Please describe your proposed solution.

iRate is aiming to go from web2 to web3 on the Cardano blockchain. Taking our app from a centralized business to a community owned business with a DAO powering the Dapp.

iRate is a platform (app) where you can search, review, book and pay for a mobile barber in your area! A super convenient way to get a haircut without the need to travel or the hassle of parking and waiting in line at the barbershop, sit back relax and let the barber come to you. And for barbers its a way to connect to local customers directly without the need for a barbershop. Because barbers on the iRate platform are mobile, barbers can avoid the high 50% commission barbershops charge barbers per haircut (this is due to shop expenses, mainly rent) and earn 90% commission for every haircut they do on the iRate app, allowing barbers to retain 40% more income per haircut they perform over a career.

With our approach to utilize decentralized blockchain technology not only will we be able to help barbers earn more while customers get a better experience, but we will also be able to give ownership of the platform itself back to the community of barbers and customers via a token reward system. Helping the individuals who make up the industry benefit from its profits and give control back to the community via a DAO where token holders can vote on changes to the business and shape the future direction of the business to always benefit the community.

Our project will engage barbers and customers looking to get a haircut, along with the boarder Cardano community who want to see true utility that can bring mass adoption to the network. In future we would also like to engage with other industry's such as tattoo artist, cleaners, beauty therapist and so on. To demonstrate our impact the Dapp can monitor user sign ups, reviews, services completed and total transactions along with other key metrics.

This project is unique for a few reasons

1) It has already been built tried and tested to be profitable in a web 2 setting. It is on pause now so we can transition into web3.

2) Getting a haircut is something most people do on a regular basis, by tapping into this user base it can really help drive mass adoption on the Cardano ecosystem & blockchain technology.

3) Mobile services for barbers and other vanity based services is a relatively new concept, and a step away from the traditional brick and mortar shops. But there is no booking platform catered for mobile service providers to offer these services directly to customers, or for customers to easily search and compare local services providing unique opportunity for a decentralized app powered by Cardano.

This solution will not only benefit the Caradno community but it will also benefit customers and barbers, along with the barber industry as a whole with a peer to peer community owned system. This type of project could really help bring Cardano's decentralized technology to the masses in a way that feels familiar to people who don't understand the technical side behind blockchain.

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

The iRate solution would address the challenges by helping bring mass adoption to DAO systems on Cardano, and get users comfortable with navigating voting and governance. We believe because our app is so user friendly and convenient it will peak users curiosity to want to participate in voting and staking to earn even more rewards which is a great way to get more users to participate in other Cardano DAOs.

DAOs can be seen as quiet confusing to many non technical users but by marketing DAOs with the iRate app first, we can get non technical users comfortable on a web3 platform which will greatly help users understand and feel more comfortable with what a DAO is and why they should participate in not only the iRate DAO but others as well.

This could be a pathway that leads users to see a real world problem be solved with community, and inspire the community to set out and solve more problems making the overall Cardano community's decentralized goal stronger.

Our expectations are realistic but achievable, previously the iRate app saw some great traction in customer sign ups and a massive interest in pre registered barbers, along with even more traction on our social accounts with people loving the idea and wanting to invest or do internships with the company. And we believe we can not only do this again but even better with Cardano technology, which would bring a great amount of attention to the Cardano ecosystem.

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

To measure the success of the iRate project we will be tracking a number of milestone's, metrics and user feedback such as

• Number of completed haircuts: The app can track how many haircuts are completed on the app. this gives us clear view of how active users are on the platform.
• The iRate app tracks how many reviews have been submitted along with the feedback users are leaving in the reviews.
• Milestones: iRate will set smaller milestones that lead towards our greater goal
• Community engagement: We will track how active our community is using social media channels and discord chat rooms.

iRate's impact on the Cardano community in the short term is to have a user friendly platform set up in a industry that could bring mass adoption to Cardano with some physical barbershops to help non crypto people take notice of Cardano.

Our long term impact is to maximize the full potential of a DAO structure to not only drive mass sign ups but also drive innovation & participation with community voting/governance. This can lead to other Dapps and DAO use cases to follow path and tap into a Cardano ecosystem of users who are comfortable and familiar with DAOs further driving the overall growth of the Cardano ecosystem.

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

iRate believes in full transparency and will be sharing the outputs of our project in multiple ways and to multiple audiences. We will:

• Post updates on social media about key milestones reached. This will keep our community informed of our progress and allow them to participate in our journey.
• Actively post to our community discord. This will allow us to have more in-depth conversations with our community and get their feedback on our work.
• Actively update the Cardano community in any way possible. This includes posting to forums, attending events, and giving presentations.
• Use the outputs of our project in the form of a story in video content. This will allow us to share our work with a wider audience and to make it more accessible.

We will share these outputs as soon as we reach them, and even when we miss a deadline, we will share why to keep the community updated throughout the journey.

As iRate achieves its goals, we will continue to push innovation and research. We have plans in the future to add more services beyond barbers, and we will continue to develop further and reshape industries that are experiencing the same problems as barbers currently. With more sign-ups and in different categories, iRate will be able to gather more feedback to ensure that our development is aligned with community goals.

