Foundation Mission Request: Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network

[oplavande]

Foundation Mission Request – Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network

• Foundation Mission Request: Establish the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network
• S4 Intent: Intent 4
• Proposal Tier: Ember
• Baseline grant amount: 25k OP for establishment of network (Potential for future engagement will be assessed upon completion of this mission)
• Should this Foundation Mission be fulfilled by one or multiple Alliances: One
• Optimism Foundation point-of-contact: @vwtao
• Submit by: October 20th at 19:00 GMT
• Selection by: November 10th at 19:00 GMT

---

Mission Request

How will this Foundation Mission Request (RFP) help accomplish the above Intent?:

This Mission Request will increase the accessibility of Optimism governance grant programs (including RetroPGF) by creating an ecosystem investment network that connects builders with additional access to upfront capital.

What is required to execute this Foundation Mission Request (RFP)?

Optimism attracts builders from many different backgrounds and development stages – from indie hackers to seasoned entrepreneurs. While grants from Optimism Governance are effective in aligning builders with Optimism’s long-term success, builders sometimes need capital in order to cover up-front development and growth costs.

To complete this Mission, the Collective is looking for someone to establish an Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network that connects builders and investors. This project should:

• Aggregate a cohort of investors interested in connecting with builders on OP Mainnet and understand their investment thesis
• Establish a scalable process for aggregating and collating the flow: process to source leads from all relevant avenues, clear application instructions for projects, simple yet informative application template, and reliable pattern to share project details with investor groups
• Facilitate introductions between builders and investors where and when appropriate
• Gather feedback from investors and builders on the process and identify ways to improve the program

This Mission does not include the following:

• Advice or participation in structuring deal terms between investors and builders.
• Making investment recommendations or providing financial advice.

Additional Context

Venture investment plays an important role in the long-term vision for Optimism. Today, Optimism runs regular rounds of Retroactive Public Goods Funding to builders contributing to the public good of the Optimism Collective. Eventually, venture investment can be an important part of this funding mechanism: RetroPGF can create a market of investable projects by providing an "exit" in the form of funding from RPGF rounds. This allows venture investors to invest in exchange for equity or for future funding from RPGF, if received by the team. This helps make seed capital from venture investors more accessible to builders who need access to funding in order to start building. For more on this topic, read Vitalik’s guest post on the Optimism blog.

This is not required for this Mission Request or for the Ecosystem Investment Network. It is included here as context to help influence how this project could evolve over time.

What milestones will help the Collective track progress towards completion of this Foundation Mission Request (RFP)?

• Clear project plan with milestones and projected dates for completion of each milestone.
• Published process to source leads throughout the ecosystem
• Published process for projects to participate in the network
• Go-live date and launch for the first iteration of the program

How should badgeholders measure impact upon completion of this Foundation Mission (RFP)?

A successful Mission may be measured on:

• number of projects and investment groups participating in the network
• number of introductions of projects and investors

Badgeholders may also identify more rigorous or quantitative metrics of success at their discretion as part of the retroPGF evaluation process.

---

Application instructions

To apply for this RFP, please complete the form in the expandable section below and leave your response as a comment on this issue thread. Submissions will be open until October 3rd, at which time the Foundation will review all submissions and select one individual/team to complete the work defined here.

Submission form

_Copy the entire application below and leave a comment on this issue with your answers completed. A representative from the Optimism Foundation may reach out using the contact info provided to request more information as necessary._ ## Foundation Mission (RFP) Application **Please verify that you meet the qualifications for submitting at the above [Tier](https://gov.optimism.io/t/collective-trust-tiers/5877/2)** * **Alliance Lead:** Please specify the best point of contact for your team * **Contact info:** * **L2 recipient address:** * **Please list the members of your Alliance and link to any previous work:**

_What's an Alliance?_

Alliances are groups of contributors that *temporarily* work together to accomplish a Mission start-to-finish. This can be an established protocol or project or a group of contributors working together for the first time. Name your group, now you’re an Alliance :)

--- **What makes your Alliance best-suited to execute this Mission?** - [...] - [...] **Please describe your proposed solution based on the above Solution Criteria (if applicable):** - [...] - [...] **Please outline your step-by-step plan to execute this Mission, including expected deadlines to complete each peice of work:** - [...] - [...] **Please define the [critical milestone(s)](https://gov.optimism.io/t/grant-policies/5833) that should be used to determine whether you’ve executed on this proposal:** - [...] - [...] **Please list any additional support your team would require to execute this mission (financial, technical, etc.):** - [...] - [...] --- Please check the following to make sure you understand the terms of the Optimism Foundation RFP program: - [ ] I understand my locked grant may be clawed back for failure to execute on critical milestones, as outlined in the [Operating Manual](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/OPerating-manual/blob/main/manual.md#valid-proposal-types) - [ ] I confirm that I have read and understand the [grant policies](https://gov.optimism.io/t/token-house-grant-policies/5833) - [ ] I understand that I will be required to provide additional KYC information to the Optimism Foundation to receive this grant - [ ] I understand that I will be expected to following the public grant reporting requirements outlined [here](https://gov.optimism.io/t/suggested-public-reporting-requirements-for-grantees/4176) -- end of application --

[jommi9]

Is this specifically about equity investment or can we also utilize and suggest other forms of investment such as convertible token notes, or loans?

[vwtao]

Hi jommi9! Since the mandate of this individual is to establish the network between projects and capital, it's not limited in scope to the form of investment. That being said, we believe that the most common form required by projects is equity but if there is a case to be made for other forms, then it would achieve the impact this RFP has set out to make.

