We propose OpShin, a Python-based smart contract language for Cardano. Python is one of the most popular programming languages known. On top of this we provide the security guarantees that are the reason for the Cardano community to embrace functional programming - thus offering an accessible and easy to start with alternative to current languages.

OpShin is aimed at developers that want to build on Cardano. It drastically simplifies onboarding when experience in Python is given, and even without is easy to read and access.

By making development of Smart Contracts more accessible, OpShin is a key catalyst for a growing ecosystem of DApps on Cardano. The benefit to community is immense.

This proposal delivers a lean, transparent, and ROI-focused alternative to traditional Catalyst funding by launching a DRep-governed innovation fund with minimal operational overhead. It prioritizes high-impact projects that generate measurable on-chain activity and return a minimum of 50% of funds back to the treasury, creating a self-replenishing model. By incorporating matching capital incentives, it amplifies ecosystem investment while reducing treasury risk. The creation of a subcommittee under the MCC ensures continuous oversight, performance tracking, and research into Catalyst inefficiencies, such as duplicate funding and delivery gaps. Additionally, the proposal introduces a public portal to connect builders with venture capital, provide mentorship, and attract cross-ecosystem projects to Cardano. The result is a fast, scalable innovation mechanism that enhances treasury sustainability, strengthens community governance, and positions Cardano as a more competitive and collaborative blockchain ecosystem.

Hydra Hexcore is a system designed to simplify and accelerate the application-layer development process. With Hydra Hexcore, developers can fully focus on building their applications without having to worry about managing infrastructure or using complex server-side command line tools. This significantly improves development efficiency, providing a more convenient and optimized experience for developers.

In addition, Hydra Hexcore offers practical benefits for server infrastructure providers. Within the Hydra ecosystem, infrastructure providers play a key role in supplying the resources needed to maintain node operations. Hydra Hexcore enables them to leverage their existing infrastructure to contribute Hydra nodes to other parties, such as application developers or businesses that require node resources. This not only allows them to expand their service offerings from standard hosting to providing specialized solutions for Hydra-based applications but also creates added value, enhancing their competitive advantage and increasing revenue.

Thus, Hydra Hexcore is not only a powerful support tool for application developers but also helps infrastructure providers maximize their potential, contributing to the strong and sustainable growth of the Cardano ecosystem through Hydra technology

The proposal will address gaps in Cardano reference material and education while also helping to attract new developers and reduce development friction. The majority of Cardano reference material is written predominantly with functional style contracts and does not contain full-stack open source examples. Developers will have approachable, comprehensive reference material for end to end application building, not just smart contract reference material.

The Cardano Builders Community Bootcamp is a three-month intensive program designed to equip Cameroonian developers with the skills, infrastructure, and knowledge necessary to build impactful decentralized applications (dApps) on the Cardano blockchain. By implementing this training program, we will: -Equip 50 participants with blockchain development skills, increasing the talent pool for Cardano-related projects. -Provide hands-on training, mentorship, and certification, ensuring participants are ready to contribute to the ecosystem. -Foster local blockchain adoption, strengthening the Cardano community in Africa. -Create a model that can be replicated in other regions to drive global adoption.

Midgard has a tokenless design. All transaction fees on Midgard are paid in Ada, and every Midgard block is published to the Cardano L1. Where Hydra moves transactions offchain (and thus does not contribute consistently in fee revenue to the Cardano L1) Midgard keeps transactions onchain but in a more compact form (ie. rolls up transactions offchain into a compact representation that is published onchain, thus the name rollups). This means that increased economic activity on Midgard directly translated to increased economic activity on Cardano, this represents a significant source of fee revenue for the Cardano L1. Midgard does not have independent consensus or economic security, instead it inherits economic security and consensus from Cardano.

The perpetual flow of liquidity into Cardano is the result of earned confidence in the blockchain’s offerings and opportunities. Increased liquidity produces an environment of abundance for all participants and greater capacity to build secure, scalable, and decentralized applications (dApps).

