[2508 Grant] Infrastructure VenturesPath to Ecosystem Growth

Grants & Incentives
1

Project Name & Description

[Infrastructure Ventures] Path to Ecosystem Growth

We propose a focused 6-month initiative to source, onboard, and grow high-quality projects that generate $500K+ TVL on Rootstock. Emphasizing quality over quantity, targeting projects with strong potential to drive real on-chain usage, ecosystem fees, and long-term network value.

To support this, we will activate our proven model, customized for Rootstock to manage sourcing, milestone tracking, and onboarding. This program is designed to be performance-based, with milestone payments tied directly to project deployment and ecosystem contribution.

**
Team Background**

Francisco Ribeiro – Partner
Founder of one of Europe’s largest technical blockchain communities (4,000+ members), Francisco is a startup turnaround expert with a strong track record in digital innovation and fundraising.

Ian Foley – Partner
Former Chief Business Officer at Arweave and Binance. Ian is a Silicon Valley operator with 25+ years of experience, including 3 M&A exits and 1 IPO. He has led venture-backed startups and supported ecosystem growth for leading L1s.

Fatih Seref – Account Manager
Fatih brings hands-on experience supporting enterprise-level clients from roles at Arweave and Uphold. He manages partner success and technical onboarding with a strong focus on user retention.

Anastasiia Kondaurova – Technical Lead
A DeFi builder with 20+ hackathon wins, Anastasiia developed Quipuswap AMM and Yupana lending protocol from scratch on non-EVM chains. She has launched startups on TON, contributed to Chainlink, Tezos, and Stacks, and is passionate about smart contracts, on-chain analytics, and open-source development.

Gustavo Gimenes – GTM Lead
With 15+ years in B2B/B2C strategy across emerging markets, Gustavo has led marketing, sales, and operations teams for SaaS, AI, and retail companies. His expertise in GTM execution and cross-cultural team building brings operational rigor to our ecosystem expansion efforts.

**
Total Grant Amount**

$60,000.00 total; requesting $15,000.00 for Milestone 1.

**
Milestone 1 Deliverables**

Milestone 1 - Sourcing & Platform Activation

  1. Launch Rootstock platform with structured founder paths and access to tailored training content and tools aligned with Rootstock’s unique protocols and community values;

  2. Define high-impact project criteria aligned with Rootstock’s TVL/user growth strategy (DeFi, RWA, etc.).

Deliverable: Rootstock Platform account access for community review and project criteria documentation.

Milestones

Milestone 2 - Project Validation

  1. Deeper diligence on the first top 4 candidates;

Deliverable: At least 2 projects agree to a milestone-based onboarding structure.

Milestone 3 - Onboarding

  1. Full onboarding of 2 selected projects;

  2. Launch support: liquidity planning, bridging, Rootstock integration advisory.

Deliverable: At least 1 project live on Rootstock testnet/mainnet.

Milestone 4 - Deployment Kickoff

  1. 2nd project has Rootstock contracts deployed or audit in progress;

  2. First go-to-market activation (e.g., campaign, LP incentives, DAO announcement);

  3. Early metrics tracked: TVL, users, contract interactions.

Deliverable: Metrics report and at least 2 projects live on Rootstock testnet/mainnet.

Milestone 5 - Ecosystem Impact

  1. Final report on impact: TVL, users, transactions, ecosystem interaction;

  2. Growth optimization plan: incentives, BD intros, DAO engagement;

  3. Post-launch technical support & milestone performance evaluation;

Deliverable: Final metric report and at least two Projects deployed on Rootstock achieving $500k+TVL.

Timeline & Grant Distribution

Milestone 1 - $15,000.00 - 1st Month

Milestone 2 - $10,000.00 - 2nd Month

Milestone 3 - $15,000.00 - 3rd Month

Milestone 4 - $10,000.00 - 4th Month

Milestone 5 - $10,000.00 - 6th Month

Technical Specs

We’ll integrate our operational platform with Rootstock’s dApp or work in sync with their tech partner and community. We’ll focus on:

  • Founders and Business onboarding;

  • 1:1 advice to help projects with protocol alignment;

  • Founder relationships;

  • Milestone tracking (off-chain + on-chain integrations where relevant).

