Origin able to spend around 100,000 DOT from the treasury at once.

medium_spender

beneficiary

- Polkadot is planning a big 3-day conference in Buenos Aires in November 2025.  
- It will have 2 main stages, 18 themed rooms, and a 24-hour hackerspace.  
- Around 3,000 people will attend, with many from outside Polkadot.  
- There will be hackathons with prizes and fun activities like gaming and art.  
- The event is free, with food and drinks included.  
- It will happen just before Devconnect, a major Web3 event in the same city.  
- The budget is $738,749, but they hope to save money and return some to the treasury.  
- The goal is to show Polkadot’s strength and bring the community together.

Confirming

**Main prop:** [**sub0 - BA 25 Flagship Conference**](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12A0cjXGTNsyzLCk7wW_tWJEpA0_hXm-cNzoUaGF2gMo/edit?usp=sharing)

Polkadot is stepping into a new era. 

That’s why we’re proposing a new flagship Polkadot conference in Buenos Aires this November: a 3-day, deeply immersive edition of sub0 that includes a main product stage and grows into a annual global flagship conference for the ecosystem.

Set against the backdrop of Devconnect, in one of the most vibrant Web3 regions in the world, this is Polkadot’s chance to open its doors to the global ecosystem and show what we’re really made of.

This proposal falls outside the scope of ecosystem bounties because of scale. We are happy to bring Polkadot's flagship event to OpenGov!

**Check out the full 35-page proposal** [**here**](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12A0cjXGTNsyzLCk7wW_tWJEpA0_hXm-cNzoUaGF2gMo/edit?usp=sharing)**.**

**Review the detailed budget** [**here**](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PDB62sjXFX-8wW5zqYKG4TZmYvN9N9Tx/edit?usp=sharing\&ouid=112447013957930173689\&rtpof=true\&sd=true)**.**

**The plan:**

 - 3,000 attendees over 3 days

 - 2 main stages (Product + Development), plus 18 immersive rooms

 - 24/7 hackerspace, 2 hackathons with min. $15K in Polkadot bounties (plus sponsor bounties) 

 - Major activations across gaming, governance, identity and art

 - 70% of attendees expected from outside the Polkadot ecosystem

**We’re ready for it.**

This conference will bring the whole ecosystem together to build, collaborate and move the Polkadot mission forward. All of it free to attend, fully catered, and designed for maximum real-world impact.

We’re inviting the community to help shape this event from the ground up. The proposal is now live.

**Location:** Bubble Studio

Before Devconnect, BA, Argentina

**Dates:** 14th, 15th, 16th November 2025

| What | 3 days, 2 stages: a product stage and a development stage, 18  highly immersive themed rooms,  24hr hackerspace & full catering, morning, noon and into the evening activities.  |
| ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Where | Bubble Studio12 minutes from the main tourist area, Palermo.15 minutes from the Devconnect venue, La Rural.Regular shuttle buses to and from the conference. |
| When | 14, 15 & 16 November 2025.24 hours, with main conference times from 10 am to 6 pm, plus an evening agenda and hackathon.  |
| Guests | 3,000 guests over three days, including students, Polkadot eco and ecosystem outsiders.  |
| Themes | Resilient infrastructure,  Polkadot Hub, Bringing the world to Polkadot, JAM |
| Budget | Total budget: 738,749.00 USDC - Tickets will be free of charge and include access to a 24-hour hackerspace, side events, immersions, food and beverages, morning, lunch and PM. |

**FAQS**

**Why not go to the Events Bounty?**

Flagships have been historically community-driven initiatives, and a proposal of this size should be as transparent as possible.

**Why do you have a success fee?**

The budget accounts for 19.5% for WebZero agency fee & salaries, including the success fee if targets above 60% are met. It’s important to add that WebZero salaries are also key functions that save us from outsourcing: social media & content manager, DevRel and hackathon coordination, logistics, set design, creatives & agenda management.

**Why Devconnect?**

Devconnect is set to be the most significant Web3 conference of the year with 25,000 visitors descending upon Buenos Aires from Nov 10. Timing sub0 during Devconnect captures an already-assembled, highly technical audience, multiplies media reach, and makes travel logistics easier for speakers and sponsors who plan to attend both weeks. This offsets speaker costs to zero, as many high-level figures will be in town.

By running concurrently with Devconnect, we gain significant leverage. This approach amplifies our attendance and allows us to focus our budget on enhancing the event experience, rather than on extensive marketing. Crucially, we still deliver a powerful, uniquely Polkadot-branded presence.

For Polkadot's senior leadership, attending Devconnect is essential, even with many of our representatives based in Europe. Devconnect stands as the world's largest developer conference in web3 and attracts thousands of teams. Therefore, it's strategically vital for our key players to converge during the initial three days to solidify connections, then fan out to capitalise on those relationships within the broader ecosystem.

**sub0 Bangkok cost less than 500k, why the price increase?**

We're upgrading the experience to include concert-grade immersions, professional-grade livestreaming that will reach thousands globally, new scholarship initiatives, and a refined focus on one of the biggest hackathons on Polkadot. This will be extraordinary and unprecedented.

sub0 Bangkok was our first time organizing a major conference, which severely impacted team health due to a lack of staff and resources. Done in just eight weeks end-to-end, several corners were cut to make the event a success. Agency fees were not included. The venue was an abandoned warehouse without toilets or electricity. Police were called multiple times.&#x20;

It’s important to add that Argentina is significantly more expensive than Bangkok due to inflation dramatically impacting the country; therefore, costs are much higher.

All quotations have been heavily negotiated, with multiple quotes requested from different vendors per budget item for a full assessment.

Please note that we are aiming to send 10% or more back to the treasury via sponsorship revenue and aim to be well under budget.

sub0 25 Polkadot Flagship Conference in Buenos Aires

This proposal is about giving extra money to the people who help keep the Polkadot community safe and friendly. These helpers are called moderators. They make sure new people are not scammers and help everyone understand how things work. There are 10 moderators now, but there used to be more. They work on places like Discord, Element Telegram, and Reddit.

The proposal asks for $169,632 to keep paying the moderators for one more year, from September 2025 to September 2026. There is a document with more details about the proposal and how the moderators work. There is also a place where you can see how the money was spent before. The people who make this proposal hope you will help and give your ideas.

Deciding

Moderation Team Bounty Top-up

- Requesting Tranche 3 of pre-approved funding  
- Funds will cover costs for the Scalability Hackathon  
- Also supports the final accelerator stage  
- Time-sensitive to invite recent hackathon winners  
- Full proposal details available in a linked document  
- Funding request follows original proposal terms

We would like to claim Tranche 3 of a pre-agreed funding (see [here](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/703)) to cover the costs of the recently finished Scalability Hackathon and fund the final stage: an accelerator. This is time-sensitive as we'd like to invite most of the recent winners from the hackathon.

Full proposal is [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P-LiroEAL1Sdqum-vsHug1ab2lPFjETWOAoh6fNkLxg/edit?tab=t.0).

As per our proposal, the funding request is as follows:

![Screenshot 2025-08-11 at 10.54.11.png](https://i.ibb.co/k6kHMScw/Screenshot-2025-08-11-at-10-54-11.png)

Encode Club Tranche 3 Funding Request

- Snowbridge needs to fix a failed payment from earlier.  
- The payment failed because there wasn't enough USDC in the treasury.  
- The system thought the payment worked, but it didn't.  
- They can't try again because the system marked it as done.  
- The original payment was approved here: [link](https://polkadot.subscan.io/treasury_spend/29).  
- The payment looked successful on Polkadot: [link](https://polkadot.subscan.io/extrinsic/25613045-2?tab=event).  
- But it failed on AssetHub: [link](https://assethub-polkadot.subscan.io/block/8652209?tab=event\&event=8652209-7).  
- They are asking for the same amount again: **312,500 USDC**.

This proposal is to replace and recover a failed treasury spend that Snowbridge submitted earlier this year. The spend was for a past proposal that failed because at the time when it was claimed, there was not enough USDC in the Asset Hub treasury.

The claim extrinsic was successfully submitted to Polkadot, but then when the XCM was sent to AssetHub to transfer the funds, the transfer failed due to insufficient USDC.

Unfortunately, we cannot retry the claim since Polkadot marked it as successful, even though the XCM failed.

The original approved treasury spend is here: [https://polkadot.subscan.io/treasury\_spend/29](https://polkadot.subscan.io/treasury_spend/29)

The **treasury.spend** extrinsic that succeeded on Polkadot: [https://polkadot.subscan.io/extrinsic/25613045-2?tab=event](https://polkadot.subscan.io/extrinsic/25613045-2?tab=event)

The corresponding XCM message that was processed *(and failed)* on AssetHub due to insufficient USDC: [https://assethub-polkadot.subscan.io/block/8652209?tab=event\&event=8652209-7](https://assethub-polkadot.subscan.io/block/8652209?tab=event\&event=8652209-7) - the XCM message queue was processed correctly, but within the event one can see that the message itself was not successful.

