The BD Hub: Enabling Business Development Across Polkadot

0. Abstract

Polkadot’s BD efforts have lacked shared strategy, coordination, and tools. The current Polkadot Sales Hub, launched through OpenGov proposal #1090, started fixing that. The feedback has been incredibly positive, both from those using it, and from those overseeing governance and proposals.

We segmented the market and built foundational messaging and positioning for top priority industry verticals. The UI that became the Sales Hub wasn’t even part of our project scope, but it was urgently needed, so we built it anyway. We are happy to have proven that this is how we work: we deliver and we do what’s needed.

Many requests for expansion followed: An enterprise GTM strategy, deep dives on specific industry verticals, adding new components (CRM, help desk, competitor intelligence). This proposal builds on that momentum. We are turning the Sales Hub from a one-off activity into a permanent system: the BD Hub.

An overview about what this proposal funds (more details in Section VI):

The BD Hub’s development and maintenance,
An enterprise GTM toolkit with playbooks, pitch decks, and other collateral,
A ready-to-launch concept for a dedicated enterprise landing page on Polkadot.com, as well as
Key systems such as a Helpdesk and a competitor intelligence framework.

For any additional system components or content, we are planning to publish separate proposals or support with the facilitation of RfPs to attract more BD contributors to the ecosystem. After all, this is too big to fill alone. It will be a community-fuelled platform. The BD Hub is a Web3-first, for everyone trying to sell Polkadot. It brings structure, clarity, and long-term support to an ecosystem that needs it.

We’re excited to get this project underway and help position Polkadot as the gold standard for Business Development in Web3. As soon as the proposal is approved, we’ll hit the ground running. For those interested in learning more, we are hosting a Q&A session at the upcoming Web3 Summit in Berlin, taking place from July 16th to 18th. We’ll also present at some of the upcoming AAG calls, so be sure to tune in. In the meantime, we’ve started collecting community questions and compiled our responses in this FAQ document, which we’ll continue to update regularly.

Natalie & Jashar | So So Scaled!

I. Testimonials

“Fundamental groundwork like the Polkadot-Market-Fit Score that was developed by Natalie & Jashar is incredibly valuable. It helps the ecosystem make decisions based on real data instead of gut feeling. We need more of this kind of work to guide our strategy.”

- David Hawig, Director of Ecosystem Development at Web3 Foundation

"Sales enablement (vertical-specific collateral, case studies, testimonials, updated pitch decks, and other templates for different funnel stages) is the oil in the sales machine. Without it, there’s friction and inconsistency in the sales process. We may be able to decentralise the end sales effort via BD agents, but it makes sense to have a central repository for sales enablement. Natalie and Jashar are well positioned to provide this.

Their earlier project laid the groundwork with strategic segmentation, clear prioritisation, and strong positioning and messaging across five top verticals. If I had to tell anyone to go out and do BD for Polkadot today, I’d send them straight to their Sales Hub. It already proved useful to several BD contributors working in AI, and it’s easy to see the value it will bring as we expand sectors, go deeper into GTMs and proper collateral, and as more teams begin doing targeted BD work."

- Nick Dunford, Co-Founder of Web3 Deal Desk

“I’ve seen firsthand how useful Natalie & Jashar’s segment content is. I'm an individual BD agent in the ecosystem and cannot become an expert in all industries and markets myself. I can’t wait for bringing the Hub to the next level and also including the CRM. It’s one of the most needed initiatives in the ecosystem and will make BD 10x more efficient.”

- Strindbergman, Polkadot BD Agent

“We take 130+ calls a month with new leads, and it’s clear how much a shared Helpdesk is needed. Without it, information gets lost, follow-ups fall through, and the ecosystem can’t scale. Jashar and Natalie understand this gap deeply. They don’t just create slides, they identify what’s needed most, collaborate, and deliver. They even made an intro to an ecosystem gaming team that we were not aware of. I’m confident they’re the right team to build the Helpdesk and finally solve the big BD coordination issues that have been ignored for too long.”