[Abuchtela]

Foundation Mission Request (RFP) – Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network

• Foundation Mission Request: Establish the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network
• S4 Intent: Intent 4
• Proposal Tier: Ember
• Baseline grant amount: 25k OP for establishment of network (Potential for future engagement will be assessed upon completion of this mission)
• Should this Foundation Mission be fulfilled by one or multiple Alliances: One
• Optimism Foundation point-of-contact: @vwtao
• Submit by: October 3rd at 19:00 GMT
• Selection by: October 24th at 19:00 GMT

Mission Request

How will this Foundation Mission Request (RFP) help accomplish the above Intent?:

This Mission Request will increase the accessibility of Optimism governance grant programs (including RetroPGF) by creating an ecosystem investment network that connects builders with additional access to upfront capital.

What is required to execute this Foundation Mission Request (RFP)?

Optimism attracts builders from many different backgrounds and development stages – from indie hackers to seasoned entrepreneurs. While grants from Optimism Governance are effective in aligning builders with Optimism’s long-term success, builders sometimes need capital in order to cover up-front development and growth costs.

To complete this Mission, the Collective is looking for someone to establish an Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network that connects builders and investors. This project should:

• Aggregate a cohort of investors interested in connecting with builders on OP Mainnet and understand their investment thesis
• Establish a scalable process for aggregating and collating the flow: process to source leads from all relevant avenues, clear application instructions for projects, simple yet informative application template, and reliable pattern to share project details with investor groups
• Facilitate introductions between builders and investors where and when appropriate
• Gather feedback from investors and builders on the process and identify ways to improve the program

This Mission does not include the following:

• Advice or participation in structuring deal terms between investors and builders.
• Making investment recommendations or providing financial advice.

Additional Context

Venture investment plays an important role in the long-term vision for Optimism. Today, Optimism runs regular rounds of Retroactive Public Goods Funding to builders contributing to the public good of the Optimism Collective. Eventually, venture investment can be an important part of this funding mechanism: RetroPGF can create a market of investable projects by providing an "exit" in the form of funding from RPGF rounds. This allows venture investors to invest in exchange for equity or for future funding from RPGF, if received by the team. This helps make seed capital from venture investors more accessible to builders who need access to funding in order to start building. For more on this topic, read Vitalik’s guest post on the Optimism blog.

This is not required for this Mission Request or for the Ecosystem Investment Network. It is included here as context to help influence how this project could evolve over time.

What milestones will help the Collective track progress towards completion of this Foundation Mission Request (RFP)?

• Clear project plan with milestones and projected dates for completion of each milestone.
• Published process to source leads throughout the ecosystem
• Published process for projects to participate in the network
• Go-live date and launch for the first iteration of the program

How should badgeholders measure impact upon completion of this Foundation Mission (RFP)?

A successful Mission may be measured on:

• number of projects and investment groups participating in the network
• number of introductions of projects and investors

Badgeholders may also identify more rigorous or quantitative metrics of success at their discretion as part of the retroPGF evaluation process.

Application instructions

To apply for this RFP, please complete the form in the expandable section below and leave your response as a comment on this issue thread. Submissions will be open until October 3rd, at which time the Foundation will review all submissions and select one individual/team to complete the work defined here.

Submission form Copy the entire application below and leave a comment on this issue with your answers completed. A representative from the Optimism Foundation may reach out using the contact info provided to request more information as necessary.

Foundation Mission (RFP) Application

Please verify that you meet the qualifications for submitting at the above Tier

• Alliance Lead: Please specify the best point of contact for your team
• Contact info:
• L2 recipient address:
• Please list the members of your Alliance and link to any previous work:

What's an Alliance? What makes your Alliance best-suited to execute this Mission?

• [...]
• [...]

Please describe your proposed solution based on the above Solution Criteria (if applicable):

• [...]
• [...]

Please outline your step-by-step plan to execute this Mission, including expected deadlines to complete each peice of work:

• [...]
• [...]

Please define the critical milestone(s) that should be used to determine whether you’ve executed on this proposal:

• [...]
• [...]

Please list any additional support your team would require to execute this mission (financial, technical, etc.):

• [...]
• [...]

Please check the following to make sure you understand the terms of the Optimism Foundation RFP program:

• [ ] I understand my locked grant may be clawed back for failure to execute on critical milestones, as outlined in the Operating Manual
• [ ] I confirm that I have read and understand the grant policies
• [ ] I understand that I will be required to provide additional KYC information to the Optimism Foundation to receive this grant
• [ ] I understand that I will be expected to following the public grant reporting requirements outlined here

-- end of application --

Alliance Lead: Amber Contact info: amberbuchtela@gmail.com L2 recipient address: 0x0B58857708a6f84e7EE04BEAEF069a7E6D1D4A0b

To establish the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network, we propose the following approach:

1.  Aggregating Investors:
•   We will actively engage with potential investors within the Optimism ecosystem, identifying those interested in connecting with builders on OP Mainnet.
•   We will understand their investment theses, ensuring alignment with the goals of the network.
2.  Scalable Process for Aggregating and Collating:
•   We will implement a scalable process for sourcing leads from various relevant avenues, including community forums, partnerships, and social media.
•   We will provide clear and user-friendly application instructions for projects, ensuring a straightforward onboarding process.
•   An informative yet concise application template will be created to capture essential project details.
•   We will establish a reliable pattern to share project details with investor groups securely.
3.  Facilitating Introductions:
•   Our platform will facilitate introductions between builders and investors when mutual interest is expressed.
•   The platform will operate in real-time, allowing for timely connections between parties.
4.  Gathering Feedback:
•   We will actively seek feedback from both investors and builders participating in the network.
•   Feedback will be collected through surveys, feedback forms, and direct communication.
•   Insights gathered will be analyzed to identify areas for improvement in the program.