Rootstock tech partner to provide:

  • Validate integration feasibility for sourced projects;

  • Milestones syncing APIs;

  • DAO committee input;

  • Access to ecosystem performance data.

**
Value Prop for Rootstock**

Infrastructure Ventures will be open to investment in opportunities within the Rootstock ecosystem, bringing a fresh set of investors to current and future projects.

Eccentric Labs, the operational arm, will create and establish a system for sourcing and onboarding impactful projects into Rootstock. Our proven model will bring a new perspective for mid-stage company acquisition and ecosystem/TVL growth.

Impact Metrics

  1. TVL Growth - # new projects on Rootstock with $250K+ TVL.

  2. Ecosystem Growth - # new projects and users brought to Rootstock;

  3. Project Milestones - # of Milestones achieved by Projects.

**
Demo**

Eccentriclabs.co/platform-demo | Password: eccentriclabs

Additional Information

Cardano: Catalyst Grant | Platform Walkthrough

Starknet: Press Release

4 Likes
Rootstock Collective Governance-at-a-Glance 26-02-13
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Additional Links:

Cardano: Catalyst Grant | Platform Walkthrough

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3

We’ve reorganised the Timeline & Grant Distribution:

Milestone 1 - $10,000.00 - 1st Month

Milestone 2 - $15,000.00 - 2nd Month

Milestone 3 - $15,000.00 - 3rd Month

Milestone 4 - $10,000.00 - 4th Month

Milestone 5 - $10,000.00 - 6th Month

4

Thank you for the proposal. To be honest, this appears somewhat similar to what Rootstock Collective is currently doing, though it seems the project aims to act as a mini-accelerator for Rootstock with a stronger focus on the team’s hands-on involvement. For Rootstock, we have delegates who will be responsible for evaluating the projects.

Therefore, we would appreciate some clarification. Could you explain how you plan to ensure that the onboarded projects will generate $500K TVL for Rootstock, and how this target was determined? Additionally, the total grant request of $60K seems relatively high compared to the deliverables for each milestone. Specifically, Milestone 2 requests $15K for Project Validation. From our perspective, this milestone mainly involves research, interviews, and structuring agreements, which appear largely operational, and we feel it may not require $15K. Could you clarify what costs are included and how this amount is justified?

4 Likes
5

Hi Curia,

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback.

You’re absolutely right that Milestone 2, as currently described, might appear operational on the surface. However, we recognize the need to better articulate the strategic depth and critical dependencies it entails. Here’s how we plan to ensure Milestone 2 delivers true value toward the $500K TVL goal per project, and why this stage merits the requested $15K allocation:

What Milestone 2 Covers (Beyond “Validation”)

This milestone is where we do the heavy lifting to ensure the projects we bring to Rootstock are TVL-ready, meaning they are not only technically feasible but also aligned with the infrastructure, user flows, liquidity dynamics, and go-to-market potential needed to hit the targets.

Key Workstreams Include:

  1. Sourcing the right-fit projects: We’re not just interviewing; we’re actively engaging and pre-vetting dozens of prospects to identify 4–6 with the right DNA (TVL potential, RWA, DeFi traction, capital runway, team quality);
  2. Building the outreach pipeline: We will deploy targeted messaging, partnership decks, and customized content to engage aligned founders. This is the funnel-building infrastructure that underpins the rest of the program;
  3. Iterative project alignment: This isn’t a “yes/no” check. We’ll conduct deep diligence (tech, tokenomics, community) and iterate on integration plans with each project to ensure Rootstock is their best strategic fit;
  4. Co-designing milestone frameworks: With each selected project, we will co-develop custom onboarding frameworks tied to their roadmap, ensuring measurable progress and accountability across liquidity, incentives, and activation.

Why This is Critical

Many projects fall short not because of a lack of applicants, but because the wrong applicants are selected. We’re mitigating this risk by investing in a rigorous front-loaded selection and alignment process. The goal is not “2 projects onboarded”, the goal is “2 projects that have a credible path to $500K+ TVL.”

Budget Justification

  • Team costs (3–4 FTEs): Strategy, technical feasibility, and ecosystem alignment;
  • Outreach tooling: CRM, content, and paid channels for founder reach;
  • Advisory input: We’re engaging ecosystem experts to pressure-test integration pathways and token designs;
  • Content + playbooks: We’re producing onboarding templates and toolkits that will serve as repeatable assets for Rootstock.