This proposal creates a new spend, the same as the original one, ie, **312,500 USDC**

Replace and Recover Failed Treasury Spend

- The project will last **6 months**.  
- It focuses on growing Polkadot’s community in **Africa**.  
- So far, they have:  
  - Engaged **3,000+ people** in person.  
  - Hosted **45+ events**.  
  - Onboarded **20+ participants** to a program.  
- The goal now is **retention** (keeping people involved).  
- They updated the plan based on **feedback**.  
- More details are in the linked document.

**Duration:** 6 months 

**Updated: Re-community feedback**

In our last proposal, we gathered feedback on compensation, milestones, and scope. Opinions varied; some felt the proposal was too ambitious for its duration, while others thought it wasn’t ambitious enough. We also heard from community members and fellow agents who wanted clearer KPIs, updated compensation details, and more committed hours.

We reflected on this feedback and we have updated the following parts of the proposal:

* **Shortened duration:** The proposal now spans **6 months** instead of the original timeframe.
* **Success metrics/KPIs:** These are now clearly outlined in the milestones section.
* **Updated compensation:** We’ve reduced the number of roles and focus countries, increased commitment hours for the team, and ensured rates are fair and in line with similar initiatives and other rates globally.
* **Scope:** The scope remains the same, but we’ll roll it out in smaller, intentional steps, scaling as we deliver results, reflected in our updated KPIs.





**Short description**

(Updated) Continued support of dedicated agents focused on building and growing Polkadot’s builder and community presence in Africa.

In the past 6 months, Polkadot Africa has focused on activating local communities through high-quality events, developer engagement, and grassroots education through online workshops and online bootcamps. 



**So far, we've achieved the following in the past 6 months:**

* Engaged 3,000+ people in person.
* Hosted 45+ [events](https://lu.ma/PolkadotAfrica?period=past) across multiple countries. With different types of meetups.
* Onboarded 20+ PBAx participants and 5 currently accepted to PBA Bali!!!
* Participated in the global Encode x Scalable hackathon. Some of our community members won OpenGuild bounties.
* Hosted Runtime developers' calls. Thereby, attracting builders to contribute to the Polkadot SDK.
* Steadily streamlining resources for the community through our [website](https://www.polkadot.africa/).
* Grown our online community to 1,000+ active members.



This proposal seeks **6 months** of funding to expand on that momentum, shifting from **activation** to retention.

**Category**: Developer community, Community Building, Growth and Products.



You can read more [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xyuWgny58mWhG_Gs0_EjgYkT-Sq3IrJZpb2TNGfIDmk/edit?usp=sharing "here").

Polkadot Africa Builder and Community growth continuation.

- WAGOI helps drivers control their car data using Polkadot wallets  
- It follows new EU rules starting in November 2025  
- First version will connect 2,500 cars and make 20,000+ transactions monthly  
- Could grow to 2.5 million wallets if 1% of EU drivers join  
- Builds a mobile app to view car data and manage permissions  
- Uses Moonbeam first, then moves to Polkadot  
- Costs $330,000 for this first phase  
- All code will be open for everyone to use

![Sign-in-preview-horizontal.png](https://i.ibb.co/zWZzLJLN/Sign-in-preview-horizontal.png)

Here is the full proposal : [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YyrYuTVqHvlVlfXIzk1zGZILzGyF83yzXOZKAWM200w/edit?tab=t.0](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YyrYuTVqHvlVlfXIzk1zGZILzGyF83yzXOZKAWM200w/edit?tab=t.0)

### **TL/DR**

WAGOI is building the first EU-compliant, wallet-based data access platform for connected vehicles, launching ahead of the EU Data Act (November 2025). European drivers will gain control over their vehicle data via Polkadot wallets, turning every car into a gateway to on-chain activity. Our MVP targets 2,500 vehicles and will generate 20K+ transactions monthly. With only 1% EU market adoption, that translates into 2.5M wallets and over 20M transactions/month. WAGOI is a regulatory-aligned, real-world DePIN case driving measurable Coretime consumption, wallet growth, and transaction volume - all critical KPIs for Polkadot. Code will be open-sourced.

The **EU Data Act,** enforced in November 2025, mandates that drivers must gain access to the data generated by their own vehicles. However, no consumer-friendly product exists today that makes this data available in a transparent, consent-based, and compliant way. WAGOI turns every vehicle into a Polkadot-connected node, using blockchain for secure consent, data sharing, and real-world utility. This is the moment to position Polkadot at the center of Europe's upcoming data economy.

### **Why this proposal**

This submission is a direct successor to[ Proposal #1593](https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1593), which received zero "No" votes from any Decentralized Voices. Unfortunately, just 3 days before voting closed, wallet **14DN** cast a decisive “No” with **18 million DOT**, killing the proposal without transparency, dialogue or any feedback.

This raises a critical question:  **Is Polkadot only funding infrastructure, while ignoring user-facing applications?**  That would be ironic -  especially considering **Polimec’s** recent [public comments](https://x.com/polimecprotocol/status/1949800707357327671?s=52) highlighting the ecosystem’s **critical lack of real users**.

*“Building on Polkadot brought substantial technical advantages, but also came with the challenge of a growing but currently non-existent user base, which limited the scale and achievable revenue we could realistically reach at this stage.”* 

Without users and real transaction volume, even the best tech means nothing. Polkadot needs adoption, not just innovation.

After attending the Web3 Summit in Berlin, I was approached by a surprising number of people who wanted to talk about the WAGOI project.  That led to some deep brainstorming with people in the ecosystem. The big question: **How do we move forward and capture market momentum -  especially with the EU Data Act just around the corner  -  without requesting the full funding upfront?**

*So we flipped the model…*

In our previous proposal, we had already outlined scheduled payments (2 times $330,000 USDC) but this time, we’re moving forward with a fully **phased approach** to ensure greater alignment with ecosystem needs. We are starting with a clean mobile app and smart contracts on Moonbeam (*Until Polkadot Asset Hub is ready on Polkadot mainnet*). The idea is to let the 1,000+ people on our waitlist experience the core value of WAGOI: data ownership, connected vehicles, and wallet-based access.

Yes, that means stripping out things like the marketplace (for now), but after speaking with a wide range of people across the ecosystem, it’s becoming clear this might just be the **right** approach. Prove traction first  -  then roll out the rest. And make all code open-source for community use.

### **Why Polkadot**

Polkadot needs:

* More wallets
* More Coretime sold
* More on-chain activity

WAGOI delivers all three:

* **Wallets**: Every driver onboarded = new wallet
* **Transactions**: Every consent or update = transaction
* **Data Use**: Smart contracts mediate usage rights

### **The bigger picture**

Europe is enforcing the EU Data Act in November 2025, mandating user control over connected car data.

This opens a **€750B+ market** where WAGOI positions Polkadot as the **default trusted infra** for compliant vehicle data sharing.

With 250M+ vehicles in Europe, capturing even **1%** means:

* 2.5M new on-chain wallets
* Millions of recurring transactions (consents, service contracts, reward payouts)
* Real-world utility beyond DeFi/DePIN speculation

This is just the beginning. Once we validate user traction and core functionality, we will progressively layer in components like the data marketplace. These next phases can be proposed through future Treasury requests, and we are committed to exploring models where the ecosystem directly benefits, including mechanisms for revenue sharing with the Treasury itself.

Legal requirements drive these wallets (EU Data Act), tied to high-value real-world assets (cars), and offer ongoing utility for users and businesses. That’s a much stronger foundation than most DePIN or DeFi projects launching today.

*On-chain transaction comparison :* 

| Metric | 2025 (MVP Phase) | 2026 (1% EU Phase) |
| ---------------------------- | --------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Wallet-Connected Vehicles | 2,500 | 2,500,000 |
| DID Registrations | 2,500 (one-time) | 2.5M (one-time) |
| Monthly Consent Updates | 2,000 | 2M |
| Data Access Requests (Tx) | 5,000 | 5M |
| Reward Token Transfers | 7,500 | 7.5M |
| Smart Contract Executions | 1,000 | 1M |
| Read/Write Operations (est.) | 75,000 Reads / 7,500 Writes | 75M Reads / 7.5M Writes |
| Estimated Monthly Tx Volume | 15,000–20,000 | 15–20 million |

If we use 50.000 vehicles as an example,\*\* the total monthly transaction volume would be  : 

| Source | Volume Estimate |
| ----------- | -------------------------- |
| Consumers | 300,000 tx/month |
| B2B Clients | 51,000–85,000 tx/month |
| Total | \~350,000–385,000 tx/month |

This means **\~4.2 to 4.6 million tx/year** just from this early growth phase ! 

### **What we will build**

![wagoi-powered-by-polkadot.png](https://i.ibb.co/rfN5XR4G/wagoi-powered-by-polkadot.png)

A full **WAGOI mobile app** in **Flutter**, linked to core web3 components like smart contracts or wallets, providing the following core MVP features:

1. **User Onboarding** – Create a profile&#x20;
2. **Vehicle Data Integration** – Users can link their connected vehicle and view their own car data in the app.
3. **Open-source Codebase** – All code will be published under a permissive license.

