Please describe your proposed solution.

<u>Project Description: </u>

We're proposing to create an online publishing platform for content creators. This platform will be subscription-based and will leverage the Cardano blockchain technology. Our goal is to make the world of content creation more fair and rewarding for the people actually creating the content.

<u>The Problem:</u>

Currently, creators often only get a small piece of the pie when it comes to earnings from their work. This is because big platforms take a large cut and the process isn't very transparent. This unfair setup discourages creators and doesn't allow the creative community to reach its full potential.

<u>Why Cardano? </u>

We're using Cardano's technology because it is built to make things more fair and balanced, and this will allow creators to get more from their work. The Cardano technology also allows quick and affordable transactions. This means no middle-men, and more profits go directly to the creators.

<u>Who Is This For? </u>

Our platform is for everyone who wishes to share their ideas, stories or knowledge. It doesn't matter what type of content you create, or what your favorite content to consume is. We're making a space where a variety of creators can grow, and fans can directly support and interact with them.

<u>The Benefits: </u>

Our platform will offer several benefits:

1. ADA Rewards: Creators will earn ADA for their content directly from their fans.
2. More Visibility: The top creators on our platform will be more visible to grow their audience.
3. Community Building: We'll encourage creators to build their own communities, strengthening the connection between creators and their fans.
4. Easy to Use: We're focusing on making our platform easy to use, whether you're a creator or a fan.
5. Learning Opportunities: We'll offer resources and workshops to help and guide everyone who is interested to become a creator

<u>What Makes Us Unique? </u>

Our focus on helping creators get what they deserve for their work, along with using Cardano's advanced technology, makes our platform unique. The main winners here are the creators who get a fair share of the profits, and fans who get a direct way to support and interact with their favorite creators. This is also an important step for Cardano, showing how their technology can make a difference in the real world. We aim to help shift the balance of power in the content creation industry, so creators get what they deserve for their work.

How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Our solution addresses the challenge by creating a fair, decentralized, and motivating platform for content creators. By using Cardano's blockchain, we eliminate intermediaries, enabling direct and transparent transactions. We also provide an encouraging environment for creators, enhancing the liveliness of the online content community.

Our solution will have a profound impact on the Cardano ecosystem. It showcases the practical use of Cardano's blockchain and ADA in a real-world application, encouraging its wider adoption. This would bring more users into the ecosystem, strengthen the Cardano community, and solve a key issue in the content creation industry.

Assuming a modest estimate of acquiring 0.1% of the global creator market in the first year, this could result in around one hundred thousand users interacting and transacting with ADA, substantially expanding Cardano's user base and overall activity.

How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

The key indicators that will help measure the success of our project are:

1. Number of creators using the platform
2. Number of consumers interacting with the platform
3. Volume of ADA transactions
4. Growth in subscription and tipping income for creators

We plan to assess user satisfaction through frequent surveys, feedback, and interactions within the community. Additionally, we aim to evaluate the variety of content and the sense of community among creators.

In the short term, our project will help enhance Cardano's efficiency by increasing ADA transactions. Over time, we anticipate attracting a larger user base to Cardano, promoting its expansion and strengthening its practicality in real-world applications.

Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

We intend to make the process for this project as transparently as possible with the Cardano community and wider audience. Our regular updates will include:

1. Progress Updates: we will post regular updates on development progress in Cardano Forum.
2. Social Media Engagement: We plan to be fairly active in platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for announcing our project updates.
3. Community Interaction: We intend to be very active on the Cardano Discord and Telegram channels for communicating with community members directly.
4. Success Metrics: When the platform becomes operational, key performance indicators of our platform (number of creators and consumers, user engagement, and volume of ADA transactions) will be posted regularly on our website and social media profiles

We'll also share our technical findings, learnings, and improvements in the form of white papers and articles to contribute to the collective knowledge of the Cardano ecosystem.

The results generated from this project will be used to refine our platform further and develop more user-centric features. We're dedicated to fostering a collaborative environment and will readily share our insights with other projects, contributing to Cardano's growth and innovation.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

We are a group of ambitious developers, graduated from top-tier universities in Turkey. Our academic backgrounds have instilled in us a rigorous discipline, keen attention to detail, and unmatched ability for problem-solving. These qualities, along with our technical expertise in frontend, backend, and full-stack development, have proven crucial in delivering projects with the utmost trust and accountability.

