Grant Proposal to Creatives DAO
Project Title: Development of “Rising Tracker”: A Cross-Platform Trend-Tracking Mechanism for the Creative Economy**
Applicant: Rising DAO
Date: September 22, 2023
Grant Requested: $3,000
Executive Summary
Rising DAO was founded in 2022 and provided services for the community in 3 active listening workshops called RISING THINKS, think tanks on cross-collaboration between artists and technologists, all with supportive post-event reports. We also were commissioned by Creatives DAO to research and write about the Creative Economy trends in Africa. This produced a 15-page, originally designed NFT that launched in 2023. When funding stopped our work halted, for our chosen role is to research the community, globally, about its innovation and growth.
Now, with the emergence of the NDC movement, and the clarity of the Creative DAOs mission, we have re-imagined ourselves, our function, and our form of impact. This proposal is now submitted to you for our next iteration as a hybrid research and tools development team to help drive insights, cross-platform, about the technology and creative innovations impacting the Creative Economy.
Rising DAO now aims to give creatives and external audiences more data to make better decisions about their creative business/understand the Creative Economy. Through blockchain-based tech solutions to research and track trends specific to the creative economy. Our immediate focus is to develop the “Rising Tracker” a lightweight yet powerful trend-tracking tool that can roll up into BOS for cross-platform insights about trends in technology development/creative project trends by and for the Creative Economy.
Problem Statement:
Numerous web3 projects today are geared towards revolutionizing arts and entertainment. The recent CDAO’s Community Report reveals a myriad of overlooked ideas and innovations, mainly due to the absence of a flexible, intelligent trending platform to share insights. This fragmentation deprives us of:
- Recognizing upcoming blockchain innovations.
- Identifying potential collaborations.
- Gaining insights into emerging tools.
This results in:
Lack of Centralized Research: The Creative Economy is a $2.2 trillion market, fraught with fragmentation.
Missed Collaborations: Limited visibility into blockchain innovations means potential partnerships are often overlooked.
Emerging Tools and Innovations: Stakeholders lack a single source of actionable insights, leading to lost opportunities.
Solution: “Rising Trend Tracker”:
Aims to be an integrated solution that captures comprehensive data across NEAR and other platforms, converting insights into digestible formats, leading to the establishment of the Rising Media Hub. An intelligent insights tool that gathers data across multiple platforms like NEAR, analyzing trends in creative technology, and providing actionable reports.
We see this as an application layer into BOS, with a possible Dapp for interoperable insights across all platforms. PHASE 1 of the product is research, market segmentation, and development ideation. Our hope is to align with the resources on Horizon’s site (we have been invited to apply for January as a cohort) to leverage the best development, funding resources, and marketing positioning for our ask.)
Rising Trend Tracker aims to revolutionize data accessibility in the web3 domain, making it easy to use for everyone from developers to journalists.
Inspirations Behind Rising Trend Tracker:
a. Indexer.xyz:
- Tracks buying, selling, and floor prices along with user data for NFT projects across a multitude of blockchain networks.
b. Nearweekbot:
- A savvy bot that sifts through the Twitter noise to collect news stories, which are then channeled into an internal database for story tips.
c. Honey Browser Extension:
- Scours various online platforms to nab the best deals or coupons for e-commerce aficionados.
The Echo Chamber Dilemma: In the blockchain sphere, it often feels like we’re dwelling in an echo chamber—where the data speaks a language only a handful can comprehend. Outside this chamber, the data whispers are mostly inaudible. Even inside, only a few possess the toolkit to track key metrics in a user-friendly manner.
- The Rising Trend Tracker endeavors to be the go-to platform for founders to effortlessly keep tabs on data pertinent to their ecosystem and community. Our focus sharpens on aggregating vital insights and KPIs to both quantify and qualify diverse web3 projects, embracing their on-chain and off-chain data.
UI/UX - The Forefront of Our Agenda: We are on a mission to revamp the UI/UX, making it inviting not just for the tech-savvy, but also for non-tech natives like journalists, students, and other media personnel. The present UI/UX landscape in the blockchain realm leaves much to be desired, and we believe nobody should need a crash course in computer programming to access crucial metrics and information.