The budget for the mobile app development was already communicated in our previous proposal (mobile app development - see [link](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1djEBO7R7iu0JAFGNIYgCkWKw3LOOk6URLnr_-5_TjRQ/edit?tab=t.0)) 

Since smart contracts are not live on Polkadot mainnet yet, we are going to test smart contracts on Moonbeam to handle consent logic & rewards. This approach allows us to thoroughly test and validate all functionalities in a working environment before deploying to Polkadot. So we can ensure everything works as intended. Based on the [latest announcement](https://forum.polkadot.network/t/polkadot-hub-decision-prioritizing-growing-ecosystem-3rd-party-providers-inc-defi-asap-through-evm/14130), they should be live in December. 

### **The Budget**

We made a conscious decision not to exceed **$330,000 USDC** in this proposal,  the same amount that was originally scoped as the **first milestone** in our earlier proposal.

This also means we’re operating on a **tight budget** for this phase to get the core components up and running. Unlike isolated tools, our solution has many integrated parts :

* We need **API connections** with car brands
* A **backend** to securely handle and store the data
* And a **mobile app** to bring the data to life for users

With our new approach we are delivering value upfront and aiming to build enough traction and trust to return to the Treasury later this year -  likely in **November**, when the **EU Data Act** goes into effect.

We hope the community recognizes our commitment.

In reality, Phase 1 requires more than **$330,000**, but since that was the amount allocated for Milestone 1 in our previous proposal, we’ve chosen to stick with it.

This decision involves real risk on our side, but we’re willing to take it to demonstrate our **commitment and confidence** in delivering results. We believe in this product, and we know we can execute.

### **Long-Term vision**

The full WAGOI platform was outlined in our previous proposal. That larger vision  -  which our advisory board still fully supports  -  remains the direction we're heading.

But we understand that bold ideas need to be built step by step, especially when only a few can see the bigger picture from day one. That’s why we talked with so many people and this is a strategic first move:  to let interested users experience the **seamless simplicity of a mobile app** with **integrated Web3 functionality**.

This proposal is low-cost, low-risk, fully open-source, and high-impact.

WAGOI is a regulatory-aligned opportunity to bring millions of real users into the Polkadot ecosystem. It’s how you create Coretime demand, wallet growth, and genuine DePIN traction

It’s the kind of **user-centric, EU-aligned, high-utility initiative** Polkadot should be known for, especially at a time when tangible traction is more valuable than abstract vision.

***

**Huge thanks to everyone who shared feedback and supported us during the creation of this proposal - and to those who voted on the previous WAGOI submission.**

We truly appreciate your trust, and we hope to earn your support once again.
If you have any questions or need more context, we’re always here to chat.

**As always, stay decentralized!**&#x20;

WAGOI - Empowering drivers through data sovereignty.

- PlutoFramework is a tool to make Polkadot mobile apps faster and cheaper  
- It's already used in real apps like realXmarket  
- Helps new developers build Polkadot apps easily  
- Includes many ready-to-use features for apps  
- Team wants to keep improving it for everyone  
- Needs funding for future work and equipment  
- Created by experienced developers  
- Aims to bring more apps to Polkadot mobile users

PlutoFramework Retroactive grant proposal

- Polkadot needs upgrades to handle more transactions and keep parachains running smoothly.  
- The Quadrivium team will work on 5 key improvements for Polkadot-SDK.  
- These include faster data storage, better testing, and ensuring parachains stay online.  
- The team built KAGOME, a Polkadot client already used on the mainnet.  
- Parity and Web3 Foundation will help guide and review the work.  
- Funding requested: $288,000 USDC.  
- Quadrivium paused KAGOME development after a rejected proposal but still wants to help Polkadot.  
- The team specializes in blockchain tech and has deep Polkadot knowledge.

Quadrivium Polkadot-SDK improvements proposal 1

- PolkaBiz helps Web3 startups grow on Polkadot.  
- They picked 15 teams from 30+ applications for a special grant program.  
- They held a fun pitch contest for these teams.  
- Made a new website called Founders Portal for builders to connect.  
- Over 30 people signed up on the portal.  
- They helped teams even after the program ended.  
- Asking for $62,000 for their work from May to July 2025.

# Introduction

The first PolkaBiz retroactive proposal for January-April 2025 (ref [1544](https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1544)) was already approved by the community. 

The current, second,  retroactive proposal is for the months of May to July. 

PolkaBiz fills a critical gap in the Polkadot ecosystem by scouting, curating, and accelerating early-stage Web3 startups. Where other ecosystems often throw money at the problem, PolkaBiz brings structure, quality, and hands-on mentorship to unlock real potential.

At the end of this quarter, PolkaBiz reviewed over 30 startup applications for the founders' grant for the Web3Foundation, selected 15 promising teams for intensive support, and concluded the program with a high-energy pitch contest judged by industry experts.

Beyond mentorship, PolkaBiz also introduced post-program follow-ups and successfully launched the [Founders Portal](https://app.polkabiz.eu/signup?to=450)  -  a dedicated space for builders to connect, collaborate, and grow together.

To date, over 30 individuals have signed up and created accounts, with several already showcasing their startups on the platform. The goal is simple: create a dynamic hub where founders building on Polkadot can discover synergies and share progress.

<img height="335" width="602" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXffdd6AumYZ4tIA0TO7CQc4MKddeHdXTw0HjFfBOCxrzo6YPTPtD8QJGw2kPy4E35JCMuX3FNbq0ul34wNxsZSgf9fCjDXXQJ6g6Cnups43gf6-ef9tQpi8mnairHH3hbJG9MJbSQ?key=vjcfykHWMOfkrUpGiwqYcw" />

<img height="325" width="602" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXclbLHHK1I2DfRNyCMtameyFLZYowx_RopJ2W1KE_HG19qF1Sqy6hkAgqaSXN9_phr9DNeQkQadhNpZlnKqcb2k1i4w59T8Y3e9W4GnoMvhf2dVfgxNEuqVrjagt-yIs1IEjJnrLQ?key=vjcfykHWMOfkrUpGiwqYcw" />

PolkaBiz plays an essential role in strengthening the Polkadot ecosystem by mentoring founders, guiding startups, and supporting flagship initiatives such as PBA, PBA-X, Web3 Foundation's Founders Grant Program etc.

The results speak for themselves: we consistently receive strong feedback from both partners and the startups we work with. Our team is deeply passionate about driving ecosystem growth and remains committed to this mission.

This proposal seeks retroactive compensation for the significant efforts and outcomes delivered during this period,  recognizing both the operational execution and the direct impact made.

## Work Completed (May–July 2025)

1. **Web3 Foundation Founders Program**
 * Reviewed over **30+ applications** for the invite-only Founders Grant
 * Selected and mentored **15** promising teams
 * Organized a professional **pitch event** with community judges. See snippets of all the pitches here: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL\_8FVl5sQhnffeXoiG7He6KjkCykiQQhK](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_8FVl5sQhnffeXoiG7He6KjkCykiQQhK)&#x20;
2. **Portal Development - now live!**&#x20;
 * Launched the[ **PolkaBiz Founders Portal**](https://app.polkabiz.eu/signup?to=450), an open-access hub where founders connect, learn, and showcase their projects
 * Between May and July, we developed and fine-tuned this. It required significantly more work than anticipated.&#x20;
 * Over **30 registered builders**, with multiple startups already listed
3. **Continued 1:1 Mentorship**
 * Provided **post-program support** to selected teams
 * Helped startups iterate, refine, and prepare for grants and accelerators

All of this, including the administrative efforts to manage startup cohorts and program logistics,  was delivered **without upfront funding**, to prove our impact and create a **long-term value funnel for Polkadot**.

## Requested Budget

In the [original proposal](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1504), we outlined a retroactive compensation model of **$62,000 per quarter**. Based on that structure, this request covers the months of May, June, and July 2025, totaling $62,000 for the work delivered during that period. 

**Here is the full document:** [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D0FfnsJpQwx\_Evap4vwjOI2cQhwzBR7PB57PTFDLijE/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D0FfnsJpQwx_Evap4vwjOI2cQhwzBR7PB57PTFDLijE/edit?usp=sharing)&#x20;

PolkaBiz Retroactive Treasury Request May - July 2025.

- Clarys.AI helps people in Polkadot OpenGov save time and make better decisions.  
- It quickly shows important details about proposals so you don’t have to search manually.  
- It can save over 80% of the time spent on research.  
- The AI is trained only on Polkadot data for accurate, trusted answers.  
- It organizes governance information clearly for easy understanding.  
- Clarys.AI checks proposals for trustworthiness and finds similar ones.  
- It helps voters, curators, and DAOs make smart choices faster.  
- The first version was approved by the Web3 Foundation.

## **Why do we need Clarys.AI?**

Do you find OpenGov overwhelming? Too many proposals to review, too much time spent digging through proposals and bounty submissions, comparing data and often finding proposals that aren’t clearly written or lack accountability?

If you're a bounty curator, DV or active OpenGov participant and this sounds familiar, Clarys.AI is built for you.

We aim to reduce governance fatigue, save you time and help you make informed, confident decisions with less effort.

