Since the transition to Ecosystem Support Program At EF Grants, we’ve discussed the definition of “support” more holistically, thinking beyond just grant funding. But what does a fuller definition of support really mean?
In practice, it means something different for each project, and it starts with a conversation. ESP was conceived to make a wide range of EF resources more accessible to the community, which starts with making our process accessible to anyone who might need support. We take the time to think critically about each query, understand the project and explore ways we could help. Of course we can’t finance every project, but we can often do somethingeven if it recommends additional resources for research, such as incubators or other sources of funding.
The goal of this shift in thinking is to make the process more flexible and responsive to individual needs, which is a good thing! At the same time, the results of this customized process can be difficult to quantify or list in the way that we can with traditional grants; so we thought about showing instead of telling. We’ve rounded up some examples of projects (and the amazing people behind them!) that have gone through the ESP consultation process, received different types of support, and managed to make a little go a long way.
file node
The idea for Archive Node was born as a cheep. The hardware to run a file node, or the monthly fees to access file data via an API, can be prohibitively expensive for small projects with little or no funding. Hunter and Chase aka DeFi Friend Y MysticRyuujin respectively, are long-time Ethereum contributors with a keen understanding of the challenges developers may face in gaining affordable access to the necessary resources; so they set out to find a way to provide access to the file node data for developers who need it.
The team needed a place to host the first node, so we provided AWS credit to get one node up and running. This will give you a good clue; but as DeFi Dude wrote in the announcement blog postOnce the project is more established, the hope is to move towards the more sustainable and decentralized approach of running nodes off of hardware rather than cloud services. Since the project’s presentation at the end of June, the team has set up additional nodes (with the help of members of the community and matthews) from PieDAO and began accepting access requests, creating a community of developers who can access the necessary data without incurring the considerable cost of setting up their own node.
Although access is currently free, in the long term the team hopes this can be a community-funded project, with developers who need the service paying a small fraction of what it would cost to run an archive node themselves. In the meantime, we’re excited to help provide this valuable resource as the community around it grows.
Learn more and request access at https://archivenode.io/or follow Archive Node on Twitter @archivenode.
SaveDAI
SaveDAI started as a hackathon projectBut the team had bigger plans for it: they continued to build with the long-term goal of making it easier to create self-secured versions of decentralized assets, allowing users to better protect savings held in decentralized assets. SaveDAI runs DAI through Compound and automatically buys insurance through Opyn Protocol to create secured, interest-bearing, dollar-pegged ERC20 tokens that can be transferred, bought, sold, and integrated into other protocols. The saveDAI team is building this architecture on a front-end platform, but the contract has been Open Source so that anyone can use, adapt, integrate or contribute to the code.
The team’s most immediate concern was making sure their code was secure and stable to minimize risk to user funds. We were able to connect them with a technical expert for a code review, and they used the comprehensive feedback they received to refine their release strategy and continue development with greater confidence. They are preparing to release a public alpha version and are looking forward to getting feedback from early adopters!
If you want more information, you can go deeper into the documentationfollow us on twitter @save_dai or participate in Github.
collegiate BILUS
Joe Wesley is new to Ethereum and technology in general, a former NFL player turned motivational speaker, not necessarily what people think of as your typical ESP researcher. But the truth is, we love meeting new people, and Joe is exactly the kind of builder we want to hear from: creative, driven, an avid learner, and inspired by the potential of distributed technology. He came to us with a plan to build a platform on Ethereum that would address a problem he has experienced directly as a low-income college and professional athlete: college athletes derive little benefit from the ways their brand, image, and likeness is used by others. for profit. Joe wanted to help athletes build relationships with advertisers where they would have more control over their brand, data, and finances, allowing them, in Joe’s words, “to win today and tomorrow with their brand and fame.”
Joe’s biggest initial hurdle was simply getting to know Ethereum, its community, and technology. We provided some initial feedback on his idea and he came back two weeks later with a draft of his white paper. We knew that his dedication and enthusiasm, as well as his unique perspective, could only add value to the ecosystem; so we sent it to ETHDenver for a crash course in all of Ethereum. There, he lived the Eth life to the fullest: networking, attending talks, taking in the scenery, meeting Bufficorn, and winning the Exploration Track sponsored by CryptoChicks.
Since ETHDenver, Joe has kept in touch with the contacts he made at ETHDenver and has continued to consult with EF members and other experts as he works to build a prototype that he can share with potential clients and investors. Up until now, Joe has been a one-man team, but now he’s looking to scale by hiring a CTO who can help take Collegiate BILUS (US Brand, Image, and Likeness) to testnet and beyond. .
Get in touch or learn more about Collegiate BILUS on Instagram @collegiatebilus!
Ethereum Push Notification Service
EPNS was just an idea when we met Harsh Rajat. He saw a need for push notification capabilities within Ethereum, both for public service announcements for Ethereum users and for dapp creators who wanted a new way to attract customers. We saw an innovative and driven builder who was deeply committed to the growth and success of Ethereum.
Harsh didn’t need much more than encouragement and feedback to help refine the concept and talk about next steps. He brought his idea to HackMoney, where Richa Joshi joined the team. Together, they developed the core concept of EPNS into an ever-evolving, multi-layered architecture in which critical information can be conveyed to Ethereum users; Dapp creators can target users they know want to hear from them; and dapp users can choose their level of participation and receive rewards for opting for a higher level of participation with their favorite dapps.
Since HackMoney, Richa and Harsh have put incredible energy into turning EPNS into what they call “a missing piece of web3”. they have thrown outoffering early access and a alpha app; been accepted on Gitcoin NUCLEO Scholarship; and now they are expanding their team and developing a business model that will allow them to build a self-sustaining platform without compromising their commitment to keeping user interests at the forefront.
Verify https://epns.io/ and follow the progress of EPNS on Twitter @epnsproject.
We love the many builders we work with for their commitment to finding the best way forward, even when it’s not the simplest or most obvious. While funding is often the easiest thing to ask for, it’s not necessarily the ideal solution: a grant won’t get a project where it needs to go if we don’t dig deep to find the real core of the project’s challenges. faces.
Just because a project is not funded through an ESP grant does not mean that we are unwilling and unable to provide meaningful and sometimes material support. That being said, we can’t offer support to every team that reaches out to us, as much as we’d like to! And just like grants, recipients of other types of support we offer only reap the benefits by taking responsibility for their own success and working hard.
All the teams featured in this post are building towards very different goals, but they have one thing in common: they came with the openness and knowledge to work with us in finding the best intersection of their needs and our capabilities.
We have been lucky enough to meet all of these remarkable builders and we are very proud of the hard work they have put in. We can’t wait to see what they do next!
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