Our capabilities include:

1. Technical Expertise: Our team is proficient in a range of programming languages and technologies, including Next.js, TypeScript, NestJS, and Go, which are crucial for the development of our platform.
2. Project Management: Our strong project management skills, coupled with a transparent approach where each milestone and its corresponding results are openly shared and discussed with stakeholders, ensure that our project stays on track and meets its milestones.
3. Scalability: Our previous experience with high-scale projects equips us to build a platform that can handle a large number of users and transactions, ensuring a smooth and responsive user experience.
4. Security: We understand the importance of security in software development, especially in a project that involves financial transactions. We will implement best practices for secure coding and conduct regular security audits to ensure the safety of our platform.
5. Community Engagement: We are committed to open-source principles and community engagement. We will maintain transparency in our development process and actively seek feedback and contributions from the community.

Each one of us recognizes the crucial role that trust plays in this digital age, particularly in a dynamic and volatile space like blockchain. We appreciate the magnitude of our responsibility and see every project not just as a contract, but as an investment in our futures.

In terms of trust and accountability, we will uphold these values by:

1. Responsiveness: We will actively engage with our users and the community, responding promptly to feedback, questions, and concerns.
2. Integrity: We will conduct our operations with integrity, ensuring that all transactions on our platform are handled securely and ethically.
3. Quality Assurance: We will implement rigorous testing and quality assurance processes to ensure that our platform is reliable and meets high standards of quality. This recognition motivates us to strive for excellence in every line of code we write, every solution we design, and every problem we solve.

With these capabilities and commitments, we are confident in our ability to deliver our project with high levels of trust and accountability.

What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

Our project's main goals are:

1. Creation of a Decentralized Content Creation Platform: Our first objective is to build a platform on the Cardano blockchain that allows content creators to earn fair compensation for their work, encouraging creativity and diversity within the industry.
2. Growing the User Base: We aim to attract both creators and consumers to our platform. By the end of the first year, we're aiming for a user base that comprises 1% of the global creator market.
3. Promoting the Use of ADA: We aim to increase the use of ADA as a means of exchange within our platform, thus promoting the adoption and utilization of Cardano’s native currency.

We will validate the feasibility of our approach through several methods. We plan to launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and gather user feedback on its functionality and usefulness. We will track platform adoption rates, user engagement, and the volume of ADA transactions. We also intend to validate the feasibility through partnerships with influencers and content creators who can help promote and test our platform.

Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1 - Conceptualization and Design (Month 1):

• Defining project scope (Week 1): This involves outlining the vision, goals, deliverables, and constraints of the project.
• Market research (Week 1-2): Researching the market needs, understanding the target audience, studying the competition, and identifying the potential challenges.
• Creating UI/UX designs (Week 2-3): Designing the user interface and user experience of the platform to make it appealing and easy-to-use.
• Drafting technical specifications (Week 3-4): Detailing the technical requirements for the platform, including server setup, necessary programming languages, blockchain integration, and security considerations.

Milestone 2 - Development and Testing of MVP (Months 2-3):

• Platform development (Week 5-12): This involves coding and assembling the platform as per the defined technical specifications and UI/UX designs.
• Internal testing (Week 11-12): Conducting internal tests for bugs and errors within the system, as well as testing the overall functionality and performance.
• Bug fixing and improvements (Week 12-13): Rectifying the identified bugs, and improving the system based on the internal testing results.

Milestone 3 - Launch of MVP & Initial User Testing (Months 4-5):

• Release of MVP (Week 14): Launching the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of the platform for early users.
• User acquisition (Week 14-16): This involves attracting early users to the platform, which could include content creators and potential consumers.
• Gathering user feedback (Week 14-20): Collecting and analyzing feedback from early users to understand their experience, issues faced, and suggestions.
• Further improvements (Week 18-20): Implementing improvements based on the feedback received, and refining the platform.

Milestone 4 - Full Launch & Marketing Activities (Months 6-7):

• Full launch (Week 21): The final version of the platform is launched, incorporating all the improvements and changes made based on user feedback.
• Marketing campaigns (Week 21-24): Conducting promotional campaigns across various channels to attract users and gain visibility in the market.
• Collaborations with influencers and content creators (Week 23-28): Partnering with influencers and prominent content creators to bring their content to the platform and attract their followers.
• User growth initiatives (Week 24-28): Initiating programs aimed at increasing user engagement and retaining the existing users, such as referral programs, reward programs, and community-building activities.

Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1 - Conceptualization and Design (Month 1):

• Deliverables: Project scope document, Market research report, UI/UX design prototypes, Technical specification document.
• Outputs: A clearly defined project scope, a thorough understanding of market needs, a visually appealing and user-friendly design for the platform, and a detailed technical blueprint for development.
• Intended Outcomes: At the end of this milestone, we should have a clear and comprehensive plan for the platform and a design that resonates with our target audience. This sets a solid foundation for the development phase.

