accelerate2030 entrepreneurs on impact valuation and monetization through blockchain. The outcomes of these three synergetic projects will set a strong basis for the further development of relevant blockchain based business solutions across Accelerate2030.

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

This project will address the challenge’s primary goal of expanding Cardano adoption in East Asia by engaging with an innovative and untapped market of impact entrepreneurs within the Accelerate2030 & Impact Hub global network. Accelerate2030 works with entrepreneurs around the world who are solving some of the world’s most pressing environmental and social problems, but many of them are not aware of the potential of blockchain technology. This project will gather insights and data on these entrepreneurs’ needs and introduce them to blockchain & Cardano. Ultimately, this project aims to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge and support to integrate blockchain and use it as a force for good to benefit the people and problems they serve. 

Metrics we will use to measure our success:

• # of Asian companies surveyed to understand their needs for blockchain-based solutions
• # of Asian companies introduced to blockchain and Cardano
• # of audience reached in a communications campaign in project locations

The overall process will raise awareness on blockchain and Cardano among impact entrepreneurs in Asia and support us in understanding their needs for introducing them to the topic and enhancing their businesses through blockchain and Cardano. 

[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 process we outline starts with a survey, and collecting a satisfactory number of responses is usually quite a challenge as people are not always easily drawn to answer to surveys when there is no concrete benefit attached to them. To offset this challenge we are framing the survey as a first step to being invited into a series of workshops and an opportunity to join Project Catalyst, so it would be a way to access learning and connections following the survey. We also have the benefit of local Impact Hubs’ ongoing relationships with their community of entrepreneurs, and we hope this will increase survey responses. 

Secondly, language also presents a big challenge, especially in some areas of East-Asia. The survey and workshops content will need to be translated to ensure accessibility of all. Local Impact Hubs will support with translation of the survey and providing interpreters for the workshops, overcoming this challenge.

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

Project Roadmap

• August - September 2022: Project inception  

Solidify project locations & select Impact Hubs, which could include Shanghai and Taipei (East Asia) and/or Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh (Southeast Asia). During the project inception phase we will also design the survey, workshops and selection criteria for participating companies in the next phases - in collaboration with the Project Catalyst team. 

• Oct - Nov 2022: Launch of Survey & Application Process

Launching a survey across a pool of 100+ Impact Hub Network companies to collect insights about the current status of use of blockchain technologies, and their needs in using blockchain. The survey will be framed as an application to join an opportunity to learn about blockchain, particularly Cardano and join the Project Catalyst and unlock potential funding opportunities.  

• Jan - Feb: Intro workshops on Blockchain and Cardano

Based on the insights from the survey, and the experiences of CardaShift and the Cardano School, up to 3 workshops will be delivered for 30+ companies who express interest in integrating blockchain in their businesses. 

Main deliverables and outputs:

• Co-designed survey among Accelerate2030 and Project Catalyst, launched across 100+ companies in project locations
• 2-3 Intro Workshops to blockchain and Cardano to an audience of 30+ companies in Asia (ballpark figure, difficult to provide accurate estimate as this is a pilot)

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

• Survey design: $2,500 
• Pre-survey research and design

• Execution of surveys, communication and engagement with entrepreneurs by local Impact Hubs in the Asia region: $3,000 per location, $12,000 total
• Engagement with entrepreneurs, follow ups and collection of responses: $3,000 per location (estimation for 4 locations, budget may be redistributed based on the final number of local teams) 

• Analysis of survey responses: $ 2,500 

• 3 virtual Intro workshops on Blockchain and Cardano in project locations: $7,950 
• Workshops design, delivery, and facilitation by experts: $2,000 * 3 
• Organisation and communication: $650 * 3

Total: $24,950 USD

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

Stephanie Arrowsmith

Asia-Pacific Regional Lead at Impact Hub and co-founder of Impact Hub Jakarta

Stephanie has 8+ years of experience in supporting social entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Asia through high impact programs and convenings. She is also a partner at Impact Collective, a blockchain-based platform that is pioneering a community-driven investment model (democratized capital allocation) for startups using collective intelligence. Stephanie is based in Bangkok, Thailand and is an active mentor in the region for several accelerator programs with UNDP and Meta/Facebook.