The proposal will create these specific benefits:

• Facilitate incoming liquidity for the Cardano Ecosystem by paving a path for informed participation in Cardano’s offerings
• Reinforce the community knowledge base and infrastructure by creating a network of vibrant and engaged community members in a thriving ecosystem
• Introduce institutions, organizations, and cohorts to the Cardano blockchain with actionable options for incentivized participation
• Market Cardano to new audiences
• Increase New Cardano Wallets and transactions on the blockchain
• Increase Engagement in Cardano tooling, especially DeFi-related protocols
• Attract new users and developers of Web3 tooling from other ecosystems by providing a clear explanation of Cardano’s technological advantages

The proposal will focus on serving and supporting these individuals and entities with campaigns focused on and relevant to their position of understanding:

(1) New and No Experience: Not yet invested in or familiar with blockchain technology or cryptocurrencies (2) Invested in Crypto, But Not Cardano: Invested on a Centralized Exchange with exposure to crypto but unfamiliar with Cardano - OR - participating with wallets on other chains but unfamiliar with Cardano’s opportunities (3) Cardano Community: Engaged in the Cardano Ecosystem as a community member, builder, or developer but hesitant to participate in Cardano’s DeFi for lack of knowledge about implications and risk.

This visual graphic on the Cryptofluency website is meant to illustrate the tremendous opportunity and the spread of potential across these different groups:

https://www.cryptofluency.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Dormant-Liquidity-Potential.jpg

The Cardano community’s robust collection of high-quality protocols can achieve its full potential of utilization expeditiously if we help each of these groups overcome the resistance points that prevent them from participating. Resolving these concerns through experiential education can open doors for meaningful engagement and liquidity.

A Greek Cardano Embassy would be a dynamic open space, benefiting diverse groups within the ecosystem. It would be the go-to place for anyone. Programmers learning AIKEN, farmers exploring Palmyra, investors diving into Dexes and RWAs, gaming firms integrating NFTs, publishers leveraging book.io, or even a Greek Minister tracing ancient artifacts onto the blockchain (an idea proposed by CH himself) and more, such as the tourism and shipping industry. By offering a physical space for education, collaboration, and support, it would boost trust in Cardano’s ecosystem, crucial in Greece where personal connections drive business. This trust would translate into measurable value: higher adoption rates, more developers building on Cardano, and real-world use cases showcasing our blockchain’s potential. The ROI for the Cardano Community lies in accelerating Greece’s role as a regional leader in blockchain innovation, amplifying our global footprint.

Cexplorer.io serves over 50,000 monthly users and processes millions of data requests, providing real-time, in-depth insights into Cardano’s blockchain. It supports developers, SPOs, researchers, and everyday users with tools for exploring transactions, addresses, tokens, and stake pools. By improving transparency and accessibility, it reduces friction in dApp development, stake pool monitoring, and ecosystem analysis. The return on investment is a proven, high-traffic platform that continuously evolves to meet the growing demands of the Cardano community.

• users, turstless and more scalable applications
• experienced developers, local nodes means less infrastructure and easier access to Cardano
• new developers, a familiar source code means more resources to understand what Cardano does

This project significantly benefits the Cardano community by providing reliable tools for developers:

Increased Efficiency, allowing developers to focus on building and optimizing their applications.

Enhanced Quality: Reliable testing environments that lead to more robust and secure smart contracts, contributing to the network's overall health.

Documentation: Comprehensive guides and tutorials helping onboard new developers to our ecosystem

The implementation of the Olympus Insights AI Tutor will provide significant benefits across multiple communities, with a strong emphasis on accessibility, engagement, and the integration of blockchain technology into education.

1. Learners and Educational Institutions The AI Tutor will enhance the learning experience by offering personalised, interactive, and adaptive education. Students will receive tailored support, enabling them to progress at their own pace while maintaining high levels of engagement. For educational institutions, this means better student outcomes, increased retention, and improved learning efficiency without placing additional burdens on educators.

2. The Global Web3 and Blockchain Community By embedding blockchain-based credentialing, the AI Tutor will allow learners to verify their achievements on-chain, promoting transparency and decentralised recognition of skills. This aligns with the ethos of self-sovereign identity and digital ownership, key principles of the Web3 movement. It also helps onboard a new generation of learners into the Cardano ecosystem, exposing them to blockchain applications in a practical and meaningful way.