- Angela Dalton, CEO & Founder of Signum Growth Capital | DOT Play

“Decentralized BD is tough to bootstrap. Jashar and Natalie have found a credible path by building an essential knowledge base for our business developers. Their research-based approach has shaped the way we think about BD in Polkadot. I support the BD Hub proposal because it equips our BD talent and provides them with a service unit for their needs.”

- Tommi Enenkel, Founder of OpenGov.Watch

“Finally, we have something research-based that helps BD agents not only prioritize the right segments but also approach them with real knowledge and confidence. The work on industries like AI, DePIN, and gaming gives us clear direction. It’s exactly the kind of upstream insight I’ve been missing when deciding where to focus my time and outreach. On the Helpdesk front, I'm actively supporting it and fully endorse it. It is so needed and I'm confident in Jashar and Natalie making it work.”

- James Slusser, Polkadot BD Agent and Founder of Kurkuma

II. What is the BD Hub?

The BD Hub is Polkadot’s unified platform to organize, professionalize, and scale BD efforts across the entire ecosystem. Acting as the backbone for all BD initiatives, the Hub replaces fragmented, ad hoc efforts with a single, coherent system that enables and supports current and future BD agents, ecosystem builders, and partners alike. It’s the natural evolution of the current Polkadot Sales Hub into a dynamic, future-proof engine for growth.

Clarifying scope: The BD Hub is not responsible for setting Polkadot's overarching BD strategy. Instead, it acts as an enablement and coordination layer that helps ensure strategic direction - whether defined by governance, collectives, or other actors - is clearly communicated, widely accessible, and effectively executed by all BD contributors in the ecosystem. One such initiative was project #1090, which we will build upon in the current proposal, by creating hands-on material based on earlier findings in the enterprise BD sector.

III. Why is the BD Hub needed?

According to our recent State of BD at Polkadot study, ecosystem-wide satisfaction with BD is critically low (2.8/10). The most common complaints include:

Lack of transparency and coordination: BD contributors don’t know what others are working on, which leads to duplicated efforts, inconsistent messaging, and missed opportunities.
No shared strategy or north star: Teams struggle to prioritize leads or regions. Without alignment, resources are spread too thin.
No standardized collateral or messaging: Pitch decks, case studies, and value props are being built from scratch - every time. It’s inefficient and leads to inconsistent communication externally.

The Polkadot Sales Hub, launched by us in early April 2025 as part of project #1090, has already made a major step in solving these issues. It gives BD agents access to shared research, foundational and industry-specific messaging, and segment-specific strategies. To scale its impact and take ownership of BD enablement, we propose evolving this into a living, community-fuelled space, with So So Scaled! managing and maintaining it.

IV. What impact will the BD Hub create?

The BD Hub is designed to streamline how BD is practiced across the Polkadot ecosystem:

Full strategic alignment across segments, regions, and BD teams
A single source of truth for all BD-related resources, tools, and information
Smarter, more efficient execution by eliminating duplication and scattered efforts
Higher satisfaction and retention among BD contributors through better support, resulting in lower churn and higher talent attraction
A consistent and credible external presence when engaging with partners, enterprises, and prospects
A scalable and professional BD engine that positions Polkadot to outperform any competitor in the Web3 space

A list of quantitative success metrics can be found in Section VI.

