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Project Name & Description
[2602] Rootstock BTCFi Onboarding & Builder Activation — CryptoVendimIA 2026This proposal presents a strategic ecosystem alliance between CryptoVendimIA and key Rootstock ecosystem participants — Rootstock Collective, Beexo Wallet, Money On Chain, Tropykus, Universidad Champagnat — to execute a large-scale Rootstock Ecosystem Onboarding Initiative during CryptoVendimIA 2026, a five-day technology conference held in Mendoza, Argentina. From 25 to 29 of March.
The proposal clearly separates two components:
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Silver Tier participation (USD 10,000), corresponding to Rootstock Collective’s standard sponsorship tier.
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(USD 2,500) For Builders prizes, allocated exclusively to ecosystem activation mechanisms (onboarding merchandising, learn-to-earn rewards, and builder prizes).
While the Silver Tier does not normally include Main Sponsor benefits, CryptoVendimIA will grant Rootstock a Main Sponsor–level presence as part of a long-term strategic alliance with the ecosystem.
This enhanced presence is not purchased with grant funds and is provided independently by the event organizers as an institutional contribution to Rootstock.The requested funds are allocated strictly to BTCFi education, onchain activation, and builder incentives, with outcomes designed to be measurable, documented, and replicable across LATAM.
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Team Background
Juani Podestá
Entrepreneur and ecosystem builder. active contributor to Rootstock education in Latin American Web3 ecosystem. Founder of Beexo Wallet and experienced in executing blockchain activations, community growth initiatives, and onchain onboarding campaigns. Proven track record coordinating developers, universities, and ecosystem partners across Argentina.
Matías Santaolaya
One of the most active Rootstock ambassador and a regional technology community leader. Experienced in developer community coordination, institutional partnerships, and large-scale tech event execution. Strong connections with universities and regional builder networks in Mendoza, Buenos Aires and surrounding provinces.
**Together, Juani and Matías have worked together in communities activations since 2023. They have articulated educational events, big conferences that had made the connection between thousands of builders.
Beexo’s Wallet Team will be also hands on into everything is needed.**
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Total Grant Amount
**USD 12,500 in total
Silver Tier — Rootstock Collective**
USD 10,000
Corresponds strictly to Silver Tier participation, with Main Sponsor–level benefits granted through the strategic alliance.
Incentivize real Rootstock use cases
All additional funds are allocated exclusively to onchain activation and builder incentives, not to event production or branding.
**Importante remarks
About CryptoVendimIA & Strategic Context**
Webpage: https://www.cryptovendimia.com/CryptoVendimIA is one of Argentina’s most relevant technology conferences outside Buenos Aires, with a proven track record of execution and growth:
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CryptoVendimIA 2024: 450+ attendees (in-person)
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CryptoVendimIA 2025: 1,000+ attendees, 150+ active builders, 8 universities
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CryptoVendimIA 2026 (projected):
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1,500+ attendees
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200+ builders
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15+ universities connected
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The event has been officially declared of Cultural Interest by the Government of Mendoza for two consecutive years and is part of the province’s official innovation and tourism agenda. Mendoza has positioned itself as a regional hub for technology, with a strong developer base, active universities, and increasing participation in blockchain, Web3, and AI initiatives.
CryptoVendimIA 2026 spans five full days, combining:
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A main conference
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A multi-day hackathon
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University tracks
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Institutional and B2B activities
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Community and cultural experiences
This extended format enables deep onboarding, not just surface-level exposure.
Rootstock Presence & Benefits (Strategic Alliance)
As part of this long-term strategic alliance, Rootstock will receive Main Sponsor–level presence while contributing at the Silver Tier level, ensuring maximum ecosystem positioning efficiency.
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2 Main Stage Keynotes
Rootstock will lead two high-visibility sessions on the main stage, positioning BTCFi and Bitcoin programmability at the center of the conference narrative. -
Finance & Blockchain Stage Fully Branded for Rootstock
The dedicated stage will carry Rootstock branding throughout the event, reinforcing institutional recognition and ecosystem authority. -
Dedicated Stand for Onboarding and Activations
A permanent ecosystem hub for wallet onboarding, protocol education, and direct interaction with attendees, builders, and institutions. -
Panel Participation During B2B Friday
Rootstock will participate in the enterprise and institutional track, engaging regulators, fintech companies, and corporate stakeholders. -
Technical Workshops During the Hackathon
Hands-on sessions designed to guide developers through real Rootstock integrations and BTCFi use cases. -
Dedicated Hackathon Tracks for Rootstock Use Cases
A structured builder pathway focused exclusively on Rootstock applications, increasing the probability of meaningful ecosystem outputs. -
Maximum Social Media Visibility
Rootstock will receive digital exposure equivalent to a Main Sponsor, including campaign amplification across event channels. -
100 General Access Tickets
To run ecosystem campaigns, raffles, or targeted community engagement initiatives across X and Instagram. -
20 VIP Passes
For KOLs, strategic partners, and ecosystem leaders aligned with Rootstock. -
10 Full Experience Tickets
For high-level networking with regulators, enterprises, universities, and institutional actors. -
Dedicated LABITCONF / Bitcoin Argentina Space
A Bitcoin-native educational area focused on explaining Bitcoin, Rootstock, and BTCFi fundamentals, reinforcing long-term ecosystem education.