Full Proposal here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2\_7hop5-3FbCNBOHOfYzzn7ZbRKrXfh/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2_7hop5-3FbCNBOHOfYzzn7ZbRKrXfh/view?usp=sharing "Full Proposal here")

Short deck: [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W\_sX\_sFMIrLkN4Zruhp4IPl2Rkd-6NZW/edit?usp=sharing\&ouid=118149997340957465621\&rtpof=true\&sd=true](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W_sX_sFMIrLkN4Zruhp4IPl2Rkd-6NZW/edit?usp=sharing\&ouid=118149997340957465621\&rtpof=true\&sd=true)

## Key Benefits of using Clarys.AI in Polkadot OpenGov:

* **Instant Access to Critical Proposal Data:** Discover and understand on-chain proposals and off-chain bounty submissions in minutes, no more manual digging or fragmented sources.
* **Achieve Over 80% Time Savings:** Streamline your governance research workflow and reclaim hours, focus on strategy, not information gathering.
* **Trusted Intelligence, Purpose-Built for Polkadot:** Make decisions based on a reliable AI trained exclusively on Polkadot-specific data, your single source of truth for OpenGov.
* **Structured, Actionable Governance Insights:** Receive OpenGov data pre-categorized and organized for clarity, speed and confident decision-making.

## What is Clarys.AI?

[https://clarys.ai/](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/post/Clarys.AI "https://clarys.ai/")[ ](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/post/Clarys.AI "https://clarys.ai/")is an AI assistant that supports governance stakeholders by enhancing **decentralized decision-making** within OpenGov, Polkadot’s pioneering decentralized governance platform. 

In summary, [Clarys.AI:](Clarys.AI:)

* Enhances decentralized decision-making by analyzing both on-chain and off-chain data.
* Where off-chain data is being sourced from Bounty submission processes, discussion posts, AAG discussions and more.
* Clarys.AI aims to improve the quality, transparency and accountability of Polkadot’s governance processes.
* It helps OpenGov **stakeholders** (DOT holders, bounty curators, DVs, DAOs) answer key questions such as:
 * Is a proposal accountable and trustworthy?
 * Are there similar proposals to this one?
 * What proposals exist in a specific category?
 * Are there connections between proposals, e.g., via wallet addresses?

Clarys.AI is built to revolutionize the **governance decision-making process by significantly reducing the time and complexity** involved in **sourcing, structuring and analyzing critical data**, enabling stakeholders to make informed, strategic and **high-impact voting decisions** with unprecedented efficiency.

The first version of Clarys.AI **was successful delivered and approved as an MVP by the Web3 Foundation’s Decentralized Futures program**, you can read the[ intro article here.](https://t.co/BhxNc2pure) 


Full Proposal here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2\_7hop5-3FbCNBOHOfYzzn7ZbRKrXfh/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2_7hop5-3FbCNBOHOfYzzn7ZbRKrXfh/view?usp=sharing "Full Proposal here")

Short deck: [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W\_sX\_sFMIrLkN4Zruhp4IPl2Rkd-6NZW/edit?usp=sharing\&ouid=118149997340957465621\&rtpof=true\&sd=true](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W_sX_sFMIrLkN4Zruhp4IPl2Rkd-6NZW/edit?usp=sharing\&ouid=118149997340957465621\&rtpof=true\&sd=true)

CLARYS.AI Beta Product Development

- **Who:** Subsquid Lab  
- **What:** Helps Polkadot and Kusama with data storage  
- **Why:** Supports important apps and tools  
- **Growth:** More data and workers in Q4 2024  
- **Improvements:** Better indexing and new features  
- **Cost:** $308,704 USDC for services and work  
- **Data Served:** Over 11 TB for Polkadot chains  
- **Workers:** 1,600 nodes storing 900 TB

Summary

**Proponent:** [Subsquid Lab Official](https://polkadot.subscan.io/account/13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE) - 13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE

**Beneficiary:** [Subsquid Lab Official](https://polkadot.subscan.io/account/13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE) - 13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE

**Contact Details:** 

Subsquid Labs GmbH

6300 Zug, Switzerland

[mf@subsquid.io](mailto\:mf@subsquid.io) 

**Short description:** Ongoing development and maintenance costs for public SQD Archives, providing critical data infrastructure for Polkadot and Kusuma and other public Substrate-based chains in Q4 2024.  

**Archive raw data:** [Archive Infrastructure metrics](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Rj_-4KqM2BZ7pHptIBryLZqcOmiQqi7PdFjBLcN25w4/edit?usp=sharing) - October, November, December

**Requested amount:**  **$308,704 USDC**

**Previous proposals:** [https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1526](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1526)


Motivation
==========

**A) Archives** 

SQD Archives are a vital component of the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystem’s data infrastructure, offering scalable access to historical on-chain data for public Substrate-based chains. These archives serve as performant data pipelines for major dApps, APIs, and developer tools, supporting critical ecosystem projects such as:

* Tanssi Network
* Talisman Wallet
* Polimec
* Polkassembly
* Apillon
* Hydration
* Giant Squid API (maintained by LimeChain, see details below)
* SubWallet 
* FiDi
* KodaDot
* RMRK
* ChainSafe (in particular the Multix multi-sig, as well as other projects)
* Phala Network
* Stellaswap
* Polkascan 



By providing free indexing services for the following public chains, SQD lowers barriers for developers and projects building on Substrate, fostering innovation and adoption:



* polkadot
* kusama
* asset-hub-kusama
* asset-hub-polkadot
* bridge-hub-polkadot
* collectives-polkadot
* Westend

Despite transitioning to a fee-based model for private data services to ensure sustainability, SQD remains committed to covering infrastructure costs for public archives, ensuring open access to indexed Substrate Events, Extrinsics, Storage Items, and EVM logs. This commitment aligns with Polkadot’s vision of a decentralized, accessible ecosystem.



**B) Contribution**

During Q4’2024, we made significant contributions to the Polkadot ecosystem: 

* Infrastructure Scaling: Expanding archive capacity to meet growing data demand. 
* Squid SDK Enhancements: Introducing advanced indexing features, including support for new Substrate pallets and improved error-handling mechanisms. 
* Decentralized Network Growth: Increasing SQD Worker Node participation to enhance network resilience. 



# Achievements

**Growth in Archival Data Demand, Network Expansion and Further Decentralization**

In Q4 2024, demand for archival data grew steadily, rising from 11.35 TiB to 11.68 TiB. At the same time, the number of active Worker Nodes in the SQD network increased from 1,139 in October to 1,600 by the end of December—a 40.47% increase. This expansion strengthens the SQD network’s infrastructure, contributing to greater decentralization and resilience across the Polkadot ecosystem.


By the end of 2024, the SQD network had scaled to approximately 1,600 active Worker Nodes, securely storing around 900 TB of data and serving roughly 11 TB daily. This robust, decentralized infrastructure significantly enhances data processing and storage capabilities, delivering improved security, fault tolerance, and scalability for the Polkadot network.



**Squid SDK improvements empowering Polkadot Developers:**

* **Additional unique support for Revive pallet:** Enabling the tracking of contracts deployed to the PolkaVM. 
* **Indexing efficiency upgrades:** Implementation of a novel mechanism to skip and log problematic blocks-those containing invalid or non-decodable data on Substrate based chains, ensuring uninterrupted indexing and improved resilience of the data pipeline. 


# Statistics and data

# <img height="300" width="506" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXda1vvLuOKXie21IM_SFp3-hpyGOgBOpFgnvro0LUpZ_h8cP2mebYkvRF09fLj0nygGv-LKRBQkfQqn_nG8aap9Xtb3HrM3vL15id14SlJ30MGY6S-W_YrkFSvrzO_jEIkMQYjrJg?key=OtINmgDGvVWqK5axEzaXJs4e" />

Over the course of Q4 2024:

* Served a total of **11,668,177,888,249**  (\~10.06 TiB) of data from substrate based chains.
* Served **2,336,249**  archive requests from substrate based archives.
* The highest daily total data transfer recorded for Substrate was **382.57 GiB** within a single 24-hour period (2024-10-05).