This milestone sets the foundation for every subsequent phase, including testnet launches, liquidity planning, and eventual deployment. We’re confident that the success of this upfront work will reduce churn, accelerate onboarding, and significantly increase the probability that each selected project achieves real, sticky TVL.

Let me know if you have any further questions :slight_smile:

6

Hi everyone,
Thank you for all the thoughtful feedback. We’ve taken it into account and are excited to share this updated version of the proposal with you.

[Infrastructure Ventures] Path to Ecosystem Growth

We propose a focused 6-month initiative to strengthen the Rootstock Collective pipeline through a structured acceleration program with a comprehensive support package for medium-to-large projects with the capacity to deliver on-chain traction. Instead of prioritizing volume, we aim to ensure that every project entering the Rootstock ecosystem is ecosystem-ready and capable of achieving measurable outcomes such as $500K+ TVL, active user growth, and sustained liquidity. This approach goes beyond traditional project onboarding by establishing RIF token staking as a core treasury strategy for projects entering the Rootstock ecosystem. This creates sustainable economic alignment while strengthening the overall DeFi composability and liquidity depth on Rootstock.

Our proven model, already applied across ecosystems, will be tailored to Rootstock, providing:

  • Technical Mentorship: Weekly 1-on-1 sessions with DeFi engineers;

  • Treasury Strategy Consulting: RIF staking optimization and institutional-grade treasury management

  • GTM & Growth Support: 15+ years B2B/B2C expertise for market positioning and user acquisition;

  • Investor Introductions: Access to Infrastructure Ventures’ network for follow-on funding;

  • Ecosystem Integration: Direct coordination with Rootstock for technical validation and partnerships;

  • RIF Governance Onboarding: Structured participation in RIF governance and community engagement.

Projects successfully supported must demonstrate:

  • Testnet/Mainnet deployment with audited smart contracts;

  • 15-25% treasury allocated to RIF staking;

  • Active RIF governance participation (≥3 votes).

Post-Program Support:

  • Continued ecosystem integration support for 3 months;

  • Quarterly performance reviews and optimization recommendations;

  • Ongoing investor network access;

  • Priority consideration for future Rootstock initiatives.

Team Background

Our team combines deep experience in ecosystem development, DeFi infrastructure, and startup growth, with a proven track record supporting 10+ blockchain ecosystems.

  • Francisco Ribeiro (Partner) – Community builder (4,000+ members in Europe’s largest technical blockchain community) and startup turnaround specialist. Led ecosystem programs in LATAM and Asia with Cardano Catalyst and Starknet.

  • Ian Foley (Partner) – Silicon Valley operator with 25+ years of experience, 3 M&A exits, and 1 IPO. Former CBO at Arweave, with prior leadership at Binance. Experienced in scaling L1 ecosystems and venture-backed startups.

  • Fatih Seref (Account Manager) – Ecosystem success lead with experience at Arweave and Uphold. Specializes in partner onboarding and user retention strategies.

  • Anastasiia Kondaurova (Technical Lead) – DeFi engineer behind Quipuswap AMM and Yupana Lending (non-EVM), with contributions to Chainlink, Tezos, and Stacks. Winner of 20+ hackathons. Brings technical rigor for Rootstock integrations.

  • Gustavo Gimenes (GTM Lead) – 15+ years in B2B/B2C GTM strategy across emerging markets. Experienced in growth marketing, sales, and cross-cultural operations. Focus on ecosystem expansion and startup GTM execution.

Together, this team brings a blend of technical depth, BD expertise, and cross-ecosystem execution experience, positioning us to source and support high-quality projects for Rootstock’s growth.

Total Grant Amount

We request a performance-based grant of $50,000 over 6 months, released in milestone-based tranches.

Budget Structure

  • Milestone 1 – $5,000: Platform activation and structured acceleration program with a comprehensive support package;

  • Milestone 2 – $5,000: Deep validation (tech feasibility, tokenomics, liquidity planning), advisory reviews;

  • Milestone 3 – $15,000: Onboarding and first projects deployment on-chain (contracts live, liquidity prep);

  • Milestone 4 – $15,000: Further project deployments and go-to-market activation (campaigns);

  • Milestone 5 – $10,000: Ecosystem impact reporting, TVL/user adoption targets, DAO-ready playbooks.