Milestone 2 - Development and Testing of MVP (Months 2-3):

• Deliverables: A working MVP of the platform, Internal testing report, Bug fix documentation.
• Outputs: An operational MVP that meets the requirements outlined in the project scope and technical specification, a comprehensive report of the platform's performance during internal testing, and a well-documented record of bug fixes and improvements.
• Intended Outcomes: At the end of this milestone, we'll have an MVP ready for public testing. We'll have a clear understanding of any initial technical issues and fixes, paving the way for a smooth public launch.

Milestone 3 - Launch of MVP & Initial User Testing (Months 4-5):

• Deliverables: MVP launched, User feedback report, Improvement plan.
• Outputs: A publicly available MVP for user testing, collected user feedback that informs about the platform's functionality and usability, and a detailed improvement plan based on user feedback.
• Intended Outcomes: After this milestone, we will have valuable user feedback and a concrete plan to improve the platform before the full launch. This stage should ensure that we're on track to deliver a platform that meets the needs and expectations of our target users.

Milestone 4 - Full Launch & Marketing Activities (Months 6-7):

• Deliverables: Fully operational platform, Marketing campaign assets, Partnership agreements, User growth report.
• Outputs: A fully-functional platform that is market-ready, promotional materials ready for marketing campaigns, partnerships established with influencers and content creators, and a comprehensive report on user growth and engagement.
• Intended Outcomes: By the end of this milestone, we expect to have a platform that is live, functioning seamlessly, and attracting a growing user base. We should also have established partnerships that contribute to the platform's visibility and attractiveness. Overall, this milestone should mark the successful launch and initial growth of the platform.

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Budget Categories Breakdown

1. Development Costs (₳122,000): This includes the costs of front-end and back-end development, blockchain integration, security implementation, testing, and bug fixing.
2. Design Costs (₳17,500): This covers the costs of UI/UX design for the platform.
3. Project Management (₳17,500): This cost includes planning, organizing, and directing the completion of specific projects while ensuring these projects are on time, on budget, and within scope.
4. Marketing and Promotion (₳21,000): This budget allocation is for marketing campaigns, collaborations with influencers, and other user growth initiatives to attract creators and
5. Community Engagement (₳7,000): This cost includes organizing Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions, participating in forums, and maintaining a presence in community chats to keep the community engaged and updated on our progress.
6. Documentation (₳7,000): This budget will cover the creation of detailed documents, whitepapers, and articles that explain our platform's functionality and benefits to both the general audience and technical users.
7. Third-Party Services (₳17,000): This includes costs related to server hosting, use of additional software (e.g., project management tools, code repositories, and CI/CD tools), legal and accounting services, and potential code auditing.

<u>The Cost for each Milestone:</u>

Milestone 1 - Conceptualization and Design (Month 1):

• Development Costs: ₳5,000 (Initial set up, technical brainstorming)
• Design Costs: ₳4,500 (Early conceptual designs, wireframes)
• Project Management: ₳4,000 (Setting the project foundation, establishing timelines and deliverables)
• Marketing and Promotion: ₳2,000 (Initial market research)
• Community Engagement: ₳1,000 (Initial social media set up)
• Documentation: ₳2,000 (Project plan documentation, scope of work)
• Third-Party Services: ₳3,000 (Market research tools, design tools)

Total Milestone Cost (₳21,500)

Milestone 2 - Development and Testing of MVP (Months 2-3):

• Development Costs: ₳45,000 (Coding, assembling, integrating blockchain technology)
• Design Costs: ₳6,000 (Finalizing UI/UX designs)
• Project Management: ₳4,000 (Overseeing development, ensuring timeline adherence)
• Marketing and Promotion: ₳2,000 (Teaser campaign, social media updates)
• Community Engagement: ₳1,000 (Community updates)
• Documentation: ₳2,000 (Technical documentation, MVP specifications)
• Third-Party Services: ₳3,000 (Development tools, server costs)

Total Milestone Cost (₳63,000)

Milestone 3 - Launch of MVP & Initial User Testing (Months 4-5):

• Development Costs: ₳40,000 (Refinement based on user feedback)
• Design Costs: ₳2,000 (Minor design adjustments)
• Project Management: ₳3,000 (Managing MVP launch, user feedback)
• Marketing and Promotion: ₳4,000 (Launch promotion)
• Community Engagement: ₳2,000 (User support, engagement activities)
• Documentation: ₳2,000 (MVP launch documentation, feedback reports)
• Third-Party Services: ₳4,000 (Feedback collection tools, additional server costs)

