Authena x Polkadot: The Future of Scalable Traceability

Dear Polkadot Community,

In the coming days, we will present our proposal leveraging IoT, blockchain, and AI to address real-life supply chain traceability issues. As pioneers in traceability, Authena plans to use Polkadot to enhance our platform, ensuring compliance with EU and US regulations and boosting consumer trust.

Authena has won the GSMA GLOMO Award for Best Mobile Innovation for Web3 and the LVMH Innovation Award for Operations Excellence. With proven use cases in luxury, pharmaceutical, and food sectors, this migration meets industry needs and regulatory pressures.

Currently, our Ethereum-based platform faces scalability limitations. Layer 2 solutions have also fallen short. By migrating to Polkadot, we aim to improve scalability, security, and compliance. Within this proposal, we will prove Polkadot's superior technology to meet the EU's Digital Product Passport (DPP) standards. The USA's FSMA 204 standards will be implemented by Authena outside of this project scope.

Our project includes integrating Polkadot with our proprietary IoT multi-sensor devices for real-time monitoring, enhancing dApp functionality, and implementing blockchain-based analytics and AI. We will showcase real use cases through global campaigns, advertised online and at Zurich airport for 52 weeks, driving adoption and educating stakeholders.

Your feedback is invaluable as we refine this project before seeking Treasury funding. Let’s grow the Polkadot network and make the world a more connected, transparent, and authentic place together.

Project Overview

Proponent: 1jRbipHgJButLmid2eW5oVwSkixB56oHepMMSSoB55s3ck6

Requested DOT: 245,000 DOT (~$1,528,000)

Project Category/Type: Miscellaneous

Short Description:
We plan to fully migrate Authena’s traceability platform to Polkadot, ensuring enhanced scalability and security. This transition, proven with real cases at LVMH, will comply with the EU's Digital Product Passport and set a direction for the USA's FSMA 204 compliance. The proposal includes a vertical use case integrating Polkadot with our patented IoT multi-sensor devices for real-time monitoring. This will enhance dApp functionality, and implement blockchain-based advanced analytics and AI. We will showcase this unique use case through global awareness campaigns, advertised online and on Zurich airport billboards for 52 weeks, driving adoption and educating stakeholders.

Background and Motivation:

Authena recently received the LVMH Innovation Award for Operations Excellence, reaffirming the market potential and necessity of our traceability solutions. Our discussions with key stakeholders in the luxury, pharmaceutical, and food sectors have highlighted the urgent need for improved transparency and consumer awareness while complying with data privacy and security. The migration to Polkadot aligns with these industry needs and the increasing regulatory pressures in both the EU and USA. We know it, we want to prove it and globally showcase it while making the Polkadot network grow exponentially.

Challenges with Current Systems:
Our current Ethereum-based platform faces significant challenges, including limited scalability, high transaction costs, long confirmation times, and the complexity of Layer 2 solutions. These issues hinder our ability to provide efficient, real-time supply chain management and compliance.

Authena Traceability’s Benefits:
Polkadot offers unique advantages that address our current limitations:

Interoperability: Seamless interaction between different blockchains.
Scalability: Efficient handling of high transaction volumes.
Cost Efficiency: Reduced security costs through a shared security model.
Speed and Finality: Faster transaction finality for timely data updates.
Security: Robust security features ensuring data integrity and trust.

Benefits to the Polkadot Network:

Our proposal offers significant long-term benefits to the Polkadot ecosystem by increasing network usage, expanding the ecosystem, driving innovation, and fostering community growth through real-life decentralized applications. Below are the key aspects and how each project milestone contributes to these goals:

Real-World Validation: Our traceability solution across luxury, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors provides real-world proof of Polkadot's technology. By partnering with major brands like Nestlé, LVMH, and Drofar (Pharma), we will demonstrate Polkadot’s robustness and reliability in diverse and demanding industries.
Increased Network Usage: The adoption of our solution will lead to more transactions and higher activity on the Polkadot network. This increased usage showcases Polkadot’s capability to handle large volumes of data and transactions, reinforcing its position as a scalable blockchain solution.
Expanded Ecosystem: By integrating with businesses in luxury, food and beverage, and pharma, we bring new participants into the Polkadot ecosystem. This expansion enriches the ecosystem with diverse use cases and enhances collaboration opportunities across various sectors.
Driving Innovation: Our project encourages continuous innovation within the Polkadot community. The advanced traceability solutions we develop will serve as a foundation for future technological advancements, positioning Polkadot at the forefront of blockchain industry innovation.
Community Growth: By attracting more users and developers to Polkadot, we foster a vibrant and engaged community. Our project will highlight Polkadot’s strengths, encouraging more projects to build on the platform and contributing to a dynamic and supportive ecosystem.
Enhanced Interoperability: Polkadot’s interoperability will be showcased through potential integration with other customers' blockchains (Aura planned), enhancing functionality and connectivity. This will facilitate efficient data exchange and collaboration across different platforms, proving Polkadot’s capability as a multi-chain network.
Regulatory Compliance Leadership: By achieving compliance with EU DPP and working towards USA FSMA 204, we set new standards for regulatory adherence on Polkadot. This leadership in compliance will attract more enterprises seeking secure and compliant blockchain solutions.

Project Streams:

Complete Migration: Transition from Ethereum to Polkadot.
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure DPP and FSMA 204 compliance.
IoT Integration: Real-time data collection and monitoring.
dApp Enhancement: Improved functionality for detailed product traceability.
Advanced Analytics and AI: Implementing analytics and AI for operational efficiency.
Global Awareness Campaign: Promoting the migration and benefits of Polkadot integration.

Our Team:

Our team at Authena, led by Matteo Panzavolt, comprises experts in blockchain, IoT, AI, and business development. We have strong partnerships with institutions like ETH Zurich and ZHAW, and industry leaders such as LVMH and Nestlé.

A key advisor for our project is Aeron Buchanan, a member of the original Ethereum team and Executive VP at Web3 Foundation. Aeron’s extensive experience includes roles as COO Europe for Ethereum, researcher and regulatory compliance expert at the Ethereum Foundation, and co-founder of Parity Technologies and Grid Singularity. His strategic guidance will be instrumental in navigating the complexities of our migration, ensuring regulatory compliance, and optimizing our technical implementation to align with our project goals. To avoid any conflict of interest, he will not participate in the vote on this proposal due to his position at the Web3 Foundation.

Call for Feedback:

We invite the Polkadot community to provide feedback and critique on our proposal. Your insights are crucial in helping us refine our approach and ensure the successful implementation of this transformative project.

For a detailed view of our proposal draft, please visit:

Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that we are expanding our team and actively seeking developers and Polkadot specialists to join us on this groundbreaking project. If you are passionate about blockchain technology and eager to make a significant impact in the field of supply chain traceability, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out, and let's explore how we can collaborate to shape the future together.

Thanks for your time! We’re looking forward to your feedback and some great discussions.

Contact Information:

For any questions or further discussions, please feel free to reach out.

Best regards,
Fernando Rey Gaido
[email protected]
Business Development Lead, Authena
1jRbipHgJButLmid2eW5oVwSkixB56oHepMMSSoB55s3ck6