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User Dashboard: We want to enhance the user dashboard experience. Envision a dashboard where viewing, managing, and customizing data feels as intuitive as the best CRMs out there.
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A Wholistic Tool for Web3 Insights: The platform is crafted to be a comprehensive tool, making the hunt for relevant info on web3 projects and trends a cakewalk. Founders can now have a panoramic and numeric view of their ecosystem, activities, and volume, all in one place.
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Beyond Just Transaction Volumes and New Wallets: Metrics like transaction volume and new wallets can currently be found, but platforms like Nearblocks or Etherscan can be a tough nut to crack for the average person, and people in the creative industry. The Rising Trend Tracker is poised to broaden the metric spectrum, making them easily viewable and contextualized.
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A Unified Metrics Hub: Our tool is aimed to be designed to amalgamate various metric-gathering tools into one robust platform. The goal is to contextualize and elaborate on new trends and aggregated metrics, relating them to user activity, storylines, milestones, and breakthroughs.
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A Media Nexus: Marketing and media outreach is a bottleneck for many projects. The Rising Trend Tracker extends its arms to also serve as a media hub, where journalists, influencers, and curious minds can delve into the blockchain world, explore projects, and unravel the stories behind the numbers with ease.
Stakeholders:
a. Smart Contract Developers: Smart contract developers are fundamental to blockchain applications. They necessitate efficient tools and resources to ensure the successful deployment, management, and optimization of smart contracts on the blockchain.
b. End-users: End-users desire a smooth, uninterruptible, and user-friendly interface to interact with blockchain applications. Their experience is significantly impacted by the efficiency and reliability of the underlying infrastructure, which Rising Tracker aims to augment.
c. The NEAR Ecosystem: The expansive NEAR ecosystem encompasses various stakeholders, including developers, end-users, and blockchain enthusiasts, all of whom stand to benefit from the enhanced functionality that Rising Tracker provides.
Ecosystem Stakeholder Benefits:
NEAR Community: Acquiring a clear understanding of ongoing trends on NEAR and other protocols, which is essential in fostering a conducive environment for innovation and collaboration.
NDC: Offering a tool that highlights potential avenues for growth and innovation, thereby nurturing a prolific ecosystem conducive for both established entities and new ventures.
Devs: Providing a repository of insights essential for developers to stay updated on trends, technologies, and tools across the industry.
Innovators across NEAR and other Protocols: Facilitating a thorough understanding of the existing tools and technologies, enabling them to leverage these for their projects.
Creatives DAO Community: Supporting the success of innovative platforms like CDAO Planet by offering insights that are crucial for informed decision-making and strategic planning.
Key Features we will explore:
a. Scalable Query Engine: Rising Tracker’s scalable query engine should facilitate efficient data retrieval, considerably reducing the time and resources required to interact with blockchain data.
b. Advanced Indexing: Through its advanced indexing capabilities, Rising Tracker would ease the organization, access, and management of blockchain data, thereby simplifying complex processes for developers and end-users alike.
Benefits:
a. Enhanced User Experience: By reducing latency and providing quicker responses, Rising Tracker hopes to ensure an enriched user experience, which is crucial for mass adoption and sustained engagement.
b. Streamlined Development Processes: The tool aims to have the capabilities in indexing and querying blockchain data streamling the development processes, enabling developers to concentrate on creating high-quality, user-centric applications.
c. Cost-Efficiency: Rising Tracker aims to offer a cost-effective solution for interacting with blockchain data, which is particularly beneficial for developers operating with constrained resources.
d. Improved Accessibility: By facilitating easier access to blockchain data, Rising Tracker aims to play a pivotal role in attracting more developers and end-users to the NEAR ecosystem, therefore contributing to its growth and vitality.
Competitive Edge Through Upfront Research:
Rising Tracker aims to distinguish itself in the NEAR ecosystem through an innovative approach to blockchain data management. Unlike existing solutions, Rising Tracker’s advanced indexing and efficient query engine tackle the pressing challenges of data accessibility and usability, marking a significant stride towards optimizing the interaction between smart contract developers and end-users.