Total Milestone Cost (₳55,000)

Milestone 4 - Full Launch & Marketing Activities (Months 6-7):

• Development Costs: ₳32,000 (Final improvements, maintenance)
• Design Costs: ₳5,000 (Final design improvements, promotional designs)
• Project Management: ₳6,500 (Managing launch, collaborations)
• Marketing and Promotion: ₳13,000 (Marketing campaigns, influencer collaborations)
• Community Engagement: ₳3,000 (Community building, engagement activities)
• Documentation: ₳1,000 (Final documentation)
• Third-Party Services: ₳7,000 (Promotion tools, additional server costs)

Total Milestone Cost (₳66,500)

Total Cost of the project ₳209,000

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Deniz Gunday - Game Artist: Architecture Major. 1.5 year experience in 2D/3D characters, environments and etc. Self taught UI/UX designer.

Burak Sen - Mid Level Software Engineer. BSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. MSc student in Computer Engineering with only thesis work remaining. 3 years experience in various companies as a Backend-heavy Full-stack Software Developer. Also worked with Cardano blockchain APIs, cNFTs, NFT sales, etc while working on Fund-8 project. Successfully delivered Fund-8 Coordinating Action proposal as a technical member of littlefish Foundation.

• Linkedin: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/buraksenb/>
• Github: <https://github.com/buraksenn>

Burak Uyar - Senior Software Engineer. Computer Science Major, Total 6 years experience as a Full-stack Software Developer. .NET, Flutter, Vuejs, Postgres, etc.

• Linkedin: <https://tr.linkedin.com/in/uyarburak>
• Github: <https://github.com/uyarburak>

Umut Guler - Front-End Developer. BSc in Civil Engineering. MSc student in Information Systems with thesis. 1 year experience in front-end project development & building a component library using React, Next.js, Typescript, Redux, Tailwind CSS, Jest, Storybook.

Linkedin: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/umutguler1/>

Github: <https://github.com/umutguler1>

Donald Isufi - FrontEnd Developer, BSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, 2+ years experience in React, Next.js, Typescript, Redux, and Tailwind CSS. With a key active role at the “littlefish Foundation”, I've contributed to Cardano blockchain projects and spearheaded successful proposals (Fund 8: Coordinating Action). Additionally, I maintain a prolific writing record on “DAO Work” and Ocean Technologies while managing all technical aspects of the littlefish.

Linkedin: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldisufi/>

GitHub: <https://github.com/Nald97>

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The cost of our project, while substantial, represents excellent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem for several reasons:

1. Community and Ecosystem Growth: Our project aims to bring a large number of new users into the Cardano ecosystem. Assuming a modest estimate of acquiring 0.1% of the global creator market in the first year, this could result in around one hundred thousand users interacting and transacting with ADA. Such an increase in the user base and transaction volume will greatly enhance the value of the Cardano ecosystem.
2. Demonstrating Practical Use of Cardano: By creating a content creation platform on Cardano's blockchain, we're showcasing the real-world utility of Cardano's advanced blockchain technology. This proof of concept can inspire other developers and entrepreneurs to build on Cardano, further driving the growth and adoption of the Cardano blockchain.
3. Fair Compensation to Creators: Our platform aims to provide a fairer model for content creators to monetize their work. By driving a shift in the economics of the content creation industry, we'll be contributing to a broader social impact.
4. Enhancing Reputation: Our commitment to transparency, community engagement, and high-quality deliverables will enhance Cardano's reputation as a blockchain that supports impactful, community-centric, and professionally executed projects.

In terms of the costs, they have been determined based on industry standards, the complexity of the project, and the expertise required to execute it.

• Development Expenses: The average hourly rate for software developers in the United States varies from $30 to $70. However, since our team is located in Turkey, where the hourly rates for developers range from $15/hr for junior developers to $70/hr for senior developers, it gives our team a cost benefit. Given that the development phase is vital to our project and will consume a significant portion of the timeline, this allocation is reasonable.

• Design Costs: These are based on average rates for UI/UX designers and the time required to create an intuitive and engaging platform.

• Marketing and Promotion: The budget for marketing and promotion is critical for the adoption and success of the platform. The cost is determined based on industry standards for digital marketing and influencer collaborations.

• Third-Party Services: These costs are based on standard rates for server hosting, software licenses, and professional services (legal, accounting).

While the project represents a significant investment, we believe that the potential returns in terms of community growth, ecosystem development, and real-world adoption of Cardano far outweigh the costs.