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

We believe we are best suited for this project for a few reasons

1. We have already built and launched the app previously on the Apple app store and Google play store. This is not a wishful idea we have made it happen in the past and proved it to be profitable.
2. In the short space of 1 year the team designed and built an fully functional app, as well as convert a Mercedes bens sprinter van into a fully equipped mobile barbershop. (This van will be used as our first franchise mobile barbershop, this helped us prove that not only can barbers become mobile but so can the entire barbershop)
3. We grew our social following in 1 year to 15k on Tik Tok and 1.4k on Instagram with zero cost in advertising.
4. All the graphic designs for the website, app and social media post were done in house to keep cost down as well as photography and video editing.
5. Everything listed above was achieved by a team of 2 people fully self funded on a limited budget.

For a small team on a limited budget we have been able to achieve a lot and understand the problem in depth to know some of the best ways to solve this problem. An example of this is, while running the app in web2 we ran into a problem of incentivizing new users to join. We didn't have a large enough budget to offer bonuses to sign up which has lead us to pivot to web3 where we can use ownership via tokens as a reward for new users, referring users keeping users loyal to the platform. So with previous experience trying to solve the problem we have learnt some unique obstacles and found some creative ways to really get this project to a wider audience. We are a team that is willing to learn from mistakes and keep pushing on and are not shy to be open with our community for full transparency.

If we were to receive funds all cost would be tracked and accounted for, we have done this in the past with boot strapping funds we used to start this project. And even made Tik tok videos to keep users up to date with the story of the business, and how we spent our own funds. So we would be sure to do the same and more to keep the community up to date and comfortable that funds are being spent accordingly.

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

The main goals for the Cardano based iRate Barbers DAO project are to:

• Revolutionize the traditional barbering industry by creating a booking platform for mobile barbers with a more transparent, secure, and cost-effective system that benefits both barbers and customers.
• Empower both barbers and customers by providing a more transparent and fair platform.
• Ensure the security and privacy of its users through the use of Cardano's blockchain technology.
• Disrupt the traditional barbering industry and pave the way for a more innovative and equitable future.

The feasibility of the iRate Barbers project is supported by the following factors:

• The team has already built and launched a successful mobile barber booking app.
• The team has a strong understanding of the barbering industry and the challenges that barbers face.
• The team has a proven track record of success in bootstrapping and growing a business on a limited budget.
• The team is committed to transparency and accountability.

The success of iRate will be measured by the following metrics:

• User adoption: The number of users who sign up for the platform and the number of bookings made on the platform.
• Transaction frequency: The number of transactions that take place on the platform each month.
• User satisfaction: The feedback that users provide about the platform, both positive and negative.

For the technical aspect, we will ensure robustness through the following measures:

• Regular code reviews: We will have our code reviewed by a team of independent developers on a regular basis to ensure that it is free of errors and vulnerabilities.
• Smart contract audits: We will have our smart contracts audited by a team of security experts to ensure that they are secure and tamper-proof.

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: Upgrade the app from web2 to web3 (3-4 months)

• Tasks:
• Hire a Cardano developer to add wallets and smart contracts.
• Integrate the wallets and smart contracts with the existing app.
• Test the new functionality.

Milestone 2: Set up a DAO structure (2-3 months)

• Tasks:
• Code the DAO smart contracts.
• Ensure the smart contracts interact effectively with the Cardano blockchain.
• Create a DAO governance document.

Milestone 3: Create a token (1-2 months)

• Tasks:
• Set up tokenomics.
• Create a smart contract reward system.
• Ensure the token and reward system interact effectively with the DAO and Dapp.

Milestone 4: Testing and development (2-3 months)

• Tasks:
• Conduct thorough testing of the entire iRate system.
• Address any bugs or issues that are found.
• Deploy the system to the Cardano mainnet.

Milestone 5: Community launch and marketing (1-2 months)

• Tasks:
• Build relationships with barbers and customers.
• Gather feedback.
• Promote the platform.

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

Milestone 1: Upgrade the app from web2 to web3 (3-4 months)

• Deliverables:
• A new version of the iRate app that is compatible with the Cardano blockchain.
• Wallets and smart contracts that allow users to store and use iRate tokens.
• Documentation that explains how to use the new features.
• Outputs:
• A successful upgrade of the iRate app to web3.
• A working wallet and smart contracts that allow users to store and use iRate tokens.
• Documentation that explains how to use the new features.
• Intended outcomes:
• A more secure and decentralized iRate platform.
• The ability for users to store and use iRate tokens.
• A better user experience for iRate users.

Milestone 2: Set up a DAO structure (2-3 months)

• Deliverables:
• A DAO smart contract that governs the iRate platform.
• A DAO governance document that outlines the rules and procedures for the DAO.
• Outputs:
• A successful DAO smart contract that is deployed to the Cardano blockchain.
• A DAO governance document that is approved by the iRate community.
• Intended outcomes:
• A more democratic and transparent iRate platform.
• The ability for iRate users to have a say in the future of the platform.