## Cost Breakdown

This proposal encompasses the combined costs for running Archives for Polkadot, Kusama, and other public chains, along with the development contributions, amounting to a total of **$308,704 USDC**   [Raw data can be seen here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Rj_-4KqM2BZ7pHptIBryLZqcOmiQqi7PdFjBLcN25w4/edit?gid=466566330#gid=466566330)



The proposal is submitted towards the Polkadot treasury. Here is a summary of the running costs for Archives, in a tabular format:

| Service | Cost | VAT 8.1% | Subtotal |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------- | ----------- | ----------- |
| Compute Engine (GCE) | $92,630.90 | $100,134.00 | $100,134.00 |
| OVHCloud | $28,419.03 | $30,720.97 | $30,720.97 |
| Networking | $2,963.02 | $3,203.02 | $3,203.02 |
| Kubernetes Engine (GKE) | $436.23 | $471.56 | $471.56 |
| Cloud Storage (GCS) | $63.21 | $68.33 | $68.33 |
| Cloud SQL | $396.38 | $428.49 | $428.49 |
| Cloud DNS | $18.01 | $19.47 | $19.47 |
| Cloud Logging | $13,506.84 | $14,600.89 | $14,600.89 |
| Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) | $2.99 | $3.23 | $3.23 |
| Artifact Registry | $336.01 | $363.23 | $363.23 |
| | | | |
| Engineers & Maintenance\* | $144,000.00 | $155,664.00 | $155,664.00 |
| Total | | | $305,677.20 |

Contribution costs:

| Service | Cost / h | Quantity | VAT 8.1% | Subtotal |
| ---------------------------- | -------- | -------- | --------- | --------- |
| Revive pallet support | $100.00 | 16.00 | $1,729.60 | $1,729.60 |
| Indexing efficiency upgrades | $100.00 | 6.00 | $648.60 | $648.60 |
| Product management | $100.00 | 3.00 | $324.30 | $324.30 |
| Project management | $100.00 | 3.00 | $324.30 | $324.30 |
| Total | | | | $3,026.80 |

SQD (fka Subsquid) - Public Data Indexing Infrastructure for Polkadot and Kusama (Q4 2024)

- Polkadot needs legal representation in the U.S. and clearer rules for treasury proposals.  
- This proposal funds research to study Polkadot’s legal status and treasury contracts.  
- It will create a public website (Polkadot.law) to share findings.  
- The budget is $50,000 USDC for research and the website.  
- The project will take six months.  
- The research will help Polkadot and other DAOs with legal clarity.  
- The team includes legal experts and a project manager.  
- Future steps may include more legal tools if the community approves.

Approved

Polkadot.law – Academic Research to Strengthen Polkadot DAO Legitimacy and Global Reach.

- Shortened time from original plan to 6 months  
- Added success goals (KPIs) in milestones  
- Changed payment and team size based on feedback  
- Kept same goals but will start small and grow  
- Asking to vote "no" on current plan  
- New plan coming soon

Rejected

We have reflected on the feedback on this current proposal, and we will put out an updated proposal with the following parts updated:

* **Shortened duration:** We will be requesting 6 months of activities instead.
* **Success metrics/KPIs:** Some members wanted to see an overview of KPIs. This will now be available in the milestones section.
* **Updated compensation:** Some members were concerned about compensation, and others are concerned about the team size. We will make adjustments accordingly.

**Scope:** Some community members were worried that the scope is too big, and others said it's too small.
The scope will remain intact; however, we will take smaller steps and increase them gradually. These will be reflected in the KPIs.

We are putting out a new proposal soon and have pulled out the pre-image on this one. We request you vote nay on this one.

Based on community feedback, pls vote nay

TimedOut

This referendum doesn't have an amount included in it. Pls vote nay.&#x20;

Pls vote nay

- A new app called Pixelproof is being built on Polkadot.  
- It will store photos securely and privately, like Google Photos but decentralized.  
- Users can log in with a wallet and upload photos without needing passwords.  
- The app works on both web and mobile.  
- People can pay for extra storage using regular money (fiat).  
- The budget for the first version is $225,000.  
- The goal is to show how Polkadot can make real apps for everyday people.  
- The team listened to feedback and made the plan simpler and cheaper.

Executed

[Over the past two weeks](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1631), we’ve listened closely to the community, reviewed feedback from delegates and DVs, and re-evaluated our priorities. This updated proposal reflects that input with a **substantially reduced budget and a tighter, clearer scope**.

Our goal remains the same: to build the first flagship consumer-facing dApp on Polkadot, a decentralized alternative to Google Photos that puts user ownership and privacy at its core.

This version focuses exclusively on delivering a **lean, functional MVP**. Core features include decentralized photo storage, embedded wallet authentication, and basic sharing and access controls—everything needed to prove real-world adoption and lay the groundwork for future development.

We’ve also strengthened the technical clarity and business logic, adding a detailed Design Document outlining architecture, budgeting, and delivery milestones.&#x20;

This proposal is a first, concrete step to show what Polkadot-native infrastructure can achieve. We’re excited to help set the stage for the next generation of decentralized apps.

![PixelProof.jpg](https://i.ibb.co/rGW7vXGK/Pixel-Proof.jpg)Apillon, in collaboration with Parity Technologies and R0gue, is proud to submit this proposal for **Pixelproof** - a fully decentralized, production-grade photo storage application built on the Polkadot ecosystem. Our goal is simple yet bold: to create the **first flagship consumer-facing dApp** on Polkadot that rivals mainstream solutions like Google Photos, but with **true user ownership, privacy, and decentralization** at its core.

Despite Polkadot’s maturity in infrastructure and protocol-level innovation, the ecosystem still lacks powerful, user-first applications that resonate beyond crypto-native circles. Pixelproof fills that gap.

Pixelproof is more than a technical showcase - it is a usable, polished, multi-platform application designed for everyday users. It leverages:

* **Decentralized Storage Integration:**
  Users can upload and store photos on IPFS, pinned via Crust Network, with clear ownership and verifiable hashes.
* **Embedded Wallet Authentication:**
  Simple, non-custodial wallet login and account creation for seamless onboarding, avoiding seed phrase complexity.
* **Clean Web Interface:**
  A web application allowing users to sign in, upload, browse, and manage photos.
* **Foundational Mobile Experience:**
  A lightweight mobile app to support uploads and viewing (based on Immich foundations), but without all advanced features.
* **Stripe Integration for Payments:**
  Enabling fiat payments for premium storage or features, with transparent routing of revenue back to the Polkadot Treasury.
* **Documentation & Governance:**
  Clear setup guides, user instructions, and transparent reporting on revenue flows.

This proposal outlines a **MVP Development** with the total requested funding of **$225,000**, covering infrastructure, smart contract development, wallet integration, UX, DevOps, and open-source tooling.

We invite the Polkadot community to review the [full proposal PDF](https://bafybeic3shfujlp3srje5na2be7ow7epjfqml65n6glfoomkwbdmmztyca.ipfs.web3approved.com/?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJjaWQiOiJiYWZ5YmVpYzNzaGZ1amxwM3NyamU1bmEyYmU3b3c3ZXBqZnFtbDY1bjZnbGZvb21rd2JkbW16dHljYSIsInByb2plY3RfdXVpZCI6IjRiZDI1NDZiLTY3MTQtNDU3Ni1hZTAxLWY4NmUxZWE5NjVlNiIsImlhdCI6MTc1MjI5OTg5MSwic3ViIjoiSVBGUy10b2tlbiJ9.IlP5TTTtc2tnBff8p41yQHa0kgDSzjIMXa-s1AUNgHM "full proposal PDF") for an in-depth breakdown of architecture, and the strategic value Pixelproof brings to the ecosystem.

Together, let’s show the world what a real Web3 app can look like.

***

*Backup Google Doc link:*
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qgcyStHirRj2wT-hnzJYKDV0WqDMKuwK39EfdBOnKVU/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ctwwp53pk42](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qgcyStHirRj2wT-hnzJYKDV0WqDMKuwK39EfdBOnKVU/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ctwwp53pk42)

Pixelproof V2 Proposal: Decentralized Photo Storage dApp

UI bugged out and requested DOT instead of USDC

Vote Nay

- A new data structure called Merkle Mountain Belt (MMB) is proposed to improve blockchain efficiency.  
- MMB helps save money (around $1 million per year) for Polkadot users, especially in bridges.  
- It works better than older structures for recent data (1 minute to 1 day old).  
- The team will make a research paper and a Rust library by June 2026.  
- Funding requested: $340,198 upfront, plus extra DOT if savings exceed costs.  
- The team includes experts with Polkadot experience.  
- Changes from the last proposal include lower costs and simpler goals.  
- More details are available in links provided.

> *NEW (24 July):* for a much simpler explanation of MMB than the full proposal, check out Alfonso's blogpost: [https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/Bringing-MMB-to-Polkadot](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/Bringing-MMB-to-Polkadot).
> NEW (31 July): for answers to questions we've received frequently, please see our FAQ: [https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/FAQ](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/FAQ)

## Executive Summary

We propose the Merkle Mountain Belt (MMB) as a novel data structure that improves upon and replaces the Merkle Mountain Range (MMR), such as used in BEEFY. The final deliverables of this proposal are

* a paper preprint on MMB, coauthored with Alistair Stewart (Head of Research at Web3 Foundation), and
* a Rust library implementing MMB.

Once deployed on Polkadot, this library will produce immediate cost savings - [estimated to be in the order of a million USD per year](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Funding-Proposal-V3#Fee-savings) - for users of bridges like Snowbridge and Hyperbridge, as well as other potential applications within the Polkadot/JAM ecosystem. The preprint will be submitted to the arXiv public repository.

### Timeframe

August 2025 - June 2026 for completion of all milestones.

### Requested Funds

1. 340'198 USDC until completion of all milestones, and
2. an additional 42'187 DOT once the savings accrued by the Polkadot/JAM ecosystem exceed the aggregate cost of the proposal.

See the [funding section in the full proposal for details and rationale](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Funding-Proposal-V3#Cost-of-Proposal). All requested funds use the [Swiss National Bank USD/CHF foreign exchange rate](https://www.snb.ch/en/the-snb/mandates-goals/statistics/statistics-pub/current_interest_exchange_rates) and the 30-day EMA of USD/DOT via [Subscan](https://polkadot.subscan.io/tools/price_converter) at the date of submission (10. July 2025).