V. What is our vision for the BD Hub?

We believe the BD Hub should become the ecosystem’s shared infrastructure for BD: a permanent, community-fuelled system that enables everyone working to grow Polkadot. Based on community input, as well as research and our experience, we’ve identified eight core verticals that should be included in a 360° BD enablement platform:

Hub Infrastructure - Development & Maintenance: the platform that ties it all together
Internal Helpdesk System: support and coordination for BD agents
CRM System: optional, for ecosystem-wide lead tracking and to minimize parallel outreach
Sales Enablement & GTM Toolkit: playbooks, decks, campaigns, product one-pagers
Segment & Regional GTM Strategies: tailored strategies where it matters most
Competitor Intelligence: insights to position Polkadot against other ecosystems
BD Education & Content: explainers, articles, talks, onboarding content
BD Talent Recruitment & Onboarding: bringing in and activating the right people

We’re not proposing to build all of this at once, and we don’t believe one team should. The BD Hub is a shared foundation that others can plug into, shape, and build on. As stated in the Abstract, it focuses on pillars 1) and 2), along with selected parts of 4) and 6). The bulk of the work is expected to go into pillars 2) and 4), as these are not only among the most requested but also some of the more complex to address.

VI. What’s included in this proposal

This proposal focuses on the most urgent and high-leverage building blocks:

Deliverables	KPIs
Core infrastructure upgrades (rebranding, restructuring, maintaining the platform)	- # visits to BD Hub - Content engagement (clicks, time on page) - Ecosystem Satisfaction Score (NPS + feedback)
A Helpdesk system to better support BD contributors	- # tickets and queries - Avg. response time - Time saved by BD agents (survey-based) - Ecosystem Satisfaction Score (NPS + feedback)
A full Enterprise GTM Toolkit (incl. pitch decks, playbooks, conference toolkit, a channel strategy)	- # leads generated and lead quality - # contacts from events (forms) - UTM traffic from keynotes - # follow-up meetings & newsletter signups - Adoption of pitch decks, value props, messaging
A ready-to-launch Enterprise landing page on polkadot.com, incl. SEO optimization	- # unique visits, time on page - CTR on CTAs, # qualified leads - Organic traffic volume / # campaigns or teams linking to page - Top 5 search ranking for key terms
Expansion of the proof point and case study libraries	- Time-to-close and win rate - # new case studies shared - % BD agents using latest materials
A competitor benchmarking methodology and first round of insights	- Time-to-close and win rate - # updates to decks or messaging - % BD agents using insights
Explainer videos to help the community use and adopt all of the above	- # views, avg. watch time - Time saved by BD agents (survey-based) - Increase in resource adoption (see engagement metrics)

VII. Why have previous efforts not worked?

Until now, BD enablement efforts in the Polkadot ecosystem have been fragmented, ad-hoc, and lacked clear ownership. They weren’t built with the community, for the community - nor were they sustained. What’s more, BD enablement is not the same as BD. But it’s often the BD agents themselves, those closest to deals and partnerships, who are expected to lead these efforts and create these materials. However, this a) requires a different skill set entirely and b) takes up valuable time from their actual work: closing deals. Therefore, it rather needs a dedicated team that works hand in hand with the BD teams themselves.

VIII. Why will this initiative succeed?

We’ve already built a strong foundation for success. The current Polkadot Sales Hub is the most comprehensive BD resource Polkadot has ever had. We’re not just proposing, we’re already delivering a usable, strategic, and scalable BD resource that’s actually helping agents in the field. And we would love to turn this into a permanent system that powers every BD effort in the Polkadot ecosystem.

IX. How do we get this started?

The BD Hub is a complex platform made up of many different parts and verticals that need to be built step by step over time. We can’t do everything at once, and that’s okay. With this proposal, we’re focusing on setting up the most important pieces of the infrastructure, which is the foundation that everything else will build on.

At the same time, we’re already starting to add content and make the Hub usable. A lot of very useful content is already available in the current version of the BD Hub, and more will be added as part of this proposal. So while the infrastructure continues to take shape, the content side of things will also grow in parallel, bringing the Hub to life as we go.

There are a few more complex topics that are too large to be covered in this proposal (e.g. think of a GTM strategy for the AI segment, the top segment from our project #1090). For those, we plan to develop separate proposals and pitch them as standalone projects throughout the year. In other cases, we see that other teams in the ecosystem are better suited to lead. We’ll support them in creating their own proposals and make sure they’re well integrated, so that the BD Hub becomes a shared, collaborative effort that reflects the strengths of the whole ecosystem.