Milestone 3: Create a token (1-2 months)

• Deliverables:
• A token that represents ownership in the iRate platform.
• A smart contract that governs the token.
• Documentation that explains how to use the token.
• Outputs:
• A successful token that is deployed to the Cardano blockchain.
• A smart contract that governs the token.
• Documentation that explains how to use the token.
• Intended outcomes:
• A more rewarding iRate platform for users.
• The ability for iRate users to earn tokens for their participation in the platform.

Milestone 4: Testing and development (2-3 months)

• Deliverables:
• A fully tested iRate platform.
• A bug-free and secure platform.
• Outputs:
• A successful test of the iRate platform.
• A bug-free and secure platform.
• Intended outcomes:
• A reliable and user-friendly iRate platform.
• A platform that is free of bugs and security vulnerabilities.

Milestone 5: Community launch and marketing (1-2 months)

• Deliverables:
• A community of iRate users.
• Positive feedback from users.
• A successful marketing campaign.
• Outputs:
• A community of iRate users who are passionate about the platform.
• Positive feedback from users about the platform.
• A successful marketing campaign that has raised awareness of the platform.
• Intended outcomes:
• A thriving iRate community.
• A platform that is well-liked by users.
• A platform that is attracting new users.

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

Upgrade the app from web2 to web3 (22K ADA)

• The cost for upgrading to web3 include hiring a Cardano dev, smart contracts and project planning.

Set up a DAO structure (10K ADA)

• This cost is to set up a well documented DAO structure, and the necessary smart contracts and testing.

Create a token (7K ADA)

• This cost is allocated for our tokenomics to be audited by third party's to ensure it works the way its intended too with staking, rewards, and burn features.

Testing and development (10K ADA0

• The costs in this phase include testing, launching, and supporting the iRate platform on the Cardano mainnet.

Community launch and marketing (10K ADA)

• This budget is for marketing and promotion activities to attract users to the platform and maintaining user engagement.

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

Tony Rose:

• Oversees the project: Tony is responsible for the overall success of the iRate project. He coordinates with team members, manages marketing and brand awareness, and ensures that the project stays on track.
• Coordinated team members: Tony has a proven track record of leading and managing teams. He is skilled at bringing together people with different skills and backgrounds to achieve common goals.
• Marketing and brand awareness: Tony has a deep understanding of marketing and brand awareness. He is passionate about creating a positive brand image for iRate and attracting new users.

Randolph Zuniga:

• Technical development: Randolph is responsible for the technical development of the iRate platform. He has a strong understanding of app coding and is skilled at building scalable and secure applications.
• Overseeing the build of the app and surrounding team: Randolph has a proven track record of building successful products. He is passionate about creating a user-friendly and reliable platform for iRate users.

PJ Garner:

• Community building: PJ is responsible for building and maintaining the iRate community. He is passionate about creating a sense of belonging and engagement among users.
• Maintain the discord channels and replying to comments/educating new users: PJ is skilled at using social media to connect with users and answer their questions. He is also passionate about educating new users about iRate and its features.

Additional team members:

• Blockchain developer: iRate is looking to recruit a blockchain developer to assist with the development of the platform. The ideal candidate will have experience with Cardano and smart contracts.
• Community and sales: iRate is also looking to recruit a team member who has the skills to help with building community and sales. The ideal candidate will be passionate about iRate and its mission and will be able to connect with users and potential investors.

External members:

• Consulting: iRate will be working with a number of external members for consulting, stress testing, marketing, and more. These members will provide valuable insights and expertise to help iRate succeed.

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

The cost of the iRate project is justified by the value it will bring to the Cardano ecosystem. The platform will provide a number of benefits for users, including:

• A more efficient and transparent way to book appointments with barbers.
• A more rewarding way for barbers to be rated and compensated.
• A more democratic and community-driven way to govern the platform.

The project will also help to promote the Cardano blockchain and its capabilities. The iRate platform will be the first decentralized booking platform built on Cardano, and it will showcase the potential of the blockchain to power real-world applications.

Here are some additional points that support the value of the iRate project:

• The project will create a new market for Cardano tokens. Users will be able to earn iRate tokens for rating barbers and for participating in the platform. This will create demand for Cardano tokens and help to increase the value of the network.
• The project will help to attract new users to the Cardano ecosystem. The iRate platform is a user-friendly and innovative application that will appeal to a wide range of users. This will help to increase the adoption of Cardano and make it a more attractive platform for developers.
• The project will help to promote the Cardano blockchain as a platform for real-world applications. The iRate platform is the first decentralized booking platform built on Cardano, and it will showcase the potential of the blockchain to power real-world applications. This will help to increase the awareness of Cardano and its capabilities.

The costs of the project have been carefully calculated to ensure that they are proportional to the value it will bring. The team has used a number of factors to determine the costs, including:

• The average wage in the country where the project is being developed.
• The typical freelance rates in the industry.
• The complexity of the project.
• The time required to complete the project.

The team is confident that the project represents value for money for the Cardano ecosystem. The platform will provide a number of benefits for users, and it will help to promote the Cardano blockchain.