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

medium_spender

beneficiary

- Politecnico di Milano is a top university in Italy and Europe for engineering and technology.  
- Their Blockchain & Web3 Observatory helps businesses, governments, and researchers work together on blockchain technology.  
- The partnership will help Polkadot connect with important groups like regulators, companies, and developers.  
- The Observatory organizes events, writes reports, and shares research to promote blockchain adoption.  
- Polkadot Italia is a team working to grow Polkadot’s presence in Italy through education and events.  
- The budget covers sponsorship fees and team coordination but not travel or event costs.  
- The goal is to make Polkadot more visible and trusted in Europe’s Web3 ecosystem.

Confirming

We are happy to propose a strategic partnership with[ Politecnico di Milano](https://www.polimi.it/en)’s Blockchain & Web3 Observatory for 2025 to lead blockchain research, institutional engagement, and strategic growth across Europe in 2025.

**The intended audience is Web3 companies and institutional stakeholders — not students.**

According to the prestigious QS 2025 ranking, the Politecnico di Milano is the 1st University of Italy and the 21st in the world for Engineering and Technology ([Politecnico's figures](https://www.polimi.it/en/the-politecnico/our-figures)).

Its[ Blockchain & Web3 Observatory](https://www.web3.polimi.it/) was established in 2017, and has become a pivotal force in the European Web3 landscape. Hosted within Politecnico di Milano, it plays a leading role in promoting blockchain adoption, advancing research, and facilitating collaboration between academia, institutions, and industry.

As blockchain technology matures, institutional involvement and structured research are essential to enable widespread and sustainable adoption.

The **Blockchain & Web3 Observatory** is a leading European hub for:

* **Enterprise and institutional engagement** across multiple sectors
* **Academic research** on blockchain adoption, governance, and regulation
* **Workshops, conferences, and policy advisory** at national and international levels
* **Experimentation and innovation**, through its **Web3 Innovation Hub**, fostering collaboration between academia, startups, and enterprises

Read full proposal:[ https://docs.google.com/document/d/18tZb10CiWGuQ349h7eOWdcc0x35HK1WVtiyMdRfRgsQ/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18tZb10CiWGuQ349h7eOWdcc0x35HK1WVtiyMdRfRgsQ/edit?usp=sharing)



***

## **Target Audience of the Proposal**

This strategic partnership is designed exclusively for **institutional and professional stakeholders**, including:

* **Regulators and public institutions** (e.g., central banks, EU agencies, ministries)
* **Private enterprises and Web3 startups** working in DeFi, tokenization, supply chain, gaming, and more
* **Venture capital firms and investment funds** exploring high-potential blockchain projects
* **Developers and Web3 builders**, such as DAO contributors and open-source infrastructure teams

***

## **Tangible exposure this partnership brings**

The Blockchain & Web3 Observatory at Politecnico di Milano has a proven track record of generating meaningful exposure across both mainstream and specialized channels. Since its inception, it has published:

* +400 articles in prominent outlets such as Il Sole 24 ORE, La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, CoinDesk, and Cointelegraph.
* Active digital presence with +2 million views on LinkedIn through research updates and event announcements.
* Access to the contact database, enabling us to carry out targeted activities filtered by sector (such as banking, corporate, and software companies).
* Research findings and case studies are presented at high-profile events including conferences at the:
 * European Parliament,
 * OECD in Paris, and
 * UCL in London.

These activities collectively contribute to significant visibility within the Web3 ecosystem, as well as among institutions, enterprises, and regulators

***

## **Success stories that highlight the Observatory’s role and impact**

* Collaborated with institutions such as the Bank of Italy, CONSOB, EU Commission, OECD, and the Italian Ministry of Economic Development
* Contributed to the ECB’s Digital Euro Visionary Call by promoting programmable payment use cases
* Participated in Milan Hub projects on DAO-based fund management and multi-actor stablecoins under the MiCAR framework
* Delivered expert testimony to the Italian Parliament on topics including the national blockchain strategy and the 2024 budget law
* Organized international events in London, Paris, and Brussels
* Taken part in EU-level working groups such as INATBA and the EU Blockchain Forum
* Achieved recognition by CoinDesk as one of the world’s top blockchain universities (1st in the EU)

These examples demonstrate the Observatory’s relevance in both shaping public discourse and influencing institutional adoption across Europe.

***

## **Key Benefits for Polkadot**

**Institutional Positioning in Europe**

* Direct access to regulators and policymakers via Observatory channels
* Active participation in high-impact research and whitepapers on governance, interoperability, and digital asset regulation**Enterprise Adoption & Exposure**
* Visibility for Polkadot-based solutions through case studies and event presentations
* Engagement with leading enterprises looking for scalable and compliant blockchain technology

**Developer and Ecosystem Growth**

* Technical workshops on parachains, governance models, smart contracts, and rollups
* Integration into Web3 Innovation Hub programs for startups and entrepreneurs**Strategic Branding & Visibility**
* Featured presence in Observatory reports, events, and academic publications
* Media exposure through leading blockchain and fintech outlets

**Academic Collaboration & Credibility**

* Co-authorship of at least **10 academic papers** and **3 strategic policy reports**
* Engagement with a network of **50+ experts**, including academics, regulators, and architects shaping the Web3 landscape

***

## **Events, Workshops and cost breakdowns**

Workshops organized by the Observatory are:

* closed-door workshops,
* public conferences, and
* institutional roundtables

reserved for partners and sponsors. Each session typically includes:

* Research presentations by Observatory staff
* Roundtables on current market and regulatory topics
* Guest speakers from industry, academia, and institutions

These serve as a platform for early access to research findings, knowledge sharing, foster collaboration, provide market insights, and strengthen ties between Web3 stakeholders in a pre-competitive and professionally moderated setting.

Each event will cover different Web3 topics, offering a valuable chance to connect and invite various Polkadot initiatives and projects to participate to this events.

For this reason, to ensure the highest level of budget transparency and operational flexibility, all costs related to the events participation—including travel, accommodation, contributor compensation, and on-site management—will be handled separately through event-specific bounty proposals.
This modular approach allows precise budgeting and gives us and the community the ability to optimize costs and the effectiveness of the partnership. We would like to involve as many Polkadot initiative and projects as possible. on a case-by-case basis. It also ensures that funds are allocated only when activities are confirmed and clearly scoped.

***

## **Budget**

The Politecnico is a public institution and requires a legally recognized entity to handle the payment of the sponsorship fee. For this reason, we will utilize the Polkadot Community Foundation (PCF) to execute this payment. We did use the exchange rate 1€ = \~$1,171 on June 26th.

The PCF's funding proposal **does not cover:**

* The operational management of individual initiatives
* Banking transfer fees and financial handling
* Documentation review and due diligence for each project
* Any legal expenses specific to this partnership or similar activities

In our case, PCF will **formalize its agreement** with the Blockchain & Web3 Observatory of Politecnico di Milano by **signing a contract** and process the **sponsorship fee as a single payment** for the amount specified in the contract.
&#x20;Cost #2 will cover any additional fees like legal expenses, compliance fees, and administration costs associated with PCF's involvement. **Any unspent funds from the PCF will be returned to the Polkadot treasury directly by the PCF**, in accordance with our commitment to transparency and accountability.

An one time coordination fee of 16,000€ gross (it includes +26% Italian taxes) has been included for the Polkadot Italia team, which will serve as the liaison between the Observatory, W3F, the Polkadot ecosystem, and any institutional or private partners for the whole initiative (8 months, till last conference in Q1 2026).
This amount was calculated by estimating the time required for planning calls, follow-ups, documentation, and ongoing information exchange. The total reflects the anticipated workload needed to manage the relationship effectively and ensure the smooth delivery of all project components.
This budget does not cover event participation or travel costs those are handled through separate bounties, as noted earlier. Each will cover different Web3 topics, offering a valuable chance to connect and invite various Polkadot initiatives and projects to participate to this events.

***

**Who We Are**

Polkadot Italia is a team of four members—Michele ([TheWhiteRabbit](https://x.com/thewhiterabbitM)), Remo ([Anamix](https://x.com/Anamix2000)), Patrizia ([PatriziaM4W](https://x.com/PatriziaM4W)), Damiano ([Yamne](https://x.com/era_italia)). 

We are Polkadot enthusiasts, ambassadors, and validators dedicated to growing the Polkadot ecosystem in Italy since the begging of 2025. We are trying to achieve this through a long-term strategy focused on creating an Italian Hub which will represent a coordinated environment in providing essential updates, news and other content and assisting the Italian community through community management, consulting, support and moderation (on our social media channels, X, Telegram and YouTube), creating and sharing useful content, providing awareness of the governance process and OpenGov proposals, fostering discussion and active participation, organizing local events and participations, and initiating collaborations with educational institutions and within the ecosystem.

Our social media channels:

X ([https://x.com/PolkadotItalia](https://x.com/PolkadotItalia))

Telegram ([https://t.me/polkadot\_italia\_community](https://t.me/polkadot_italia_community))

YouTube ([https://youtube.com/@Polkadot\_Italia](https://youtube.com/@Polkadot_Italia))

Polkadot Community Foundation - Politecnico di Milano, Blockchain & Web3 Observatory 2025 Partnership

- 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.

Deciding

## **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

- 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.

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

- Polkadot Africa helps people learn and build in Africa.  
- They had 45+ events and met 3,000+ people in 6 months.  
- 20+ people joined PBAx, and 3 got accepted to PBA Bali.  
- Their online community has 1,000+ active members.  
- They want to grow more by teaching and supporting builders.  
- Africa is a great place for Polkadot to grow.  
- They need funding to keep helping people.  
- You can learn more on their [website](https://www.polkadot.africa/).

**Short description:** 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 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 3 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 actively contributing to the Polkadot SDK.
* Grown our online community to 1,000+ active members.
* Steadily streamlining resources for the community through our [website](https://www.polkadot.africa/).
* [Read more about our milestones and achievements here](https://polkadotafrica.notion.site/Previous-milestones-and-achievements-202a1d1b91a6808ea9c7e858c86feac3?pvs=73 "Read more about our milestones and achievements here")

This proposal seeks **1 year** of funding to expand on that momentum, shifting from **activation** to retention, education, developer community growth and builder support.

**Context for this proposal**

Africa presents a unique opportunity for Polkadot. Real-life events have unlocked trust and accelerated onboarding. However, sustained growth requires deeper support for builders, more accessible learning paths, and localised resources. The next step is to foster a collaborative strategy towards onboarding developers, pushing brand awareness, and streamlined first-class support for builders to build use cases on the network that apply to Polkadot and Africa.

[Read more details. ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/19LsZLicsKJiTjyY8YM6YqzSO13FKKc5sEYjsvLBw_4U/edit?usp=sharing)

Have questions? You can reach out to us: [team@polkadot.africa](mailto\:team@polkadot.africa)

Treasury Proposal: Polkadot Africa Builder and community growth (West and East Africa regions, other regions)

- 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.

[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

- **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)

- A new data structure called Merkle Mountain Belt (MMB) is proposed  
- MMB improves upon existing Merkle Mountain Range (MMR) used in blockchain  
- Will save money (estimated $1 million/year) for Polkadot bridge users  
- Team plans to make a research paper and Rust code library  
- Work will happen from August 2025 to June 2026  
- Asking for $340,198 USDC plus 42,187 DOT later if successful  
- MMB works better for recent data (1 minute to 1 day old)  
- Team has Polkadot experience since before mainnet launch

## 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 Acatangiu),
* 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

- **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

- 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 

- **devGround Phase 2** improves tools for Polkadot developers.  
- **New features**:  
  - Share coding sessions in real time.  
  - Send code snippets via QR codes or links.  
  - Better block explorer with more data.  
- **Easier to use**: smoother navigation and debugging.  
- **Helps developers** work faster and learn quicker.  
- **Cost**: 172,210 USDC for 4 milestones.  
- **Feedback** is welcome to make it better.

With [Referendum #783](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/783), LimeChain began the development of the devGround platform, focused on the implementation of new developer tools using the Polkadot-API (PAPI). It offers a suite of tools designed to help developers streamline development and debugging, enabling rapid prototyping and exploration of on-chain information seamlessly across the entire Polkadot ecosystem in a more intuitive way. Since then, we have delivered on the treasury proposal, gathered feedback, and published a detailed progress report, available [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o4COqY5yQnOkC7kmR90Opjpoi0TZAze4DnnvXH7gXGk/edit?tab=t.0).

In Phase 2, we aim to enhance the developer experience on Polkadot further. The full proposal document for devGround Phase 2 can be found in the Google Docs document [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hQ3M4tx7jiNyG3NdurW-IgUUmJJoLuB92GMb5eoWqcA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.v6is2ta0txr1).

**TL;DR**

In Phase 2 of devGround, we are turning the JavaScript IDE into a collaborative, shareable coding environment, improving the explorer with deeper on-chain insights, and adding utility pages tailored to real developer workflows. Our focus is on saving developer time, reducing context switching, and making devGround a daily-use tool across Substrate-based chains.

1. **Console Session Sharing**: Enabling developers to share their IDE sessions with collaborators in real time - ideal for pair programming, mentorship, or even solving interview-style challenges together.
2. **Console Snippet Sharing:** Developers will be able to share executable code snippets through a QR code or URL. This removes the friction of copying code, setting up environments, or installing packages - just scan, click, and run.
3. **More On-chain Data:** We’re upgrading the block explorer to deliver deeper insights. Planned improvements include:
   * Historical block data in order to access data that’s only available from archive nodes.
   * Detailed account views: extrinsics, transfers, and balances.
   * Search by Extrinsics and Events to enhance the search capabilities of the explorer.
   * State traces and logs to improve debugging and analysis.
4. **Improved UX and Feature Interoperability:** We aim to significantly reduce friction across the app. This includes:
   * Streamlining navigation between features
   * Improving state persistence across tabs
   * Designing flows based on real-world developer use cases
     1. Debugging State Trie storage values while working on an alternative Polkadot Host implementation.
     2. Exploring on-chain data while working on a data indexer tooling (Subsquid)
5. **More Developer Tools:** We’re adding new tooling pages and improving the existing ones to increase the number and quality of utilities devGround provides.

**Ecosystem Benefits:**

By enhancing devGround into a unified, practical hub for runtime, dApp, and parachain developers, we reduce tool fragmentation and shorten the learning curve across parachains. This makes it easier for newcomers to onboard, for teams to collaborate, and for experienced builders to move faster; ultimately helping the entire Polkadot ecosystem scale more efficiently and attract more developers.

The total treasury request for this proposal is ***172,210 USDC***, distributed across 4 milestones.

Any additional feedback or ideas for the enhancement of the devGround platform are greatly appreciated and welcome.

devGround Phase 2

- **ParaSpell** is a set of tools for Polkadot that helps projects work across different blockchains.  
- It includes **XCM SDK**, **XCM API**, **XCM Router**, **XCM Analyser**, and **XCM Visualizator**.  
- The tools make it easy to send assets, decode messages, and see blockchain connections in 3D.  
- The team has won awards and published research about Polkadot.  
- They are asking for funding to keep improving the tools for 12 months.  
- The tools are free and open-source for everyone to use.  
- The team helps other developers and fixes problems quickly.  
- You can try the tools on their website without coding.

ParaSpell✨ XCM Tools - 12 Months of Maintenance and Server cost coverage

- A team wants $75,000 to make Polkadot easier for developers  
- Their tool helps new developers learn quickly  
- It works with existing Polkadot tools  
- They already built two parts successfully  
- The money will pay for more features and ads  
- Goal: Help 500+ developers in 6 months  
- Team has experience with Polkadot and coding  
- They promise to keep the main tool free

**Treasury OpenGov Proposal - Medium Spender Track**

***

## 📋 Executive Summary

**Project:** Interactive PAPI Console - Developer Experience Platform
**Team:** aipop.fun (Fred - @codingsh | GitHub: @developerfred)
**Requested Amount:** **$75,000 USD** (≈ 21.92K DOT)
**Track:** Medium Spender
**Duration:** 10 weeks
**Immediate Payment:** $15,000 (marketing + infrastructure)

**Platform:** [https://papi-simulator.aipop.fun](https://papi-simulator.aipop.fun)
**Code:** [https://github.com/developerfred/papi-simulator](https://github.com/developerfred/papi-simulator)

***

## The Real Problem

**Facts:**

* **73% of developers** cite setup complexity as the main barrier
* **Average onboarding time:** 4-8 weeks vs 2-4 hours in other ecosystems

**Polkadot Hub arrives Q3 2025.** Ethereum developers need to migrate. **Where are the tools?**

***

## Our Solution (Already Working)

### **PAPI Simulator vs Existing Tools**

|               | **PAPI Simulator**       | Substrate Playground | Polkadot-JS         |
| ------------- | ------------------------ | -------------------- | ------------------- |
| **Focus**     | Visual UX for PAPI       | Substrate learning   | Advanced tooling    |
| **Target**    | Web2→Web3 migration      | Substrate learners   | Expert users        |
| **Approach**  | Complementary + UI layer | Educational focus    | Technical interface |
| **Templates** | ✅ Community library      | ❌ Basic examples     | ❌ None              |

**Positioning:** We build on top of existing tools, we don't compete.

### **Track Record: 2 Fast Grants Delivered**

* **✅ Milestone 1:** [Delivered](https://github.com/Polkadot-Fast-Grants/delivery/blob/master/deliveries/papi-simulator-milestone-one.md)
* **✅ Milestone 2:** [Delivered](https://github.com/Polkadot-Fast-Grants/delivery/blob/master/deliveries/papi-simulator-milestone-two.md)

**Result:** Platform online, active users, positive feedback.

***

## 🛠 What We'll Build (10 weeks)

### **Milestone 0: PAPI Launch & Growth Acceleration ($15,000)**

**Why immediate payment?** Polkadot Hub Q3 2025 = critical marketing window.

* **Targeted Marketing:** $9,000 for developer acquisition
* **Premium Infrastructure:** $3,000 to scale platform
* **Development:** $3,000 to accelerate features

### **Milestone 1: PAPI Simulator 2.0 - Hub Integration (4 weeks - $24,000)**

* **EVM Templates:** For Ethereum→Polkadot Hub migration
* **PolkaVM Support:** Next-generation architecture
* **Visual XCM Builder:** Simple cross-chain development
* **Hot Reload:** Development with instant feedback

### **Milestone 2: PAPI Simulator Pro - Production Toolchain (3 weeks - $18,000)**

* **Universal Export:** Next.js, Vite, Create React App
* **Component Library:** Reusable NPM package
* **Performance Tools:** Automatic bundle optimization
* **Enterprise Ready:** Cross-browser testing, CI/CD

### **Milestone 3: PAPI Ecosystem - Community & Growth (3 weeks - $18,000)**

* **"Zero to Hero" Course:** Web2 devs → Polkadot pros
* **Parachain Templates:** Acala, Moonbeam, Astar specific
* **Community Platform:** Showcase + peer review
* **Growth Analytics:** Ecosystem impact dashboard

***

## 💰 Efficient & Complementary Budget

**Ecosystem Investment:**

* **Polkadot-API:** $327,000 (fundamental infrastructure - excellent!)
* **PAPI Simulator:** $75,000 (developer experience layer)
* **Synergy:** We use Polkadot-API as base, add UX/UI

**Our proposal complements existing investments:**

* **Polkadot-API:** Robust library ✅
* **PAPI Simulator:** Visual interface that makes it accessible ✅
* **Result:** Developers use both = greater adoption

**Allocation:**

* **Development:** $48,000 (64%)
* **Marketing:** $23,000 (30.7%)
* **Infrastructure:** $4,000 (5.3%)

**Treasury ROI:** Complementary tools maximize impact of previous investments.

***

## 📊 Why Approve Now?

### **Perfect Timing**

* **Polkadot Hub Q3 2025:** Ethereum migration needs tools
* **JAM Upgrade:** Preparation for new architecture
* **Competition:** Other ecosystems investing heavily in DX

### **Proven Track Record**

* **100% delivery rate** Fast Grants
* **Working platform:** [https://papi-simulator.aipop.fun](https://papi-simulator.aipop.fun)
* **Community feedback:** Positive in testing

### **Unique Opportunity**

* **Zero setup time:** Developers start in minutes, not hours
* **Production ready:** Direct export for deployment
* **Community driven:** Templates shared between devs
* **Visual tools:** Visual XCM, easy to use

***

## 👥 Team & Execution

### **Fred (@developerfred)**

* **8+ years React/TypeScript**
* **4+ years Polkadot ecosystem**
* **Track record:** 2/2 Fast Grants delivered

### **Contractor Network Strategy**

* **Senior React Dev:** Full-time with Polkadot-API experience
* **DevOps Specialist:** Infrastructure and CI/CD
* **UX/UI Designer:** Interface and experience
* **Technical Writer:** Docs and tutorials

**Quality:** Code reviews, community testing, security audits.

***

## Growth Strategy

### **Partnerships & Validation**

**Fast Grants Curators (Already Supporting PAPI Simulator):**

* **Otar Shakarishvili:** Project Advisor and Governance Specialist at JUST Open Source, ex-Parity Project Manager
* **Sacha Lansky:** Developer Relations at WebZero, ex-Parity Engineering
* **Phil Kwok:** Co-Founder of EasyA and the EasyA x Polkadot University

**Future Strategic Partnerships:**

* **Universities:** Curriculum integration
* **Hackathons:** Tooling for Polkadot events

### **Content & Events**

* **Weekly tutorials:** YouTube + live coding
* **Conference presence:** Sub0, Decoded, meetups
* **Developer workshops:** Hands-on sessions
* **Community challenges:** Template competitions

***

## 🎯 Success Metrics

**6 months:**

* **500+ Active Developers** using monthly
* **100+ Templates** in community library
* **50+ Production Apps** deployed via console
* **10+ Parachain Integrations** specific

**Impact:**

* **Onboarding time:** 4-8 weeks → 2-4 hours
* **Developer satisfaction:** Polkadot as preferred blockchain for development
* **Ecosystem growth:** More DApps, more users, more engagement

***

## 🔄 Sustainability

### **Open Source First**

* **Core always free**
* **Community governance**
* **Transparent development**

### **Revenue Model (future)**

* **Enterprise features:** Advanced templates, support
* **Training & Certification:** Paid courses
* **Partnerships:** White-label solutions

