In F7 we secured funding for our MVP project – Impact Innovation Accelerator – which sought to develop our purpose-led accelerator programme with suitable language and content for the Cardano business and developer community. This proposal follows on from this project, taking lessons from the MVP and participating developers, and turning it into a Train the Trainer model. This project is looking to implement this model in Africa with our partners WADA as an MVP, but with the scope for scaling this to other geographies in later funds, once proven.
This project ensures Cardano gets the greatest ROI on the previous investment from F7 as it develops a sustainable, knowledge sharing, training programme that can be embedded in the Cardano ecosystem.
Impact can be further divided by the Trainer (end users of the programme) and Cardano.
For the Trainers – The end users of the programme
At the completion of this project, there will be in place a fully formed and structured online training programme that will enable prospective trainers to deliver a version of our Impact Accelerator Programme, tailored specifically to the needs of developers in the Cardano ecosystem.
This programme will provide trainers with all of the instructions and other relevant tools, information and other collateral necessary to ensure consistency around delivering a high impact, high value developer training experience.
For developers, participating in the Impact Accelerator programme will provide them with the following value:
- Define and outline their own personal purpose and then develop a pathway that aligns their own purpose with that of their business, and the Cardano project.
- Discover what their own brilliance is and how that can be leveraged to serve both themselves and their stakeholders.
- Map out a vision for using their expertise and passion to enable a business that can survive and grow to support their purpose and the whole Cardano Ecosystem.
- Put in place a robust top-level plan for achieving that vision.
For the Cardano Catalyst Project Community
- Implementation of an impact focussed innovation accelerator programme that can be used to embed good business practice into the developer community in Africa.
- A ‘Train the Trainer’ Blueprint for establishing Impact Accelerator programmes across Africa.
- A research report on the feasibility of running similar programmes in other markets (namely India and Asia)
- With our partners WADA begin developing a ‘generational’ impact accelerator programme in Africa, with opportunities for Alumni participation and direction.
- This is part of a suite of proposals rolling out the product developed in our F7 MVP project “Impact Innovation Accelerator”. to the Cardano network The target groupings in this Fund are:
- Impact Accelerator Africa (this proposal)
- Impact Accelerator Rollout (submitted in F8 Misc)
This proposal addresses some of the key challenge KPIs in the following ways:
- Number of new African projects seeded in 2022
- This MVP Train the Trainer project will lay the groundwork for future Accelerator Programme projects to be implemented by WADA through the 2022 funds, and will also reveal other opportunities to support developers or NGOs in Africa.
- Number of African developers onboarded in 2022
- The creation of Accelerator programmes for developers will support the development of Cardano in Africa, and create a streamlined, structured route for the growth and success of developers in Africa.
- Local impact (measurable through user activity and reach)
- This is a project that has potential across the continent, whether conducted locally in-person, online for participants across Africa, or a blended approach combining the two.
- Local partnerships formed through WADA community hubs (size of institution + influence)
- We will be partnering direct with local institutions working to support the development and adoption of Cardano in Africa.
Once the programme in this proposal has been completed, the outcomes will be communicated by our social media channels on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, as well as internally through our partners WADA and available Cardano channels.
During the marketing phase of the project, we will be entering into conversations with multiple stakeholders in the Cardano ecosystem, these relationships will also form the core of our communication strategy post completion of the programme. These are made of developer groups and SPO networks, as well as other stakeholders within the Cardano community.
We envisage the main challenge to be securing partners for the training. To mitigate this, we have partnered with WADA who would be able to take part in the training and then deliver Accelerator programmes in Africa, on completion of this project. Should this project receive funding, we are in a position to move ahead with WADA as a partner.
A secondary challenge would be ensuring the project adequately prepares the participants to lead their own accelerators. This project is part of a ‘see one, do one, teach one’ pedagogical approach. Participants will be invited to observe an existing accelerator programme before going through the programme themselves. The next phase (in a following fund) will involve them running their own MVP of the accelerator programme. This will ensure participants are well prepared and supported along the journey.