Preimage content can be verified against [@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Proposal-Preimage](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Proposal-Preimage-V3), most conveniently using [dev.papi.how/extrinsics](https://dev.papi.how/extrinsics).

## Technical description

The Merkle Mountain Belt (MMB) is a novel type of Merkle structure, from the same family as the hash chain and the Merkle Mountain Range (MMR), which are very common in blockchain protocols, e.g., they are used to commit to block headers in Polkadot and Zcash, respectively. In general, these Merkle structures are used to issue a short public commitment that represents a large database, and then provide a compact proof of the existence of a data entry to a verifier.

To oversimplify, we can say that if most user queries are for data from the latest handful of blocks, the most efficient structure (in terms of proof size) would be a chain, while if most queries tend to be for very old data, the most efficient structure would be an MMR. MMB is "the best of both worlds", with a performance always comparable to the better of these two structures for any query recency. Yet MMB *considerably outperforms* both the chain and the MMR for queried data that was generated *between the last minute and the last day*.

In most real-life applications, we naturally observe that users' queries are heavily concentrated over recent events, in the above-mentioned time window (from one minute ago to one day ago). Hence, MMB is specifically designed to reduce the operational and data access costs for them. Examples of use cases in Polkadot include XCMP messages, and the BEEFY commitment to all finalized blocks, which is used in cross-chain bridges. Our [cost savings analysis](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Funding-Proposal-V3#Fee-savings) focuses only on the latter use case.

However, we stress that MMB offers potential benefits to light-client protocols of any application, as most of them observe a recency bias in their user queries. In fact, the use of MMB has recently been [suggested](https://github.com/gavofyork/graypaper/issues/47) for JAM, and since mentioned in the [gray paper](https://graypaper.com/graypaper.pdf) to commit to the set of accumulation outputs.

While MMR maintains a well balanced tree in its structure, MMB keeps a slightly unbalanced tree, so that the leaves that correspond to recently generated data are shallower, closer to the root. In a cross-chain bridge, for example, a user's fees for a message are proportional to the size of the accompanying Merkle proof, and this size in turn depends on the depth of the corresponding leaf in the tree. Hence, shallower leaves means lower fees.

Read more on the [MMB features](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Funding-Proposal-V3#Technical-overview) and [its structure](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Funding-Proposal-V3#The-MMB-data-structure).

## Timeline & Payment details

Our proposal consists of 5 milestones that we anticipate to deliver until June 2026. We will post regular updates of our progress on [https://ogtracker.io/.](https://ogtracker.io/.)

![image](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/B1N5qGpSle.png)

We show in the image our projected delivery dates. We establish a conservative staggered payment schedule, wherein the payment for each milestone is executed a few weeks after its expected delivery. Naturally, this payment schedule can be modified in the future, e.g., in case we do not deliver a milestone before its scheduled payment.

Notice in particular that 30% of the proposal's cost is only to be paid if and when the library's aggregate savings for the ecosystem have exceeded our proposal's cost. We expect this to occur before May 2028; we have scheduled the corresponding payment for a conservative November 2028 which, again, can be rescheduled if needed.

## The team

The members of our team are highly qualified and have worked in Polkadot since pre-mainnet days. Our principal researcher Alfonso Cevallos has a Ph.D. in mathematics and is a co-author of many Polkadot papers, including the [2020 overview paper](https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.13456). Our principal developer Robert Hambrock has been one of the earliest stewards of the Polkadot-Ethereum bridge, going back to its initial W3F grant, design of protocols, and implementation.

More details on ourselves and Cryp GmbH are available [here](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Funding-Proposal-V3#Team).

## Changes against previous referendum attempt

Please see [our recent post](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/post/3269), where we explain in detail what's different in this referendum relative to [our previous attempt](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1317).

In summary, the main changes are:

* the commitment to a success reward was removed, and
* the content was significantly reduced, resulting in a 40% cut in the cost of the proposal (measured in our local currency CHF, slighty smaller cut in USD).

The following milestones were removed:

* the publication of the paper in a top computer science conference,
* an analysis of the integration of MMB to other potential use cases in Polkadot beyond bridges, such as XCMP, UTXO-based projects, and FlyClient,
* adding parameters to taylor the structure (and performance) of MMB to any application with a specific distribution of data queries,
* the implementation of increment proofs, which would allow a verifier to detect dishonest behavior from a full node that maintains the MMB, and trigger a slash, and
* the implementation of the "forward-bagged" variant of MMB.

Such milestones may be added to a follow-up referendum in the future. We highlight, however, that the current referendum will deliver very robust milestones: a publication-worthy preprint that fully describes MMB, and an implementation that will start saving transaction fees as soon as it is deployed.

Full version tracking against the previous  proposal is available [here](https://github.com/Cryp-GmbH/mmb-proposal/compare/final-state-original-referendum...main).

We thank in particular the following people, whose feedback had an important impact on our previous and/or current proposal:

* Alistair Stewart (in particular wrt. trimming scope of the latest proposal),
* Raul Romanutti,
* Saxemberg (preproposal feedback prior to last referendum shared with consent [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t02YUwyuPYNZvk9xd4ouQQu8zrLs6A75/view?usp=sharing)),
* Parity Bridge Team (in particular Adrian Catangiu),
* Snowfork Team (in particular Vincent Geddes and Aidan Musnitzky),
* Hyperbridge Team (in particular Seun Lanlege),
* Oak Security, and
* AAG regulars

***

For more details, we strongly encourage reading [the full proposal](https://hackmd.io/@MerkleMountainBelts/MMB-Funding-Proposal-V3), and reaching out to us with questions/feedback either in comments here or in our Telegram group: [https://t.me/+b-a0VFO1NZVhZDE0](https://t.me/+b-a0VFO1NZVhZDE0).

We also recommend studying our [Sub0 2022 MMB overview talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCwXbD9v3ew).

Thank you for reading and happy voting!

Merkle Mountain Belt (MMB)

- A new plan for the IMCF Rewards Program to engage Inter Miami CF fans using Polkadot.  
- The program will give fans special rewards like meeting players and getting signed items.  
- It costs $250,000 to build and run the program for the 2025 season.  
- Lionel Messi’s huge fan base will help promote Polkadot worldwide.  
- The program is approved by Major League Soccer (MLS).  
- A company called SMT will help make the fan app quickly.  
- The plan is smaller than before based on community feedback.  
- It could lead to more sports teams using Polkadot in the future.

## **Overview**

This is a revised proposal for the IMCF Rewards Program, the official fan engagement platform for Inter Miami CF (IMCF), powered by Polkadot. Following the community’s rejection of Referendum 1575, we have scaled back the initial scope to focus on onboarding users and leveraging the partnership’s assets to deliver unparalleled fan experiences. This proposal requests $250,000 paid in USDC to cover platform licensing, development, activation, and deployment, with IMCF and MLS support reducing the community’s financial burden. 

**Background**

The original referendum ([https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1575](https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1575)) proposed a broader platform, including a predictions market, built with Galactic. The community voted it down, citing concerns over scope and cost. Since November 2024, we have worked with Major League Soccer (MLS) to secure approvals for a blockchain-based fan engagement application. MLS created a new category, “Blockchain Technologies,” recognizing Polkadot’s technological potential beyond finance or crypto. We have now obtained approval to build an application leveraging Polkadot’s blockchain, marking a pivotal moment to act.

We have partnered with Smart Media Technologies (SMT), the industry leader in fan engagement platforms, which has on boarded over 10 million fans for global brands like the Olympics, Manchester City, FIFA, NBA, 49’ers, XGames, Huntington Bank/Live Nation, NY Yankees/NY Life, Visa, and more ([https://www.smartmediatech.io/fan-engagement-solutions](https://www.smartmediatech.io/fan-engagement-solutions)). 

SMT will power the IMCF Rewards Program, ensuring enterprise-grade quality and immediate time-to-value. The SMT fan engagement SaaS platform is a proven turn-key solution that rewards fandom through tokenized rewards and delivers higher ROI for sponsors by enabling Polkadot to easily onboard, engage and reward fans.

## **Revised Scope**

The IMCF Rewards Program will focus on:

* **Onboarding Fans**: Rapid deployment to engage Inter Miami’s global fanbase, leveraging Lionel Messi’s unparalleled reach (third-most-followed person globally).
* **Money-Can’t-Buy Experiences**: Free access to exclusive rewards, such as VIP matchday experiences, player meet-and-greets, and signed merchandise, powered by Polkadot’s blockchain for transparency and security.
* **Scalable Engagement**: A foundation for future features, like fan governance and predictions markets, to be implemented in later phases based on community feedback.

SMT will handle platform development, and IMCF has committed to covering management fees, with additional resource support from the club and MLS, minimizing community costs.

## **Budget**

We request $250,000, allocated as follows:

* **$200,000**: SMT platform licensing and development fees for a fully functional fan engagement app.
* **$50,000**: Activation, user acquisition, and deployment costs to maximize adoption.