This explains the USD 10,000 Silver Tier valuation combined with Main Sponsor–level benefits, enabled by the strategic nature of the alliance.**
Strategic Alliance & Ecosystem Partners**
This initiative is executed as a coordinated ecosystem effort, involving:
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Rootstock Collective — ecosystem coordination, funding, and builder enablement
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Beexo Wallet — BTCFi use case and integration interface
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Money On Chain — DOC and USDRIF as BTCFi primitives
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Tropykus — BTCFi lending and DeFi use cases
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CryptoVendimIA — regional execution platform
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Communities: UnderC0de, AndesTech, CuyoConnect, AIWKND, SeedLATAM and 1. * Buidlers— a 1,000+ developer community, co-organizing a large-scale hackathon
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LABITCONF / Bitcoin Argentina NGO — bringing Bitcoin-native education from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, with a dedicated space to explain Bitcoin, Rootstock, and BTCFi
This alliance ensures both technical depth and community reach.
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Video of the event 2025:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xckzhgHT0Ec
Thank you for putting this together @juanipodesta
I do want to zoom out on the allocation side. USD 12,500 is a meaningful amount for an event-led initiative. It’s not about whether we have the funds, which the treasury does, but about ensuring our capital is consistently directed toward measurable ecosystem growth.
Our current strategic focus is increasingly on tangible, on-chain outcomes: transactions, deployed use cases, retained builders, and long-term activation within Rootstock.
Events can absolutely play a role in that, but at this level of funding I would feel more comfortable if the expected on-chain impact were defined more concretely and tied to clear follow-up metrics.
From an operational perspective, it’s important that sponsorship-style allocations compete on the same performance lens as direct builder funding.
As @tamlerner highlighted, $12,500 is a meaningful amount, and at this level of funding, we need to be concrete about what success and ROI looks like.
What does the post-event follow up look like? We’ve talked about this in other event proposals too: but what’s the plan to keep these builders engaged after they leave the event? And what are the measurable on-chain outcomes we’re targeting? E.g, transactions, deployments, TVL.
Can you please elaborate on this?
Hi Tamara,
We completely understand your point. To align this proposal with the focus on on-chain performance and measurable results, we have designed CryptoVendimIA 2026 as a technical and financial conversion funnel with the following KPIs:
1. On-chain Conversion and Traction
The event is built to drive direct network activity:
Onboarding: Target of between 500 to 800 new active wallets (via Beexo) executing real transactions (POAP claims, Learn-to-Earn rewards, or gamified micro-payments in DOC/USDRIF).
BTCFi in Action: We will host workshops and keynotes to demonstrate live DeFi-on-Bitcoin dynamics and real-world use cases. This includes dedicated sessions on the Rootstock Collective DAO structure and $RIF token governance, educating the community on decentralized decision-making and utility.
2. Institutional Adoption & High-Level Networking
On Friday the 27th, we will host an exclusive Institutional Event for decision-makers (public/private sectors and directors from 20+ universities). We feature world-class confirmed speakers to provide high-level exposure:
Jonatan Loidi - https://www.instagram.com/jonatanloidi/ (Business Strategist)
Mateo Salvato - https://www.instagram.com/mateons/ (Innovation & Tech Leader)
Axel Abulafia - Axel Abulafia - CloudX | LinkedIn (Digital Transformation Expert)
As a Rootstock Ambassador, my priority is to position the network within this circle of influence where long-term infrastructure partnerships are forged.
3. Builder Pipeline (Retention)
3 days of hackathons where we will give space to explain in different workshops about Rootstock Collective, Roostock Infra, Rootstock use cases, Rootstock protocols, Rootstock long term view on BTCFi.
Deployments: Goal of between 5 to 10 Mini Apps built on the Beexo stack and integrated with Rootstock, plus a dedicated track for smart contracts on Mainnet.
Milestone-based Prizes: The $2,500 in prizes will be distributed via milestones: a portion post-hackathon and the remainder 30 days later upon code update, ensuring project continuity.
4. Capital Efficiency and Transparency
Exceptional ROI: Rootstock gains Main Sponsor and Exclusive Blockchain Partner benefits (valued at $25k+) for a Silver Tier investment ($10k). We are paying less than 50% of what other partners contribute for the same level of exposure.
Budget Breakdown ($12,500 base + $1,000 optional):
$10,000 Sponsorship: 50% upfront / 50% upon Impact Report delivery and KPI verification.
$2,500 Builders Prizes: 100% upfront before March 25th to ensure immediate distribution to winners.
Additional Proposal: “La Bitcoineta” Roadshow
Finally, we received an interesting proposal from the NGO Bitcoin Argentina that we would like to share with you. They suggested a roadshow using “La Bitcoineta” to bridge the 1,000 km between Buenos Aires and Mendoza.