Why $50K is justified

  • Team costs (2–3 FTEs) across technical, BD, and GTM functions;

  • Advisory input from Rootstock-aligned experts on liquidity, tokenomics, and governance;

  • Outreach tooling & campaigns to source medium/large projects globally;

  • Platform operations, customized for Rootstock (milestone tracking, onboarding, DAO-ready reports).

Performance-based approach

  • Payments only unlock when clear on-chain traction and ecosystem KPIs are demonstrated (e.g., contracts deployed, TVL thresholds met, users active);

  • If projects fail to meet criteria, Rootstock can withhold or reduce payment tranches.

Milestones

Milestone 1 – Platform Activation & Structured Acceleration (Month 1) – $5,000

Outputs:

  • Platform activation and acceleration program framework;

  • 15+ qualified leads sourced and evaluated;

  • 6-8 projects selected for acceleration.

Acceptance Criteria: Live Platform and 6-8 projects documentation.

Evidence: Platform access link, comprehensive support package documentation, and Rootstock feedback on projects.

Milestone 2 – Acceleration Phase 1: Foundation (Month 2) – $8,000

Outputs:

  • Weekly mentorship sessions initiated (technical, GTM, treasury);

  • RIF treasury strategies developed for each project;

  • Technical feasibility validation completed.

Acceptance Criteria: Signed onboarding agreements for 4-6 projects.

Evidence: Mentorship session logs, treasury strategy documents, and technical validation reports.

Milestone 3 – Acceleration Phase 2: Deployment (Month 3-4) – $12,000

Outputs:

  • ≥1 projects deployed to Rootstock mainnet with audited contracts;

  • ≥50% of projects complete RIF treasury allocation (15-25% of treasury)

  • Initial GTM campaigns prepared.

Acceptance Criteria: 1+ mainnet deployment.

Evidence: Contract addresses, audit reports, and on-chain RIF staking proof.

Milestone 4 – Acceleration Phase 3: Growth & Funding (Month 5) – $15,000

Outputs:

  • GTM activation live (campaign, LP incentives, and communications);

  • Early on-chain metrics tracked (TVL, active wallets, transactions);

  • Active user adoption demonstrated (project-specific KPIs);

  • RIF governance participation is active (≥3 votes per project).

Acceptance Criteria: GTM campaigns reports and Projects governance participation.

Evidence: User and on-chain analytics, governance participation records.

Milestone 5 – Ecosystem Impact (Month 6) – $10,000

Outputs:

  • ≥3 projects successfully graduate program (meet all graduation requirements);

  • ≥1M RIF tokens staked;

  • ≥$500k impact from projects on Rootstock TVL;

  • 85%+ of projects’ improved retention with active RIF management;

  • Growth optimization plan (incentives, BD intros, DAO engagement).

Acceptance Criteria: 2-4 projects achieving ≥$500K TVL combined and RIF ecosystem metrics achieved.

Evidence: Projects development report, on-chain dashboards (Dune/DefiLlama/Rootstock Explorer), and final impact report.

Technical Dependencies

Our program is designed to complement, not duplicate, Rootstock Collective Grants. We focus on project readiness and milestone tracking, while Rootstock’s core team and tech partner provide protocol-specific validation.

Infrastructure Ventures will provide:

  • Founder and business onboarding: intake, relationship management, and milestone tracking;

  • Project support: tokenomics alignment, liquidity planning, and GTM activation;

  • Operational platform: Rootstock-configured system for engagement, reporting, and Rootstock documentation.

Rootstock tech partner and internal team will provide:

  • Integration feasibility reviews: ensuring technical readiness of candidate projects;

  • Milestone syncing APIs: connecting off-chain milestone tracking to Rootstock’s upcoming dApp;

  • DAO committee input: supporting evaluation of projects for Collective readiness;

  • Ecosystem performance data: access to on-chain activity metrics for reporting and dashboards.

This structure ensures a clear division of responsibilities:

  • We handle the engagement, technical readiness, and business.

  • Rootstock confirms technical validation and governance alignment.