We are committed to creating an efficient and transparent Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network that benefits all participants. Our approach ensures a seamless experience for builders and investors while fostering collaboration and growth within the Optimism ecosystem.

We will establish clear milestones to track our progress, and the success of the mission will be measured by the number of participating projects and investors, successful introductions, and participant satisfaction.

Thank you for considering our proposal to complete this mission.

[Lordwadsworth]

Alliance Lead: Lordwadsworth Contact info: lordwadsworth on discord https://t.me/Lordwadsworth on telegram L2 recipient address: 0xadB802A87832129dE40052805f3bc9D56689e136 Please list the members of your Alliance and link to any previous work: https://twitter.com/PikWikLunks, https://twitter.com/Lordwadsworth2, https://twitter.com/NCrypt30 our groups twitter page https://twitter.com/HomelessDAO_io

What makes your Alliance best-suited to execute this Mission? Homeless Ventures has several accolades under our belt as a group, one of them being that we are currently co-sponsoring a similar program, a hackathon with Ankr. We are supporting prominent judges from Microsoft, Zksync, and Google. We have an intricate network of investors and DAOs to facilitate introductions for builders on day one. Our alliance comprises several DeFi-native individuals, all with several years of experience. Our group includes project developers, researchers, writers, advisors, business development representatives, marketers, founders, and representatives from several other niches. Currently, we've facilitated introductions to SAFE, pre-seed, seed, and series A raises for a variety of different companies. We have experience in running a rigorous due diligence process to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the projects we work with. Out of these projects, we've carefully handpicked 10% due to our highly selective criteria.

Please describe your proposed solution based on the above Solution Criteria (if applicable):

With the focus of this mission being on establishing an Optimism ecosystem investment network, we will immediately connect builders with our existing network of investors, funds, and DAOs. We will also closely communicate with the builders and investors to ensure the program runs smoothly and be open to constructive criticism for potential improvements. We will continuously network to bring in new investors to increase the success rate of projects in achieving successful raises. We will work closely with the projects and builders to ensure their investment thesis is not only understood but can also be clearly communicated to potential investors.

Please outline your step-by-step plan to execute this Mission, including expected deadlines to complete each piece of work: Homeless Ventures will first create a subdomain design with a custom Optimism UI to facilitate the information, inbound requests, and types of projects. Homeless Ventures will work directly with the Optimism Foundation for the most up-to-date initiatives. Homeless Ventures will also collaborate directly with the Optimism Foundation to assist builders and projects with investment and network support. We would also suggest that Optimism assists with co-marketing to ensure a successful program launch, which would also include a potential intake form that we would fully manage. Subsequently, we will set up a multisig wallet, ideally with a member of the Optimism Foundation, to transparently ensure grant funds are held safely and spent in accordance with the program as outlined. Our initial use of the funds will be to create the front-end design, potential KYC/KYB as applicable, and any ongoing labor required to maintain this network.

Please define the critical milestone(s) that should be used to determine whether you’ve executed on this proposal: Milestone 1: Prior to commencing milestone 20% of tokens will be released contingent on approval of the program outline. This would kick off Homeless Ventures to complete the website, landing page, and deck. Milestone 2: 20% tokens will be released upon the completion of the website, landing page, deck, and a joint AMA to highlight the details with Optimism, thereby launching the Optimism investment network. Milestone 3: 60% tokens will be released upon the successful completion of one investment round, which also includes ongoing advisory assistance, marketing, and business development from Homeless Ventures. We have designed milestone 3 with flexibility in mind, understanding that every company we invest in may have different requests, and we are happy to accommodate requests tailored to our conversations with them.

Please list any additional support your team would require to execute this mission (financial, technical, etc.): Introductions to builders and projects, inclusion in Optimism builder chats, marketing support that highlights our relationship, and an intake form that we would manage to attract investors to the Optimism investor network from both the Optimism Foundation website and the Homeless Ventures website.

Please check the following to make sure you understand the terms of the Optimism Foundation RFP program:

I understand my locked grant may be clawed back for failure to execute on critical milestones, as outlined in the Operating Manual I confirm that I have read and understand the grant policies I understand that I will be required to provide additional KYC information to the Optimism Foundation to receive this grant I understand that I will be expected to following the public grant reporting requirements outlined here

Update 2/2/24: Tremendous business development progress has been made talking with VCs/Daos/Angel investors to join the incubation deal flow program. Next steps for this to go live is website approval from the Optimism team.

[xdaluca]

Alliance Lead: Thiago Catarino Contact info: catarino.thiago@gmail.com L2 recipient address: 0x20d7C195eC8C6B33e4c3e569f465E7F7bE1b00E7

Please list the members of your Alliance and link to any previous work:

Thiago Catarino

Hailing from Brazil, I've been deeply involved in the crypto space since 2017, fueled by a fervor for catalyzing change. I've worn many hats along the way, including my role as a country manager at SingularDTV, where I pioneered innovative entertainment avenues on the Ethereum blockchain. My journey continued with diverse roles: steering growth marketing strategies at OKX, fostering community for UGC and Games platforms at Contentos, and delving into an ID Tool as growth and governance researcher within FreeFlow, backed by ThreeFold. This year, alongside partners, led the ETHSamba hackathon, an endeavor aimed at nurturing adoption. Moreover, I co-founded Arandu, a venture builder dedicated to RWA in Brazil and have been contributing with Starknet growth. devcon.wiki Please see my Linkedin for further info.