The Idea: Perform 2-3 technical stops in different cities to educate on BTCFi and Rootstock before the main event begins.
Cost: An additional $1,000 to cover logistics (fuel, lodging, and per diems for 2 instructors).
Our View: We believe it is a great way to start the onboarding process early, but we would love to hear your suggestions on whether you think this aligns with the Collective’s current priorities or if we should keep the focus strictly on the main event.
Mendoza has the talent and the institutional backing to be a major success story for the ecosystem. Would you be open to a brief 10-minute call to finalize these KPIs?
Best regards,
Matt
Hello @juanipodesta and thank you so much for this detailed proposal and for the follow-up regarding the KPIs. While we appreciate this effort to bring a high-visibility event like CryptoVendimIA to the Collective, we have concerns regarding the high cost of this sponsorship, as also noted by @axia and @tamlerner . In addition, we have expressed this previously for another current event proposal, that the majority of events have high CAC but very low ROI. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of events, unless you have funds to burn.
Specifically, we have have concerns regarding these issues:
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The KPI of 500–800 new active wallets is a strong target, but we noticed the onboarding is specified “via Beexo.” To ensure true ecosystem decentralization and avoid any vendor lock-in, could the onboarding process be wallet-agnostic instead? And how will the activation support users who prefer other Rootstock-compatible wallets (e.g., Metamask, Ledger, or Enkrypt)? We must ensure we are building for the Rootstock network as a whole.
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You mentioned 50% of the funding is tied to an Impact Report. Self-reported data is often difficult for the DAO to audit effectively. Would the team be willing to provide a public Dune Dashboard or a similar real-time analytics link? We need to track the 500+ wallets and their subsequent transaction history on Mainnet to verify that these are genuine users and not just one-time bot/POAP claims.
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The 5–10 Mini Apps target is a good start, and we appreciate the milestone based prize distribution (30 days post event). What is the specific bridge plan to funnel these winners into the Rootstock Grants Program? We’d like to see a structured transition plan that ensures these up to 10 projects, have a path toward becoming long-term contributors to Rootstock TVL.
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The speaker lineup features impressive names like Jonatan Loidi and Mateo Salvato. While they are great for general tech prestige, they are not specifically BTCFi or Solidity focused. And with the $12,500 ask, how do we ensure the Institutional Track moves beyond general innovation talk and into RWA conversations? Out of the 20+ universities involved, how many have committed to the technical workshops specifically? We need to ensure the 1,500 attendees includes a high density of actual smart-contract developers. This aligns to our concerns about a high CAC (Customer acquisition cost) vs. the expense ($12,500 proposal request), i.e. the ROI.
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As you stated, you mentioned that you’re currently a Rootstock Ambassador. We need to be very clear on how this grant differs from your existing responsibilities. Is this work being done in addition to your Ambassador mandate, and how do we ensure no double-billing of efforts? Can you provide some transparency on the differences between your Ambassador activities and how they are different from this proposal request?
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And finally, regarding the additional $1,000 for “La Bitcoineta,” this feels like a late addition. While the branding is interesting, we’re concerned it may dilute focus from the main technical KPIs of the five day event. We would prefer to see that $1,000 re-allocated toward higher builder prizes or technical documentation for the workshops. Or just keep it simple, and remove this additional activity.
Thanks, and looking forward to hearing more details!
Hello @juanipodesta and @Mattsanto , while we were doing some additional due diligence from our comments above, we noticed that in July of last year, that Beexo Protocol was deactived by RTLabs from the RootstockCollective Builder program, due to the US based geo restrictions. Shortly after that, in August, there was another post by you for the Beexo Wallet as a “Self-Custodial” standard.
To ensure the Collective remains in full regulatory alignment, has Beexo Protocol or its parent entity changed its legal jurisdiction or corporate structure since the July 2025 decision? If the entity remains affected under the same US-based restrictions that led to its 2025 deactivation, how does the team propose we structure the $12,500 grant to avoid conflict with existing Collective compliance requirements?
In your August 2025 post, Beexo was described as a “Hybrid Wallet (DeFi & CeFi).” However, this current proposal focuses heavily on “BTCFi and Decentralized Governance”. Will the 500–800 users onboarded during this CryptoVendimIA event be interacting with the CeFi/Fiat-rail components of the app, or will they be strictly on-chain via Rootstock? Your proposal is not clear on that.
As we noted above, (and even more so now), the importance to mitigate any potential compliance risks, would the team be open to making the onboarding wallet agnostic? This would allow the event to support Beexo (if the first point has been addressed - i.e. US based restrictions) while also encouraging the use of other DAO-supported, non-restricted wallets (like Metamask or Ledger), ensuring the 1,500 attendees are funneled into the broader ecosystem regardless of their preferred tool.
Thank you for the thorough feedback. We’ll address every point directly.
1. Compliance & Builder Status
DAOstar flagged a previous Beexo-related proposal. To be precise: an earlier submission faced a KYB conflict due to corporate structure overlap with a US-based entity. That issue was resolved through
individual KYC verification completed with Rootstock Labs. Our currently active proposal —
Beexo Wallet: The Mobile Hybrid Standard for Rootstock Adoption | RootstockCollective — reflects our compliant, approved builder status. We are not the deactivated
entity. We are the resolved, approved one. If any remaining compliance verifications are required, we will complete them on request.