Value Proposition

Our program strengthens the Rootstock Collective with an intensive and continuous project acceleration with mentorship, capital, and ecosystem integration. Rather than duplicating existing grants, we de-risk the pipeline through:

  • Improved applicants’ quality, conducting deep diligence on technical feasibility, liquidity, and governance alignment before projects apply to Collective;

  • Higher project retention, guiding sourced and external projects through structured readiness, so fewer applicants drop off or fail post-grant;

  • On-chain performance focus, selecting projects with credible paths to ≥$250K TVL, ensuring real ecosystem value;

  • By integrating RIF treasury strategies from day one, we create long-term economic alignment where projects become stakeholders in the ecosystem’s success;

  • Capital leverage, Infrastructure Ventures is open to co-investment in Rootstock ecosystem projects, bringing new investors and partners into the network.

By acting as a readiness and performance layer, we complement Rootstock Collective by improving the success rate, impact, and ROI of onboarded projects.

Impact Metrics

We will measure success through transparent, on-chain, and operational KPIs:

  1. Project Deployment

    1. ≥ 2-6 medium-to-large projects deployed on Rootstock mainnet within 6 months.

  2. TVL Growth

    1. Project achieves ≥ $500K TVL combined;

  3. Beyond individual project success

    1. Projects integrate RIF as payment, collateral, or governance token;

    2. ≥1M RIF tokens staked;

    3. Cross-protocol RIF liquidity pools and yield strategies;

    4. RIF-denominated financial products (lending, derivatives, structured products);

    5. Enhanced network effects where each project strengthens the entire ecosystem.

  4. Ecosystem Growth

    1. # of new projects onboarded and actively building on Rootstock;

    2. # of active wallets and transactions generated by supported projects.

  5. Founder Retention

    1. % of sourced founders that remain engaged post-onboarding (target: 70%+ retention).

Additional Information & Demo

To demonstrate our track record, we provide the following proof points:

Platform Demo

Ecosystem References

  • Cardano Catalyst Grant: We successfully deployed our model to support founder readiness for Cardano Catalyst, improving applicant quality and ecosystem reporting.

  • Starknet LATAM Program: Delivered a structured pathway for early and mid-stage builders in Latin America, increasing developer retention and improving grant outcomes.

  • Other Ecosystems: We have supported 10+ blockchain ecosystems with founder readiness, milestone tracking, and ecosystem monitoring, demonstrating repeatability and scalability.

Thank you for taking the time to read our proposal. We’d really appreciate your feedback. Feel free to share your thoughts below! :flexed_biceps:

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It’s good to see a new and revamped proposal from Infrastructure Ventures.

Some thoughts:

I like how Milestone 1 seems “low risk”, and this should give us a good feedback and vision on the future of the program:

I also like how the values start small for M1 and M2, only ramping up later on.

Some questions:

On Milestone 2: Could you describe a little more on what to expect about the weekly mentorship sessions? “Weekly” as in only one weekly interaction per week, or because advance and results are tracked weekly? I feel some projects might need a closer support and more than 1 weekly interaction.

On Milestone 3: I feel like more than 1 deployed project would be somewhat important. Would it be feasible to increase projects deployed target? Specially as the requested value increases substantially.
Startups need cashflow, and I feel like enforced treasury strategies might be restrictive and end as soon as the program is over. But I’m open to the idea. Have you done this in other programs/DAOs? Do you have previous experiences with this you could share? Do startups really remain engaged, staked and actively participating in the DAO after the programs end?

On Milestone 4: while I’d like it to be more specific, I also understand KPIs might be contextual and project-specific, so I’m open to the idea M4 might need to be prepared further down the road.

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8

Hi @ChronoTrigger,
Thank you for the feedback.

Regarding Milestone 2, the weekly mentor sessions are focused on Rootstock-specific technology and GTM advisory. In parallel, our team will engage with projects daily, providing hands-on support where needed. Weekly sessions are intentionally spaced to give teams enough time to implement feedback, rather than just receive it, enabling deeper, more sustainable progress between touchpoints.

On Milestone 3, we understand your concern. While our goal is to have 2–3 projects deployed by that stage, integrations can sometimes take longer than anticipated. To maintain momentum and avoid bottlenecks, we’ve defined the target as 1+ deployed projects, ensuring that if delays occur, we can continue advancing without being constrained, while still aiming to meet our deployment targets within the 6-month program period.