Luca Cosivi

I’ve worked in many roles across the onchain landscape, from event organizer, community developer, product manager I am deeply passionate about Ethereum and what it proposes to the world. I’ve been lucky to meet a large number of individuals and companies along the way and build strong connections with people in the onchain world as well as helping those that are considering venturing into it. Some of my projects have been, co-founding ETHSamba, building win.so (now deprecated) as Product Lead at Winding Tree ( one of the first onchain hotel booking marketplaces), and a long list of smaller projects like rndlabs.xyz, devcon.wiki. You can find all my relevant socials at daluca.eth.limo

What makes your Alliance best-suited to execute this Mission?

• Contributors in the Ethereum space since 2017
• Extensive personal networks in web3
• Hackathon organizers and lovers; we both are deeply passionate about supporting builders and connecting them with sources of capital, something we have already put in practice this year with ETHSamba.
• This is a new alliance in Optimism, but Thiago and Luca have been working together on projects in the Ethereum space for more than 2-years now.

Please describe your proposed solution based on the above Solution Criteria (if applicable):

1. Aggregating and Collating the Flow Tool: Implement a Customer (i.e. Investors and Projects) Relationship Management (CRM) system to efficiently manage investor and builder data. Ideally at the start we would recommend using a tool that integrates with the existing stack behind used in the Optimism Collective, and is something we would align with during the set-up phase with the Foundation team. Playbook: Develop a lead generation playbook that feeds the CRM with both interested investors and promising entrepreneurs in the Optimism ecosystem. Mental Model: "Sales Funnel" model to track and analyze the flow of potential investors and projects through the aggregation process.

2. Facilitating Introductions Tool: We propose to facilitate both async and sync introductions.

• Async; (1) Interested investors will receive a regular newsletter with “dealflow” of new projects being created and built on Optimism. (2) Projects and investors will receive access to a public view of the CRM that allows them to filter and browse investors.
• Sync: (1) Online pitch events happening in regular time frames where investors will be able to join live and meet the teams. (2) Bring together a select group of the most interested investors and promising entrepreneurs at major in-person events at key Optimism events (for example Onchain Summit: Superchain Edition in Istanbul) for networking drinks. Framework: Implement a [matchmaking playbook] that takes into account investor preferences and project needs. Mental Model: "Networking Hub" model, where the alliance serves as the central point for connecting investors and builders.

3. Gathering Feedback and Continuous Improvement Tool: Set up feedback forms or surveys to collect input from both investors and builders at specific intervals. Playbook: Create a playbook for conducting regular feedback sessions and analyzing the data for insights. Framework: "Plan-Do-Check-Act" (PDCA) framework to iteratively improve the program based on feedback.

Please outline your step-by-step plan to execute this Mission, including expected deadlines to complete each peice of work:

Please note that some of these milestones would ideally happen in conjunction with other key dates in the Optimism Collective roadmap. We would highly recommend iterating and reviewing the timelines with the Optimism team before starting anything. We will also remain in constant communication at every milestone step to re-evaluate and check if the priorities should change.

• Week 1-2: Market Validation, Project Kick-off and Planning

  1. Engage with potential investors and builders to understand their motivations, categories, and problems, specifically to the Optimism ecosystem.
  2. Setup the project team structure and assign roles, and OKRs.
  3. Develop a detailed project plan with milestones and deadlines.
  4. Agree on a communication and reporting process between the alliance, the foundation and the community.

• Week 3-4: Lead Generation (applicable to all industries)

  1. Initiate engagement in communities and social media platforms to build connections.
  2. Develop an investor outreach strategy to source potential investors.
  3. Begin attending conferences and events to network with entrepreneurs and identify potential investors. Travel expenses are not accounted as part of the RFP budget.
  4. Start discussions with partner organizations for collaboration.

• Week 5-8: Application Procedures for Projects

  1. Launch the project application portal for builders.
  2. Investors relationship management processes
  3. Implement the initial screening process for project applications.

• Week 9-11: Alignment and Matching

  1. Assess the alignment of projects with investor interests and criteria.
  2. Develop the framework for matching projects with investors.
  3. Initiate introductions between matched projects and investors.

• Week 12: Feedback and Continuous Improvement

  1. Collect feedback from both builders and investors on the process.
  2. Analyze feedback data to identify areas for improvement.
  3. Implement iterative improvements to the program based on feedback.
  4. Evaluate the effectiveness of lead generation efforts.

• Week 13: Final Evaluation and Reporting

  1. Conduct a final evaluation of the season's activities and outcomes.
  2. Prepare a comprehensive season report detailing achievements, challenges, and recommendations for the next season.
  3. Present the report to RFP and the alliance members.

Post-delivery (dependent on renewal of the RFP and alliance)

• Week 14: Season Break and Planning for the Next Season Short break to recharge and reflect on the season's learnings.

Please define the critical milestone(s) that should be used to determine whether you’ve executed on this proposal:

1. "Platform" Launch KPI: Successful launch of the CRM and processes associated with it.

2. User Acquisition KPI: Number of registered investors and projects on the platform.

3. Successful Matches KPI: Percentage of matched investors and entrepreneurs who progress to due diligence.

4. Investment Closing Rate KPI: Percentage of due diligence processes that result in successful investment closures.

5. Platform Growth KPI: Month-over-month user growth rate.

Please list any additional support your team would require to execute this mission (financial, technical, etc.):

We understand that many grants in the collective are paid with a 1-year lock, but in order to complete this RFP successfully and dedicate the appropriate amount of time we would need it to be paid on a monthly schedule, according to the agreed milestones. The first payment would be at the end of week 4. The following installments would be paid every 3-weeks for another 3-weeks.

Additionally, all expenses related to software tools, event organization and the set-up of the platform are not being considered as part of the assigned budget of this RFP. We would need guidance to understand how to expense this to the Optimism Collective or Foundation.