Audience Insight: Through SurveyMonkey and other polling mechanisms, we aim to attain a detailed understanding of market dynamics and user preferences. Some of the questions include:
- What platforms are you currently utilizing for your creative projects?
- Are you aware of the existing technology and tools available on NEAR and other protocols?
- What kind of trends in creative technology are you most interested in?
- How do you stay updated on the latest trends in creative tech?
- What challenges do you face in accessing or utilizing creative tech platforms?
- How do you see blockchain technology impacting the creative industry?
- What kind of information would you find most valuable in a trend tracker tool?
- Are you interested in cross-platform insights to improve your projects?
- What features in a trend tracking tool would be most beneficial for you?
- How often would you utilize a trend tracker tool for your projects?
Industry Interviews: Furthermore, we will conduct thorough interviews with industry leaders in Web3 Music, NFT projects, gaming, metaverses, and innovative platforms like the upcoming CDAO Planet. Example questions include:
- How do you envision a trend-tracking tool benefiting your project or platform?
- What data insights are crucial for your venture’s growth and visibility?
- How do you currently track trends and engage with the evolving tech in the creative sector?
- What platforms or technologies are indispensable for your project’s success?
- How do you see the integration of blockchain enhancing the future of the creative industry?
Business Strategy: This is our 2023-2024 Roadmap
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Tech Monetization:
- Collaborate with NEARVERSE on the IP of the trend-tracking tool.
- Secure investments for professional development, ensuring seamless integration with BOS.
- Expand Rising Tracker’s potential by licensing it to diverse platforms.
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Product and Service Strategy: While our foundation is a product, we envision ourselves as a service catering to:
- The NDC
- Various entertainment industry sectors.
- The Entertainment Press.
- Innovators across NEAR and other protocols.
- Creatives within CDAO (first)
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Media Hub Output and Pricing:
- Over the next six months, we’ll determine our distribution format, considering:
- A dedicated app.
- Quarterly reports.
- Articles.
- Multimedia content like videos and infographics.
- Over the next six months, we’ll determine our distribution format, considering:
Monetization Plans:
- Subscription Model: Allow access to the Rising Tracker on a tiered subscription basis:
- Basic Tier: Limited access to insights and monthly reports.
- Premium Tier: Full access to insights, weekly reports, and exclusive content.
- Enterprise Tier: Tailored reports, exclusive insights, and dedicated support for large businesses or institutions.
Long Term Monetization Goals:
Licensing: License the trend-tracking technology to other platforms that wish to utilize its capabilities for their own industries or niche sectors.
Ad-Supported Free Version: Provide a free version of the Rising Tracker with limited access, but supplemented by advertising revenue.
Affiliate Partnerships: Collaborate with other platforms, tools, or services highlighted in your insights, earning a commission for any sales or sign-ups generated through your platform.
Sponsored Content: Allow industry leaders to sponsor reports, articles, or infographics, ensuring they align with your standards and provide value to your audience.
Go-To-Market (GTM) Plan:
- Segmented Launch: Start with a closed beta to a select group, gather feedback, refine, and then launch to a larger audience.
- Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influential figures in the web3 and creative spaces to showcase the potential and benefits of Rising Tracker.
- Webinars and Workshops: Host sessions about the importance of trend tracking in the creative economy, showcasing the capabilities of the tool.
- Content Marketing: Regularly publish articles, infographics, and videos highlighting insights gained from Rising Tracker.
- Affiliate Partnerships: Use the partnerships formed for monetization as a channel to promote Rising Tracker, offering exclusive deals to their audiences.
6-Month Plan for Rising Tracker:
Month 1-2 (September-October): Focus on intensive research, community/industry surveys, and the initial development phase of our Trend Tracker.
Month 3 (November): Finalize Research, Dev to begin frameworks
Month 4 (December): Iterate based on feedback and begin to build. /Wireframes/Architecture
Month 5 (January): Test with BOS.
Month 6 (February): Early Beta (closed testing)
NEARVERSE Dev Partners:
We have our first NEARVERSE Dev team on Thursday, September 28th – their team is excited to work with us on the project, and they have emphasized the need for the process in our proposal. This meeting is a step forward in our collaborative endeavor to thoroughly research user needs and industry trends, akin to what has been established by indexer.xyz. As described above, indexer.xyz, users have gained valuable insights into NFT pricing; similarly, we aim to broaden the spectrum and provide the NEAR ecosystem a comprehensive view of digital innovation.
