Please describe your proposed solution.

Our solution is to create a specialized platform for 1:1 calls that connects individuals with experts in the fields of blockchain technology, software development, etc. This platform will serve as a hub for knowledge exchange, where users can schedule meetings with professionals to gain insights, advice, and guidance tailored to their specific needs.

The platform will integrate with tools like Zoom and offer built-in video conferencing capabilities to facilitate seamless and efficient communication. To make the process more streamlined, users will be able to view the availability of experts and schedule meetings based on mutual convenience.

One of the unique aspects of our platform is the integration of the Cardano blockchain for processing payments. Users will pay for these expert consultations exclusively through the Cardano cryptocurrency, ADA. This not only leverages the advantages of blockchain technology, such as security and transparency, but also promotes the use of ADA and integrates the Cardano ecosystem more deeply into the tech industry.

In essence, our platform will serve as a unique intersection of knowledge exchange and blockchain utilization, fostering a community of learning and growth in these cutting-edge fields. By providing a space where experts and learners can connect directly, we aim to accelerate the adoption and understanding of blockchain technology and software development.

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

Our solution addresses the challenge of bridging the knowledge gap in the fields of blockchain technology, software development, etc. By connecting individuals with experts through 1:1 calls, we provide a platform for personalized learning and mentorship. This can accelerate the understanding and adoption of these complex fields, especially blockchain technology and Cardano.

The benefits to the Cardano ecosystem are manifold:

1. Promotion of ADA: By using ADA as the exclusive means of payment for expert consultations, we increase the utility and circulation of ADA, potentially enhancing its value.
2. Education and Adoption: Our platform serves as an educational resource, promoting the understanding of blockchain technology and Cardano. This can lead to an increase in the number of developers and users in the Cardano ecosystem, thereby enhancing its growth and value.
3. Community Building: Our platform fosters a community of learners and experts, encouraging collaboration and knowledge exchange. This aligns with Cardano's ethos of community and can lead to innovations and improvements in the ecosystem.
4. Easy Access to Experts: Our platform makes it easy for learners to connect with experts in the field. This accessibility can help to democratize knowledge and skills in blockchain technology and software development, leading to a more diverse and inclusive Cardano ecosystem.
5. Incentivizing Free Consultations and Webinars: We will strive to incentivize free consultations, making expert knowledge more accessible to all. In the future, we also plan to host webinars, providing an additional avenue for learning and community engagement.

In summary, our platform not only addresses the challenge of knowledge exchange in cutting-edge fields but also brings significant benefits to the Cardano ecosystem.

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

The success of our project will be measured using a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics:

1. User Engagement: We will track the number of users on our platform, the number of consultations booked, and the duration of these consultations. High engagement will indicate that users find value in our platform.
2. User Satisfaction: We will regularly survey our users to gauge their satisfaction with our platform, the quality of the consultations, and the usability of our features. High satisfaction scores will indicate that we are meeting our users' needs effectively.
3. Expert Participation: The number of experts willing to offer consultations on our platform is another key metric. A growing number of experts will indicate that our platform is seen as a valuable medium for knowledge exchange.
4. Community Feedback: We will actively seek and monitor feedback from our users and the broader Cardano community. Positive feedback and constructive suggestions for improvement will indicate that our platform is well-received and has room for growth.
5. Free Consultations and Webinars: The number of free consultations and webinars we can offer will be a measure of our success in making expert knowledge accessible to all.

By regularly reviewing these metrics, we can assess our progress towards our goals, make necessary adjustments, and ensure the ongoing success of our project.

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

We are committed to keeping our community informed about the progress and results of our project. Here's how we plan to do this:

1. Progress Updates: We will regularly share updates about our progress on our website and social media channels. These updates will cover key milestones, challenges encountered, and how we overcame them.
2. Early MVP Release: We will release an early Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to a select group of users for testing. Their feedback will help us improve the platform before the public launch.
3. Demonstration Videos: We will create and share videos demonstrating the functionality of our platform. These videos will help users understand how to use the platform and what they can expect from it.
4. Community Engagement: We will actively engage with our community, seeking their feedback and suggestions. We will also respond to their queries and concerns in a timely and transparent manner.
5. Results Sharing: Once our platform is live, we will share key results such as user engagement, ADA transactions, and user satisfaction scores. This will help the community understand the impact and value of our platform.