Ljupka Mitrinovska

Co-founder and Global Program Manager of Accelerate2030, Impact Hub Geneva

Inspired by the great potential of entrepreneurs, Ljupka has dedicated 10+ years in the area of innovation and start-up support. Since 2016 she has been working at Impact Hub Geneva, involved in building and managing Accelerate2030. Prior to Accelerate2030, Ljupka has worked in different organizations in the NGO, public and private sector across Europe.

Mala Henriques

Global Program Coordinator at Accelerate2030, based in Medellin, Colombia

Mala brings people, ideas and resources together to develop innovative, creative projects that tackle local and global inequalities to foster social justice. Originally from London, Mala has lived in Medellin, Colombia since 2013 where I have grown a powerful professional network through starting her own business and community, joining other local and international communities as well as attending and hosting a variety of events. Since joining Impact Hub in 2018, Mala has co-created, fundraised for and delivered several entrepreneurship support programs nationally and internationally, and has personally mentored and coached more than 20 impact entrepreneurs helping them reach their potential. Mala specializes in impact measurement, project management and program design, she is also an active member of Global Shapers Medellin.

Carol Chou

Director of Innovation Projects at Impact Hub Shanghai, based in Shanghai, China

With over a decade of international cross-industry sales and marketing experiences, Carol is currently in charge of corporate innovation and incubation programs in the sustainable consumption filed at Impact Hub Shanghai. Graduated from Marshall School of Business at USC with a masters degree, she is devoted to empowering entrepreneurs in steady growth and industry partner in sustainability innovation, driving sustainable development through the means of business for good.

Skye Gao 

Program coordinator of Innovation Projects at Impact Hub Shanghai, based in Shanghai, China

The idea that the future of environmental management needs to be driven by more technological advances is deeply rooted in Skye's heart. She joined Impact Hub Shanghai in 2022 and is now working on sustainable consumption and related programs. Withe an MS degree in environmental management from the National University of Singapore, she is eager to dig deeper into the fields of environmental management, social innovation and sustainable development.

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

Not for the scope of work that has been laid out, but potentially for deepen or extend the work further on the base of this pilot

[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 Impact Hub Network and Accelerate2030 team has extensive experience in impact management, having managed complex logframes with partners in development agencies, and a dedicated impact management team. 

At project inception, we will set up a monitoring and evaluation plan to track the progress based on the project plan and KPIs outlined below.

Metrics we will use to measure our success:

• of Asian companies surveyed to understand their needs for Cardano-based solutions
• # of Asian companies introduced to blockchain and Cardano
• # of use cases developed with Asian companies for solutions on the Cardano blockchain 
• # of audience reached in a communications campaign in project locations

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

A successful project for us would be one where we can get significant engagement (aiming at 80 responses) from the initial survey in order to build a learning and integration experience for Asian companies that is highly relevant to their needs. In an ideal scenario we will be able to educate a significant number of entrepreneurs (at least 20, 30+ in an excellent case) and have a significant group take their first steps in integrating Cardano in their businesses. Potentially, we will see a growth in companies learning about Cardano and connecting further with the Cardano ecosystems (i.e. Cardashift, Gimbalabs) as well as becoming engaged with Project Catalyst.

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

While this project is not the continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst, if funded, it will conducted in synergy with a funded project in Catalyst implementing similar activities in Africa.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

SDG Goals

• Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
• Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 
• Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 
• Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development 

SDG Subgoals

• 17.3 Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources 
• 17.6 Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge-sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism 
• 17.7 Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed 
• 17.8 Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology 
• 17.9 Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation 
• 4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship 
• 8.10 Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all 
• 8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors 
• 8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services 
• 9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities 
• 9.a Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States 
• 9.b Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities