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

medium_spender

- PolkaSafe is a tool that helps people manage their digital assets securely in the Polkadot ecosystem.
- The team made changes to their proposal after community feedback and reduced their budget.
- They acknowledged a mistake in not giving credit to another team and removed related expenses.
- PolkaSafe improved its app speed by 75%, cutting the loading time from 10 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
- As of October 2023, over 340 wallets use PolkaSafe, managing more than $15 million.
- They plan to grow to $50 million in managed assets soon.
- The team is working with big organizations to help them use PolkaSafe safely.

Executed

Polkasafe requests retroactive funding for enterprise-focused, non-custodial tool on Polkadot ecosystem. Budget has been reduced, and the team has made improvements to the app's speed and performance. 340+ wallets are using Polkasafe, managing $15mn+ across networks, with an expected $50mn+ AUM in the next 3-4 months. Proposal document outlines tasks, product features, and timelines.

Retroactive Funding - Polkasafe Revised Proposal

- There are currently no easy ways to accept DOT as payment in major online stores.
- A team wants to create tools to allow shops to process DOT payments smoothly.
- They plan to build plugins for popular eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Shopify.
- The project will take about 16 weeks with a team of four skilled developers.
- Their goal is to help more people use DOT for buying things online, like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
- They will share all their work for free on GitHub, letting others use or improve it.
- The project will cost around €236,000 to complete.

Rejected

WHO: Alzymologist Oy

WHAT: Build plugins for top 3 eCommerce SaaS platforms and top 5 FOSS eCommerce engines to support seamless and self-custodial DOT payments processing. Development would require 16 weeks with a team of 4 developers.

PRICE: €236,000

TIMEFRAME: Milestone 1 (2 weeks), Milestone 2 (8 weeks), Milestone 3 (6 weeks)

Non-custodial DOT payments integration for major eCommerce platforms

The Brazilian Content Guild is asking for funding to continue their work in creating original content for the Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem. They want to make high-quality materials in Brazilian Portuguese to help the Portuguese-speaking community stay informed and critical. In their last proposal, they made 166 pieces of content like videos, podcasts, and articles. They are now focusing only on original content and hope to become a reference point for it in the Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem. They have shared a detailed report and a spreadsheet showing all their work and expenses from the last proposal. They appreciate feedback from the community.

!\[image\]() This proposal aims to continue the work of the Brazilian Content Guild, which was previously funded by referendum number 78 (Kusama). We are seeking funding of $67,150 / 16,378 DOT for 6 months of development. Let's move forward with the excellent work we have done so far. During the last proposal, number 78 (Kusama), we focused our efforts on creating original content and limited translations, resulting in the production of 166 pieces, including videos, podcasts, live streams, spaces, interviews, and articles. In this new proposal, our emphasis is solely on creating original content. We want to encourage authors to produce unique and high-quality materials, with the goal of establishing authority and relevance for both themselves and the Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem. In the future, we aim to become a reference point for original content production in Brazilian Portuguese within the Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem. We want to strengthen the Portuguese-speaking community, keeping it well-informed and critical. Here is the complete new proposal in \[English\](). You can check out a detailed report we have prepared, describing all activities carried out in the previous proposal, \[here\](). We have also provided a comprehensive spreadsheet, \[here\](), detailing all expenses and content produced by the Brazilian unit during the last proposal. We appreciate in advance the feedback from the community, which is very important to us. — --- Esta proposta tem como objetivo dar continuidade ao trabalho da Guilda de Conteúdo Brasileiro, que foi financiada anteriormente pelo referendo nº 78 (Kusama). Vamos seguir adiante com o excelente trabalho que realizamos até o momento. Durante a última proposta, a de número 78 (Kusama), concentramos nossos esforços na criação de conteúdo original e limitamos as traduções, resultando na produção de 166 trabalhos, incluindo vídeos, podcasts, transmissões ao vivo, spaces, entrevistas e artigos. Nesta nova proposta, nossa ênfase está exclusivamente na criação de conteúdo original. Queremos incentivar os autores a produzir materiais inéditos e de alta qualidade, com o objetivo de estabelecer autoridade e relevância tanto para eles quanto para o ecossistema Polkadot/Kusama. No futuro, almejamos nos tornar um ponto de referência na produção de conteúdo original em português brasileiro dentro do ecossistema Polkadot/Kusama. Queremos fortalecer a comunidade de língua portuguesa, mantendo-a bem informada e crítica. Aqui está a nova proposta completa, em \[Português\](). Você pode conferir um relatório detalhado que elaboramos, descrevendo todas as atividades realizadas na proposta anterior, \[aqui\](). Também disponibilizamos uma planilha abrangente, \[aqui\](), com todos os gastos e conteúdos produzidos pela unidade Brasileira durante a última proposta. Agradecemos antecipadamente pelos feedbacks da comunidade, que são muito importantes para nós.

WHO: Brazilian Content Guild 

WHAT: Seeking funding of $67,150 / 16,378 DOT for 6 months of development to create original content in Portuguese for the Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem 

PRICE/TIMEFRAME/RESOURCES: $67,150 / 16,378 DOT for 6 months

Proposal: Funding for the Brazilian Portuguese Language Content Producers Group

Polkadot Pulse 1.0 is an event happening on December 7th in Bengaluru, India during EthIndia, the world's largest ETH hackathon. It is organized by Polkadot Now India and is a side event of India Blockchain Week by Hashed. The event aims to increase Polkadot's presence during the busy blockchain week in India. It will have prominent speakers and aims to bring together around 350 attendees, including parachain teams, to showcase projects and engage with the Indian and global community. The team behind the event is passionate about creating an event that leverages the energy of this blockchain epicenter in India to further expand Polkadot's reach.

Proponent: [**Polkadot Now India**](https://youtu.be/R4PQbaMDlEQ)

Date: 29th October, 2023

Requested DOT: **24701 DOT** (**USD $99,150**) (Rate: @ $4.014 DOT based on an EMA30 rate on [Subscan](https://polkadot.subscan.io/tools/charts?type=price) on 29th October, 2023)

Short description:

[**Polkadot Pulse 1.0**](https://lu.ma/Polka_Pulse1.0) is set to take place on December 7th in Bengaluru, India during **[EthIndia](https://ethindia.co/)**, the world's largest ETH hackathon, also as an official ETHIndia **[side event](https://lu.ma/ethindia-sides)** in collaboration with **[IBW](https://indiablockchainweek.com)**, India Blockchain Week by Hashed. This strategic collaboration with IBW and timing during the busiest blockchain week in India adds an exciting dimension to Polkadot's presence. It's a unique opportunity for Polkadot to make a significant impact and have its own dedicated event amidst the blockchain enthusiasts gathered for IBW and ETHIndia.

**Why during IBW and ETHIndia ?**  
  
The primary motivation behind this event is to seize the extraordinary opportunity presented by this bustling blockchain week to elevate Polkadot's presence.  
  
**Prominent Speakers @IBW main stage** 

xxxxx — xxxxxxx, Polkadot will be on main stage along side of,**  
  
1\. Sandeep Nailwal — Founder, Polygon**

**2\. Mo Shaikh — Co-Founder & CEO, Aptos**

**3\. Sebastian Borget— Co-Founder, Sandbox**

**4\. Justin Sun — Founder, Tron**

**5\. Rene—  Co-Founder, Celo**

**6\. Emin Gur Sirer— Founder, AVAX**

**7\. VC presence — Dragonfly Capital, Hashed, Spartan, CMT Digital, C2 Ventures** and many more speakers yet to be anounced.

We aim to bring together around close to 350 attendees along with 3k atteendees of IBW under one roof, including the ecosystem parachain teams, to showcase projects and engage with both the Indian/Global community and leave a long lasting impact.

Our team recognizes the potential synergy between the Polkadot ecosystem and the dynamic blockchain community gathering for ETHIndia and IBW. By hosting Polkadot Pulse 1.0 and Polkadot Networking Night alongside this highly anticipated week, we aim to educate, engage, and inspire developers, investors, and industry leaders about the remarkable capabilities of Polkadot.

Our team is composed of enthusiastic members who are deeply engaged in the Polkadot community. We are passionate about creating an event that leverages the energy of this blockchain epicenter in India to further expand Polkadot's reach.

We've observed the growing enthusiasm for blockchain technology in India and the immense success of our previous event i.e **[Polkadot Now India.](https://youtu.be/R4PQbaMDlEQ?si=vKDY_UCcvVkauCH1)**

These factors, combined with the prominent status of [**ETHIndia**](https://ethindia.co/) and **[IBW](https://indiablockchainweek.com/)** by Hashed (organizers of Korea Blockchain Week), have driven us to introduce **_Polkadot Pulse 1.0_**. The event's goal is to attract developers, researchers, media, investors, and other stakeholders, fostering knowledge sharing and forging new collaborations within the Polkadot ecosystem.

**Team**

[**Rish**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishant-kumar-9a888b33/) \- Growth Lead, APAC, KILT Protocol, Lead, Polkadot Now India

**[Sohail Shaikh](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohail-shaikh-031a32b4/)** - Senior Marketing Manager, Cointelegraph, Ex-Astar, Ambassador

➡️ Join our [Telegram](https://t.me/PolkadotNowIndia) group (**1300+ members**)

➡️ Follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/PolkadotNowInd)(**6.5k followers**)

➡️ Subscribe to our [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@PolkadotNowIndia) Channel

Our comprehensive proposal can be accessed via the [link](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UKYU5ICBEl90-W4IhOGr5-612rIEJjFYgz4EKgpjOv4/edit?usp=sharing) provided.

**Note** : **This proposal was initially supposed to go through Events Bounty, however we have received a response from events bounty team stating Events Bounty will be unavailable to process any funds until new set of curators are onboarded, given the timeline of the already [announced](https://x.com/PolkadotNowInd/status/1709232285545840918?s=20) event we can't afford to wait anymore and without further delay we are proceeding with Treasury Funding.**

Due to time constraints, we will expedite the submission of this proposal on-chain.

Thanks for understanding the urgency and we look forward to everyone support to make this happen.

WHO: Polkadot Now India
WHAT: Requesting 24701 DOT (USD $99,150) for Polkadot Pulse 1.0 event during EthIndia and India Blockchain Week in Bengaluru on December 7th, 2023.
RESOURCES: Team of enthusiastic members engaged in the Polkadot community.

Polkadot Pulse 1.0 & Polkadot Networking Night @ IBW, ETHIndia Week

- Brad Laurie, known as BlockchainBrad, is asking for funding to create videos about the Polkadot community.
- He wants 14,165 DOT, which is about $57,000.
- Brad will make 180 videos over six months, including interviews and educational content.
- He has been creating free content about Polkadot for many years.
- Brad has 55,300 followers on X and 26,100 subscribers on YouTube.
- This is his first proposal for funding in Polkadot's Open Governance system.
- Brad previously took a break but is now ready to continue his work in the community.

BlockchainBrad proposes to create 180 videos over 6 months on his YouTube channel, including 90 interviews with Polkadot stakeholders, 60 educational videos, and 30 interviews with key contributors in other ecosystems. The total cost, including a professional editor and graphic designer, is $57,000 (14,165 DOT).

BlockchainBrad Educational & Journalist Content - 6 Months funding

EasyA has completed the third milestone in a multi-phase initiative to grow the Polkadot ecosystem. They hosted in-person hackathons at Harvard and in London, attracting top developers and resulting in valuable projects for the ecosystem. Some notable projects include Flybloc, DotIAM, and Aegis Protocol. The #60DaysOfPolkadot campaign brought over 40,000 developers to build in the Polkadot ecosystem. EasyA is requesting reimbursement for the costs of the hackathons, which they have already paid for, in the amount of $220,000. They are committed to the long-term sustainability of the Polkadot ecosystem and have engaged with ecosystem projects for support.

Hey Everyone!

We’re excited to post up our referendum for our successful completion of Milestone 3! We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who gave their feedback on our original referendum. We have incorporated your comments into our report as well as the below summary. If you’re new to this referendum, this report is therefore fully comprehensive, but you can also review our earlier referendum and the original comments [here](101).

**Background context**

This referendum is the third milestone in a detailed, multi-phase initiative that started under Gov1. Details for this milestone were discussed in our original discussion post [here](../post/1585), with the precise milestone and allocation breakdown [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oyip_eVdevsjijQQSkL_GPOE5YF-AEGgE_xhwCFLnt0/edit#bookmark=id.x3kscjjklocs). Our first milestone was approved [here](../motion/353) and our second milestone was approved [here](../motion/417). This third milestone is to cover the costs EasyA incurred in hosting the in-person hackathons at Harvard and in London.

We are committed to bringing more builders into the Polkadot ecosystem and building on the huge momentum we've created with #60DaysOfPolkadot. We have already had huge demand from all the parachains involved to continue our work, as well as from new ones who heard about it along the way. Their only question is: ‘When is the next one’! We can’t wait to continue working together with all the parachains and Polkadot teams to grow the ecosystem!

We have addressed all the community feedback comprehensively in our full and updated report. However, for ease of reading we have summarised the answers to the two most commonly asked questions here.

1.  **Where are the hackathon teams now: Case studies**

We are delighted to share that teams from both our Harvard and London hackathons are continuing to build. In just four short months these teams are already becoming valuable members of the Polkadot ecosystem. Three teams are particularly worth highlighting.

**a. Flybloc: [http://www.flybloc.com/](http://www.flybloc.com/**)**

Created by Harvard PhD Yefei Jin, Flybloc came out of our Polkadot hackathon at Harvard. Since the hackathon, they have successfully recruited even more stellar team members, and now have one of the strongest teams we’ve ever seen: their successful previous exits are valued at over $1 billion. Their CTO is a former VP at Algorand, and their team has deep experience building successful startups. They are building the future of Web3 brand engagement, leveraging AI. They have received grant funding from Massachusetts-based non-profit Qubic labs, and will be raising venture capital funding this Fall.

**b. DotIAM: [https://www.dotiam.com/](https://www.dotiam.com/)**

Led by Tom Rowbotham, a full-time software engineer at one of the UK’s fastest growing startups, [Gousto](https://www.gousto.co.uk), DotIAm first launched their idea for decentralised KYC built on Polkadot at our Polkadot hackathon in London. They have now been successfully executing on their roadmap, and have received grant funding from Astar via the Unstoppable Grants.

**c. Aegis Protocol: [https://www.aegisprotocol.io/](https://www.aegisprotocol.io/)** 

Harvard Computer Scientists Ethan Tan and Douglas Yang first launched Aegis Protocol at our Polkadot hackathon at Harvard, winning first place. They have continued to build on it since, making huge progress over this summer, connecting with ecosystem teams and projects to iterate on their vision to build decentralized dispute arbitration to safeguard crypto users. They have now added two members to their team (from MIT and Duke) and are planning to raise venture capital funding for their startup, alongside applying to join accelerators. Their deck is publicly available here: [https://docsend.com/view/vihm997vknj43gtv](https://docsend.com/view/vihm997vknj43gtv)

We have included more of the hackathon teams in our full report below!

2.  **Why not go to the events bounty**

For the hackathons themselves, we recognise that these might fit within the events bounty. However, in consultation with the ecosystem teams (including one of the curators of the Polkadot events bounty) we reached the consensus that overall #60DaysOfPolkadot would best fit as a referendum under this treasury track.

The main reason for this is that our #60DaysOfPolkadot campaign was not purely events. #60DaysOfPolkadot was a fully comprehensive developer acquisition campaign. It involved EasyA’s content team creating written material for developers to learn about Polkadot and the parachains, EasyA’s engineering team integrating it into the EasyA app, and a full campaign on social media to grow developer awareness. The app was also tightly integrated with the hackathons themselves, such that it doesn’t make sense to split the referenda into two different ones (one for the app and one for the hackathons). The full scope of #60DaysOfPolkadot is available in the [original discussion post](../post/1585) as well as [Milestone 1](../motion/353) and [Milestone 2](../motion/417) which were all approved by the Council in a detailed multi-part proposal under Gov1.

In short, the engineering and educational content-creation aspects of this #60DaysOfPolkadot campaign mean that the events bounty is not the best fit. Under Gov1, this was agreed and approved.

**Progress Summary**

As an executive summary, we have now successfully achieved Milestone 3 (holding the two in-person Polkadot hackathons in the US and UK) including surpassing our KPIs! As outlined in our [Milestone 1 and 2 report](../treasury/232#r86qRZjawwaL5113MjzU), by the end of those two milestones we had collected key feedback from developers and parachain/project teams, and created the challenges to get developers building on them in the EasyA app!

In this milestone, we held two spectacular hackathons at [Harvard University](https://twitter.com/easya_app/status/1670132876711723008) (in Boston, USA) and in [London](https://twitter.com/easya_app/status/1672712646230003714) (UK) which attracted top developers both from within the Polkadot ecosystem and beyond, with Web3 enthusiasts keen to learn more about Polkadot attending and hacking.

![Absolutely packed auditoriums at the hackathons, with hackers hard at work learning about Polkadot, parachains and more! ](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/642ed403044d8378fabb82a6/64afd59491b959274f7cd159_polkadot%20hackathon.jpg)Our #60DaysOfPolkadot campaign (which we’re continuing to run) has to-date brought over 40,000 developers to build in the Polkadot ecosystem via the EasyA in-app crash course. The sheer number of builders meant we were in the fortunate position to be able to select the very best developers to attend our two IRL hackathons. As a result, at the hackathons we had founders backed by a16z and YC, with multiple previous exits under their belts, as well as professional software engineers all coming together to create some of the best projects we’ve ever seen. In addition, we had a strong focus on students too, who came from nearby Harvard, MIT, Yale and Brown, and even as far away as from UChicago, Georgia Tech and Stanford. These students are the key to unlocking the next generation of Web3 builders, and they were inspired by the opportunities unlocked by Polkadot. Many of these brilliant teams are continuing to build on Polkadot after the hackathon.

**What did it look like in numbers? In summary, we brought hundreds of new developers into the Polkadot ecosystem through these two hackathons:**

**Polkadot x EasyA Hackathon at Harvard (17-18 June, 2023):**

Hackers: 300 Final dApps/projects created: 35 Colleges/companies represented: 45 Social media impressions: 1.5M+

Check out the final video summary for the hackathon at Harvard [here](https://youtu.be/zWLqGfw09wk)!

**Polkadot x EasyA Hackathon in London (24-25 June, 2023):**

Hackers: 250 Final dApps/projects created: 36 Colleges/companies represented: 38 Social media impressions: 1M+

Want to see the lines for the hackathon that stretched all the way down the road? Here’s the wrap-up video for the London hackathon [here](https://youtu.be/fNH5SAN95UM)!

At both hackathons, participants attended world-leading workshops held by Polkadot experts such as [Kevin Neilson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinneilson/) (Developer Relations at Moonbeam), [Dave Bean](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davebean51/) (COO of Gear), and [Kahori Razzell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahori-razzell-8213634b/) (UX at Astar). They received 24/7 support, both at a code-level and also in preparing for their presentations at the final round of selection!

We were keen to involve as much of the ecosystem as possible, so in addition to the Polkadot parachains and projects whom we got developers building on around the world via the EasyA app, we also had the pleasure of hosting Moonbeam, Gear and Astar in-person. Each of them held their own track at the hackathons too, which was a massive success; this enabled developers to see the strength of the Polkadot ecosystem in-person as well as the vibrant technologies they could leverage beyond just the Polkadot relay chain itself.

In conclusion, the excitement created about Polkadot by these two hackathons was incredible. We put a huge amount of effort into encouraging developers to continue building in the Polkadot ecosystem after the hackathon, and are currently supporting several teams with making connections within the ecosystem so that they can thrive (e.g. get technical expertise, know-how and funding)! This will ensure these two hackathons support the long-term growth of the Polkadot ecosystem!

**Full Progress Report**

If you want to dive into the details of the hackathons, we’ve put everything together into this full report [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ox5kseyv6LRg-RdOdFMVFtmh7uKBcyh7-S29CK51ol4/edit?usp=sharing)!

This includes the projects, budget allocation, pictures and everything else!

**Milestone 3 Requested Allocation Breakdown Summary**

Demonstrating EasyA’s commitment to the Polkadot ecosystem and respect for treasury spending that fully benefits the community, we have already paid for the costs of hosting these two hackathons ourselves; this was required for them to go ahead as scheduled and to create hype amongst builders in the run-up to Polkadot Decoded.

Now that the community has had time to review and discuss our proposal in our discussion post which we posted up in July [here](../post/1846) (as well as our original Milestone 3 referendum [here](101)) we are now making this treasury proposal to request reimbursement for our costs in holding the two hackathons of $220,000.\* As EasyA have already paid for the costs of the hackathons, this is a request for reimbursement, in accordance with the community’s wishes for proposals to achieve their goals first and request reimbursement retrospectively.

\*DOT amount calculated via EMA7 on 25 Oct 2023 at GMT+0 1000hrs: 1 DOT ~ USD$4.018. USD$220,000 ~54,753.61 DOT.

As explained above, details for this milestone were discussed in our original discussion post [here](../post/1585), with the precise milestone and allocation breakdown [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oyip_eVdevsjijQQSkL_GPOE5YF-AEGgE_xhwCFLnt0/edit#bookmark=id.x3kscjjklocs). Our first milestone was approved [here](../motion/353) and our second milestone was approved [here](../motion/417). This third milestone is to cover the costs EasyA incurred in hosting the in-person hackathons at Harvard and in London.

**Long-term Sustainability**

We are strongly committed to the long-term sustainability of the Polkadot ecosystem, and have the greatest respect for treasury spend. This is a bootstrap, where the treasury is helping to fill the gap while the Polkadot ecosystem is still nascent. Since our first Polkadot hackathon in 2022, we have already made great progress towards this long-term financial sustainability. For example, as part of this milestone, we engaged with the ecosystem projects themselves (Moonbeam, Astar, Gear etc). These ecosystem teams supported both with funding (for prizes) and also in their expertise and human costs, covering the costs of both their staff and also their travel to the hackathons (in the case of our Harvard hackathon, even their flights from San Francisco to Boston). This was a very powerful step which saved the treasury significant costs. As the Polkadot ecosystem grows stronger, we see more ecosystem teams like Moonbeam, Astar and Gear supporting these initiatives. In other words, we will not need to rely on Polkadot treasury funding forever.

If you have any questions at all, please do feel free to comment them here! We were thrilled to host these hackathons for the community, and would love to share more about their success with everyone!

\-- Phil, Dom (EasyA Co-Founders) and the EasyA Team!

EasyA requests reimbursement of $220,000 for holding two in-person hackathons at Harvard and in London, as part of their third milestone in the Polkadot ecosystem. The hackathons attracted top developers and resulted in the creation of 71 dApps/projects. EasyA has already paid for the costs of the hackathons themselves. The reimbursement will be used to cover the costs of prizes, travel, and accommodation for participants, as well as marketing and advertising expenses.

Milestone 3 Proposal: Polkadot x EasyA Hackathons at Harvard and in London (#60DaysOfPolkadot)

Smoldot is a project that creates a low-resource Polkadot client. It can be used in web pages to connect users directly to the Polkadot network. The project needs money every 3 months to keep going. It started in 2019 and has been funded since 2023. The project has met all its goals and is ready to use. The details of the proposal can be found in a document. The person in charge, Tomaka, is thinking about changing how the project gets money in the future. They want to do work first and then ask for payment later. Tomaka wants to know what people think about this idea.

Hello everyone, Every 3 months, the smoldot project seeks the continuation of its financing for the next quarter. As many of you might already know, smoldot is an alternative implementation of the Polkadot client focused on using as little CPU, memory, and bandwidth as possible. It can be embedded within a web page, and thus allow end users to connect directly to the Polkadot network. You can find a link to smoldot's repository here: https://github.com/smol-dot/smoldot/ It must be emphasized that smoldot is not a prototype. It was initially started in December 2019 within Parity Technologies and has been financed through treasury proposals since February 2023. Since its inception, all of its goals have been fulfilled consistently and on relatively short time frames. It is robust and ready to be used in production. You can find all the details of the proposal here: https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/QmYVdyouLyiWwTs9grXbdRyph2dzfb33reveJgT2U7uPE2 This document highlights the work that has been performed, and proposes new milestones for the upcoming quarter year. Please let me know what you think in the comments. This is now the 4th treasury proposal that smoldot goes through, and it has been very difficult to estimate the amount of time that milestones take. Additionally, having fixed milestones ahead of time makes it difficult to react to short-term needs. For these reasons, I am thinking of changing the model of financing of smoldot in 2024 and beyond, and instead do work ahead of time and ask for retroactive payments. This is not a decision I have made yet, but something I've had in the back of my head. Please also let me know what you think about this in the comments. Thank you for reading! Tomaka

WHO: Smoldot project

WHAT: Seeking continuation of financing for the next quarter, proposing new milestones for the upcoming quarter year.

PRICE/TIMEFRAME/RESOURCES: Not specified.

FUTURE PLAN: Considering changing the financing model in 2024 and beyond to do work ahead of time and ask for retroactive payments.

Smoldot development financing Q4/2023

- KryptosChain is a project proposed by Claudio and Adam Steeber to create content about the Polkadot ecosystem.
- They plan to make 171 videos in total over 26 weeks, including news, explainers, interviews, and tutorials.
- The project budget is $89,775, which includes costs for video production and a small insurance fee.
- Claudio has experience as a content creator and has been promoting Polkadot since 2018.
- Adam has also been involved in the Polkadot ecosystem since 2021 and contributes valuable insights.
- They will run a podcast called DOT TAKE to discuss topics related to Polkadot every week.
- They plan to spend some money on advertisements to promote their videos on X and YouTube.

**WHO:** KRYPTOSCHAIN, Claudio and Adam Steeber.

**WHAT:** Requesting $89,775 from the Polkadot Treasury to fund 171 videos and advertisement costs uploaded to the KryptosChain Youtube channel & KryptosChain X profile during November to April. The videos will include Polkadot News, Polkadot Ecosystem Explainers, Interviews, Tutorials, and DOT TAKE Podcasts.

**PRICE/TIMEFRAME/RESOURCES:** $89,775 for roughly 6 months (26 weeks). The total cost for the work that will be delivered is $85,500, and they will include 5% insurance in case the price drops too much. The team includes Claudio, Adam Steeber, and a contracted video editor.

KryptosChain Media (The Next Level!) - 6 Months of funding

### Dotinsights Summary

- **What is Dotinsights?**  
  Dotinsights is a research and data platform by SubWallet, focusing on the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems. It provides:
  - Ecosystem maps
  - Quarterly deep dive reports
  - Staking reports

- **Achievements:**  
  - Published 6 deep dive reports and 1 staking report
  - Launched an ecosystem map in Feb 2023
  - Reached 17,000 unique users and 2 million impressions on social media

- **Community Impact:**  
  - Recognized by the Polkadot community and ecosystem teams
  - Credited on the Polkadot wiki and support page
  - High engagement rates and positive feedback

- **Notable Campaigns:**  
  - High reach campaigns for report launches
  - Videos and social media interactions

- **Community Feedback:**  
  - Positive testimonials from community members and leaders
  - Found helpful and engaging by users

- **Problems Addressed:**  
  - Data fragmentation in the Polkadot ecosystem
  - Lack of comprehensive reports and ecosystem maps

- **Solutions:**  
  - Regularly published deep dive reports
  - Interactive ecosystem maps
  - In-depth staking reports

Dotinsights, a research and data-focused initiative by SubWallet, is seeking funding from the Polkadot Treasury for Milestones 1, 2, and 3, covering the period from June 2022 to August 2023. Dotinsights aims to become a trusted research hub and data platform for the Polkadot and Kusama Ecosystem, offering an exhaustive list of projects building in the ecosystem, quarterly reports, and in-depth staking reports. The project targets everyone interested in the ecosystem, with a proposed budget of $1,200,000.

[Retroactive Funding] Dotinsights - A Research Hub & Data Platform for Polkadot & Kusama Ecosystem

- A proposal was made to request $90,750 for maintenance of a project related to Polkadot.
- The money will help support the project from August 2021 until the end of 2023.
- Regular updates are needed for the GSRPC library used by over 500 other projects.
- Since September 2021, Centrifuge has helped fix problems and support users without any cost.
- They have fixed a number of issues and completed many updates to the project.
- The main tasks include maintaining documentation, answering questions, fixing bugs, and helping other developers. 
- They plan to address new features in the future but will not include it in this request.
- The proposal clarifies a previous mistake about the amount requested.

WHO: Proponent 12wWLUd5qMzLFGqBsMnHLVFeTuYJwuo5ygMAxuSywrBX1XSF

WHAT: Requesting a maintenance grant of $90,750 in DOT for retroactive and future maintenance until end of 2023 for the GSRPC library used by more than 500 Github Go Modules.

RESOURCES: Centrifuge has been providing support since September 2021 with 197 merged PRs and 103 closed issues. Maintenance responsibilities include documentation, bug fixes, PR reviews, and community engagement.

Go-Substrate-Rpc-Client - Retroactive Maintenance Grant (Sept 2021 to Dec 2023)

- There was a problem with a referendum asking for too much money.
- The amount requested was 100 times higher than what was wanted.
- It asked for more than 24 million DOT, which is too high.
- Users should ignore this referendum because it won't happen.
- Instead, people should vote on Referendum 207.
- Thanks to Coinstudio for helping to notice the mistake quickly.
- The team apologizes for any trouble this caused.

TimedOut

The proposal has been superseded by Referendum 207 due to the requested amount being 100 times higher than desired. Users are advised to ignore this referendum and vote on Referendum 207 instead.

Please ignore or disapprove!

- The Polkadot Ecology Research Institute is a research group from the Chinese Polkadot community.
- They are asking for money to support their work from October 2023 to March 2024.
- Founded in October 2020, they have created 185 articles about Polkadot, totaling over 1 million words.
- Their articles are shared by well-known media outlets and they are the only Chinese group publishing on Polkadot's official Medium.
- They have participated in over 60 events and reached more than 30,000 people in China.
- They support projects in the Polkadot ecosystem and have helped over 100 projects.
- They are applying for funds to cover staff costs, showing their dedication to Polkadot despite market challenges.
- A recent report about Polkadot has gained over 30,000 views in just two days.

The Polkadot Ecology Research Institute, a Chinese research organization, is requesting operating expenses of 28010 DOT (about 104760 USD) for daily personnel expenses from October 2023 to March 2024. They have produced 185 in-depth articles on Polkadot ecology and actively promoted Polkadot in various communities and events. They have also provided content/activity/community support to more than 100 Polkadot ecosystem projects. This is their seventh time submitting a Polkadot Treasury application.

Proposal: The operating cost for the research organization Polkadot Ecology Research Institute for 2023/10-2024/3

- Tribe/AngelHack is asking for $99,000 to help pay for travel grants.
- This money will support people who are eligible for the Polkadot Relayers program.
- The program was approved in July 2023 and helps builders create apps on Polkadot.
- In 2022, the first Polkadot Relayers was successful in bringing developers together.
- This year, the program will offer more help to project teams needing mentorship and support.
- The proposal shows that feedback from last year is used to make improvements.
- The money will mainly go to travel grants for participants involved in the program.

Tribe/AngelHack 13Ghf2T883ZobjngC1BAgR1BWvK2P7qP37gGxHDVFf3fjbmw requests USD$99,000.00 | 26,281.38 DOT for the second milestone of the Polkadot Relayers program. The budget is mainly for the travel grants that are disbursed to all participating stakeholders. The proposal aims to nurture committed project teams looking for mentorship, investment, and ecosystem support whilst they build on Polkadot.

Polkadot Relayers 2023 Milestone 2

- ELLIPAL is planning to connect its hardware wallet to the Polkadot and parachains ecosystem.
- Users will be able to manage DOT, KSM, ASTR, GLMR tokens and more.
- The wallet will have features like easy integration with Polkadot and support for WalletConnect.
- ELLIPAL has a large user base with 800,000 wallet users and over $4 billion in assets.
- The wallet is completely offline and very secure, protecting against hackers.
- It supports over 40 blockchains and allows users to manage NFTs, stake, and swap crypto.
- ELLIPAL is recognized as one of the top cold wallets and operates in over 140 countries.

ELLIPAL proposes to integrate Polkadot and parachains ecosystem with its hardware wallet, offering DOT/KSM tokens, staking, ASTR & GLMR parachains and tokens, DOT/KSM/ASTR/GLMR swap, WalletConnect v2, and Polkadot wallet integration. The proposal aims to expand development to include other Polkadot parachains. The commercial value includes a substantial user base, global reach, vibrant community network, and ease of integration for emerging parachains. The proposal also highlights the features of ELLIPAL hardware wallet and mobile app. The full proposal with detailed costs is available in the provided link.

ELLIPAL Self-custody Cold Wallet 1 Proposal: DOT/KSM Tokens, Staking,ASTR & GLMR Parachains&Tokens,DOT/KSM/ ASTR/GLMR Swap,WalletConnect v2,Polkadot Wallet Integration

Encode Club and Polkadot have teamed up for an initiative that includes educational series, hackathons, and an accelerator. They are requesting £40k in DOT for the second online hackathon prizes, running the third online hackathon, and running the accelerator. The second online hackathon, Polkadot Ink! Hackathon, will focus on ink!, a programming language for smart contracts on Substrate-based blockchains. Workshops will be held on various topics related to ink! smart contracts. In Q4, they plan to hold a final online hackathon and an accelerator to support high-quality hackathon projects into startup ideas. The accelerator will be an eight-week online program to help early-stage projects transition into startups. They have already held the Encode x Polkadot Spring Online Hackathon and the Polkadot Decoded Hackathon, with over 400 participants and 30 winners respectively.

# Summary of Encode Club x Polkadot Initiative

Our Encode Club x Polkadot initiative employs a three-part strategy: an educational series, dedicated hackathons (both virtual and in-person), and a specialized accelerator. The proposal was split across five funding tranches, each focused on different aspects of the programme as agreed by Treasury in our initial proposal [here](../treasury/226). This report provides an overview of our progress on the Encode x Polkadot Spring Hackathon and Polkadot Decoded Hackathon and request funding for the following: Funding for the second online hackathon prizes (£10k in DOT) Funding for running the third online hackathon (£15k in DOT). Funding for running the accelerator (£15k in DOT).

This funding request amounts to a total of £40k in DOT. We propose utilising the funding allocated for the 4th tranche scheduled for Q4 of 2023 from the initial agreement outlined [here](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1msKUzE5xK6Y1pV3b0dA_J2pWJt3ecYiG0OXjFpz5K6Y/edit?usp=sharing).

# Second Online Hackathon - Polkadot Ink! Hackathon powered by Encode Club

Commencing in early October, we will run our second online hackathon. We are set to conduct a 4-week online hackathon with a specific focus on ink!, a sophisticated programming language tailored for smart contracts, notably adaptable to Substrate-based blockchains.

The first two weeks will feature technical workshops exclusively centered on ink!. This will be succeeded by subsequent workshops dedicated to practical use cases, offered in conjunction with community bounty partners, including Aleph Zero, Azero.ID, Astar, Zeitgeist, and Getblock.

Website link -> [here](https://www.encode.club/polkadot-ink-hackathon)

## Workshops include:

Safe and Robust Smart Contracts in ink! (Scheduled for Oct 4th) A Deep Dive into Storage of ink! Smart Contracts (Scheduled for Oct 5th) Scaffold your dApp with ink!athon (Scheduled for Oct 5th) Different testing strategies for ink! Smart contracts (Scheduled for Oct 9th) Integrate AZERO.ID in your dApp (Scheduled for Oct 9th) Interaction between the ink! smart contract and its execution environment (Scheduled for Oct 10th) How to deploy a contract on Astar using ink!? (Scheduled for Oct 10th) ink! Championship: learn how to build a full-stack dApp (Scheduled for Oct 11th) Calling into the Zeitgeist core protocol (Scheduled for Oct 12th)

# Q4 Programmes: Third Hackathon and Accelerator

In Q4, we aim to complete the Encode x Polkadot Education Initiative with the final online hackathon and an accelerator to further support high quality hackathon projects into start-up ideas.

## Polkadot Online Hackathon

We request funding for our final 4-week online hackathon that encourages the exploration and building of new use cases of Polkadot. In addition to welcoming back previous participants from both online and in-person events, we also plan on actively scouting new talents in the space who are interested in building innovative solutions and competing for attractive prizes. This hackathon serves as an exemplary platform for both seasoned and budding developers to showcase their abilities. We aim to achieve the milestone of delivering the hackathon in full, having 500 individuals sign up and 100 teams finishing the hackathon.

### Hackathon Structure:

Lasts 4 weeks Weekly technical workshops given by bounty partners 1-1 mentorship meetings with Encode dedicated Programme Manager Support with finalist pitch practice

### Polkadot Accelerator

After our final online hackathon, we're focusing on supporting projects from our events and the broader Polkadot community. Building on our previous initiatives, including the [Women Build Web3 Accelerator](https://medium.com/encode-club/women-build-web3-accelerator-with-encode-summary-67cc905de63c) and [Polkadot Accelerator 2021](https://medium.com/encode-club/polkadot-accelerator-summary-3f35a7023dd2), we're launching the Encode x Polkadot 2023 Accelerator.

This eight-week online program, starting on 28th November, is designed to help early-stage projects transition into startups. Participants will receive guidance, mentorship, and insights on areas like product development and fundraising.

The accelerator follows our Encode x Polkadot Spring 2023 Hackathon and the upcoming Polkadot ink! Hackathon. We encourage past Polkadot programme participants to apply, especially with projects they've worked on during our events, but applications are open to everyone in the Polkadot ecosystem.

Website link to accelerator is [here](https://www.encode.club/encode-polkadot-accelerator-2023) Website link to announcement post is [here](https://www.blog.encode.club/announcing-the-encode-x-polkadot-2023-accelerator-apply-now-e1f6511e0525)

### Accelerator Structure

Starts on the 28th Nov, 2023 and lasts 8 weeks Weekly workshops on building your project such as Marketing, Grants and Pitch Practice. A summary of the curriculum can be accessed here. YC-Format Dedicated 1-1 mentorship meetings Ends with a Pitch Day for follow-on funding

# Summary of our progress:

## (Tranche 2 and 3 request here)

## Encode x Polkadot Spring Online Hackathon (April, 2023)

The [Encode x Polkadot Hackathon](https://medium.com/encode-club/encode-x-polkadot-spring-2023-hackathon-prizewinners-and-summary-3919e78a42d0) started after the Educate Series, running from April 11th for four weeks. It aimed to foster Polkadot ecosystem advancements. The event featured tailored mentoring and technical workshops for developers, building on past successes like the Educate series, University Hackathon, and Accelerator.

Over 400 participants had four weeks to create and submit projects. Beyond development, the event facilitated learning, networking, and engagement. Sponsors including Acala, Zeitgeist, Subsocial, and more, formulated challenges and rewards for hackers. All teams received their prizes, recognizing and rewarding their efforts.

### [Key Hackathon Events included](https://www.encode.club/polkadot-hackathon):

Launch Event: A dynamic kick-off providing guidelines and inspiration. Technical Workshops: Sponsors like Acala, Astar, and many more offered workshops spanning diverse Polkadot-related topics. Mentorship Sessions: Personalized one-on-one guidance from Encode's Programme Manager for project refinement.

## Polkadot Decoded Hackathon (June, 2023)

The [Polkadot Decoded Hackathon](https://medium.com/encode-club/encode-x-polkadot-decoded-hackathon-summary-and-prizewinners-445822b32be9) was a two day in-person event hosted in Copenhagen. The event brought together participants globally, including hackers from our online Polkadot Spring Hackathon!

Support from partners like Moonbeam, Subquery, Getblock, Ajuna, Bifrost, Interlay, Vara Network, and Zeitgeist played a crucial role in supporting the event. They provided resources, expertise, and challenges that enriched the participants' experiences.

Over 30 winners emerged from this event and prizes have been successfully paid to the successful teams. Hosting an in-person hackathon provided a platform for learning, networking, and skill enhancement. We anticipate continuing to facilitate such gatherings that drive innovation within the Polkadot ecosystem.

WHO: Encode Club and Polkadot

WHAT: Requesting funding for the second online hackathon prizes, funding for running the third online hackathon, and funding for running the accelerator, totaling £40k in DOT.

PRICE/TIMEFRAME/RESOURCES: Funding allocated for the 4th tranche scheduled for Q4 of 2023 from the initial agreement outlined here. Second online hackathon to commence in early October, third hackathon and accelerator to be completed in Q4.

Encode latest tranche request

- OneBlock+ and Parity Asia organized Hackathon competitions from 2021 to 2023.
- Over 800 developers and 200 teams participated in these events.
- The 2023 Shanghai Hackathon had 80 projects and 15 winners, showing significant growth.
- OneBlock plans to host another Hackathon from November 2023 to January 2024.
- The aim is to promote developer involvement in the Polkadot ecosystem.
- They are requesting $368,499 to reward winners and cover hosting costs.
- A final demo day is planned for mid-January 2024 in Hong Kong.

OneBlock+ requests $368,499 USD | 90,540 DOT from the Treasury to continue the Polkadot Hackathon program from November 2023 to January 2024. The proposal aims to promote Substrate as an open-source framework for developers and encourage long-term involvement in the Polkadot ecosystem. 5/6 of the fee is to reward the hackathon winners, and 1/6 is to reimburse for operating expenses.

Proposal：Polkadot Hackathon 2023 Winter in HongKong

Polkassembly is a key part of how Polkadot and Kusama are governed. This proposal asks for money from the Polkadot treasury to help pay for things like keeping Polkassembly running, making updates, and paying people who work on it. The money will be used for things like fixing problems, making the system better, and buying things the website needs to work. 

Some new things they want to add include:
- Ways to make voting easier and more private
- A summary of proposals using AI
- Ways to give tips to other users
- Better looking and working website features

They also want to work with other groups and make the website work better overall. These changes will help make Polkassembly better for everyone who uses it. You can read the full proposal by clicking [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tFFRSIvtsa0fuzpzeESyrippWT3emkjIkiVAUMnh2kU/edit?usp=sharing).

Polkassembly is an integral part of Polkadot and Kusama governance.  
  
This submission proposes a recurring payment (half yearly) as part of our social contract with the Polkadot & Kusama treasury to cover maintenance, operations and human resource costs for Polkassembly, including general maintenance, runtime upgrades changes and could/infrastructure cost.  
We have transitioned to a half yearly method to improve on the scope of our deliverability and execute larger changes to our platform. This submission covers costs for Q3 & Q4 of 2023. The maintenance proposal alternates between Polkadot & Kusama treasury and we are requesting the Polkadot treasury to provide funds.  
  
This recurring proposal aims to secure the continuous operation and sustainability of Polkassembly, a vital component of Polkadot and Kusama governance. To ensure the smooth functioning of Polkassembly, we request a payments to cover essential expenses such as maintenance, operations, and human resources. The funds are allocated towards general maintenance, runtime upgrades, and infrastructure costs, guaranteeing the reliability and efficiency of Polkassembly.  
  
Attached below are key highlights of our proposal:  
  

Voting & Transparency Upgrades:

-   Voting Details on Referendum (Live): Enhance the proposal page to show users' self vs. delegation vote split, detailed breakdown of delegators, and more.
-   Vote History in Profile (Live): Display voting history in user profiles, including self vs. delegated votes.
-   Reason for Voting (Live): Enable users to add voting reasons immediately after casting their votes.
-   Vote Anonymously: Allow users to hide their identity while voting.
-   Share reason for voting: Enable users to share voting reasons on social media.
-   Unlocking token locks: Simplify unlocking locked tokens.

New Features:

-   AI Summary (Live): Provide a quick summary of proposals.
-   Tooltip & Tipping: Allow users to tip others and view tipping history.
-   Statistics: Display on-chain balances and user activity details.
-   Microfeatures: Enhancements to existing features.
-   Markdown <> Rich Text Editor Support: Toggle between markdown and rich text editors.
-   See more proposals: Recommend and display related proposals on detail pages.

Partnerships:

-   Moderation (Live): Enable Polkadot & Kusama forum moderators to moderate on Polkassembly.
-   Polkasafe Integration: Utilize multisigs and proxies for governance interactions.

Maintenance & Site-wide Migrations:

-   Husky Setup: Implement Git pre-commit hooks for code quality.
-   Redux setup & remove contexts: Optimize state management for performance and debugging.
-   Remove Styled Components; implemented CSS modules: Refactor components to improve performance and eliminate hydration errors.

Additional Upgrades:

-   Optimistic Updates: Improve user experience and speed for actions like reactions and comments.
-   V2 DS & Routed APIs: Simplify and optimize APIs.
-   Timeline UI upgrade: Enhance the timeline for on/off-chain events and proposal progress.
-   Navigation bar: Improve visibility and accessibility.
-   Open any profile: Allow viewing of any on-chain account.
-   JSDoc: Provide documentation for functions to facilitate open-source contributions and development.

These upgrades aim to enhance user engagement, transparency, and the overall experience on Polkassembly while streamlining development and maintenance processes.  
  
Please [click here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tFFRSIvtsa0fuzpzeESyrippWT3emkjIkiVAUMnh2kU/edit?usp=sharing) to view the full proposal.

WHO: Polkassembly team

WHAT: Proposing a recurring payment from the Polkadot treasury to cover maintenance, operations, and human resource costs for Polkassembly, including general maintenance, runtime upgrades, and infrastructure costs. The proposal covers costs for Q3 & Q4 of 2023 and aims to enhance user engagement, transparency, and the overall experience on Polkassembly while streamlining development and maintenance processes.

PRICE/TIMEFRAME/RESOURCES: Not specified.

Polkassembly Social Contract | Maintenance proposal Q3 & Q4’23

- A new Multi-Wallet user interface and Polkawatch analytics have been created.
- A test integration with the Polkadot Staking Dashboard was successful, helping more people analyze staking choices.
- The team plans to fully connect Polkawatch Analytics to the Staking Dashboard.
- Improvements to the Staking Dashboard Plugin system are underway to involve more community projects.
- A new way to track location data is needed because of changes in the network.
- Support for AURA parachains will help find more funding and reduce reliance on Treasury money.
- The ongoing monthly cost to keep analytics running is about $2.9K. 
- Community feedback is encouraged and a detailed proposal is available for more information.

Polkawatch proposes to fully integrate its analytics service into the Polkadot Staking Dashboard and improve the plugin system for other community projects. They also plan to implement a different GeoLocation strategy and provide support for AURA parachains. The milestone will cost **2.9K USD per month** and will be funded through continued operation and potential parachain support.

Polkawatch, Decentralization Analytics, Continued Operation and Development

- Polkascan wants to improve their block explorer, which shows information about blockchain events.
- They plan to add new features, like a better dashboard and easier-to-understand data.
- The updates will help people who are not very technical to use the explorer more easily.
- Improvements will benefit parachain teams that use the explorer.
- The team is looking for feedback from the community on their proposal.

WHO: Team Polkascan
WHAT: Extend Polkascan open source block explorer with more features, such as an improved dashboard and user-friendly descriptive representations of events and calls.
PRICE/TIMEFRAME/RESOURCES: Not specified.

Beyond Raw Data: How Polkascan Transforms Subsquid Aggregates into a User-Friendly Polkadot Experience (Polkadot Treasury Proposal)

Dot Leap is a newsletter that shares news about the Polkadot ecosystem. They want to keep growing and helping the community. They have a plan with three main parts: improving their website, adding AI integration, and continuing their newsletter. They need money to make this happen and have a list of costs. They also have goals for how many people they want to reach and how they will do it. If they don't get the money they need, they might have to find sponsors or shut down. You can contact them if you have questions.

## Problem Statement

For the past three years, [Dot Leap](https://newsletter.dotleap.com) has been keeping the community in the loop about all governance, technical, and ecosystem news surrounding the Polkadot ecosystem.

Our [last proposal](1410) has helped us remain in operation, and we would love to be able to stay free of ads for products and services, and credibly neutral going forward, while renewing focus on growth.

It is no secret (real, human) users have been stagnating across web3 - the community has been scared off, and the echo chambers are saturated.

Metrics-wise, the newsletter had 3310 subscribers at the time of our last proposal, with a 30% open rate and 10% average clickthrough rate, which is almost unheard of in newsletter success metrics. However, fast forward almost a year, and our subscriber base is 3390, with the same open rate, but slightly lower clickthrough rate at 7.5% on average.

![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/ry4EqVPl6.png)

This is also why we have chosen not to request the followup milestone and instead take a different approach entirely.

Being fully cognizant of the fact that the bear market which drove these users off into hybernation might extend well into 2025, we decided to uproot the Dot Leap effort and focus on aggressive growth going forward. Our aim is to help Polkadot get the necessary userbase and developer base, and to expand global awareness of Polkadot's innovations which - currently - get sadly overlooked.

Now more than ever, due to new terminology like coretime, Polkadot 2.0, async backing and other new concepts, we need to provide the wider ecosystem with good explanations, clarifications, tutorials, and branding assistance, all of which is only possible through good journalism, technical education, and community growth.

For all this, we need your help.

## Proposal Solutions and Objectives

The growth plan consists of three major pillars.

1.  Dot Leap website
2.  AI integration
3.  Newsletter continuation, reformatting, and growth

### Dot Leap Website

The Dot Leap website started out as a static website with some basic explainers by Bruno Skvorc. This effort will be revived.

What the fabled Polkadot.com education portal was supposed to be will now find its home on Dotleap.com:

-   explainers of basic concepts
-   very basic user guides for essential Polkadot functionality
-   very basic user guides for individual parachain functionality
-   illustrated and enhanced versions of certain high-impact Wiki content (will also be PRed upstream where it makes sense)
-   open source AI-powered search of the Dot Leap archive for natural language searching of previous content (e.g. "I remember there being some tool to track council performance a few months ago, what was it?" or "When was the biggest voting turnout bump registered, between which Dot Leap editions?")

Per community vote, however, most emphasis will be placed on newbie friendly guides for using various parachain core functions and their dapps.

![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/S1tFcNPlp.png)

The website will have optional web3 user profiles which will grow in reputation based on feedback given and actions taken, later evolving into a system for internal governance, clarified a little lower in the proposal.

### AI Integration

An OpenAI powered app is being built to assist with the creation of link-heavy newsletters.

It can automatically process and summarize information, detect relevance, and proceeds to generate social media materials for sharing the content in easy to consume snippets.

It automatically reads staking rates and treasury balances from chain and generates social-media friendly graphs that will also be embedded into the newsletter editions.

This application is being developed specifically for Dot Leap and NFT Review (which is not part of this proposal).

AI integration will also be added to the Dot Leap website in order to make the archive searchable with natural language (basic OpenAI wrapper with custom data training).

The application will also be able to ingest links from a telegram bot configured **specifically for parachain and dapp teams**, as well as independent active community members, to submit links to. The bot will reply with information about the link, its assessed quality and relevance, and whether or not it was already submitted by someone else.

### Newsletter

The newsletter will be reformatted to be less "😐🥱" (ugh) and more "😳🤯😲" (wow). So far, some of the problems were the following:

1.  **Github links were rarely clicked on unless controversial.** To really explain those, the writer must understand what they do, and follow them meticulously. Under more technical leadership which can break these technical changes down in an easy to consume way, there is a good chance that these links will be made appealing to click on again.
2.  **Governance links lost clickthrough rates** despite controversy because the outcomes have become predictable, while no interesting explanation is given for votes and outcomes. The lack of creativity in the proposals seems to also be a contributing factor. These need to be more thoroughly explained, but in a short and soundbitey way so that they do not look like skippable walls of text - people have enough to read and pay attention to already. Conclusions - economical, technical, and social - also need to be laid out, as not everyone is in Polkahaus :)
3.  **Focus is on the wrong metrics across all ecosystems.** TX count or TVL are often mentioned, either in staking or governance locks, but real user count or actual transaction intents across parachains are rarely discussed (likely because they paint a worrying picture when [not gamed](https://cryptotrafficmarket.com/)). By shedding light on the problems, we believe we can make Dot Leap incredibly engaging to read again, while also helping solve some of those issues.
4.  Announcements, while they do sometimes lead pumpamentals and clicks, are ultimately meaningless. Dot Leap will only publish shipped collaborations, ignoring press releases and "partnerships".

The initial plan was thus to create a subletter for Governance, Technical, and Ecosystem.

Each version would mention key points of the other, but go into detail only about its own content. However, the readership seems divided on this topic, so this is still in the air.

![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/r1yi54vx6.png)

**_If_** it happens, we will pilot this in a way that does not dilute the content, and we will ask for feedback on every edition. The goal is to make the readers happy - the newsletter makes no sense otherwise - so if the community decides against it, they are in charge.

Per majority vote, each version will also contain commentary on that week's most pressing or notable issues.

![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/HkTI5Vwla.png)

Per majority vote, each edition will also have a short video recap, for those who prefer to consume news in a video or audio format, auto-formatted and sliced in such a way that makes it easy to share the whole thing of parts of the video on social media.

![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/Syvw5VDxa.png)

Per community vote, each edition will also have a "dogfood of the day" section, guiding readers through something they should DO in Polkadot's side of web3.

![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/ryxd9Eve6.png)

Finally, each newsletter will contain a simple link to a feedback form at the end to gauge people's satisfaction with our work and solicit feedback or requests for changes of direction. This will be non-invasive, a simple 1-5 grade with a text input.

## Fee and Payment Terms

| Item | Expense | Duration | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Website Growth, Expansion, Content | 20000 | 12 months | Web3 profiles, feedback mechanism |
| Website Maintenance + AI tools | ~5000 | 12 months | Mostly hosted on IPFS, this comes down to pinning and alternative hosting costs |
| Newsletter Continuation | 80000 | 12 months | Daily research, keeping track of Github PRs and governance proposals across the ecosystem's many chains, commentary, event and community coverage, social media |
| AI Integration | ~38000 | 12 months | Helper application for edition generation, social media conten |
| Ad Spend | ~12000 | 12 months | Purchasing placed ads on search engines and social networks. |

**Beneficiary Address**

-   1QjuTEKebQ3au8bxQC6iwYSPCA2iZn3YHwX8VABCauKtwRk

[EMA7 rate by Subscan](https://polkadot.subscan.io/tools/charts?type=price) will be used to calculate the allocation on the day of submission.

The expenses cannot be more accurately predicted or broken down any further, anything else would be **misleading** the OpenGov community.

There are many things to take into consideration, from salary and level of expertise of involved people, to tax ramifications (as an example, in Croatia the total comes down to something like 60% tax on these gross amounts), so these budgets are proposed in the minimum amounts needed to guarantee a successful outcome.

This is a full time job, and despite the integration of AI (which itself might need a part time employee), **at least one** person fully embedded in this ecosystem will be monitoring it, parsing it, editing it, developing the helper tools and integrations, generating content for the website, and more. As such, this ask is mainly for _salary funds_ (incl. tax) which will be distributed amongst the people working on this, and used to cover whatever infra expenses are incurred.

**Work done so far includes a new template for the newsletter, reader feedback research, and an MVP of a helper application for link-heavy newsletters which auto generates summaries and social media threads along with growth hacking scenarios and data analytics.**

We believe our track record and general favor of the community speak for our dedication and quality of work. The bear is the time for building, and we could not be more excited about telling the world about new Polkadot concepts, as well as keeping everyone up to date on all the upcoming changes.

## KPIs

-   15000 total subscribers before November 2024, Substack, X, Youtube, and Telegram Readership channel combined. On X, only Verified accounts will count as subscribers.
-   20%+ open rate on the emails
-   5+% average clickthrough rate

We believe this is in the realm of possibility. The open rates and clickthrough rates generally go down with subscriber base growth, and the more comprehensive a newsletter is, the less incentive there is to click through a link, but as we prune inactive emails (those that have not interacted with an email after several editions), these numbers should be attainable.

The Telegram output and social media output, as well as the video recap might all nerf our numbers a little since those cannot count clicks, and there might be some duplicates (an X follower might also be an email subscriber) but this is why we are comfortable raising the subscriber count KPI target to almost 500% of the current number.

### How will we grow?

Which methods will be utilised for user acquisition and retention? How exactly do we plan to achieve such growth?

#### Active Communication

-   Notes and X: Regular thread-versions of the newsletter's editions will be published on X and Substack Notes immediately after publication, tagging relevant parties and prompting discussion. Both for X and Notes, most of the initial content will be automatically generated by AI, prompting passive growth, while active engagement will be used as a followup. This will include changes in staking %, governance info and numbers, and all the general content from the newsletter's edition, abbreviated and summarized, encouraging clickthrough.
    
-   Feedback form: The feedback form at the end of each edition will be useful to optimize future content according to the wishes of current readers. This alone should significantly increase retention and reduce unsubscribes.
    
-   Announcement Channel and Link Group: Two Telegram groups will be set up: announcement channel for edition recaps, in case people prefer to consume the newsletter out of inbox, and a submission channel where DMing a bot will automatically insert a given link into the dedicated helper AI application. The application will keep score of submitted links, encouraging users to report fast and often.
    

#### Additional Reach and Ad Campaigns

Due to publishing short form video content for every edition, we expect growth on Youtube and X. A tiktok presence will also be established and attempted. May Odin help us all.

$1000 per month will be spent on Ad campaigns, A/B testing platforms, content, and copy text. We intend to leverage social media network ad placement for targeting audiences, as well as search engine ad placement to hijack popular search keywords.

#### Gamification

While not for everyone, gamification has proven to be noticeably effective in certain demographics and user personas. Our aim is to give each reader who provides feedback a web3 profile on the Dot Leap website, and grow their profile with an evolving NFT, introducing reputation into the mix.

Over time, these users will be the governing layer of Dot Leap, shaping more than just the content of the newsletter. As Dot Leap matures, it might take on additional roles - like validating or a nomination pool - and, inspired by ChaosDAO, these key actors will have an important voice in matters of governance.

#### Collaboration and User Cross-pollination

The Polkadot community is small and fragmented. A fabled legion of Asian devotees exists, yet they barely register on the western radar. The various outspoken entities already present in the ecosystem (Kusamarian, Polkaworld, Kryptoschain, Bill Laboon, Rob…) have their audiences, but generally these audiences are not shared.

Our aim is to proactively seek out and collaborate with all of these entities and more - should they be willing - to encourage cross-consumption of material and grow the ecosystem's attention span together, rather than fragment it further. Dot Leap 2 is not a vampire attack on other media, but an augmentation.

#### Looking For Trouble

We intend to actively seek out discussions touching on the Polkadot outside the Polkadot ecosystem. We will look for discussions around concepts similar to what Polkadot has or is working on, and insert our content into the conversation, hopefully also gradually improving Polkadot's brand at the same time.

We will publicly report on these attempts and ask our community for (non trolling, patient, and collaborative) help.

## FAQ

I will attempt to frontrun some questions.

### Who will be doing this?

At first, Bruno will be doing most of this, with some help from his brother on development matters. Someone more techincal and data-and-AI minded is needed to take the newsletter to its next level in terms of organic growth, and so we need to make staffing changes as much as infrastructural/content changes to get this growth in an honest way.

### How can you do this while running RMRK?

I am barely useful at RMRK these days. As ops/admin, I am de-emphasizing my position there in favor of writing code again (any code - both RMRK-adjacent code and other stuff which includes Dot Leap related development) and getting more familiar with the technical side of various ecosystems, which is also a part of what I must do for RMRK's benefit as it expands.

I am plugged into web3 18 hours a day as is, and dedicating time to making Dot Leap into the behemoth I know it can be is a worthy challenge that can benefit all parties. I will, however, aim to replace myself at the first opportunity.

Dot Leap is a separate entity, and hopefully one I can pass on to someone else after setting it up **the way I would like to be reading it.**

### Aren't you a Polkadot hater now?

I have my gripes with the brand and various entities in the ecosystem. None of that means I disregard the tech that comes out of this ecosystem, or that my journalistic integrity is compromised. I have been in tech writing and journalism for well over 12 years now, 9 of those in web3, always delivering objective reports. This will continue.

I am still deeply invested in this eco, in more ways than one, and I like to be kept in the loop on things as much as the next tokenholder. I might as well do a good job of forwarding the information while absorbing it.

### What happens to Dot Leap if this proposal fails?

I will attempt to seek out sponsorship and integrate ads. Failing that, I will shut down Dot Leap and NFT Review.

### Why not request this in milestones or as a bounty?

The planned changes are truly vast, and their expenses unpredictable. A smaller amount at first might not be enough to get critical mass of development early on, and the uncertainty might dissuade people we might want to hire from applying.

In theory, this could be done in smaller instalments, but these are not constraints under which I would personally be comfortable with leading this.

### Will you just marketdump?

The funds will be staked and only sold as necessary for expenses. For the most part I will pay for everything out of pocket and reimburse my costs periodically, in an effort to gain as much as possible from the stake.

## Contact

Telegram: t.me/swader

email: [bruno@bitfalls.com](mailto:bruno@bitfalls.com)

Dot Leap proposes to focus on aggressive growth by reviving their website, integrating AI, and reformating their newsletter. They aim to help Polkadot get the necessary userbase and developer base, and to expand global awareness of Polkadot's innovations. The proposal requests a total of $75,000 for 12 months to cover salary funds, website growth, expansion, content, website maintenance, AI tools, newsletter continuation, AI integration, and ad spend. They aim to have 15,000 total subscribers before November 2024, with a 20%+ open rate on emails and 5+% average clickthrough rate.

Dot Leap 2: Let's grow!

The Polkadot Gaming Group, which includes members from various supporting parachains and teams, is requesting funding for the verification of the Polkadot Unity SDK in the Unity Asset Store. This SDK aims to increase Polkadot's visibility in the web3 gaming space and help onboard new users onto Polkadot and its ecosystem of parachains and dApps. The group is seeking $175,000 from the treasury, with $150,000 allocated for Unity's verification and publishing process and $25,000 for SDK maintenance for 12 months. The SDK is designed to be versatile and model-driven, facilitating the rapid generation of customized C# SDKs compatible with various chain types. The initiative is expected to boost Polkadot's brand recognition among game and app developers, empowering them to initiate projects in the web3 games and decentralized applications sectors within the Polkadot ecosystem.

**Short Description:** Verified Solution Polkadot Unity SDK in the Unity Asset Store

**Project Category/Type:** Infrastructure

**Beneficiary Address:** 16Fa8QRqAWS5BFxZVTKHN1qsAmMEwDVUCBft43a1BMTtmasJ (Parity)

**Funding Amount:**  42685 DOT = 175’000 USD

To DOT Holders,

My Name is Nicholas Douzinas from Ajuna Network and I am authoring this proposal in the name of the Polkadot Gaming Group. Currently, this is composed of over 20 members from supporting parachains and teams including Ajuna, Apilon, Astar, Aventus, Gear Technologies, Moonsama, Moonbeam, Opendive, Tanssi, Unique, and Parity Technologies.

We are asking you to consider releasing funding through the treasury, for the cost of Verification of the newly created Polkadot Unity SDK. In the proposal below we explain how an ecosystem-wide solution, branded as Polkadot Unity SDK can produce long-term value for dot holders, significantly increase the visibility of Polkadot as a contender in the web3 gaming space and tangibly help with onboarding new users onto Polkadot and our ecosystem of parachains and dApps.

**  
The TLDR:**

-   **Background:** At present, the Unity Asset Store does not feature any Polkadot-based solutions for its extensive user base of game and application developers. The platform does, however, offer verified solutions for other blockchain ecosystems such as Ethereum, Solana, Aptos, Flow, and Algorand. This omission represents a significant gap in the market and an untapped opportunity for Polkadot to establish itself within the burgeoning web3 gaming vertical.   
    ([https://assetstore.unity.com/decentralization-hub)](https://assetstore.unity.com/decentralization-hub\))
    
-   **Collaboration:** Ajuna, Apilon, Astar, Aventus, Gear Technologies, Moonsama, Moonbeam, Opendive, Tanssi, Unique, and Parity Technologies—have been actively working to address these challenges.
    
-   **Funding Request:** We are seeking total funds of $175,000 from the treasury. Of this amount, up to $150,000 will be allocated to cover the cost of Unity’s verification and publishing process for an ecosystem-specific Polkadot Gaming Software Development Kit (SDK) on the Unity Asset Store. It should be noted that these are straight pass-through costs to Unity Technologies. This transaction will be executed with Parity Technologies as the counterparty. In the case that the cost of Verification is below the requested $150,000, the remaining funds will be returned to the Treasury. The $25,000 will be allocated to cover the maintenance of the SDK for a period of 12 months. You will find a full breakdown in the sections below.
    
-   **Opportunity:**  The integration of a Polkadot Gaming SDK into the Unity Asset Store offers a substantial opportunity to bolster Polkadot's brand recognition among game and app developers. This will empower Unity and C# developers to initiate projects in the web3 games and decentralized applications (dApps) sectors, specifically within the Polkadot ecosystem.
    
-   **Technical Specifications:**  The proposed SDK is designed as a versatile, model-driven solution. It will facilitate the rapid generation of customized C# SDKs compatible with various chain types—including relay-, para-, and solo chains. This enables effortless integration with Unity, obviating any further requirements and effectively unlocking the entire C# development stack.
    
-   **Part 2: BD/Marketing:** To ensure the success of this project, comprehensive efforts are essential from both Business Development (BD) and Marketing. Hence, we have divided the proposals into Technical (Part 1) and BD/Marketing (Part 2). Once Part 1 is approved, a distinct proposal for Part 2 will be submitted. Discussions pertaining to Part 2 can be followed through this link. This approach enables the Technical Teams to commence implementation promptly, allowing 4-6 weeks for verification, while Parachain and Parity teams can concentrate on Part 2.
    

We are confident that this initiative will significantly contribute to the growth and diversification of the web3 gaming vertical on Polkadot, providing both immediate and long-term benefits to all stakeholders involved.

We look forward to your support in realizing this transformative project.

**  
Importance and Implications of a Verified Polkadot Unity SDK**

Unity is the preferred engine for 60% of games created across all platforms, and over 50% of Web3 games \[[ref1](https://webinarcare.com/best-game-engine-software/game-engine-statistics/), [ref2](https://webinarcare.com/best-game-engine-software/game-engine-statistics/)\]. Additionally, the Unity Asset store is used by over 1.5 mio developers for a wide variety of applications in the creator economy, such as animation and architecture. By becoming a Verified Unity Partner, we can offer a reliable and trusted solution for Unity developers who want to build on Polkadot.

**  
Advantages of Verified Partnership?**

1.  **Trust and Credibility:** A Verified Unity Partner status would establish Polkadot as a reliable, trusted option for Unity's extensive developer community.
2.  **Widespread Adoption:** Being featured on the Unity Asset Store would dramatically scale the adoption of Polkadot SDK for both Polkadot and its parachains.
3.  **Exclusive Features:** Verification grants access to specialized features like custom End-User License Agreements (EULA), thereby enabling subscription-based product offerings.
4.  **Focused Marketing Strategy:** A Verified Unity Partner status allows for more effective and concentrated marketing initiatives.
5.  **Ecosystem Synergy:** The verification of a parachain-agnostic SDK provides a foundation upon which individual parachain projects can build their unique offerings.

**  
Problem: The Existing Gap**

Currently, Unity developers lack an avenue for creating Web3 applications within the Polkadot ecosystem. This absence effectively sidelines a potential 1.5 million developers from considering Polkadot and its associated projects (relay-, para-, and solo chains) as viable platforms for Web3 applications.

Moreover, the financial and resource investment required for individual projects to develop and verify their Unity SDKs would be substantial and would not benefit the ecosystem at large, creating inefficiencies and redundancies.

**  
Collaborative Effort for a Unified Solution**

Initiated in April of this year, our collective group—comprising over 20 members from organizations like Ajuna, Apilon, Astar, Aventus, Gear Technologies, Moonsama, Moonbeam, Opendive, Tanssi, Unique, and Parity Technologies—has been actively working to address these challenges through a unified approach to SDK development.

We believe that our proposed initiative will significantly enhance Polkadot’s standing within the Unity community, offering both immediate and long-term benefits to all stakeholders.

**  
Proposed Solution**

Objective

Our primary goal is to introduce a verified Polkadot Unity Software Development Kit (SDK) into the Unity Asset Store. This initiative aims to provide game and application developers with a robust set of tools that will enable seamless integration of their current and forthcoming projects with the Polkadot ecosystem.

This toolkit is not merely a software asset; it serves as a comprehensive development framework built on C#. It is designed to streamline the efforts of relay-, para-, and solo chain teams, enabling them to build, verify, and deploy blockchain-based solutions with ease.

The technical development phase is already complete. What remains is to gain verification status in order to join the ranks of other notable SDKs in the [Unity Asset Store](https://assetstore.unity.com/decentralization-hub), such as:

-   Solana SDK for Unity
-   Tezos SDK for Unity
-   Metamask
-   Flow SDK
-   Aptos SDK
-   Truffle
-   and more

By achieving this, we aim to position our ecosystem Polkadot Unity SDK as a go-to resource within the Unity Asset Store, elevating its stature to that of existing, reputable solutions. The cost, as priced by Unity Technologies and equally applicable to all Verified solutions, is $150,000.

**Technical Specifications**

Polkadot Unity SDK

We propose to maintain and improve the Polkadot Unity SDK as a common foundational layer for all relay-, para-, and solo chain builders. This SDK will be generic to its full extent, thereby ensuring its reusability by any chain. Source code access: GitHub - [Substrate.NET.API](https://github.com/SubstrateGaming/Substrate.NET.API)

Dynamic SDK Customization

The SDK has the capability to generate a customized version for individual relay-, para-, and solo chains in a matter of seconds. Each customized version will enable seamless interaction with the specific chain's extrinsic functions, storages, errors, constants, and all the RPC-available features. Published projects so far: GitHub - [Substrate.Chains.NET](https://github.com/SubstrateGaming/Substrate.Chains.NET)

Project-Specific Layers

On top of the base SDK, developers can create project-specific layers to add unique features or functionalities tied to a particular relay-, para- and solochain.

Technological Advantages

The SDK will be akin to Polkadot.js but written in C#, thereby leveraging the Microsoft C# stack and the entire Unity stack for enhanced capabilities.

Verification and Subsidies

While the foundational SDK remains co-owned and reusable, individual parachain teams can apply for subsidies to add layers of verification or to create project-specific features. This approach ensures that the value derived from verification justifies the costs involved, and it keeps the competitive spirit intact among developers.  
  
Open-Source

The development of the SDK is open-source, and feedback and suggestions on GitHub are welcome, making it a co-owned asset in the gaming vertical.

Features and Capabilities

1.  **Streamlined Development:** The SDK is designed to simplify and expedite the development process for teams working on relay-, para-, and solo chains, allowing for the efficient creation, verification, and deployment of blockchain-based applications.
    
2.  **Interoperability:** With its parachain-agnostic architecture, the SDK will offer a foundational layer that can be customized by individual teams to add unique functionalities.
    
3.  **Inclusion of Comprehensive Tools:** The SDK will include a wide array of tools and resources to assist developers at every stage of the application development lifecycle.
    
4.  **Ease of Adoption:** Due to its compatibility with Unity and the C# language, the SDK will be easily adoptable by a broad range of developers with varying levels of expertise.
    

By successfully implementing this solution, we anticipate significant advancements in Polkadot's standing within the broader Unity and web3 development communities. The initiative will serve as a crucial step towards consolidating Polkadot's presence in these burgeoning markets, thereby offering immediate and long-term advantages to all stakeholders involved

**Maintenance of SDK (12 months)**

**SDK Maintenance for 12 Months**: An estimated $25,000, equivalent to a 20-25% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), will be allocated for ongoing maintenance and updates to the SDK.

-   Maintain Unity Asset Store package, including mandatory security updates to remain a verified solution by Unity, additionally maintaining substantial changes on the [Substrate.UnityDemo](https://github.com/SubstrateGaming/Substrate.UnityDemo) project.
-   Maintain the underlying SDK framework [Substrate.NET.API](https://github.com/SubstrateGaming/Substrate.NET.API), including updating dependencies on the core level like [StreamJsonRpc](https://github.com/microsoft/vs-streamjsonrpc), and its underlying dependencies. (quarterly update schedule)
-   General maintenance of issues & features on GitHub [SubstrateGaming](https://github.com/SubstrateGaming) and the underlying Repositories

**Benefit for Dot holders**

The overarching goal of this proposal is to facilitate the onboarding of game developers and studios onto parachains and the Polkadot ecosystem at large. The proposed initiative promises several long-term benefits for DOT holders, including:

1.  **User Onboarding at Scale:** Introducing gaming decentralized applications (dApps) can attract a large user base, as exemplified by Mythical Games [https://twitter.com/Polkadot/status/1701143714184233156?s=20)](https://twitter.com/Polkadot/status/1701143714184233156?s=20\))
2.  **Increased On-Chain Transactions an****d Engagement:** Successful implementations like the Awesome Ajuna Avatars (BAJUN) have contributed close to 15% of Talisman TXs in the last 90 days \[\*talisman\_90days\]
    
3.  **Visibility and Competitive Standing:** Being featured in the Unity Asset Store alongside other Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions like Solana and Polygon provides a strategic advantage Decentralization | Unity Asset Store)
    
4.  **Ecosystem-Wide Value Capture:** Rather than benefiting only individual parachains, the proposed SDK can bring value to the Polkadot ecosystem as a whole.
    
5.  **Expanded Business Development and Marketing Opportunities:** A partnership between Polkadot and Unity can lead to co-branded marketing initiatives, such as press releases, and the possibility of inviting Unity to Decoded or Sub0 conferences to promote this collaborative venture.
    

\*talisman\_90days

![Talisman 90 days](https://i.ibb.co/5rFRvGH/talisman-AAAlast90days.png)

**Final Thoughts**

The individuals and parachains representing this proposal are taking this collective approach in line with Polkadot’s focus on the Gaming Vertical, as a key strategic decision for the future of Polkadot. This is one of many steps this group will support to make Polkadot a top 3 destination for web3 gaming in the next 5 years.

**Next Step: Proposal for funding for Polkadot Unity SDK Adoption (Part 2)**

_A message from the Polkadot Gaming Group_

_This proposal outlines all requisite steps to achieve the technical milestone of Unity Verification. We firmly believe that for Polkadot's Web3 gaming to truly succeed and achieve mass adoption, securing this milestone must be succeeded by substantial efforts in Business Development and Marketing. Achieving this is more than just delivering technical solutions; it’s crucial to promote and expose it to both the Web3 and the prevalent Web2 gaming communities through various platforms like Gamescom or the GDC._

_Hence, a meticulous and impactful BD/Marketing strategy is indispensable, aiming to effectively onboard game studios, game developers, and end users to the Polkadot ecosystem. The realization of these promotional and exposure goals is inherent in Part 2 of our proposal, which is contingent upon the successful approval and implementation of this initial technical proposal. A subsequent proposal, intertwining with the success of the first one, will be presented for the Treasury's consideration, addressing the crucial components of branding, communication, and market penetration. By navigating through these structured phases, we aspire to forge a path that leads to not just technical integrations but also to widespread acknowledgment and acceptance in both Web2 and Web3 gaming spaces. Our conviction is that this approach is pivotal to unraveling the full potential of Polkadot in the gaming sector._

Polkadot Gaming Group proposes to create a verified Polkadot Unity SDK for game developers. They request $175,000 from the treasury, with $150,000 allocated for Unity's verification and publishing process and $25,000 for maintenance. The SDK will be designed to facilitate the rapid generation of customized C# SDKs compatible with various chain types. The group aims to position the Polkadot Unity SDK as a go-to resource within the Unity Asset Store, elevating its stature to that of existing, reputable solutions. The initiative promises several long-term benefits for DOT holders, including user onboarding at scale, increased on-chain transactions and engagement, visibility and competitive standing, ecosystem-wide value capture, and expanded business development and marketing opportunities.

Polkadot Unity SDK proposal to become a Verified Solution (Part 1)

SubQuery has proposed a treasury allocation of 46,122.04 USD for Q1-Q2 2023 to cover the maintenance costs of the SubQuery <> Nova Wallet Common API infrastructure. This API is a valuable tool for client applications, providing easy access to pre-indexed data from the blockchain. The partnership between SubQuery and Nova Wallet has led to the integration of public SubQuery projects, which index transfers from various pallets and provide staking and governance data. The SubQuery Common API supports 74 Substrate-based networks and is hosted by Novasama Technologies. It is developed and maintained in open source, with various projects and wallets leveraging its capabilities. For more details and cost breakdown, refer to the full proposal.

**SubQuery <> Nova Wallet Common API: Maintenance Cost For Q1-Q2 2023**

**![](https://i.ibb.co/KGrkjrt/PECAPI.jpg)**

**Beneficiary**: [121kSSsSRJAu84ZA2T1j8Lff7f1HzKGPu2kYTm26YJe8RJuh](121kSSsSRJAu84ZA2T1j8Lff7f1HzKGPu2kYTm26YJe8RJuh) (SubQuery)

**Requested allocation**: 46,122.04 USD for Q1-Q2 2023 (6 months)

**Date**: 25 Sept 2023

**Project Category / Type:** Infrastructure and Network Operations

**Previous treasury proposals**: [https://kusama.subsquare.io/treasury/child-bounty/13\_135](https://kusama.subsquare.io/treasury/child-bounty/13_135)

**Short description**: SubQuery is the Universal data indexing toolkit facilitating the construction of Web3 applications of the future. This proposal seeks funding to cover expenses associated with maintaining the SubQuery <> Nova Wallet Common API infrastructure in Q1-Q2 2023.

**Full proposal can be found here:**

[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qtp4Go1-qHy7OU4DV05S6CIQUTGzSgVpmXF4ql9jy\_I](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qtp4Go1-qHy7OU4DV05S6CIQUTGzSgVpmXF4ql9jy_I/edit?usp=sharing)

**Context of the proposal:**

In continuation of our commitment to fostering the growth and development of the Polkadot ecosystem, we present a treasury proposal for Q1-Q2 2023 to fund the reimbursement of the costs for running the SubQuery Common API infrastructure. The SubQuery Common API has proven to be an invaluable tool for client applications, enabling seamless access to pre-indexed data that would otherwise be resource-consuming or challenging to query directly from the blockchain, such as operation history, staking analytics, and more.

[The partnership](https://subquery.medium.com/nova-wallet-builds-common-api-for-polkadot-9e56e28af4c7) between SubQuery and Nova has flourished over time, exemplifying a collaborative spirit that has enhanced the Polkadot ecosystem. Notably, Nova Wallet has seamlessly integrated support for the public SubQuery projects, specifically tailoring them to index transfers from both the "assets" and "ORML" pallets, as well as providing Staking & OpenGov data. This innovative integration has enabled easy access and querying of this vital data not only for Nova Wallet but also for any stakeholders within the ecosystem. Whether utilizing the free hosted projects or by running the relevant SubQuery project locally, the ability to glean insights from transfers across parachains has become both accessible and efficient.

This proposal outlines the infrastructure costs incurred for Q1-Q2 2023 that have played an instrumental role in ensuring the availability and accessibility of invaluable data to the Polkadot community. This symbiotic relationship, wherein SubQuery charges Nova for hosting services, signifies the collaborative synergy propelling this initiative and setting a path for future funding requests initiated by the SubQuery team themselves.

**SubQuery’s Common Good API features:**

-   Supports **74 Substrate-based networks** of Polkadot & Kusama ecosystem
-   The [Nova Wallet SubQuery projects](https://api.novasama.io/) are grouped based on the following supported features, each using a standard API:
    -   **Operation History:** Transfers and Extrinsics for Utility (main) token of the network
    -   **Multi-asset transfers:** Support for transfer history for tokens from ORML and Assets pallets
    -   **Staking rewards:** Rewards history and accumulated total rewards, support both Staking and ParachainStaking pallets
    -   **Staking analytics:** Queries for a current stake, validators statistics, and stake change history
    -   **OpenGov:** Queries for Aye/Nay votes, agile delegations
    -   **Multistaking:** Queries for gettings total rewards, APY/APR, stake and status simultaneously across all supported networks
-   **Hosted** on **SubQuery infrastructure** by Novasama Technologies:  
    Link: [https://api.novasama.io/](https://api.novasama.io/)
-   **Developed & maintained** by Novasama Technologies, available in open source:
    -   Operation history: [https://github.com/novasamatech/subquery-nova](https://github.com/novasamatech/subquery-nova)
    -   OpenGov: [https://github.com/novasamatech/subquery-governance](https://github.com/novasamatech/subquery-governance)
    -   Multistaking: [https://github.com/novasamatech/subquery-staking](https://github.com/novasamatech/subquery-staking)
-   The SubQuery Common API extends its accessibility to a wide array of teams and projects. Notable examples of those leveraging the capabilities of the SubQuery Common API include:
    -   Nova Wallet: [https://novawallet.io/](https://novawallet.io/) (full integration)
    -   SubWallet: [https://subwallet.app/](https://subwallet.app/) (full integration till January 2023, partial till today)
    -   Variety of different individual projects based on data from SubQuery

Please make sure to check the [full proposal](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qtp4Go1-qHy7OU4DV05S6CIQUTGzSgVpmXF4ql9jy_I) for more information and the costs decomposition:

[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qtp4Go1-qHy7OU4DV05S6CIQUTGzSgVpmXF4ql9jy\_I](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qtp4Go1-qHy7OU4DV05S6CIQUTGzSgVpmXF4ql9jy_I)

WHO: SubQuery

WHAT: Requesting 46,122.04 USD for Q1-Q2 2023 to cover expenses associated with maintaining the SubQuery &lt;&gt; Nova Wallet Common API infrastructure.

