Grant Proposal Template
Part 1 - Proposal Submission (*Mandatory)
Name of Project:
Dev4Block - Ocean Protocol Cohorts
Proposal in one sentence:
An advocacy developer project to educate, nurture and integrate a new batch of web3 engineers that will propel and build the next data economy powered by Ocean protocol.
Description of the project and what problem is it solving: (You can give more details in “proposal details” section farther down.)
Dev4Block is an 8-week intensive program focused on training developers on how to solve problems using blockchain technology. The program runs in 2 phases and is open to:
- Web2.0 builders looking to transition.
- Tech enthusiasts who have basic blockchain knowledge.
- Beginners looking to start a career in tech.
Our focus for the project with Ocean is to create an Ocean talent pipeline for a new stream of Web3 developers that will be integral in creating the new digital economy which will be powered by Ocean.
With the current push for a new internet that is centered around decentralization, a lot of projects have emerged but the availability of talent to propel this project have stunted many. It is on this premise that we sort out to create a self-sustained pipeline of developers that will be transitioned into the new internet. The transition will see the devs move from being traditional devs to web3 developers and for this, we will introduce them (syllabus) firstly to Blockchain and typical use cases, open up the web3 possibilities, get them up to speed on how Ocean plays in this field and most importantly make the onboarding processes for such developers much more seamless - shortening the time used to hire new developers and on the other hand providing a readily available talent stream that is currently dwindled.
Our mission for the project is to move one market at a time, unlocking the potential in a certain market and seeing how we can scale up such a platform, from City to country, and from country to continent and then unlocking the talent potential globally for Web3.
We will kick start the project efforts from Africa and this is borne out of a certain number of factors.
- Today, companies across all stages globally are struggling with a shortage of local tech talent. This has become more critical in the last 12 months because of rapid digital transformation and the shift to remote work.
- Africa however has seen a spike in the growth and quality of tech talent over the last decade, with tech talent communities serving as the building blocks for this leap. Yet, these communities lack the infrastructure to connect their members to the global workforce and offer them a path to financial inclusion.
- To put numbers into perspective, there are over over 7,000,000 African Tech Professionals, over 5,000+ Talent Communities and a 20% Tech Talent Growth (YoY since 2016)
Our model will however follow a talent progression and learning model as shown below.
With Dev4Block - Dev, we are building a case for Data as well, which is mining data within the entire talent coo system. Our Deep Data profiling helps us address varying needs of our Clients, Embedded Service Partners and Talent Communities. We will also afford our talent the opportunity to monetize these data sets on the Ocean Market.
- Technical & Behavioral Assessment Data: Comprehensive talent profiling to match and support hiring decisions.
- Demographic/ Verification Data: Demographic data and Govt issued IDs to support access to embedded services
- Income Data: Income data history to access select financial services
- Survey Data: Survey data to better understand and serve the communities
We intend to build a robust community that is centered around the Ocean protocol. Having such a community will ultimately be a win for not only the Ocean protocol but for blockchain and the current push for web3 and the data economy as a whole.
Grant Deliverables: (Target deliverables for the funding provided.)
- Build a landing page to target prospective developers and also serve as an information website.
- Set out the framework for a database of materials, resources and data to educate the new set of devs joining the hub.
- Create Social media and learning accounts for information dissemination.
- Create project communication materials - simple dev decks, logos, brochures, snippets etc.
Which Project Category best describes your project? Pick one.
- Outreach / community / spread awareness (grants don’t need to be technical in nature)
Are you applying for an Earmark? Pick one.
New Project Outreach / community / spread awareness (grants don’t need to be technical in nature)
What is the final product?
Dev4Block - Ocean Protocol Cohorts, a community powered platform that provides traditional developers with the tools they need to thrive, transform and connect deeper into Blockchain and Web3 systems so they can easily build the next waves of Web3 technologies and projects. We do this through a Layered Talent Progression Framework, which involves coupling smart assessments with a Work-Experience-Model, hence building an ecosystem for the Blockchain and Web3. The project will be hosted online on www.Dev4Block.com and educational module and assessments modules will be all online.
Question on “value add” criteria: which one or more of the criteria will your project focus on? Why do you believe your team will do well on those criteria?
- Usage of Ocean: In terms of Ocean usage, we believe the usage or adoption of any project is as a result of amazing products and amazing products are built by product and engineering teams who are currently not just available or scarce. We intend to fix this problem driving massive adoption for Ocean in return.
- Viability: The chance for our success with the project cannot not be over emphasis because of the current surge for tech talent and the need to build to merit the demands of the new internet (Web 3) and the data economy in general.
- Community active-ness: Most of the team members are currently active in Ocean Discord, active followers of the project on twitter and some engage in Ocean DAO. We also drive awareness within the Team and encourage and educate team members on the Ocean Protocol and we intend to do even more with the larger tech community.
- Adding value to the overall community: The value added to Ocean can be measured in terms of new developers added to Ocean from the program, the available pipeline of devs available to Ocean, the reduced hiring period for the project as a result of pipeline and the increased number of projects that will be built by this new set of developer from Dev4Block.