We view RIF staking as both an investment and a long-term revenue stream for the project. As reported on the Collective Rewards page, the “Average Annual Backer Incentive (ABI)” is currently cited at 27% for active participants, providing a strong incentive for engagement.

Regarding Milestone 4, yes, we plan to define the project’s KPIs during Milestone 2 to align expectations and track progress effectively.

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9

Hello @Francisco. Thank you for the proposal. Your team’s expertise seems quite impressive. I’m curious, what is your motivation for proposing this initiative specifically to Rootstock?

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10

Hi @404Gov,
I appreciate your support. Our motivation for proposing this initiative to Rootstock stems from our broader strategic focus on deepening our engagement within the Bitcoin ecosystem. We view Rootstock as a technically sound and mission-aligned ecosystem, and believe our initiative can add tangible value both ways, while accelerating meaningful activity on the network.

11

Thank you for that response Francisco. One more question: since payments will unlock only when there is clear on-chain traction and ecosystem KPIs are met, what kind of reporting are you planning to provide to the Collective?

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12

Hi @404Gov,

We’ll maintain a public Drive folder where all documentation is updated monthly and accessible to the community. It will include project details, proposal structures, and outcome reports mapped directly to the proposed KPIs, along with supporting materials.

For on-chain data, we’ll provide external links to dashboards on platforms like Dune, DeFiLlama, and the Rootstock Explorer to ensure transparent tracking of progress and ecosystem traction.

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13

Some colleagues asked for my analysis on this proposal, so in the name of transparency, I’m openly sharing here:

About the Milestones setup:

  • After the reformulation, M1 and M2 are $5k+5k, so I consider the risk much lower than previously ($10+15k).
  • M1 aims to deliver 15+ qualified pre-evaluated leads, and 6-8 projects selected for acceleration. having some experience in these acceleration projects before, I think if we see that delivered, or close to that, we’ll all be feeling this project alive and blooming.
  • Upon evaluating their M1 delivery, we’ll have a very strong substrate with which to decide on M2 and M3. In any case, M2 at $5k is still low risk, it only ramps up on M3 at $15k, but then we have M1 and M2 to judge on deliveries.
  • M4 will be written as they go, but there’s plenty of time till there, and all the prior deliveries are what enable them to write M4.

I think their milestone setup is awesome. at 5+5+15… they really set it up with strong deliveries at M1 and M2 and ramp up only on M3.
There’s no way 5+5 pays for their initial efforts so my take is they are very confident with their deliveries and reaching M3 and M4.

About Francisco and Infrastructure Ventures:

  • Francisco is not some 20 y/o crypto startup adventurer bro. As far as I know he’s had success in his venture business, with a decent sized, varied crypto/non-crypto portfolio, including incredible names in the space, such as Aave, Algorand, ICP, Kadena, Near and Avalanche.
  • He is located in Europe, and part of his investment thesis is having a strong focus in Latin America. For me this is a good sign. For an European to invest in Latin America it’s out of conviction, not casual coincidence.

About the project itself:

It would be quite different from what we do in the DAO. They would do campaigns and bring a lot of projects, narrow down a selection, and very closely mentor for several weeks, end-to-end, with mentorship on product, tokenomics, engineering, marketing, sales, etc.

I’m optimistic this has the potential to become a repeating project, long term partnership, with Infrastructure Ventures accelerating very early stage startups which are not yet ready for funding here in the DAO.
Thinking like a sales funnel, we can continue funding mid-funnel projects, but Infrastructure Ventures would bring and support top-funnel, earlier stage projects, which we cannot do today.

For all these reasons, I think it should be a no-brainer, low-risk, great upside bet for us to approve M1 and M2.

3 Likes
Chrono Trigger Delegate Thread
14

Hi @ChronoTrigger,
Thank you for the feedback and support!
I’m glad we’re now better aligned with the community, and the potential for this to become a long-term collaboration.

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15

Hi everyone, here is our on-chain proposal.

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16

Dear Community,

We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of Milestone 1 for our “Infrastructure Ventures - Path to Ecosystem Growth” proposal. We have been working diligently with the Rootstock team and are excited to share our progress as we now set our sights on Milestone 2.