PRICE/TIMEFRAME/RESOURCES: 46,122.04 USD for Q1-Q2 2023 (6 months)

SubQuery <> Nova Wallet Common API:  Maintenance Cost For Q1-Q2 2023

### OpenSquare Proposal Summary

- **Beneficiary**: OpenSquare (12sNU8BXivMj1xQmcd4T39ugCyHjmhir8jkPqfAw5ZDESrx4)
- **Date**: 09/18/2023
- **Requested Allocation**: $275,620 (67,438 DOT)

#### Key Points:

1. **Maintenance**: Includes server costs, email services, domains, and labor for code maintenance and bug fixes.
2. **Infrastructure**: Hetzner servers, Ali email service, IPFS pin service, and domain costs.
3. **Code Maintenance**: Focuses on Subsquare, Dotreasury, Statescan, and Off-chain voting products.
4. **New Features**: Development of off-chain discussion decentralization, delegation UI enhancements, on-chain governance deposit management, and more.
5. **Budget Breakdown**: Maintenance costs $65,700, with additional budgets for new features in Subsquare, Dotreasury, and Off-chain voting.
6. **Total Budget**: $275,620, including both maintenance and new feature development.
7. **Long-term Vision**: OpenSquare aims to build a decentralized collaboration network in the Polkadot ecosystem, focusing on infrastructure and data indexing.
8. **User Metrics**: OpenSquare's products attract a significant number of users, contributing to the ecosystem's growth.

OpenSquare infrastructure products maintenance(2023 Q2 and Q3) and a new batch of features development

Polkadot's nomination system is important for the network's security and decentralization. Nominators choose the best nodes and are rewarded for their actions. However, some nominators behave suboptimally and risk losing rewards. To help nominators improve their actions, a solution called Motif is proposed. Motif includes leaderboards for nominator rewards and validator payouts, which will help nominators learn from the best and make better decisions. This will benefit the Polkadot ecosystem by improving decentralization and onboarding new nominators.

\### \*\*Update:\*\* \*\*We thought that a video would provide a more detailed explanation of the product we offer. To make it more engaging for you, we've enhanced it with AI.\*\* \[!\[image\](https://i.ibb.co/r6jtS9H/7263-783d14c1f75f4ea191a4e0ad8-1696936700840.png)\](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=funiC0HSgxc) ### \*\*We appreciate your support!\*\* -----

**Reseath overview**

Nominators hold a crucial role in Polkadot owing to the innovative NPOS approach. They fortify the economic security of the system with genuine decentralization through their constant actions to select the best nodes and personal commitment.

This approach demands significantly more involvement and decisions from them compared to any other staking yield (L1, farming, etc.). To incentivize their contributions, economic tools are employed: nominators receive the highest APY in the market for successful actions, while strict disincentivization tools (loss of reward or slashing of personal stake) ensure adherence to the system's stability.

This blend, along with the platform's openness, enables the realization of a high level of decentralization, offering true freedom of action for participants and full permissionlessness. Any DOT holder can enter the system, undertake tasks, and earn rewards for their successful completion.

However, the attributes of decentralization, openness, and permissionlessness mean every potential or existing nominator must engage in continuous self-education and perpetual optimization of their role. The complexity and dynamism of the system, key actions specific to the Polkadot ecosystem, necessitate proactive engagement from the nominator's side with almost zero feedback loop (because of decentralization).

Indirect data (that was partially available before this research) show that nominator behavior is somewhat suboptimal. We have conducted an extensive analysis of the structure of the nomination system from the nominators' behavior perspective and its dynamics. 

**Key findings** ([full details are available in the full proposal](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WEhn-kQQjYxpWD8hC05Nc4VK9oPYROFl/edit?pli=1)):

-   The staking ensemble is currently "decentralizing," with the contribution of "regular accounts" growing at the expense of a transition from "whales."
-   The growth in the role of regular nominators correlates with competition among them. Moreover, the closer the personal stake of the nominator is to the disincentivization level (min-reward), the higher the competition.
    -   ![Graph 9](https://i.ibb.co/2ZK4jts/9.png) ([Zoom in new window](https://i.ibb.co/2ZK4jts/9.png))
-   A significant number of accounts are near the disincentivization border, with 50% in the min-reward growth zone of 100%.
    -   ![Graph 6](https://i.ibb.co/34zzFjN/6.png) ([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/34zzFjN/6.png)) 
-   These accounts risk falling into the potential disincentivization zone (or are already in), possibly not receiving a reward while having staked funds if their actions are not optimal.   
    -   ![Graph 19 ](https://i.ibb.co/Mcdc9BM/19.png)([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/Mcdc9BM/19.png))
-   Our research showed that, in their mass, nominators indeed behave suboptimally. This concerns both stake size control and validator set control. Therefore, during the system's transformation, a significant number of accounts lose the active set – disincentivization occurs.
    -   ![Graph 26 ](https://i.ibb.co/SxgGfKx/26.png)([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/SxgGfKx/26.png))
    -   ![Graph 19](https://i.ibb.co/Mcdc9BM/19.png) ([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/Mcdc9BM/19.png))
-   The non-receipt of rewards as a disincentivization tool works harshly: currently, 40% of nominators do not return (dropout) to the active set after its loss, a number that is increasing.
    -   ![Graph 17](https://i.ibb.co/ThFc33z/17.png) ([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/ThFc33z/17.png))
    -   ![Graph 16](https://i.ibb.co/9qSnd0Z/16.png) ([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/9qSnd0Z/16.png))
-   Simultaneously, our research showed that there is a set of super-effective regular nominators in the system (not just basically performing target tasks in the system, but doing it super-effectively).
    -   ![Graph 25](https://i.ibb.co/drmr2xd/25.png) ([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/drmr2xd/25.png))
-   These accounts proficiently manage both stake size and validator choice over the long term. A nonzero number of them even never missed the active set for the last 500 eras with growing median reward. 
    -   ![Graph 24](https://i.ibb.co/rmBdm70/24.png) ([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/rmBdm70/24.png))
    -   ![Graph 31](https://i.ibb.co/HTdmmwZ/31.png) ([Zoom in](https://i.ibb.co/HTdmmwZ/31.png)) 
-   Their actions are easily observable and visible on-chain ([data can be found in the full proposal](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WEhn-kQQjYxpWD8hC05Nc4VK9oPYROFl/edit?pli=1)).

**Proposed solution**

Given the presence of these efficient nominators, we can implement benchmarking based on their activities, continuously showcasing optimal actions and outcomes. By utilizing unbiased on-chain data in an open-source format, this method demonstrates superior strategies without necessitating centralized actions or permissions.

Benchmarking works as a self-learning tool for nominators (what the best nominators do, when they increase the stake, which validators and when they choose), as well as a feedback loop in the nomination process (the nominator can understand their effectiveness, compare it with the best, etc.).

We propose the implementation of nominator leaderboards – dashboards that visualize nominator behavior, offering a comprehensive view of actions and results within the system. The leaderboard allows showing the entire range of actions and results that exist in the system.

These leaderboards serve as a user-friendly interface over the core incentivization mechanism, aiming to prompt nominators to act before facing disincentivization, thus softening the tool's impact without compromising its efficacy.

By centering on regular accounts, this tool amplifies the decentralization effect, making it universally accessible and comprehensible, regardless of language, location, or depth of blockchain/ecosystem knowledge.

**Key components** of the system include:

1.  Nominator Dashboard: A leaderboard for nominator rewards with insights and behavior analysis.
2.  Validator Dashboard: A leaderboard for validator long-term rewards and real payouts with insights and trends.
3.  Nomination Pool Dashboard: A leaderboard for nominator rewards and payouts with insights and trends.

**Team and traction**

Our team specializes in researching user behavior in the web3 ecosystem. We have a track record with research in the blockchain industry, specifically in DeFi traders' behavior, dApp user experience, and utilizing AI&ML. Our team already has relevant experience with different methods of blockchain research. We have conducted research to determine the most suitable method for this case. Astar, dYdX, Lido done and methods that were tested ([Samples can be found in the Appendix.1 at the end of this proposal](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WEhn-kQQjYxpWD8hC05Nc4VK9oPYROFl/edit?pli=1)).

**Interface sketches**

The implementation of the interface will take the form of a “desktop” webapp, providing users with a convenient way to explore the system's capabilities. The design will follow the style of "Similarweb," known for its user-friendly and visually appealing approach. The following is a basic layout and visual example of an internal project page. Please note that the dataset provided in the [full proposal](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WEhn-kQQjYxpWD8hC05Nc4VK9oPYROFl/edit?pli=1) is illustrative and subject to change.

**Benefits for Polkadot ecosystem from Motif**

The Motif platform empowers key stakeholders with valuable data, insights, and educational resources. It aligns interests, optimizes engagement, and fosters a stronger and more collaborative Polkadot community.

-   Benefits for Nominators:
    -   Nominators self-education and benchmarking
    -   Higher stickiness of system participants due to Confidence and Understanding of the system's operation
    -   Nominating based on data-driven insights (not just the minimum stake or a known name)
-   Benefits for Validators:
    -   Competition Beyond Low Fee
    -   Data-Driven Strategy:
    -   Optimized Engagement
    -   Potential reward growth due to improving the work of nominators in the system.
-   Community-Wide Benefits
    -   Decentralization focus
    -   Onboarding newcomer nominators and Retaining Members

Also, an open-source platform for the ecosystem. Based on this solution, additional elements or separate products can be based, which will improve the effectiveness of the feedback loop.

**Thanks for support** 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who have significantly assisted us during the nine months we prepared this proposal: Bill Laboon, Jonas Gehrlein, Raul Romanutti, Bryan Chen, Otar, Anaelle, Alex Promoteam, Tim, Denis Pisarev, Kirill Pimenov, Alice Faultcore, Subsquid guys and Dmitry, Jay Chrawnna, Tugy and Ra from Amforc, Tom, Ilhan, CoinStudio, Greg from Ryabina, and many more members from our community.

Motif proposes to implement nominator leaderboards, dashboards that visualize nominator behavior, offering a comprehensive view of actions and results within the Polkadot system. This tool aims to prompt nominators to act before facing disincentivization, thus softening the tool's impact without compromising its efficacy. The proposed solution will include Nominator, Validator, and Nomination Pool Dashboards. The team has relevant experience with different methods of blockchain research and will implement the interface in the form of a desktop web app.

Polkadot Nominator Insight Hub. Spreading the Best Nominator Strategies through TOP Nomination Leaderboards

- The proposal is about a bounty program to improve how people can buy cryptocurrencies with regular money (fiat) in the Polkadot community.
- It aims to help 20 different parachains and integrate an on-ramp service with the Polkadot Asset Hub.
- There are current challenges like high costs and difficulties for new users to enter the ecosystem.
- A previous bounty for a similar service on Kusama was successful, and now the same idea is being brought to Polkadot.
- The program will involve 15 assets with a total funding request of $326,040.
- This will allow users to easily buy assets and put them straight into their accounts without extra steps.
- The team seeks support from the community to make this idea happen.

Interlay proposes a bounty program to fund the fiat on-ramp service for 20 parachains and on-ramp integration for Asset Hub in the Polkadot ecosystem, costing $326,040. They aim to bridge the gap between traditional payment systems and the Polkadot ecosystem and encourage widespread adoption. The proposal has been successful in Kusama.

Polkadot Parachain Assets Onramp Bounty Program

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