Below are some constraints that we believe should be taken into account. These can be mitigated with proper support from the Optimism Foundation and other relevant alliances in the collective.

• Scaling Considerations Given the team size of two, focus initially on a manageable number of investors and projects to ensure effective execution. Gradually expand the program as processes and connections become more streamlined.
• Community Building Create a community-oriented approach, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose among investors and builders. Implement community engagement strategies, such as regular digital meet-ups, forums, or newsletters.

Please check the following to make sure you understand the terms of the Optimism Foundation RFP program:

• [x] I understand my locked grant may be clawed back for failure to execute on critical milestones, as outlined in the Operating Manual
• [x] I confirm that I have read and understand the grant policies
• [x] I understand that I will be required to provide additional KYC information to the Optimism Foundation to receive this grant
• [x] I understand that I will be expected to following the public grant reporting requirements outlined here

[equanimism]

• Alliance Lead: equanimism.eth (Josh Lee)
• Contact info: joshjslee@gmail.com or @equanimism
• L2 recipient address: 0xf48f1a0831b4d4138d7f306d3c12e6016fe9f2ad
• Please list the members of your Alliance and link to any previous work:
  • equanimism.eth (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshjslee/)
  • joshua.xyz: Joshua is a DeFi degen building Akron Crossing Network. Prior to building ACN, he led treasury at a top Layer1 in Korea and worked at hedge funds.
  • merakiki.eth: Miki is now working in Outlier Ventures, ex-HashKey and traditional banking (https://twitter.com/merakiki2)

What makes your Alliance best-suited to execute this Mission?

• Built by Web3 investor/builders: hailing from crypto VCs and builders that understand the needs of both investors and projects.

• Extensive investor network: leveraging the existing network of 100+ crypto investors/VCs in Asia, Europe and the US.

• Prior experience in incubating and matching investors with projects: managing 50+ projects with crypto investors/VCs with $100M+ cumulative funding.

Please describe your proposed solution based on the above Solution Criteria (if applicable):

Problem

1. Project: for fundraising or collaboration, they would often need to reach out to investors via cold email but conversion rate is on average less than 1%.

2. Investor

   1. Investors want to create a reliable, proprietary source of deal flow but the source is not scalable outside of the personal network that they have.
   2. While they can certainly access publicly available information (project list, TG group chat, etc.), investors, having to review a few dozen projects at any given time, usually prefer looking at qualified projects only from a trustworthy source. This explains the low conversion rate of cold emails to investors.

3. Optimism: partnership/BD personnel try to connect projects on Optimism with investors, but the effort is not so scalable because it is dependent on the personal networks of the personnel and cannot be executed on a regular basis.

Solution

1. Outbound channel for projects to reach out to investors

   1. Investor list (“Optimistic Investors”): the list will be accessible to the projects containing the information relevant to the projects for fundraising, such as typical check size, valuation range, and investment thesis.
   2. Project list (“Optimistic projects”): this list will be accessible and shared with the investor/VCs participating in the program on a regular basis. The list will be on an approval basis from one of the Alliance committee members, ensuring the quality of the list (i.e., screening out potential scam projects).
   3. Quarterly virtual demo day (“Optimists Day”): this will be a venue for projects on Optimism/OP Stack to show case their projects to top crypto investors/VCs around the world on a regular basis.

2. Inbound source of deal flow for investors

   1. Monthly update (“Optimistic Update”): the email will contain a summary of qualified new projects on Optimism/OP Stack. It will only be distributed to investors who signed up on the program, along with the project list (see Solution 1.b).

3. Feedback loop for improvement

   1. Create a survey to collect NPS and comments: a “send feedback” button (Example) will be added to the aforementioned sign-up pages and monthly update emails.
   2. Post-demo day exit interview: with at least 2 investors/projects to gain in-depth understanding.

Please outline your step-by-step plan to execute this Mission, including expected deadlines to complete each piece of work:

Timeline | M1 | M2 | M3 | M4 | M5 | M6 | M7 | M8 | M9 | M10 | M11 | M12 -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- Investor sign-up page set up | 10% |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   Project sign-up page set up | 10% |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   Investor/project list set up |   |   | 10% |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   Monthly investor updates |   |   | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% Demo day held |   |   | 10% |   |   | 10% |   |   | 10% |   |   | 10%

1. Investor list (“Optimistic Investors”): by end of month 1

• Create a landing page that contains the following information

  • Explaining the Optimists Meet-up initiative (investor perspective)
  • Participating VC logos
  • (if possible) Testimonials from participating VCs
  • Lead gen with Typeform and Airtable (CRM)
  • Feedback form with Typeform
  • Create an investor’s list page based on Airtable
    • Anonymized Investor name, fund name (if any), website (if any), AUM, focus sectors, typical check size, typical valuation range, a short introduction
    • The list will be updated on a real-time basis as new investors participate.

2. Project list (“Optimistic projects”): by end of month 1

• Create a landing page that contains the following information

  • Explaining the Optimists Meet-up initiative (project perspective)
  • number of projects participating, number of meet ups with investors, $ of cumulative funding amount, $ of cumulative valuation of participating projects (FDV)
  • Lead gen with Typeform and Airtable (CRM)
  • Feedback form with Typeform
  • Create a project list page based on Airtable
    • Project name, short description, category, website link, docs link, pitch deck link, latest fundraising round (if any), valuation (if any)
      • The list will be updated on a real-time basis as new projects participate

3. Monthly update (“Optimistic Update”): by end of month 3 and every month

• Email format and content structure: by end of month 2

  • 3-5 Projects (name, website, differentiating factors, fundraising amount, current valuation)

• Start sending out emails: every month

  • The first email will be sent out in month 3 since by then, we should have a meaningful number of investors on the list for email circulation.