Our primary goal for this initial phase was to establish the foundational infrastructure for the acceleration program and source a strong cohort of promising projects. We are proud to report that we have not only met but exceeded the stated acceptance criteria.

Milestone 1 Achievements

1. Platform Activation & Acceleration Framework:
As outlined in our proposal, we have successfully activated the platform and established a comprehensive acceleration program framework. The “Acceleration Program Status” from our dashboard confirms that these foundational components are now complete and ready, setting the stage for the next phase of mentorship and growth.

2. Qualified Leads Sourced and Evaluated:
Our goal was to source and evaluate 15+ qualified leads. We are pleased to report a 100% success rate on this front, having identified and qualified exactly 15 high-potential leads through various channels, including direct outreach and partner referrals.

3. Projects Selected for Acceleration:
The target was to select 6-8 projects for the acceleration cohort. We are excited to have selected 7 exceptional projects to join the program. The selected projects include a diverse range of promising ventures such as Alby, Caddy Finance, and others, all of which are now documented and prepared for the next steps.

Milestone 1 Evidence

As per the grant agreement, here is the evidence required for the acceptance of Milestone 1. This information provides access to our platform, the supporting documentation, and details on the selected projects.

Looking Ahead to Milestone 2

With Milestone 1 successfully concluded, our team is already fully engaged in preparing for Milestone 2 – Acceleration Phase 1: Foundation. We will be initiating weekly mentorship sessions, developing tailored RIF Treasury strategies, and completing technical feasibility validation for our selected cohort. We are confident in our ability to meet the acceptance criteria of securing signed onboarding agreements for 4-6 projects.

We are proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time and are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Rootstock ecosystem. We eagerly await the community’s review and feedback on our work and look forward to sharing the progress of our accelerated projects.
@Curia @404Gov @ChronoTrigger

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17

To clarify, have you spoken to contacts at all 7 of these projects, to ensure they are interested in working with Rootstock? That is a lot of different protools.

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18

Hi @CodeKnight , yes, our team had more than twenty calls with different companies this month to ensure that goals and the tech are aligned with Rootstock. You can see in the documentation how we conducted the selection, in accordance with the company’s management and tech teams, plus feedback from the Rootstock Collective team.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

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19

Amazing work!
I spent a couple of hours now reviewing the program and the prospection funnel, as well as a look into the 7 selected projects, and highly encourage the community to do so as well.

Everything is well organized, tiddy and professional.
The funnel shows many metrics to evaluate projects based on overall product potential, quality, as well as Rootstock ecosystem fit.
The program shows a streamlined extensive program to be accomplished by founders, with learning content, product development milestones, and validation quizzes throughout.

Clearly the team is aligning pre-existing work, experience, and processes, with additional work put into the first Rootstock cohort.

I welcome Bungee, Gyld, Peach, Blockroll, Squid, Caddy and Alby into Rootstock ecosystem, and wish them success in this program!

@Francisco a couple questions:
I don’t quite remember if this program is based on closed, defined cohorts, or it’s a rolling continuous program, in which new projects may get in at any time?
Besides the continuity of these 7 projects, do we expect new projects to be included or new cohorts? Does the prospection work continue, or now just focus on the 7 projects?

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Chrono Trigger Delegate Thread
20

Hi @ChronoTrigger,
Thank you for your support and detailed comment. We appreciate you taking the time to dive deep into our program, the prospection funnel, and the projects themselves.

You’ve asked an excellent question that gets to the core of how we operate. Our methodology and prospection are inherently continuous. We have built a system designed to constantly identify, support, and launch founders and projects. The work doesn’t stop.

However, for this specific grant, we are operating within a defined scope and timeline. Our primary focus is to dedicate our resources to ensuring the success of these 7 initial projects and achieving the milestones we’ve committed to. This means we must be extremely diligent with resource management. By concentrating our efforts, we can provide the highest quality support and guarantee that we deliver on our promises to the community.

To give you a concrete example, our prospection work is indeed ongoing. Just today, we had a promising call with another company interested in exploring building on Rootstock.

We will keep the community posted on our progress. Our commitment is to manage this cohort as effectively as possible, not only to hit our goals but to over-deliver wherever we can!

1 Like