2. Wallet Agnosticism — Why Beexo + Why It’s Not Lock-In
All products built at the hackathon will work with any wallet. Every mini-app will integrate Beexo Connect SDK, which is interoperable with WalletConnect/Reown for standard EVM connections.
However, Beexo Connect enables something technically impossible with WalletConnect or Reown alone: native interaction with Bitcoin, Argentine Pesos (ARS), and Tron — all self-custodial, within the same
connection flow. No other connection standard supports this multi-chain, multi-rail scope in a self-custodial context. For products built at CryptoVendimIA that want to reach users operating across BTC,
RBTC, stablecoins, and local fiat rails simultaneously, Beexo Connect is not a preference — it is the only available infrastructure. WalletConnect/Reown remain supported for users who prefer other EVM
wallets; Beexo Connect extends that to markets and asset types they simply cannot reach otherwise.
Beyond connectivity, Beexo is the recommended wallet for the onboarding activation for three ecosystem-first reasons:
1. Zero setup friction. The only self-custodial wallet with Rootstock protocols natively integrated — no “Add Network,” no custom RPC, no token contract address. For a first-time user at a conference,
that difference determines whether onboarding actually happens.
2. ARS ↔ Rootstock stablecoins. The only self-custodial wallet allowing Argentine users to buy and sell DOC and USDRIF directly from/to Argentine pesos. For an audience experiencing real inflation, this
is the most relevant DeFi on-ramp available today.
3. Gasless transactions (launching now). New users won’t need RBTC to execute their first onchain actions. This removes the #1 onboarding drop-off we’ve observed in every prior Rootstock activation.
We will explicitly showcase MetaMask, Defiant, and other compatible wallets during workshops as part of a dedicated multi-wallet compatibility segment in every technical session.
3. On-Chain Verification
We don’t have Dune Dashboard capacity on this timeline. What we commit to instead — which we believe is equally auditable:
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A public Rootstock Explorer query for each onboarding contract/address used at the event — independently verifiable by any reviewer in real time
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A public tracking sheet updated daily during the 5 days with wallet addresses activated, transactions executed, and DOC/USDRIF volume moved
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A post-event Impact Report with all Explorer links, txhashes for prize distributions, and GitHub repos for all submitted projects — published within 14 days of event close
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The 50/50 payment structure already ties accountability to delivery: the second $5,000 is only released upon verified report submission
4. Hackathon Format — Real Products for Real Markets
This directly addresses the high CAC / low ROI concern raised by the Collective.
We are not running a standard hackathon. We are explicitly instructing every team to move beyond abstract technical solutions and think in terms of a real product for a specific industry or niche — one
they can take to market and generate actual usage and feedback from real users.
Every team must define from day one:
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Target niche (e.g. agricultural exporters, university students, freelancers, SMEs)
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Problem statement in that niche
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Go-to-market hypothesis — who are the first 10 users and how do they reach them
Technical implementation is judged alongside real-world applicability. A simpler product with a clear niche and a realistic path to users scores higher than a technically sophisticated demo with no
defined audience.
This means the teams that emerge from CryptoVendimIA are not “event participants” — they are early-stage founders building on Rootstock, with a defined market, user feedback to pursue, and a clear
reason to keep building after March 29. That is what converts an event into long-term ecosystem traction, not just onchain activity during a single week.
All workshop materials, code repositories, and guides produced will be published under MIT license — reusable by any ecosystem event across LatAm.
5. Dedicated Booth — Ecosystem Education Hub
The Rootstock booth will operate as an active conversion hub throughout all 5 days — not a passive stand. Activities include live trivia, gamified challenges, and hands-on demos designed to introduce
every attendee to Rootstock as the first BTCFi network, built by Argentinians — a fact that carries real narrative weight with a LatAm audience.
The booth is structured around three distinct audiences:
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End users — What is RBTC? How do I get my first Rootstock wallet in under 2 minutes? How can I be onboarded via ARS? What are bitcoin over-colateralized stable coins? How to transact with DOC/USDRIF without needing native token?
What is the beta vaulta to earn yield with USDRIF? -
Developers — What can I build? What tooling, SDKs, and infrastructure does Rootstock provide? How do I go from idea to deployed contract?
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Institutions & universities — What is the Rootstock Collective? How does Bitcoin-secured smart contract infrastructure apply to real industry use cases — payments, tokenization, lending?
Every trivia answer, every completed challenge, every wallet activated at the booth feeds directly into the onchain KPIs tracked in the Impact Report.