Funding Requested: (Amount of USD your team is requesting - see the available funding levels here)
$3,000
Proposal Wallet Address: (must have minimum 500 OCEAN in wallet to be eligible. This wallet is where you will receive the grant amount if selected).
0xE76C12a865a64002eed31B0c93628FFAB3d7f39b
Have you previously received an OceanDAO Grant? If yes, please specify what round(s) and how much was granted each round.
No
Team Website (if applicable):
Nil
Project lead full name:
Nomso Mario
Project lead email:
Country of Residence:
Nigeria
Part 2 - Team
Core Team
Nomso Mario
Role: Project Lead
Relevant Credentials:
Twitter Profile: @nomsomario
Email Address: nomsomario01@gmail.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-nomso-2427b211b/
Background/Experience:
Experienced Graphic Illustrator with over 6 years experience in UI/UX design and product design.
Gideon Oladimeji
Role: Chief Advocate
Relevant Credentials:
Twitter Profile: @ScalarBane
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scalarbane/
Background/Experience:
Product Designer, Pianist and a Mobile Photographer. He is an experienced User Interface and Experience Designer, skilled in Interaction Design, Rapid Prototyping, Adobe XD, Wireframing, Usability Testing, etc. He has worked across the industries with different sized teams varying from Startups to Global Companies the likes of Automattic Inc, owners of world’s most used Content Management System [CMS] platform Wordpress.com and Woocommerce amongst other products as a Product Designer. He is an adept community manager and helps organize meetups and small scale events for designers in the community. Gideon having worked with a number of tech companies is keen on helping catalyze the shift in the African Product Design ecosystem hence building his Startup, 3 strokes, a design agency that aims to help businesses scale with proper brand representation through designing, building digital products, better processes, and systems to enable people and enhance businesses.
Part 3 - Proposal Details (*Recommended)
Details of the proposal:
Dev4Block - Ocean Protocol Cohort is an online Academy that consists of Devs willing to learn about crypto, blockchain technology, and web3. It consists of mentors, as well as seasoned crypto mentors. It will also consist of libraries/modules as well as a system to track the growth and development of the devs enrolled into the Academy. We will also have channels for students to ask questions and receive appropriate answers, guidance and by direction.
- Ocean Protocol Cohorts will feature an onboarding platform for all stakeholders.
- Ocean Protocol Cohorts will feature libraries of relevant materials related to the Ocean Ecosystem and Blockchain in general
- Ocean Protocol Cohorts will feature a collection of video hands on tutorials on data, blockchain, web3, and on decentralized datasets, as well as other technologies centered on the blockchain.
- Ocean Protocol Cohorts will feature a direct path for submitting ideas and technologies to improve the Ocean Ecosystem and adoption generally.
If in Category “Outreach / community”:
2 blog posts will be published at Dev4block – Medium
Youtube channel: A YouTube channel will be created, customized for engagement and to give hands on learning experience to the community.
If the project includes community engagement:
Which channels will be used? For how long? E.g. “twitter, for 8 weeks”. Other details?
-
Twitter: Dev4Block will have a twitter page for posting and updating its community members on happenings surrounding not only the Ocean Ecosystem, but on Technologies on the entire blockchain.
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Discord: Dev4Block discord will feature an announcement channel as well as discussion forums to guide the community and to hold periodic AMAs. They will also be an avenue for Announcement channel as well as discussion forums to guide the community. Periodic AMAs will also be held on the channel.
-
Medium: Dev4block will have a dedicated page focused on providing articles surrounding the Ocean Ecosystem and other projects built on the Ecosystem. As well as other happenings affecting the Crypto Space.
-
YouTube: A dedicated YouTube page that will be dedicated to familiarizing viewers with navigating the Ocean protocol ecosystem, and tackling other FAQs on blockchain and Cryptocurrency.
-
Slack: A slack workspace containing collaborative channels for actual work related and project management efforts as it relates to the Ocean Cohorts.
Project Deliverables - Roadmap
Any prior work completed thus far? Details?
No
What is the project roadmap? That is: what are key milestones, and the target date for each milestone. Please make sure that one milestone is about publishing your results, e.g. as a medium blog post.
Q1 2022
- Build a landing page to target prospective developers and also serve as an information website.
- Set out the framework for a database of materials, resources and data to educate the new Sept of devs joining the hub.
- Create Social media and learning accounts for information dissemination.
- Create project communication materials - simple dev decks, logos, brochures, snippets etc.
Q2 2022
- Onboard 100 first cohort of devs.
- Commence deep training for devs with mentorship.
Q3 2022
- Onboard 750 first cohort of devs.
Q4 2022
- Onboard 3000 first cohort of devs.
What are the team’s future plans and intentions? Is there maintenance? Possible extensions to the work?
Newsletter: We will go beyond headlines, exploring stories with background context and educational guides to make you crypto smarter. Sent twice weekly.
Blog: We’ll dive deeper into the narratives that are shaping crypto and the wider digital economy. News, explainers, tips - what more could you ask for?
Community: You’ll widen your knowledge and earn rewards while learning about crypto with like-minded people.
Podcasts: We’ll speak to the smartest people in crypto. They’ll answer your burning questions and share insights that help you make sense of current and future trends.