By sharing our outputs and results in this manner, we aim to foster trust, encourage feedback, and build a strong community around our project.

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

Our team is composed of skilled developers with expertise in frontend, backend, and full-stack development. Moreover, I who will lead the project has 3 years of solid experience and successfully delivered a Fund 8 proposal as a technical member of littlefish Foundation. All of the source code is public.

Fund link: <https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/8/f8-dapps-and-integrations/littlefish-coordinating-action>

Repository: https://github.com/littlefish-foundation/littlefish-mvp

You can see my contribution in the repository.

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

1. Transparency: By making our code open-source and providing regular updates on our progress, we will maintain transparency in our operations.
2. Responsiveness: We will actively engage with our users and the community, responding promptly to feedback, questions, and concerns.
3. Integrity: We will conduct our operations with integrity, ensuring that all transactions on our platform are handled securely and ethically.
4. Quality Assurance: We will implement rigorous testing and quality assurance processes to ensure that our platform is reliable and meets high standards of quality.

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?

The main goals for our project are:

1. Develop a Specialized Platform: Our primary goal is to develop a platform that facilitates 1:1 calls between individuals and experts in the fields of blockchain technology, software development, and blockchain economics.
2. Integrate with Cardano Blockchain: We aim to integrate our platform with the Cardano blockchain, enabling ADA transactions for expert consultations.
3. Foster a Community of Learning and Growth: We strive to create a community where knowledge exchange is facilitated, and learning and growth in blockchain technology and software development are encouraged.
4. Incentivize Free Consultations and Webinars: We aim to incentivize free consultations and, in the future, host webinars to make expert knowledge more accessible to all.

To validate the feasibility of our approach, we will:

1. Conduct Market Research: We will conduct market research to understand the demand for such a platform and the needs of our target users. This will help us design a platform that meets these needs.
2. Develop and Test an MVP: We will develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and test it with a small group of users. Their feedback will help us understand if our platform is meeting its intended goals and what improvements are needed.
3. Monitor Key Metrics: Once our platform is live, we will monitor key metrics such as user engagement, user satisfaction, and ADA transactions. These metrics will help us assess the success of our platform and make necessary improvements.
4. Seek Community Feedback: We will actively seek feedback from our users and the broader Cardano community. Their insights and suggestions will help us validate our approach and improve our platform.

By following these steps, we can validate the feasibility of our approach and ensure that our platform meets its intended goals.

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: Develop Minimum Viable Product (MVP) (2 Months)

In the first phase, we will focus on developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This includes designing and developing the platform's core features, such as scheduling meetings and facilitating 1:1 calls. We will test the MVP with a small group of users to gather initial feedback and make necessary improvements.

Milestone 2: Polish MVP and Integrate with Cardano Blockchain (2 Months)

In the second phase, we will polish the MVP based on the feedback received in the first phase. We will also integrate our platform with the Cardano blockchain during this phase. This will allow us to process payments for expert consultations through ADA using smart contracts. We will conduct thorough testing to ensure the security and functionality of our blockchain integration.

Milestone 3: Launch and Community Engagement (15 Days)

The third phase will involve launching the platform to the public and beginning our community engagement efforts. We will actively seek feedback from our users and the broader Cardano community to continuously improve our platform.

By following this timeline, we aim to deliver a fully functional platform that meets the needs of our users and contributes to the Cardano ecosystem within four months.

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

Milestone 1: Develop MVP

• Functional MVP
• Users will be able to schedule meetings with experts
• Video conferencing in application
• Not fully stable application
• No payments

In the first phase of our project, we will develop a functional MVP of the platform with core features such as scheduling meetings and facilitating 1:1 calls. The output of this phase will be a platform where users can schedule meetings with experts in the fields of blockchain technology, software development, and blockchain economics. We will test the MVP with a small group of users to gather initial feedback. The intended outcome of this phase is to gain insights into user needs and preferences and identify areas for improvement.