This budget covers all upfront costs for the program’s launch and operation through the 2025 season, including IMCF’s playoff run. IMCF retains the option to extend the program into 2026.

## **Strategic Value**

This partnership positions Polkadot as a leader in Web3 fan engagement:

* **Unmatched Exposure**: Messi’s global influence (charges $1-5M per post) amplifies Polkadot’s brand through organic media, training days, and matchday imagery, at no additional cost. Our CPM rates have outperformed.
* **MLS Endorsement**: MLS’s creation of a “Blockchain Technologies” category and approval for this application validate Polkadot’s technological leadership, opening doors to further league partnerships.
* **Scalable Model**: Success with IMCF and SMT, which has onboarded 25 million fans, creates a blueprint for sports clubs, leagues, and entertainment properties to adopt on-chain fan governance and rewards.
* **Ecosystem Synergy**: Polkadot’s ecosystem is thriving—Mythical leads gaming, Hydration dominates DeFi, and Nova secures the wallet space, all funded by the treasury. The IMCF Rewards Program complements these efforts, showcasing Polkadot’s versatility with a high-profile marketing opportunity.

## **Why Now?**

The fan engagement market is shifting to Web3, with clubs and leagues adopting blockchain for governance and rewards. MLS’s approval is a green light to act, and SMT’s expertise ensures delivery. Backed by IMCF’s funding and Messi’s global appeal, this is a low-risk, high-reward chance to showcase Polkadot’s technology. If we delay, another chain will seize this opportunity. The Polkadot ecosystem is ready—gaming, DeFi, and wallets are locked in. Now is the time to leverage the world’s most marketable athlete and a committed club partnership to drive adoption.

## **Risks and Mitigation**

* **Risk**: Community skepticism from the prior referendum’s rejection.
 **Mitigation**: Scaled-back scope, clear budget, and IMCF/MLS support demonstrate fiscal responsibility.
* **Risk**: Adoption challenges.
 **Mitigation**: SMT’s track record (10M+ fans onboarded) and Messi’s appeal ensure engagement. Marketing funds will drive acquisition.
* **Risk**: Future feature creep.
 **Mitigation**: Phased approach prioritizes core functionality, with community input for expansions.

## **Call to Action**

The IMCF Rewards Program is more than an app—it’s a gateway to redefining fan engagement on Polkadot. With MLS approval, SMT’s expertise, IMCF’s support, and Messi’s global reach, we have the partnerships, technology, and vision to lead Web3 innovation. The Polkadot ecosystem is flourishing, and this is our chance to showcase its potential through one of the largest marketing opportunities in sports. Will the community seize this moment, or let another chain claim the future of fan engagement?

Vote to fund the IMCF Rewards Program. Let’s build history together.

As a reminder, the vision for this partnership, which was voted on by the community, has always been to move forward to showcase the technology pending the league's approval of a fan engagement application. That approval has now been secured, Inter Miami CF is engaged and excited about a new way to reach their fans, and we are committed to seeing this initiative through as planned. Watch the original vision here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgArBLSbt3o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgArBLSbt3o)

## **About the SMT Fan Engagement Solution**

The **SMT Fan Engagement Platform** is an enterprise-grade, SaaS-based solution designed to transform passive audiences into deeply engaged fan communities that drive real economic impact. Proven across the world’s most iconic sports brands—including FIFA, NBA, the Olympics, and Manchester City—this platform consistently delivers **10x fan engagement**, setting a new benchmark for how sports organizations activate and monetize their audiences.

### **Enterprise-Grade & Proven at Global Scale**

Trusted by global leaders such as Visa and the International Olympic Committee, SMT’s platform has already **onboarded over 10 million fans**, demonstrating the scale, security, and reliability that top-tier clubs, leagues, and sponsors require. Built to handle the demands of the largest sporting properties, it ensures seamless execution and compliance at every level.

### **Lightning-Fast Deployment**

Unlike fragmented tech stacks that take months to integrate, the SMT platform is built for speed. Clubs and partners like Polkadot can launch a fully branded fan engagement app in **a matter of weeks**. With a **two-click onboarding experience**, fans are immediately immersed—reducing friction and maximizing early adoption.

### **Engaging Fans at Home and In the Stadium**

The platform is engineered to reach fans wherever they are—inside the stadium or across the globe. Its features include:

* **AI-powered discovery feeds** that deliver tailored challenges, content, and experiences, keeping fans coming back day after day.
* **Gamified** quests like AR treasure hunts or having it Polkadot Points in AR with every goal and interactions that build emotional loyalty and deepen the connection.
* A **dynamic marketplace** where fans can redeem their Polkadot Points for **priceless experiences** like VIP matchday access, player meet-and-greets, and exclusive merchandise—turning engagement into unforgettable memories.

### **Purpose-Built for On-Chain and Off-Chain Rewards**

SMT’s flexible architecture supports both **on-chain and off-chain loyalty ecosystems**, making it the perfect bridge between the blockchain-powered Polkadot community and traditional sports fans. Whether rewards are recorded on-chain for transparency or delivered through classic digital mechanisms, fans enjoy a seamless, intuitive experience.

### **From Issuing Points to Driving Profits**

While the immediate focus is on scaling fan engagement through Polkadot Points, this program is also **strategically laying the groundwork for the next phase**: driving **ancillary revenue streams by bringing other IMCF sponsors onto the platform.** This evolution turns the app into a powerful commercial ecosystem—transforming it from a pure cost center into a growth engine that can generate millions in potential profits. A portion of these revenues can flow back to the Polkadot community, helping offset the platform’s costs and demonstrating how on-chain loyalty programs can directly benefit token ecosystems both directly through revenue share and indirectly through token appreciation.

## **Why This Matters for Polkadot and MLS**

By deploying SMT’s proven platform, Polkadot can immediately leverage its investment in the Inter Miami CF sponsorship, driving rapid ROI while showcasing its technology to millions of fans inspired by Lionel Messi’s unmatched global influence. It establishes a scalable model that can extend across the entire MLS and beyond, positioning Polkadot as **the blockchain that powers the future of sports loyalty, engagement, and shared economic upside**.

✅ **In essence:** The SMT Fan Engagement Platform turns passive audiences into active, emotionally connected fan bases—moving from simply handing out loyalty points to generating potential tangible profits that fuel both the club’s ambitions and the broader Polkadot ecosystem.

Interview with CEO Tyler Moebius - Smart Media Technologies - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4\_Vo75apyzc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Vo75apyzc)

Co-Founder Reeve Collins - Smart Media Technologies - [https://reevecollins.com/](https://reevecollins.com/)

Rewards Program Powered by Polkadot

Please VOTE NAY

We’ve withdrawn this proposal to implement key upgrades.

- **Project**: UX Bounty for Polkadot  
- **Goal**: Improve user and developer experience  
- **Achievements**:  
  - Did 5 UX audits with 170+ suggestions  
  - 95% satisfaction from teams  
  - Upgraded 5 rollups  
- **Plans**:  
  - More UX audits (8 teams)  
  - New programs for data and help  
- **Budget**: $228,000 total  
- **Why Important**: Better UX = more people use Polkadot!

UX Bounty - Q3 2025 Refill Proposal

- Subsquid Lab is asking for $308,704 to keep their public data archives running.  
- These archives help Polkadot, Kusama, and other blockchain projects.  
- Many apps and tools use Subsquid’s free data services.  
- In late 2024, they grew their network to 1,600 worker nodes.  
- They improved their software to handle tricky blockchain data better.  
- The money covers cloud costs, engineers, and new features.  
- They shared detailed spending plans in a table.  
- This keeps important blockchain data free for developers.

Summary

**Proponent:** [Subsquid Lab Official](https://polkadot.subscan.io/account/13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE) - 13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE

**Beneficiary:** [Subsquid Lab Official](https://polkadot.subscan.io/account/13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE) - 13bfKSQXoBn3AMLtZaW6BKv797fqZzsD3PYF6xpJDir3tdoE

**Contact Details:** 

Subsquid Labs GmbH

6300 Zug, Switzerland

[mf@subsquid.io](mailto\:mf@subsquid.io) 

**Short description:** Ongoing development and maintenance costs for public SQD Archives, providing critical data infrastructure for Polkadot and Kusuma and other public Substrate-based chains in Q4 2024.  

**Archive raw data:** [Archive Infrastructure metrics](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Rj_-4KqM2BZ7pHptIBryLZqcOmiQqi7PdFjBLcN25w4/edit?usp=sharing) - October, November, December

**Requested amount:**  **$308,704**

**Previous proposals:** [https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1526](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1526)

# Motivation

**A) Archives** 

SQD Archives are a vital component of the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystem’s data infrastructure, offering scalable access to historical on-chain data for public Substrate-based chains. These archives serve as performant data pipelines for major dApps, APIs, and developer tools, supporting critical ecosystem projects such as:

* Tanssi Network
* Talisman Wallet
* Polimec
* Polkassembly
* Apillon
* Hydration
* Giant Squid API (maintained by LimeChain, see details below)
* SubWallet 
* FiDi
* KodaDot
* RMRK
* ChainSafe (in particular the Multix multi-sig, as well as other projects)
* Phala Network
* Stellaswap
* Polkascan 

By providing free indexing services for the following public chains, SQD lowers barriers for developers and projects building on Substrate, fostering innovation and adoption:

* polkadot
* kusama
* asset-hub-kusama
* asset-hub-polkadot
* bridge-hub-polkadot
* collectives-polkadot
* Westend

Despite transitioning to a fee-based model for private data services to ensure sustainability, SQD remains committed to covering infrastructure costs for public archives, ensuring open access to indexed Substrate Events, Extrinsics, Storage Items, and EVM logs. This commitment aligns with Polkadot’s vision of a decentralized, accessible ecosystem.