4. Quarterly virtual demo day (“Optimists Day”): by every quarter

• Application: we will receive applications from builders on Optimism or OP Stack over the course of 4 weeks. The application will include a short blurb on the project and the actual pitch deck to be used during the demo day. There will be close coordination with the Devrel and Marketing from OP Labs.
• Screening: we will first screen 2-5 projects out of applicants that fit our criteria (problem-solution, market opportunity, team)
• Pitch advising: there will be an initial pitch session for the shortlisted teams - 30 minutes each
• Demo day: actual demo day

Please define the critical milestone(s) that should be used to determine whether you’ve executed on this proposal:

1. Milestones have been set to represent the leading indicators to generate meetings between projects and investor/VCs: 1. Generating leads

   • Investor application page set-up
   • Project page set-up
   • number of Investor sign-ups
   • number of Project sign-ups

   2. Qualifying leads

   • number of email updates
   • number of demo days held

   3. Maintaining feedback loop

   • Survey form set-up

2. These leading indicators will lead to eventual conversion, which is actual meetings between VCs and investors for fundraising or collaboration.

Below is the suggested allocation for each milestone achieved. Details can be found here:

Type | Allo% -- | -- Landing pages set up (project, investor, roster) | 21% Monthly investor updates | 14% Demo days held | 20% Cumulative # of project sign-ups | 15% Cumulative # of investor sign-ups | 15% Cumulative # of meetings between projects and investors | 15% Total | 100%

From this solution, we expect to arrange at least 100 meetings (~9 meetings per month) between investors and projects by the end of the first term of this project. The detailed calculation can be found here.

Please list any additional support your team would require to execute this mission (financial, technical, etc.):

1. Infrastructure

   1. Access to the CRM tool the team is using
      1. This will be used to collect and store investor/project leads. The reason we’d prefer using the CRM used by OP Labs is to enable access to the dataset by the team in the long run, in case this project is put to a halt.
      2. If the team deems that this doesn’t matter so much, I’m planning to use Airtable (via Typeform).

2. Management

   1. Asking investors in Optimism to join the investor list (a16z, Paradigm, IDEO Collab, Nascent, Wintermute).

3. Devrel and Marketing

   1. Initial meeting to brainstorm ideas on how to reach out to prospective projects more effectively.
   2. Helping to make ecosystem-wide announcements on Discord, X, and other relevant channels on the program’s launch, monthly email updates for investors, and quarterly demo days.

Please check the following to make sure you understand the terms of the Optimism Foundation RFP program:

• [x] I understand my locked grant may be clawed back for failure to execute on critical milestones, as outlined in the Operating Manual
• [x] I confirm that I have read and understand the grant policies
• [x] I understand that I will be required to provide additional KYC information to the Optimism Foundation to receive this grant
• [x] I understand that I will be expected to following the public grant reporting requirements outlined here

[vwtao]

Thank you to all that have made submissions thus far!

We've extended the submission deadline to allow for more applicants and interested parties.

[xdaluca]

Thank you to all that have made submissions thus far!

We've extended the submission deadline to allow for more applicants and interested parties.

@vwtao thanks for the update, might be worth also updating the date in the season 4 roundup post: https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-4-roundup/6853

[mattyboomboom]

RFP #110 Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network

Foundation Mission Application | Move78

Alliance Lead: Matt Law Contact info: matt@move78.studio / @mattyboomboom (Twitter/Telegram) L2 recipient address: 0x2a880558F3e15b1F2A15a83aC4c3f15a500e12D4

Please list the members of your Alliance and link to any previous work:

Our Alliance: Move78

Move78 is a growth studio to build and deliver go-to-market strategies for emerging tech brands. We are a collective of design, media and growth experts, together we have experience working with over 100 startups. Our experience is through working at accelerators, VC funds, and innovation studios, and we would love to apply these skills to grow the Optimism ecosystem by better connecting builders with investors.

We work with founders and innovaters to explore, create and grow products. We make complex propositions simple and compelling for your users, and build growth machines that scale. You can see some of our case studies here: https://www.move78.studio/

As a team we have worked with a number of projects across the crypto and web3 space, including:

• Brand and marketing development for Fetch.ai
• Brand strategy for SubQuery: the universal data infrastructure for web3
• Strategy, growth and go-to-market for Boson Protocol
• Business and ecosystem development for Co:Create
• Campaign development for data platform Itheum
• Fundraising strategy and advisory for Swash
• Proposition development and growth support for numerous early stage web3 projects

Matt Law

Matt will be the alliance lead for the project. He is former COO (and previously CMO) at Outlier Ventures, and led the advisory service line of the web3 incubator and accelerator in London. He also designed and launched the successful Base Camp Accelerator program, and in that time, worked with over 40 Web3 startups to grow + raise. During this time he led the team to develop the investor network, and deliver showcase “demo days” for cohort graduates.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattyboomboom/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlaw/

Rick Williams

Rick has over 20yrs of industry experience, most recently having spent the last 6 years at R/GA London as Director of R/GA’s Venture Studio in Europe, where he oversaw creative capital deliverables across the portfolio. In this time Rick worked with over 30 founders on their proposition and investor relations strategies. Rick has a wealth of hands-on Web3 experience, including layer1 wallet design, UX, GTM strategies and community design. Rick’s role in the team will be on Founder/Builder relationships, and developing a great network of talent to feed into the investor network.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rickwilliams Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwilliams/