***

## 💡 Bottom Line

**Web3 only wins when developers build apps that real users adopt.**

**Polkadot has the best technology.** The tools are missing.

**PAPI Console solves this. Now.**

**Investment:** $75,000 (0.3% of annual dev budget)
**Timeline:** 10 weeks
**Risk:** Very low (proven track record)
**Upside:** Developer experience that actually works

***

**🗳️ YES for tools developers will actually use**
**🗳️ YES for Polkadot Hub success**
**🗳️ YES for a more accessible ecosystem**

*"The future of Web3 will be built by developers creating solutions that real users will utilize. Let's give them the tools to make it happen."*

***

**Links:**

* **🌐 PAPI Simulator:** [https://papi-simulator.aipop.fun](https://papi-simulator.aipop.fun)
* **💻 GitHub:** [https://github.com/developerfred/papi-simulator](https://github.com/developerfred/papi-simulator)
* **📋 Deliveries:** [M1](https://github.com/Polkadot-Fast-Grants/delivery/blob/master/deliveries/papi-simulator-milestone-one.md) | [M2](https://github.com/Polkadot-Fast-Grants/delivery/blob/master/deliveries/papi-simulator-milestone-two.md)

## Point of contact

- [telegram](https://t.me/codingsh)
- [x](https://x.com/codingsh)
- [Matrix](@codingsh:matrix.org)
- [farcaster](https://farcaster.xyz/codingsh)

Papi Simulator:  Developer Tool and Playground for Polkadot

- OneBlock+ helps grow Polkadot developers in Asia.  
- They teach coding and connect developers.  
- They have 40,000 Web3 developers in their community.  
- They run bootcamps, hackathons, and university programs.  
- Their 2025 goal is to train 800 new Polkadot developers.  
- They partner with PaperMoon for courses.  
- They ask for $376,300 to fund their work.

OneBlock+ 2025 Developer Education & Community Expansion Plan

- Cyborg Network helps AI developers use powerful computers (Cyborg Miners) to run AI models.  
- They finished their first goal (Milestone 1) and are now working on Milestone 2.  
- Milestone 2 includes connecting to Polkadot for payments in DOT and testing new miners.  
- Users can pay for AI services with DOT, helping Polkadot grow.  
- They won many hackathons and got support from big companies like Nvidia.  
- They are asking for funding (136,780 USDC) to finish their project.  
- Cyborg Network wants to bring more real-world users to Polkadot.  
- They shared an FAQ document for common questions.

Update!!!

**We've compiled a document answering the most frequently asked questions (**[**FAQ DOC**](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3DK3NUYBealr6GVaD6_qc592VLCdjQtpt38Wwnofps/edit?usp=sharing)**), it should clear up what most people have been asking.**

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello everyone! 

This post aims to gather feedback from the community about our treasury proposal for Cyborg Network. We are looking forward to receiving feedback! 

## **Highlights**

We submitted a previous treasury proposal, [ref 1114](https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1114), and [completed all the tasks/milestones](https://x.com/og_tracker/status/1929179777417498793).

![Screenshot 2025-06-19 at 5.51.33 PM.png](https://i.ibb.co/7JfNW1Pr/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-5-51-33-PM.png)

Milestone 1 for Cyborg Network  is now completed.

Important Links:

* GitHub: [https://github.com/Cyborg-Network](https://github.com/Cyborg-Network) 
* Website: [https://www.cyborgnetwork.io/](https://www.cyborgnetwork.io/). 
* [Litepaper](https://www.cyborgnetwork.io/docs/cyborg-lite-paper-v2.pdf)
* [Become a Cyborg Miner](https://tally.so/r/wazvG9)

Cyborg Network offers a user-friendly application called [Cyborg Connect ](https://www.cyborgnetwork.io/cyborg-connect)that enables AI developers to deploy AI models across a decentralized network of powerful AI miners. Users can simply upload ONNX or Hugging Face models, configure inference parameters, and launch them on nearby [Cyborg Miners](https://www.cyborgnetwork.io/cyborg-miner) (Nvidia-powered AI hardware). This streamlines real-time AI deployment while integrating Polkadot-native payments and analytics - bringing more enterprise users and usage to the DOT ecosystem.

We have now completed 1 of the 2 milestones to build Cyborg Network v1, here is a short recap of our recent progress:

* Opengov [Milestone 1](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1114) (completed): Base infrastructure for Cyborg Network is complete
* Delivered our 2nd W3F grant for [NeuroZK](https://medium.com/cn-milestones/verifying-ai-inference-integrity-on-the-blockchain-introducing-neurozk-by-cyborg-network-3877ccbf35cd), a ZK verification system for substrate parachains to verify AI model integrity on-chain
* Established Partnership with [CESS Network](https://cess.network/) for High performance storage
* Selected for [Nvidia Inception Program for startups](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/startups/) (Receiving support for hardware design)
* Working with Microsoft Azure for listing our services on [Azure Marketplace](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/) through the [ISV program](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/isv/isv-success).
* Selected for [Incubation](https://dic.mcit.gov.qa/ideacamp/) by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the State of **Qatar**  

**Milestone 2** (current treasury proposal): These are the main points:

* Creating an XCM channel with Polkadot AssetHub to offer Miner payouts and accept payments in DOT. <img height="352" width="624" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfvrxFMDXYi2Tx40GkQBwkTmgq_Of9qFVBKLkeNlRelRVgT2LzZqKdmKaOi97Zu_jTnTR0-N9ebCmmjXhkg2zMkLz7rSQsbmZgnpnrTVdQNuNS3hAGje86IJtmq61thErYU9HjH?key=twODmfCLuL4q-juxLi2Ibw" />
* Embedded Development of the Cyborg miner to be compatible with our substrate parachain.
* Prototyping and Live testing a few units of miners before launching a pre-sale. Our miner will feature a Polkadot branding.
* Web2 Integration systems for KYC/AML, Reward payouts, CRM toolkit etc.

## **Benefits to Polkadot** 

**Based on early community feedback we are happy to highlight the following points.**

* All Cyborg Network users will be able to pay for inference services using DOT, directly increasing token utility.
* Cyborg Miners can choose to redeem their uptime and task completion rewards in DOT, creating continuous buy-side pressure.
* A portion of our revenue will be regularly converted into DOT via Polkadot AssetHub to ensure sufficient liquidity for payments and rewards.
* Cyborg Network will operate as a Polkadot parachain, purchasing coretime as needed, and contributing to the economic activity of the network.
* We are committed to dedicating a portion of our native token (BORG) supply to the Polkadot Treasury to support long-term alignment and ecosystem growth.
* **Token Allocation to Treasury**: We intend to allocate a portion of our native token supply to the Polkadot Treasury as a gesture of long-term alignment and appreciation for early ecosystem support. This allocation will be proposed after the completion of our first external fundraising round, with the percentage to be determined based on the FDV at that time. We will return to the community with a follow-up proposal through the governance process, recommending an allocation in the range of 2–3%, or as appropriate, based on market conditions and community feedback.These steps reflect our deep integration and long-term commitment to the Polkadot ecosystem, both technically and economically.
* **Revenue Sharing**: We are open to structuring a long-term revenue share arrangement with the Treasury, particularly tied to usage-based metrics such as DOT-denominated inference volume or region-specific adoption. The specific terms will depend on how our systems evolve post-launch and will be formalized in consultation with the community through a future governance proposal.

## **Overview** 

**AI-powered inference infrastructure for the Polkadot ecosystem**.

As demand for AI-powered applications grows, deploying real-time AI workloads in a scalable and privacy-preserving way remains a major challenge. Cyborg Network enables developers and enterprises to deploy AI models, such as those from Hugging Face or ONNX across a decentralized network of Nvidia-powered Cyborg Miners. With built-in support for Polkadot-native payments, analytics, and cross-chain integrations (via AssetHub and XCM), Cyborg lowers the barrier for AI teams to plug into blockchain infrastructure without needing to be Web3-native.

Motivation: AI compute demand is skyrocketing, yet most Polkadot projects cater only to crypto-native users. Cyborg brings new real-world usage by allowing Web2 and AI companies to access decentralized inference infrastructure while increasing DOT utility through service payments and miner rewards. With our hardware touching the physical world, Cyborg becomes a visible and functional entry point for onboarding enterprise users into the Polkadot ecosystem.

Here is snapshot of our team’s achievements within the Polkadot Ecosystem

OpenGov Proposal 1  - [Successful Delivery
](https://app.ogtracker.io/mediumSpender/1114)W3F Grants - [NeuroZK W3F 2nd Grant Delivery
](https://github.com/w3f/Grant-Milestone-Delivery/pull/1266)Winner - [OneBlock+ Polkadot Hackathon: Bangkok 2024](https://x.com/OneBlock_/status/1857774803396210770)

Winner - [Web3 Hack X Hackathon](https://x.com/Web3HackX/status/1733845137602875791) 

Winner - [Polkadot Hackathon Global Series: NA edition 2024](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/angelhack_polkadothackathonna-activity-7204421834795020291-yEpa?utm_source=share\&utm_medium=member_desktop) 