6. Builder Retention Pipeline — Concrete Path
During the event:
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Dedicated session on how to apply to the Rootstock Grants Program — structure, criteria, funded examples, what the Collective prioritizes
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Rootstock Collective and Rootstock Labs formally invited to co-present this session and send representatives to the B2B institutional day on Friday March 27
Post-event (30–60 days):
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Direct introductions to the Rootstock Grants Program for every team that submits a project
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30–60 day mentoring from Juani and Matías focused on product refinement and grant application preparation
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Access to MOC and Tropykus teams for protocol integration and partnerships
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Beexo Connect ecosystem integration — real user exposure within the Beexo app
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Introductions to the most active Rootstock protocols for service and integration opportunities
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Invitations to our weekly Thursday show on X/YouTube (avg 1,500–4,000 views) to pitch product progress — sustained ecosystem visibility beyond the event
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Access to a pool of beta testers from the Beexo user community for real product validation
KPI tied to retention: ≥ 3 hackathon teams formally apply to the Rootstock Grants Program within 60 days. We commit to a public follow-up post at the 60-day mark.
7. Speaker Lineup — Technical Depth
The institutional speakers (Loidi, Salvato, Abulafia) are scoped exclusively to the B2B Friday track — directed at regulators, corporate decision-makers, and university directors.
Technical content is delivered by:
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Beexo engineering team — Beexo Connect SDK, gasless transactions, Rootstock-native integrations
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BTCFi introduction with analogies with banking services by Juani Podesta, who has been speaker for 5 years talking about UX, Web3 complexity abstraction, etc.
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Money On Chain team — DOC and USDRIF as BTCFi primitives, live protocol demo
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Tropikus earns and loans products using BTC and BTC backed assets.
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Hackathon mentors — hands-on Solidity and Rootstock sessions during the 3-day hackathon
We formally invite the Rootstock Collective and Rootstock Labs to co-design the technical curriculum — specifically the governance session and any content they want delivered to the institutional
audience on Friday. Open invitation, not a formality.
8. Ambassador Role — No Overlap
Matt’s Ambassador activities are content creation, ecosystem education, and community outreach. None of those activities are funded, billed, or claimed under this proposal. This proposal covers a
bounded event activation with defined deliverables — 5-day sponsored presence, structured hackathon with onchain prize distribution, and 60-day builder retention program — entirely outside Ambassador
scope. No double-billing.
9. La Bitcoineta — Removed
Removed entirely. Budget returns to $12,500.
10. Revised KPIs
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ KPI │ Target │ Verification │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ New wallets activated on Rootstock │ 500–800 │ Rootstock Explorer query on onboarding contract │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Onchain transactions from event wallets │ ≥ 1,000 │ Explorer query linked in Impact Report │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ DOC/USDRIF volume moved │ ≥ $5,000 equivalent │ Explorer token transfer events │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Smart contracts deployed on Rootstock Mainnet │ ≥ 5 │ Txhash list in Impact Report │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Mini apps submitted at hackathon │ 5–10 │ GitHub repos linked in Impact Report │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Teams with defined niche + go-to-market hypothesis │ 100% of submitted teams │ Judging rubric published pre-event │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Teams applying to Rootstock Grants within 60 days │ ≥ 3 │ Forum follow-up post at T+60 │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Wallet retention at T+30 (≥ 1 subsequent tx) │ ≥ 30% of activated wallets │ Explorer query at T+30 │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Attendees at technical workshops │ ≥ 150 │ Sign-in register │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Universities represented in hackathon │ ≥ 10 │ Participant registration │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Impact Report published │ Within 14 days of event close │ Public link submitted to Collective │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
11. Final Budget
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─────────┐
│ Line Item │ Amount │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────┤
│ Silver Tier Sponsorship (50% upfront / 50% on Impact Report + KPI verification) │ $10,000 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────┤
│ Builder Prize Pool (distributed onchain to hackathon winners) │ $2,500 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────┤
│ Total │ $12,500 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────┘
12. Co-Investment Transparency
The $12,500 grant covers sponsorship and prizes. Beexo is independently co-investing:
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Travel and accommodation for technical staff — speakers, workshop facilitators, mentors
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Additional prizes for Beexo Connect SDK usage
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Merchandising for participants
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Onboarding activation prizes
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60 days of post-event builder follow-up
Total ecosystem value delivered significantly exceeds the $12,500 grant.
We welcome a 10-minute sync with any Collective members who want to review KPIs or compliance status before the vote. The event runs March 25–29. We need a decision by March 20 to execute the
sponsorship agreement with CryptoVendimIA on time.
Hi @juanipodesta (and @Mattsanto), thanks for your proposal about the sponsorship opportunity for an acclaimed event. We have a couple of questions:
Apparently, there is not so much time from now (or even the date when it’s potentially approved) and the event date. Have you already planned having members from Rootstock team for these sessions?
We would like to review what actual onboarding actions you are planning to execute during the event. This is critical to achieve the target ROI.
Thanks so much for putting this proposal forward @juanipodesta, appreciate the effort to bring more visibility to Rootstock through events like this.
My main concern is that at the moment, it feels like Rootstock is funding a private event while the expected ROI for the Collective isn’t clearly defined yet (thanks to @DAOstar_gov for raising helpful analysis on this).
Also would it be possible to share a more detailed breakdown of the $10k sponsorship? It would also help to understand whether Rootstock would be the only sponsor, or if there are other confirmed sponsors already. If possible, sharing the sponsorship deck for the event would be very useful as well, so we can see what packages exist and what kind of exposure sponsors typically receive.
I also agree with Tane regarding the timeline. The event is only about two weeks away, while the proposal is still under discussion.
Even if it moves to a vote soon and gets approved, the window from vote → execution → event would be extremely tight (roughly ~10 days). It would be quite challenging to move forward smoothly if the current timeline remains unchanged.
@juanipodesta Can you provide CryptoVendimIA’s full sponsorship tier breakdown? Without seeing the all the tier and their offers, it will be challenging to review whether $10,000 would provide us a fair value.
Looking at the CryptoVendimIA website, Rootstock is already listed as “Blend Premium” in the partners section — can you help us understand what the $10,000 Silver Tier specifically unlocks that isn’t already in place? So we can better evaluate what we’re getting for the cost.
We also agree with @tamlerner regarding Rootstock Collective need for tangible outcomes and clear impact to the protocol. Building on that, we appreciate the commitment to onchain transparency via Rootstock Explorer queries and a public tracking sheet, but would it be possible to link the second $5,000 to some of these minimum onchain threshold, such as new wallets activated, onchain transactions executed, rather than just verified report submission? For example, based on your KPIs, at least 300 of the targeted 500–800 new wallets activated and a minimum of 500 of the targeted 1,000+ onchain transactions executed.
This looks really cool. I like that it’s not just a conference but a full-on hackathon with university tracks, so people actually get to build stuff with Rootstock and BTCFi. The team seems solid, and the partnerships with Beexo, Money On Chain, and Tropykus make it feel well connected.
Would be nice to know roughly how many projects or builders will come out of it, but overall it seems like a really promising setup.
Hi @juanipodesta
Thanks for letting us know about the proposal. I believe events can be a great opportunity to introduce many new people to the ecosystem; in fact, a lot of people get introduced to the Rootstock ecosystem through events.
I have a few questions regarding the proposal:
- Builder Prizes:
- Exactly what activities are planned for these builder prizes?
- What are the exact steps participants need to take to earn these prizes?
- What is the internal allocation for these builder prizes?
- Staker Focus: As we know, the focus of Rootstock Collective is to increase stakers in our DAO. Will these activities be focused on increasing stakers, and if so, how?
Additionally, I have a few suggestions for you. I have been organizing Bitcoin education events in India over the past year—specifically, I’ve organized over 75 events, mostly at top-tier technical colleges. Based on that, I suggest the following:
- Shift Allocation to Builder Prizes: Since most on-chain activity comes from builder prizes, we could increase the prize pool slightly and decrease the sponsorship portion. This would help drive more on-chain activity as a direct output.
- Technical Workshops: You mentioned collaborating with multiple universities for this event. It would be great if we could organize technical workshops at these universities regarding the Rootstock ecosystem. This would introduce these student developers to Rootstock so they can build great products on the network.
Sponsorship Structure & Value (Ignas, Curia)
We’re attaching the full CryptoVendimIA sponsorship deck to this post so everyone can review the tier breakdown, benefits, and exposure packages transparently.
The key point: Rootstock is contributing at Silver Tier ($10,000) but receiving full Main Sponsor-level benefits — which are valued at significantly more. This is possible because of a long-term
strategic partnership between our team and CryptoVendimIA, built over multiple years of collaboration. The event organizers recognize Rootstock’s ecosystem value and are granting Main Sponsor exposure at half the cost.
In concrete terms, this means Rootstock gets everything a Main Sponsor receives: 2 main stage keynotes, a fully branded Finance & Blockchain stage, dedicated booth, B2B panel access, 100+ tickets, VIP passes, and maximum social media visibility — all for a Silver Tier investment.
Deck in English:
Timeline & Execution Readiness (Ignas, Tane)
We understand the timeline concern. The reality is that execution is already underway — the booth, hackathon structure, workshops, and onboarding campaigns are being prepared regardless, because this is a partnership we’re committed to. The grant enables us to formalize the sponsorship agreement and fund the builder prizes.
Regarding Rootstock team presence on the main stage: we are currently coordinating with Ale Cavallero to confirm who from Rootstock Labs will attend. Independently, we will deliver a full presentation
on the benefits of Rootstock Collective, its governance model, and how builders can participate — this is confirmed and planned.
Performance-Based Second Payment (Curia)
We agree. We’re happy to tie the second $5,000 to minimum on-chain thresholds rather than just report submission. Specifically:
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≥300 new wallets activated on Rootstock (of the 500–800 target)
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≥500 on-chain transactions from event wallets (of the 1,000+ target)
Both verifiable via Rootstock Explorer queries included in the Impact Report within 14 days of event close.
Onboarding Actions — Step by Step (Tane)
We have three distinct onboarding activations, each designed for a different interaction context:
1. Booth — Unique Code Campaign: Every visitor to the Rootstock booth receives a unique code that triggers their first on-chain transaction (wallet creation + RBTC interaction). This is the high-volume,
low-friction entry point for the 500–800 wallet target.