Importantly, the BD Hub is designed to evolve. As new challenges and opportunities come up, we’ll introduce new verticals and features in close coordination with BD agents on the ground. The BD Hub isn’t just a list of tools, it’s a system. And its success depends on how well all the parts work together over time.

X. How much will this effort cost?

Based on the scope and 9-month timeframe, we are proposing a total budget of $255,150, structured around quarterly milestones.

Period	Base Budget	Additional Cost	Total Cost
1 (Aug ‘25 - Oct ‘25)	$83,250	$1,800	$85,050
2 (Nov ‘25 - Jan ‘25)	$83,250	$1,800	$85,050
3 (Feb ‘25 - Apr ‘26)	$83,250	$1,800	$85,050
Total (9 months)	$249,750	$5,400	$255,150

Base Budget: The base budget covers the involvement of two senior team members (Natalie and Jashar of So So Scaled!) as well as a junior support function, who are responsible for delivering all activities outlined in the BD Hub Roadmap. This includes the end-to-end conceptualization, development, and ongoing maintenance of the BD Hub; the creation of explainer videos to help users navigate the platform and leverage its assets; the design, development, and productization of the Helpdesk; the development of an enterprise GTM strategy with assets such as playbooks and pitch decks; a ready to launch concept for an enterprise specific landing page on Polkadot.com; the expansion of the case study and proof point libraries; and the development of a methodology framework for competitor intelligence.
Additional Cost: This budget includes general administrative and overhead expenses, as well as necessary tooling and software subscriptions, such as Cursor, Netlify, Supabase, and Loom. Travel-related costs are not included.

A breakdown of all deliverables, deadlines and costs is available here: BD Hub | Budget & Roadmap | By So So Scaled!

Over the past year, I’ve been involved in a number of business development (BD) conversations focused on solving some of the ecosystem’s most persistent challenges - particularly around coordination, clarity, and shared tools. This proposal represents a meaningful and strategic step toward addressing those needs.

I had the opportunity to meet with both Natalie and Jashar at sub0 in Bangkok, where I first saw the early work that would become Project 1090. The evolution of that effort into the current Polkadot Sales Hub - delivered through OpenGov proposal #1090 - has been a significant milestone. The impact has been real: more structure, stronger messaging, and practical tools that have already proven valuable to many in the field, including myself.

For those who may not be aware, there’s a dedicated Polkadot BD Telegram group with over 125 active contributors from across the globe. The conversations leading up to this proposal have drawn participation from across the ecosystem - the Web3 Foundation, Parity, W3F-funded BD teams, and independent agents like myself. It’s been encouraging to see many of the most committed BD professionals actively shaping the direction of this work.

I’m especially excited that this proposal doesn’t aim to centralize BD, but rather to enable and empower it. By turning the Sales Hub into a more robust and permanent BD Hub, it addresses key gaps around enablement, knowledge sharing, and operational alignment. The inclusion of a Helpdesk, an enterprise GTM strategy, playbooks, and competitive intelligence - all tied together with a clear roadmap and KPI structure - will elevate our BD capabilities substantially.

I want to see more BD talent entering the Polkadot ecosystem. I want to have the infrastructure to support and train new contributors who are eager to get involved but need guidance. I want us to speak with a unified, professional voice across all verticals and markets. This proposal helps make that possible.

I believe it’s a well-constructed and pragmatic proposal - one that delivers real value without overreaching. I fully support it with an AYE, and I encourage others to continue asking questions and providing input. Natalie and Jashar have been responsive, transparent, and community-focused throughout this process, and I’m confident they will continue in that spirit as the work progresses.

Let’s build the BD Hub together - because no one team can or should do this alone.