Winner - [Polkadot Prodigy Hackathon](https://www.youtube.com/live/1bmbMU55fyM?si=MuCBDjAe00tEynxp) 

Finalist - [Polkadot Winter Hackathon](https://x.com/OneBlock_/status/1739949571525271716) 

[W3f Grants Program - level 1](https://x.com/Web3foundation/status/1815368184419013072)

[PBA Finals Pitch](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cyborg-network_founders-venturecapitalist-industryexperts-activity-7166757848570322944-JDIp?utm_source=share\&utm_medium=member_desktop)

[Polkadot Alpha Program](https://polkadot.network/development/alpha/)

[Polkadot Relayers Incubator](https://x.com/AngelHack/status/1706537750839832759)

[Polkadot Encode Accelerator 2023](https://x.com/selen_klara/status/1754920215480016953)

[Polkadot Decoded Viewing party 2023](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/megha-varshini-t_event-content-polkadot-activity-7085141333731921923-pQPp?utm_source=share\&utm_medium=member_desktop)

[DMCC TDeFi Accelerator](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tdefi_cohort-2-exploring-web3-acceleration-program-activity-7132613355894153216-uWs2?utm_source=share\&utm_medium=member_desktop)

[Polkadot Insider](https://x.com/PolkadotInsider/status/1816231903156146628)

We’re seeking 136,780 USDC to complete Development and launch Cyborg Network as a Polkadot parachain.

Link to the full proposal is [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QnLKGsw8dSB0bw67Ep50mxk58F8Jew2N/edit#heading=h.2s8eyo1)

P.S: This is the last milestone

Looking forward to your feedback!!

Cyborg Network: Unlocking Polkadot’s Web2.5 Potential through Blockchain-Powered AI Inference – Milestone 2

Please vote NAY!! Requested DOT by mistake instead of stables

- **Goal:** Hire someone to help match people with jobs in the Polkadot ecosystem for 12 months.  
- **Problem:** Many jobs are open, but it's hard to find the right people.  
- **Solution:** A Talent Lead will create a system to connect workers and jobs.  
- **Budget:** $140,000 in USDC.  
- **Key Targets:**  
  - Build a job-matching system in 7 months.  
  - Place at least 20 people in jobs in 12 months.  
- **Team:** Three experts will oversee the project.  
- **Pay:** $7,500 per month for the Talent Lead.  
- **Next Steps:** If successful, the project may continue.

Hire an Ecosystem Talent Lead for DAO/OpenGov jobs

Preparing

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

Pls vote nay

Please VOTE NAY

- **Polkalotto** is a new kind of lottery on Polkadot.  
- You can join by **staking DOT** (minimum 1 DOT).  
- It gives **lifetime entries** to win prizes.  
- You also earn **up to 10% APY** from staking.  
- Includes **educational quizzes** for free entries.  
- Winners get prizes from the **Polkadot Treasury**.  
- Helps charities through **DAO voting**.  
- Uses **NFTs** to track impact and rewards.  

(Simplified for a second-grade student.)

Polkalotto: The first Planetary Impact Engine Part 1/3 (Satoshi nakamoto- The truth has been unveiled)

- 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

- A rare Australian opal will be turned into a Polkadot-themed amulet.  
- It will be shown on *Outback Opal Hunters* (Discovery Channel).  
- The opal will be split into **100 billion tokens** on Polkadot.  
- The Polkadot Treasury will own it, so everyone in the community can have a piece.  
- The amulet will be sold to a Polkadot member for the whole community.  
- It will be displayed at Polkadot events with "As seen on Discovery Channel."  
- This is Polkadot’s **first real-world asset (RWA)** owned by the Treasury.  
- The show’s director supports sharing opal ownership using blockchain.

TimedOut

Polkadot x Discovery Channel: A Tokenization Story

root

whitelisted_caller

wish_for_change

staking_admin

treasurer

lease_admin

fellowship_admin

general_admin

auction_admin

referendum_canceller

referendum_killer

small_tipper

big_tipper

small_spender

big_spender

Referenda Medium Spender

Origin able to dispatch a whitelisted call.

Origin for signaling that the network wishes for some change

Origin able to cancel slashes and manage minimum commission.

Origin for spending up to 10,000,000 DOT from the treasury as well as generally administering it.

Origin for managing the composition of the fellowship.

Origin able to spend around 250 DOT from the treasury at once.

Origin able to spend around 1,000 DOT from the treasury at once.

Origin able to spend around 10,000 DOT from the treasury at once.

Origin able to spend up to 1,000,000 DOT from the treasury at once.

[33] Origin: MediumSpender