JC Oliver

JC is a former head of innovation for Microsoft and AOL, setting up their skunkworks teams to deliver award winning work from the likes of Hyundai and Virgin. He is also a successful entrepreneur having co-founded 2 companies in Recast and Unlocked. He is currently advising several Web3 startups on branding and business development, including a16z-backed Co:Create. JC will lead on business and ecosystem development in the project

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcolly Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jc-oliver-68201b5/

Tim Parsons

Tim worked as a strategist at several leading creative agencies including Ogilvy, AnalogFolk, and R/GA, before moving into early stage startups. Since then he has led growth and fundraising initiatives across a variety of projects including clean energy startup Squeaky, alongside several Web3 clients during his tenure at Move78. Tim will lead the development of the launch campaign and structure of the CRM system for the network.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tfparsons/

Yasin Kheradmand

Yasin has designed and executed a number of successful investor outreach programs during his tenure. In previous roles he worked on marketing campaigns for the Swiss Stadler, and helped a London startup raise £750k and grow their product to 15k users through growth hacks and guerilla marketing. Yasin will deliver the growth activities across outbound and inbound to ensure the successful launch of the network.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kheradyasin/

What makes your Alliance best-suited to execute this Mission?

Our studio works with and advises a number of Web3-based projects, including Boson Protocol, Co:Create, Fetch AI and SubQuery. Our founders have a deep understanding of Web3 ecosystems and investor/ builder incentives.

Matt Law is the former COO (previously CMO) at Outlier Ventures, while Rick WIlliams spent 6 years as Director of R/GA’s Venture Studio in Europe.

As a collective we’ve raised over £250m across 100+ projects, and possess extensive experience around pitch refinement, investor outreach, and deal flow.

We have extensive experience as a team connecting innovators and builders with capital, a core feature of our team is network development for early stage projects and teams, across messaging, investment and business development.

Please describe your proposed solution based on the above Solution Criteria (if applicable):

Creating an effective Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network

In our proposal below we outline a plan to develop the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network, connecting builders and investors to enable growth in the Optimism ecosystem. We will achieve this by building out talent and investor pools, then deploying a program of synchronous and asynchronous showcases, taking the form of email and event-led activations to connect builders and investors.

Project overview

To commence, we will validate the thesis and direction with Optimism core team members and the wider community through an initial consultation process.

During the setup phase, we will conduct a marketplace audit to understand the current investment network, and the most promising builders in the Optimism community. This will prime us for Outbound activities to make stakeholders aware of the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network. In conjunction with this we will develop and deploy an Inbound pipeline where Founders and Builders can propose their initiatives, projects and companies to appear in upcoming Optimism Showcases.

Showcases will take the form of a community connections email (monthly), a Showcase event (quarterly) and curated connections and intros as requested by community members. This proposal covers the setup and first round of the program, comprising the launch. Ongoing management would fall under a separate scope of work.

Project deliverables table

Core Deliverables

The proposed network will be live for applications in December 2023, and the first showcase will take place in February 2024. The project will also set the foundation for an ongoing self-reinforcing cycle of value creation through management of relationships and connections, with a rolling pattern of activities that can be repeated quarterly to showcase, connect and enable the Optimism Network to grow through new capital infusion to the best and brightest builders supporting the network.

Please outline your step-by-step plan to execute this Mission, including expected deadlines to complete each peice of work:

Stage 0: Onboarding and initiation

Agree principles + approach The contents of this proposal will be validated by convening stakeholders in the Optimism core team and community network. We will prepare a project plan and vision document for discussion, and through a series of online workshops with the team we will agree project goals and outcomes.

Validate proposition The second part of onboarding will involve approaching representative samples of our two key stakeholder groups for feedback: existing investors and founders/builders already active in the Optimism network. We will outline our programme (targeting, value proposition, messaging) and adjust where necessary, according to feedback.

Our vision is that the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network will become a reliable stream of capital for the most promising projects building on Optimism, attracting a range of participants on the supply and demand side via word of mouth and referral, minimizing the need for ongoing investment in outbound.

Stage 0: onboarding deliverables + outcomes

• Clarified goals and objectives by understanding the detailed perspective of Optimism Network core team members and builders
• A draft high level proposition, naming and launch strategy for the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network

Stage 1: marketplace audit

Investor Directory development

• Identify a wider group of major funders currently engaged in the Optimism network
• Create a prospect list for outbound contact, based on previous investments in the wider Web3 space, using investment tracking tools and services
• Segment this list by areas of interest, thesis, and level of investment

Founders and builders

• Create a prospect list of the most exciting talent and propositions that currently exist in the Optimism network, alongside an assessment their project’s investability, and funding needs
• Create a shortlist of tier 1 talent, who we think are especially appealing to target investors. These prospects will act as a showcase for the kind of opportunities we are looking to deliver to our funding community on a regular basis.
• Craft draft pitches geared towards investor types

Stage 1: marketplace audit deliverables + outcomes

• Prospective investor list, including thesis details and investment criteria
• Prospective talent list (founders/ builders)
• Identify prospects for outbound marketing (core and wider group)
• Investment strategy document, mapping thesis to projects

Stage 2: develop network

Outbound process Investors: We will activate the prospect list by announcing the launch of the investment platform. We will contact them using automated email, and social outreach services, sending them to a landing page, where they can sign up to learn about new opportunities.

This drive will be supported by investors already active on the Optimism network, who we will recruit to extend the invitation to their wider networks.

Builders: We will activate the talent list by emailing Founders & Builders, alerting them to the funding opportunities, and encouraging them to apply (see below). We will approach the tier 1 list more directly, setting up an introductory meeting where we explain their elevated role in the launch.