Why Our Team Is the Best Fit:
Reespect is the founder of Planet Lukukul, Co-founder AUO, and has been an active member in the Near ecosystem for over a year. She is currently a candidate running for the Council of Advisors in the first NDC elections. She has a degree in Computer Scientience and brings her training to creative technology development for music and the metaverse. Respect will help to drive the community research, surveys and technology ideation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aisha-hameed-485673151?trk=contact-info
Rhyme brings 10+ years of experience in branding, marketing, and PR, specializing in live events for music/community programs. Since spring of 2021, he has been working with various projects among the NEAR ecosystem to help develop new fan experiences that connect audiences with their favorite artists using NFTs as community assets and other web3-based tools. Rhyme will drive the research ideation, tech build with our Dev, and support the GTM with communities cross-chain.
Sarah Is an innovation marketing executive with 20+ years in positioning and marketing internet, media and insights technology platforms. She has worked with GoogleEarth, Netflix, Sun, NearPod and over 15 startups with two acquisitions. She was a founding member of the GWG as Communications Lead, and has international training in public relations in New York, Silicon Valley and London. Sarah will help with survey and research development for ideation, positioning, marketing/communications of the product and GTM. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkornfeld/
Blessed is a seasoned community manager with a Twitter/X following of 24K (prior to Elon rugging her). She is also earning her degree in CyberCrime and Criminology, and is running for the TC in the NDC. Blessed will drive the community insights process, reports and framework for the social communications plans for the product and GTM.
Council and Leads
- Strategy:
- Role: Community/industry research/surveys and market positioning.
- Expert Leads: Sarah, Rhyme, Reespect
- Technology:
- Role: Development, maintenance, and upgrades of the Rising Tracker.
- Expert Leads: DEV, Reespect
- Marketing and Communications:
- Role: Branding, public relations, and customer acquisition.
- Expert Leads: Rhyme, Sarah
- Community:
- Role: Engagement, feedback collection, and community building.
- Expert Lead: Blessed
Use of Funds
The $3,000 grant will be allocated as follows:
- Research/Surveys: $1000
- Framework Development in Collaboration with Dev DAO: $1,000
- Council: $1000 (4 people)
KPIs with 3k grant for Q4 2023
- Research
- Complete a comparative analysis of existing trend-tracking tools.
- Identify the top 3 blockchain platforms for data collection.
- Create competitive analysis for the tracker
- Create THREE Survey Monkey questionnaires to gain insights from the following audiences
- Creatives DAO Community about what they are building and what they want from the Tracker
- Cross-platform partners (polygon, Eth, and others) about how we can engage them and what content is more crucial for their learnings
- Press, analysts, influencers who are tracking the blockchain + entertainment technology: what they want to learn, how much they will pay, what they want from a cross-chain trends tracker
- Target 500+ reponses combined across all surveys
- Framework Development
- Develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of Rising Tracker.
- Integrate basic BOS features into the framework.
- Timeline
- Research: September-October 2023
- Framework: October-November 2023
- Beta Tracker: January 2024
Next Step:
This Phase 1 is leading towards the MVP in 2024. The work we do now is strategically leading towards that build, and we may return to CDAO to consider supporting it, as well as other revenue sources. Our goal (pending MVP) is an ask of multiple sources in 2024 to support development, business development and beta/launch marketing.
In conclusion, the Rising Tracker isn’t merely an observational tool but a vital instrument aimed at understanding the pulse of the creative economy as it is growing on NEAR (and cross-platform). Especially during a bear market, it’s instrumental in identifying who remains resilient and the trends that are shaping the future of the digital realm. We eagerly anticipate discussing this further during our meeting with our Dev partners and are at your disposal for any further inquiries or clarifications.
We will work with NEARVERSE and others to identify other grants and funding to more fully support the MVP.
Thank you very much for your consideration and we are open to ideas, refinement and collaboration! @kc_sollano @Paul @williamx @Cryptonaut