Milestone 2: Polish MVP and Integrate with Cardano Blockchain

• Stable and solid application
• ADA payments integrated
• Enhanced user experience
• Collect insights

During the second phase, we will refine the MVP based on the feedback received in the first phase and integrate our platform with the Cardano blockchain. This will allow us to process payments for expert consultations through ADA using smart contracts. The output of this phase will be a platform that not only facilitates 1:1 calls but also processes payments securely and efficiently through the Cardano blockchain. The intended outcome of this phase is to have a platform with increased functionality and an enhanced user experience, thanks to successful integration with the Cardano blockchain.

Milestone 3: Launch and Community Engagement

• Addressed initial user feedbacks
• Launch the application to the public
• Engage with the community to promote the application
• Start to continuously improve application

In the final phase, we will launch the platform to the public and begin our community engagement efforts. The output of this phase will be an active platform with a growing user base and ongoing engagement with the Cardano community. The intended outcome of this phase is to increase awareness and usage of the platform, gather valuable feedback from the community, and continuously improve the platform based on user feedback.

By delivering on these milestones, we aim to create a platform that not only meets the needs of our users but also contributes to the Cardano ecosystem.

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

Answer:

Here is a proposed budget breakdown for the project:

Application Development:

• UI/UX Design: $3000
• Frontend Development: $8,000
• Backend Development: $5,000
• Integration with Cardano Blockchain: $5,000
• Quality Assurance and Testing: $5,000

Infrastructure and Hosting:

• Amazon Web Services: $3,000 (estimated annual cost)
• Domain and SSL Certificate: $500 (estimated annual cost)
• Video Conferencing API: $500 (yearly cost)

Marketing and Promotion:

• Community Engagement Efforts and Marketing: $5,000

Total Estimated Budget: $35,000

This budget is designed to cover all aspects of the project, from development to marketing and support.

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

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>

Erdem Celik - Junior Software Engineer. Senior Student in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. 1 year part-time experience as a Junior Frontend Developer using React, HTML, CSS.

Erdem will be able to develop code for well defined non complex tickets as a junior developer. He will also contribute to frontend testing.

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erdem-çelik-4517b8219/

Irem Gokdemir - Project Engineer: Civil Engineering Major. MSc student in Civil Engineering. 3 year experience as a project manager. Experience in the software development life cycle and agile methodologies.

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irem-gökdemir-8205271a3/

Irem will guide us as a product owner. She will be able to work for 4-6 hours in a week which shold enough for project tracking and guidance for this project and team scale.

Serkan Celik - Metallurgical and Materials Engineering major. Self taught backend developer. Enthusiastic about blockchain technologies.

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serkan-%C3%A7elik-b1b983180/

Serkan will contribute similar to Erdem but for backend development.

Undisclosed team member - Mid Level Software Engineer. BSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Works as a backend developer to a company that has millions of active users daily. Experience in Nodejs, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, Amazon Web Services and etc.

The reason he is undisclosed is because of a work contract that binds him. He will create anonymous GitHub account to contribute to our project. Since our project is fully open-source tracking his contributions will be easy.

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

The cost of our project represents significant value for money for the Cardano ecosystem due to the multiple benefits it offers:

1. Education and Adoption: Our platform serves as an educational resource, promoting the understanding of blockchain technology and Cardano. This can lead to an increase in the number of developers and users in the Cardano ecosystem, thereby enhancing its growth and value.
2. Community Building: Our platform fosters a community of learners and experts, encouraging collaboration and knowledge exchange. This aligns with Cardano's ethos of community and can lead to innovations and improvements in the ecosystem.
3. Easy Access to Experts: Our platform makes it easy for learners to connect with experts in the field. This accessibility can help to democratize knowledge and skills in blockchain technology and software development, leading to a more diverse and inclusive Cardano ecosystem.
4. Incentivizing Free Consultations and Webinars: We aim to incentivize free consultations and, in the future, host webinars to make expert knowledge more accessible to all. This can lead to a more informed and engaged community.
5. Promotion of ADA: By using ADA as the exclusive means of payment for expert consultations, our platform increases the utility and circulation of ADA, potentially enhancing its value.

Considering these benefits, the cost of our project is a worthwhile investment for the Cardano ecosystem. It not only addresses a significant need for knowledge exchange in cutting-edge fields but also brings substantial benefits to the Cardano ecosystem, making it a value-for-money proposition.