3. The Cardano Community – Value and Return on Investment The Cardano community will see a direct return on investment through user acquisition, adoption, and real-world utility. The AI Tutor will integrate wallet creation, ensuring that every learner engaging with the platform interacts with the Cardano blockchain. This will significantly contribute to onboarding new users into the Cardano ecosystem, particularly in regions where traditional financial and educational systems are inaccessible.

Additionally, staking and DeFi elements could be incorporated into the learning experience, allowing users to leverage Cardano’s infrastructure for rewards, governance participation, and further engagement with blockchain-based education. By supporting the development of this AI-driven educational tool, the Cardano ecosystem strengthens its position as a leader in real-world blockchain adoption beyond financial applications.

4. Employers and the Broader Workforce The AI Tutor will also benefit employers by providing verified, blockchain-backed credentials that can be trusted when assessing potential employees. This ensures that skills acquired on the platform hold tangible value in the workforce, fostering a direct link between education and employability.

The project has the potential to significantly impact the development of smart contracts on Cardano, reducing fees and increasing efficiency.

Providing developers with a proper tool to tap into the power of zero-knowledge protocols enables them to create smart contracts and DApps that are on another level in terms of efficiency and user experience. Moreover, with more developers adopting this approach, we are reducing the on-chain data footprint and compressing user transactions, effectively scaling Cardano on layer one.

This event will provide widespread benefits across multiple layers of the community, including local attendees, businesses, artists, vendors, and the broader Cardano ecosystem.

1. Everyday People (Attendees) – The Primary Beneficiaries

The event is designed to onboard people who are not yet in Web3, helping them:

Easily access and use crypto by setting up a Cardano wallet and receiving 10 ADA to interact with.

Understand real-world applications of blockchain by engaging with vendors who accept crypto, listening to expert speakers, and seeing firsthand how blockchain can enhance businesses.

Experience Web3 in a fun, risk-free way through music, food, and cultural experiences rather than intimidating technical discussions.

2. Local Businesses, Vendors & Artists

Vendors will be encouraged to accept Cardano payments and leverage blockchain solutions to improve transparency and efficiency in their businesses.

Musicians and artists will explore NFT and blockchain-based monetisation opportunities for their work, introducing them to Cardano's creative economy.

Small business owners will learn how Web3 can streamline payments, create new revenue streams, and increase customer engagement.

3. The Cardano Community – Demonstrated Value & ROI

This event directly contributes to Cardano adoption, ecosystem growth, and real-world utility in several key ways:

Mass Onboarding of New Users:

Each attendee will set up a Cardano wallet (Lace, Tokeo, or VESPR) and receive ADA, significantly increasing active wallet numbers.

Olympus Insights already has 36,000+ students actively learning on the OLi platform, and our ambassador teams in seven countries are continuously onboarding new users. This event scales those efforts even further.

Growing the Cardano Economy:

Cardano projects will have exhibition stalls to showcase real-world blockchain solutions, attracting businesses, entrepreneurs, and new users to the ecosystem.

Attendees will spend ADA at vendor stalls, introducing businesses to crypto payments and decentralised finance tools.

Strengthening Community Engagement & Reputation:

Cardano will be positioned as a practical, user-friendly blockchain with real-world applications, countering misconceptions of crypto as speculative or inaccessible.

This event will serve as a blueprint for future Web3 onboarding efforts, proving that immersive, experience-based education is more effective than traditional crypto events.

Ultimately, this event creates a lasting impact by embedding Cardano and Web3 into everyday life, expanding the ecosystem beyond its existing user base, and driving real-world adoption in an engaging, organic way.

The Inkuba Blockchain Center will deliver substantial, multi-layered benefits to both the local Burkina Faso ecosystem and the broader Cardano community, creating an exceptional return on investment through:

Ecosystem Expansion & Diversification

• Developer Ecosystem Growth: Transform trained developers into active contributors, significantly expanding Cardano's developer base in a region currently underrepresented in the ecosystem.
• Geographic Diversification: Establish a strong Cardano presence in West Africa, creating resilience through geographic distribution and reducing the ecosystem's dependence on traditional blockchain hubs.
• Use Case Innovation: Unlock unique African use cases addressing real-world challenges in remittances, agricultural supply chains, digital identity, and financial inclusion that can be replicated across similar markets globally.