2. Learn-to-Earn Challenge: A 10-question quiz on Rootstock, BTCFi, and the Collective. Only participants who answer correctly receive token rewards — this filters for genuine engagement and knowledge
retention, not just airdrop farming.
3. Workshop On-Chain Challenge: During technical workshops, participants complete a practical on-chain task (deploying, interacting with a contract, or executing a transaction on Rootstock). Completions
enter a raffle with prizes. This targets the builder/developer audience specifically.
Each of these feeds directly into the on-chain KPIs in the Impact Report.
Builder Prizes — Allocation & Structure (krngill)
The $2,500 builder prize pool is allocated by use case quality:
┌───────┬────────┐
│ Place │ Prize │
├───────┼────────┤
│ 1st │ $1,250 │
├───────┼────────┤
│ 2nd │ $750 │
├───────┼────────┤
│ 3rd │ $500 │
└───────┴────────┘
Judging criteria prioritize real products for real markets — as outlined in post #7, teams must define a target niche, problem statement, and go-to-market hypothesis. Technical sophistication alone
doesn’t win; real-world applicability and a clear path to users scores highest.
Additionally, Beexo is independently funding extra builder prizes from our own resources — this is separate from the grant and represents additional co-investment into the hackathon ecosystem.
Stakers & DAO Participation (krngill)
We will promote Rootstock Collective staking as part of our booth education and the dedicated Collective presentation. However, we want to be transparent: converting event attendees to active stakers
within the event window is a stretch goal, not a core KPI. Our primary focus is on-chain activation and builder retention — outcomes we can realistically deliver and verify. Staking education plants the
seed; the 60-day follow-up pipeline is where staking conversion is more likely to happen organically.
University Workshops (krngill)
Yes — we’re open to organizing dedicated technical workshops at partner universities as part of the activation. We’re already coordinating with 15+ universities for the event. Extending this into
on-campus Rootstock workshops before or after CryptoVendimIA is a natural next step and something we can commit to exploring within the 60-day post-event window.
Summary
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Sponsorship deck attached for full transparency
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Main Sponsor benefits at Silver Tier cost via long-term partnership
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Second $5,000 tied to on-chain minimums (300 wallets, 500 txs)
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Three structured onboarding flows (booth codes, learn-to-earn, workshop challenges)
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$2,500 prizes split $1,250 / $750 / $500 + additional Beexo-funded prizes
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Coordinating with Ale Cavallero for Rootstock Labs presence
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University workshops: confirmed as a commitment
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Decision needed by March 20 to execute sponsorship agreement on time
Thank you, @juanipodesta for the additional details regarding the sponsorship level and partnership deck.
We do have a question, as @Curia noted and you addressed, that Rootstock is already listed on the conference website as a “Blend Premium”/Main sponsorship partner. Did you receive permission from Rootstock Labs team (cc: @tamlerner ) for the use of our brand before the DAO has voted and approved sponsorship of this event?
We understand that there is limited timing until the event, however, as you noted in your comments above, that “execution is already underway…because this is the partnership that we’re committed to”. Which leads us to believe that you are moving forward with promotion (branding, workshop development, onboarding campaigns, etc.) before the DAO has voted.
Amazing that you already noticed it. Rootstock has been a partner of us for long time. We have built a lot of activities years before.The reason that we put rootstock as a partner is because Rootstock was a partner last year, and we wanted to give again the most visibility possible. We have already been planning lots of things for Rootstock via the hackathon where Beexo was going to give incentives to build products (still will do after getting DAOs approval, complementing the benefits). Also, the workshops, the activations, the learn to earn, are activities that we are going to do it with our own funds. The sponsorship will allow not only all mayor main sponsor benefits, but also guarantee special visibility over developers, institutionals, regulators, and key players.Once the proposal onchain is voted, we are going to get Rootstock Collective logo, also as part of the sponsors, to bring also the work being done here that is super important for people to know how to get funded, stake RIF, and participate on a real DAO.
Im sorry if the proactiveness could led to unwished conclutioons. We are super open to propose on chain, when its ready.
Thanks for the response, but let us clarify our question. Did you get permission from the Rootstock Labs team to have Rootstock (logo or in name) already listed as a partner on the conference website?
By doing so, it infers a “obligation” (social endorsement) that the use of our brand name endorses this event as a sponsor. Since this hasn’t gone to vote (and has a passing vote), we would say there is no endorsement (contractually or socially).
Thank you for the clarification and for raising this point, @DAOstar_gov. I would like to offer some context from my side as the event organizer.
The inclusion of the logo was not intended to imply a finished contract or to bypass the DAO’s governance process. On the contrary, it was a proactive measure to reserve the space and streamline the branding workflow. As we are facing tight production deadlines, we utilized the official brand manual from rootstock.io to ensure that, should this proposal be successful, the visual integration would be flawless and professional from day one.
It is important to note that I have been a Rootstock Ambassador in Argentina for over 3 years. In this capacity, I am authorized and committed to using the brand to promote the ecosystem. My goal has always been—and remains—to generate high-impact activations and positioning for Rootstock because we genuinely believe in the protocol’s potential.