**B) Contribution**

During Q4’2024, we made significant contributions to the Polkadot ecosystem: 

* Infrastructure Scaling: Expanding archive capacity to meet growing data demand. 
* Squid SDK Enhancements: Introducing advanced indexing features, including support for new Substrate pallets and improved error-handling mechanisms. 
* Decentralized Network Growth: Increasing SQD Worker Node participation to enhance network resilience. 

# Achievements

**Growth in Archival Data Demand, Network Expansion and Further Decentralization**

In Q4 2024, demand for archival data grew steadily, rising from 11.35 TiB to 11.68 TiB. At the same time, the number of active Worker Nodes in the SQD network increased from 1,139 in October to 1,600 by the end of December—a 40.47% increase. This expansion strengthens the SQD network’s infrastructure, contributing to greater decentralization and resilience across the Polkadot ecosystem.

By the end of 2024, the SQD network had scaled to approximately 1,600 active Worker Nodes, securely storing around 900 TB of data and serving roughly 11 TB daily. This robust, decentralized infrastructure significantly enhances data processing and storage capabilities, delivering improved security, fault tolerance, and scalability for the Polkadot network.

**Squid SDK improvements empowering Polkadot Developers:**

* **Additional unique support for Revive pallet:** Enabling the tracking of contracts deployed to the PolkaVM. 
* **Indexing efficiency upgrades:** Implementation of a novel mechanism to skip and log problematic blocks-those containing invalid or non-decodable data on Substrate based chains, ensuring uninterrupted indexing and improved resilience of the data pipeline. 

# Statistics and data

<img height="300" width="506" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfR5GffoKYtzjPZmyabzbBFfF6vck2Zideo3kZDzv8q0VGBM1Qzd4-ptg_fnfD_t_pGOe6GJqgcfqy3SVBchT4R5P7BbrzFGdGva37uR7ZG3-4dhgjM5upRmW4XGrj7spG9Eia9zw?key=OtINmgDGvVWqK5axEzaXJs4e" />

Over the course of Q4 2024:

* Served a total of **11,668,177,888,249**  (\~10.06 TiB) of data from substrate based chains.
* Served **2,336,249**  archive requests from substrate based archives.
* The highest daily total data transfer recorded for Substrate was **382.57 GiB** within a single 24-hour period (2024-10-05).

## Cost Breakdown

This proposal encompasses the combined costs for running Archives for Polkadot, Kusama, and other public chains, along with the development contributions, amounting to a total of **$308,704**  [Raw data can be seen here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Rj_-4KqM2BZ7pHptIBryLZqcOmiQqi7PdFjBLcN25w4/edit?gid=466566330#gid=466566330)

The proposal is submitted towards the Polkadot treasury. Here is a summary of the running costs for Archives, in a tabular format:

| Service | Cost | VAT 8.1% | Subtotal |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------- | ----------- | ----------- |
| Compute Engine (GCE) | $92,630.90 | $100,134.00 | $100,134.00 |
| OVHCloud | $28,419.03 | $30,720.97 | $30,720.97 |
| Networking | $2,963.02 | $3,203.02 | $3,203.02 |
| Kubernetes Engine (GKE) | $436.23 | $471.56 | $471.56 |
| Cloud Storage (GCS) | $63.21 | $68.33 | $68.33 |
| Cloud SQL | $396.38 | $428.49 | $428.49 |
| Cloud DNS | $18.01 | $19.47 | $19.47 |
| Cloud Logging | $13,506.84 | $14,600.89 | $14,600.89 |
| Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) | $2.99 | $3.23 | $3.23 |
| Artifact Registry | $336.01 | $363.23 | $363.23 |
| | | | |
| Engineers & Maintenance\* | $144,000.00 | $155,664.00 | $155,664.00 |
| Total | | | $305,677.20 |

Contribution costs: 

| Service | Cost / h | Quantity | VAT 8.1% | Subtotal |
| ---------------------------- | -------- | -------- | --------- | --------- |
| Revive pallet support | $100.00 | 16.00 | $1,729.60 | $1,729.60 |
| Indexing efficiency upgrades | $100.00 | 6.00 | $648.60 | $648.60 |
| Product management | $100.00 | 3.00 | $324.30 | $324.30 |
| Project management | $100.00 | 3.00 | $324.30 | $324.30 |
| Total | | | | $3,026.80 |

SQD (fka Subsquid) - Please see correct proposal here = https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1668?created=true

- Polkadot needs more money (42,316.54 DOT) to pay collators.  
- Collators help keep the network safe and working well.  
- This money will help them do their job better.  
- Past votes gave money to collators in 2023 and 2024.  
- The full plan is in a Google Doc.  
- The money goes to a special DOT address.  
- Collators are very important for Polkadot.

Polkadot System Parachains Collator Bounty #32  Top-Up Proposal - July/2025

- Polkadot's BD Hub is a new platform to help teams work better together.  
- It will give everyone the same tools and information to grow Polkadot.  
- The Hub includes a helpdesk, guides, and ways to track progress.  
- Many people in the community support this idea.  
- It costs $255,150 and will take 9 months to build.  
- The goal is to make Polkadot stronger and easier to use for businesses.  
- The team will share updates and ask for feedback along the way.

![image](https://i.ibb.co/yn7Xr4kP/proposal-mockup.png)

### **0. Abstract**

***

Polkadot’s BD efforts have lacked shared strategy, coordination, and tools. The current [Polkadot Sales Hub](https://polkadot.lovable.app/), launched through [OpenGov proposal #1090](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1090), **started fixing that**. The **feedback** has been incredibly **positive**, both from those using it, and from those overseeing [governance and proposals](https://x.com/og_tracker/status/1917270478407819277).

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](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UKQqDTzccBzpTtBBK-6Ti_wpKfST9X0bGOLmLTb_d30/edit?tab=t.0), which we’ll continue to update regularly.

Natalie & Jashar | [So So Scaled!](https://sososcaled.com/)

&#xA;
### **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](https://polkadot.lovable.app/) 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](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OjYhXxmngUPpgD49Ei955G5TQZD825gpzvlc6yXmfyc/edit?slide=id.g30d699d0039_0_238#slide=id.g30d699d0039_0_238) 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](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/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.&#x20;

### **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:

1. **Hub Infrastructure - Development & Maintenance**: the platform that ties it all together
2. **Internal Helpdesk System**: support and coordination for BD agents
3. **CRM System**: optional, for ecosystem-wide lead tracking and to minimize parallel outreach
4. **Sales Enablement & GTM Toolkit**: playbooks, decks, campaigns, product one-pagers
5. **Segment & Regional GTM Strategies**: tailored strategies where it matters most
6. **Competitor Intelligence**: insights to position Polkadot against other ecosystems
7. **BD Education & Content**: explainers, articles, talks, onboarding content
8. **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&#xA;- Content engagement (clicks, time on page)&#xA;- Ecosystem Satisfaction Score (NPS + feedback) |
| A **Helpdesk system** to better support BD contributors | - # tickets and queries&#xA;- Avg. response time&#xA;- Time saved by BD agents (survey-based)&#xA;- Ecosystem Satisfaction Score (NPS + feedback) |
| A full Enterprise **GTM Toolkit** (incl. pitch decks, playbooks, conference toolkit, a channel strategy) | - # leads generated and lead quality&#xA;- # contacts from events (forms)&#xA;- UTM traffic from keynotes&#xA;- # follow-up meetings & newsletter signups&#xA;- 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&#xA;- CTR on CTAs, # qualified leads&#xA;- Organic traffic volume / # campaigns or teams linking to page&#xA;- Top 5 search ranking for key terms |
| Expansion of the **proof point and case study libraries** | - Time-to-close and win rate&#xA;- # new case studies shared&#xA;- % BD agents using latest materials |
| A **competitor benchmarking methodology** and first round of insights | - Time-to-close and win rate&#xA;- # updates to decks or messaging&#xA;- % BD agents using insights |
| **Explainer videos** to help the community use and adopt all of the above | - # views, avg. watch time&#xA;- Time saved by BD agents (survey-based)&#xA;- 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](https://polkadot.lovable.app/) 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](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aTeYO_y-cHkpR-kOQoXdK02k1AQ0p8T6XYrZhwr28eo/edit?gid=1864883583#gid=1864883583). 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!](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aTeYO_y-cHkpR-kOQoXdK02k1AQ0p8T6XYrZhwr28eo/edit?gid=727406279#gid=727406279)

The BD Hub: Enabling Business Development Across Polkadot 

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