Technical & Knowledge Value Creation

• Localized Solutions: Develop Cardano dApps tailored to West African contexts, creating templates and frameworks that can be adapted across emerging markets—addressing the 1.7 billion unbanked population worldwide.
• Language & Cultural Adaptation: Create documentation, educational materials, and interfaces in French and local languages, making Cardano technology accessible to 120+ million French-speaking Africans.
• Knowledge Transfer: Generate case studies, implementation guides, and best practices for deploying blockchain solutions in challenging infrastructure environments, benefiting the entire ecosystem.

Strategic Community Benefits

• Talent Pipeline Development**: Structure a sustainable pathway from universities to professional development, creating a continuous flow of African developers committed to building on Cardano.
• Network Effect Acceleration**: Each developer trained becomes an ambassador, creating exponential awareness and adoption growth across West Africa's rapidly digitalizing economies.
• Governance Decentralization**: Increase meaningful participation from African stakeholders in Cardano governance, bringing diverse perspectives to project catalysis and treasury decisions.

Quantifiable Return on Investment

• Developer Multiplication**: Turn an initial cohort of 20-30 developers into 100+ active builders through training programs, multiplying the initial investment impact.
• Project Generation**: Launch at least 5-7 viable blockchain projects within the first year, demonstrating concrete outputs from the investment.
• Ecosystem Metrics Growth**: Increase measurable metrics including wallet creation, transaction volume, and smart contract deployment from the region by 300% within 18 months.
• Partnership Leverage**: Use Cardano funding as a catalyst to unlock additional support from universities, local businesses, and potentially other blockchain initiatives, multiplying the effective investment.

The Inkuba Blockchain Inkubation Center represents more than just a funding allocation—it's a strategic investment in Cardano's global future, establishing a self-sustaining innovation hub that will continuously generate technical, social, and economic returns for the entire ecosystem for years to come.

This proposal ensures Plutarch remains robust, up-to-date, and supported, benefiting Cardano developers and dApp projects who rely on it. The value is a more stable, efficient development environment, fostering innovation. The ROI includes increased developer productivity, enhanced dApp quality, and overall ecosystem health through maintained core infrastructure. Plutarch's wide adoption demonstrates its value.

This proposal ensures CTL remains robust, up-to-date, and supported, directly benefiting Cardano developers using Purescript to build dApps. It provides a stable and efficient development environment specifically for browser-based applications. The ROI includes enabling faster development cycles for Purescript dApps, improving the quality and feature set of those dApps, and supporting a key segment of the Cardano developer ecosystem. CTL's adoption by projects like Indigo Protocol, Genius Yield, and AADA Finance demonstrates its value.

Funding this proposal ensures Atlas PAB remains a robust and up-to-date backend solution for Cardano dApp developers. This benefits developers by providing a reliable tool for managing application logic, querying chain data, and indexing contract information. The ROI for the community includes enabling the development of more sophisticated dApps, improving backend performance and stability, and supporting key projects within the ecosystem that rely on Atlas.

This proposal ensures developers have continued access to CLB, a maintained and up-to-date Cardano emulator. The benefit is faster, more efficient, and reliable local testing cycles for dApps, particularly those using Atlas and CTL. This speeds up development, helps identify bugs earlier, and reduces reliance on potentially slower public testnet infrastructure for certain testing phases. The ROI is increased developer productivity and potentially higher quality dApps entering the ecosystem.

This proposal ensures developers using Plutarch continue to benefit from Ply's type-safe bridge between on-chain and off-chain code. The primary benefit is increased developer confidence, reduced runtime errors related to script interfacing, and potentially faster development due to improved type checking. The ROI is higher quality, more robust dApps built with Plutarch, contributing to the overall security and reliability of the Cardano ecosystem. Its wide adoption alongside Plutarch demonstrates its value.