However, I completely respect the DAO’s formal process and the importance of ‘social endorsement.’ To avoid any further misunderstandings:
The logo has been removed from the website immediately.
It will only be re-added if and when the Rootstock Collective explicitly grants permission following a positive vote.
It is honestly a missed opportunity for the ecosystem at this moment, as our site is currently experiencing a significant peak in traffic, and many attendees are already scouting for partners. My actions were driven by a ‘community-first’ mindset to ensure Rootstock didn’t miss out on this exposure.
We are fully committed to transparency and are excited to continue this dialogue to bring the best of Rootstock to Mendoza
I won’t go into the detailed points already raised by other Collective delegates — many of which bring valid considerations. I also understand that most delegates may not be familiar with the organizers and likely have not attended this conference before. I would simply like to add a broader perspective based on my own experience.
I have attended every Crypto Vendimia since the first edition, and each year the event has exceeded my expectations. Last year I participated with the team from the Bitcoin Argentina NGO, and the conference included a dedicated Bitcoin track with workshops about Rootstock, talks, and hackathons that introduced hundreds of people to the ecosystem. What makes the event particularly interesting is the diversity of its audience: it brings together people from academia, retail users, businesses, policymakers, and even the wine industry — fitting for Mendoza, one of the wine capitals of the world.
This year the initiative seems to expand further with the participation of Beexo, the non-custodial wallet with a strong focus on Rootstock integration. Beexo already integrates key protocols such as Money On Chain and has dedicated integrations for Tropykus, making it easier for users to access DeFi on Rootstock. Its fiat on/off-ramp integration is especially valuable in markets like Argentina. In my view, it is not just another wallet but a strategic partner for the ecosystem. I say this from firsthand experience, as I have been using it and collaborating with its founders for years to onboard new users to Rootstock.
It is also very positive that this initiative involves Juani from Beexo and Matías, a Rootstock ambassador. These are two separate contributions that both add value: Beexo as an ecosystem partner helping drive adoption, and Matías through his work as an ambassador helping organize and grow the community. Importantly, both Juani and Matías are highly recognized figures in the crypto industry in Argentina, with extensive experience in community building and an excellent track record organizing events. We are not talking about newcomers or improvised organizers — they are respected professionals. In my view, it is a privilege that people with this level of experience and credibility are investing their time and effort in growing the Rootstock ecosystem.
Ultimately, Rootstock benefits greatly from new users and increased awareness, and conferences like Crypto Vendimia are a strong opportunity to contribute to both. For these reasons, I’m happy to support this proposal.
Thank you so much, @Mattsanto for your comments and perspective. We also really appreicate the removal of the Rootstock brand name and logo from the conference website partner page, thank you. We would also request the removal of the use of the brand name and/or logo from any conference promotions (email/social, etc.) either sent from your communications or the conference managers communications team, until the vote has passed successfully.
We appreciate your thoughts regarding the reasoning why the logo (and Rootstock name) were added to the conference website in the first place, and understand that you have experience running events as a Rootstock Ambassador. We feel confident that in the past, you have represented our brand correctly - both in tone and context.
However, the use of the brand name by listing it on the conference website does benefit the conference team for individual registration sales (validation endorsement) as well, as if this proposal does not pass, the brand could become damaged (either short term or long) for not sponsoring, eventhough we were listed on the website earlier (from an individual and other partner’s perspective). It feels like the “horse before the cart” and that can affect our brand’s positive (or in this case) negative perspective to the outside world.
While we understand that this is an unique conference and opportunity (sponsorship level incentive + target audience), for us, we have voted against this proposal that has just gone forward to Tally.
Here’s why we have voted against this proposal:
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Even though this would be considered an unique opportunity, we don’t feel that the KPIs and TVL are strong enough to justify the spend of $12.5K. When considering event sponsorships, we are confident that the customer acquisition cost (CAC) have not been fully addressed/flushed out by the proposal authors. There are a lot of details of activities at the event (which we appreciate) however, to @Axia point earlier, the 60 day plan is lacking on details of execution, GTM plan, and follow-through. The mention of the idea of considering the University Workshops is a good start, but there is more of a focus on the actual activities at the event, rather than the 60 days afterwards, as the author noted was “…60 day follow-up pipeline is where staking conversations is more likely to happen organically”, reinforces our concerns.
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Secondly, we keep on coming back to the impression that this feels like a very strong Beexo event, but Rootstock is doing the heavy (financial) lifting as the sponsorship funding source (which is the majority of the budget expenses). This is expressed with Beexo sending engineers, providing some additional builder rewards; which the amount is undisclosed (in addition to this proposal request of $2.5K for builder rewards) and being the “de-facto” wallet recommended to use for integration, as noted in here. Overall, we perceive this proposal as an imbalanced partnership request, and “skin in the game” is not equal.
Tengo el placer de conocer personalmente tanto a Matías como a Juani, se de su compromiso, además doy fe de que los eventos organizados por Matías siempre fueron un éxito. Si la duda pasa por el cumplimiento o no de las métricas estoy seguro de que las superarán.