Messaging should outline the value of the Optimism network as a whole, the exciting potential of projects being built on the network, and the wealth of opportunities for investment. The landing page will build these out, supported by a wealth of investor content outlining the various value claims and proof points.

Both builders and investors that sign up will be added to an Airtable CRM, which will also act as an exclusion list to the prospecting campaign as contacts are added.

Inbound process Applications will be made via a Typeform, collecting key project information. Key information to collect will contain:

• Key personnel: Founders & builders, plus any notable past projects and achievements
• Project details: What are you building and why?
• Company intro doc / deck
• Investment details (type, valuation, equity, tokens, etc)
• Company structure including any existing investors
• Calend.ly link (or equivalent) for booking introductions with investors

Submissions will be logged and reviewed in an AirTable CRM (see below).

CRM We will maintain a database of prospective stakeholders in AirTable:

• Investors and their investment theses: Used to manage email platform database (likely SendGrid)
• Builders and their needs: As submissions come in, we will assign corresponding categories to projects, helping us to match them with suitable investors

Using AirTable will allow us to manage communications with both sets of stakeholders via email automations, selecting individual contacts or segments for manual outreach, and to assess the suitability of projects for investment via categorisation and star ratings.

Stage 2: network development deliverables + outcomes

• Web-based application form for submissions
• Airtable CRM
• Covering both sets of stakeholders (investor and founder/ builder)
• Review fields (categorisation and quality)
• Email automations

Stage 3: showcase

Connections roundup We will deliver targeted introductions in two formats:

Scheduled A monthly roundup email, outlining the most promising opportunities on the network, linking to any supporting resources (ie. website, whitepaper)

Curated We will also send personalized comms to individual investors, where our CRM indicates a particularly strong alignment between investment thesis and project aims, mediated by quality ratings. We will deploy dynamic emails using webhooks, to make this programme as scalable and automated as possible. That said, full automation is a medium term goal. We will want a manual layer built into the process after launch to validate the efficacy of our approach.

In both cases the CTA will be to request an introduction to founders. These requests will be logged in our CRM, capturing both parties as “prospective deals”. Comms will be actioned manually by the deployment of webhook-based email templates, containing the calend.ly link to book a meeting.

We will send a follow up email to both the founders and investors, asking for feedback, following up manually where appropriate. Closed deals will be denoted in CRM, and the value added to a tracker, which will serve as a basis analyzing the programme's overall efficacy.

Showcase day Founders and builders who are actively raising will be selectively invited to participate in the Optimism Builder Showcase. This will comprise a 3 hour online event with Optimism Network overviews, panel discussions from core team members, and project briefings with Q&As for approx 12 projects.

Marketing campaign will be delivered to recruit attendees to the Showcase event. As per the above, these introductions will be captured in CRM, with a field denoting the introduction was made via an event.

There is the potential to extend this to IRL events at 2024 conferences and events as part of the Optimism overall community marketing strategy as part of the follow on / extend strategy.

Stage 3: showcase deliverables + outcomes

• Delivery of Investor Ecosystem investor bulletin, and mailout of the first-round builders
• Targeted “curated” introductions for Founders and Builders looking to raise from the Investment Ecosystem partner funds
• Delivery of the marketing activity and management for the Showcase day event

Stage 4: maintain

Our approach to maintenance will be one of iterative improvement, ensuring we regularly content both groups of stakeholders for feedback via surveys and one-to-one sessions. This is likely to be especially pressing on the investors side, as we look to refine our criteria for the kind of projects we showcase, and improve our matching programme.

We will support this via a programme of experimentation, that extracts hypotheses from feedback, and tests program changes on subsets of the community.

Ongoing inbound management While the programme is structured to decrease the reliance on outbound through word of mouth and referral, the inbound programme will still need to be managed:

• Augmenting and reviewing investor details for accuracy
• Reviewing project applications
• Planning and executing the monthly newsletter
• Managing the curated / ongoing investor-match program
• Tracking deal flow and feedback

Rolling quarterly - showcase day There will also be event planning and management resource associated with the showcase program, both for the online and speculative IRL versions.

Stage 4: maintain phase deliverables + outcomes

• Define resources required for ongoing program maintenance defined and costed
• Feedback mechanisms and cadence defined
• Experiment program to support continuous improvement

Please define the critical milestone(s) that should be used to determine whether you’ve executed on this proposal:

The project encompasses project initiation, and four key delivery milestones. Project initiation and onboarding will involve us working closely with key stakeholders to define our direction of travel. We will then undertake a marketplace audit, seeking to build high potential pools of talent and investors, alongside a methodology for mapping propositions to investment thesis.

This stage will take around two weeks to complete. Stage two will be about activating this network via a series of automations that will allow us to quickly scale the program. This will be in place by early January.

With the foundation in place, we will deploy the investor newsletter and targeted outreach campaigns over the early weeks of 2024, culminating in our first investor event in early February. Lastly, Stage 4 will address the ongoing maintenance and optimisation of the program, defining the resources required, and key feedback loops with both the investor and talent pools.

• Onboarding - Completed by: 29th November
• Marketplace audit - Completed by: 13th December
• Develop network - Completed by: 10th January
• Showcase - Completed by: 14th February 2024
• Maintain - Completed by: 29th February 2024

Project initiation: November 13th

Stage 0: Onboarding

Key deliverables

• Clear goals and objectives
• A draft high level proposition, naming and launch strategy for the Optimism Investment Network

Completion of onboarding: Wed 29th November

NB on completion of Stage 0, an initial release of 5000 OP will be made to the grantee

Stage 1: Marketplace audit

Key deliverables

• Prospective investor list, including thesis details and investment criteria
• Prospective talent list (founders/ builders)
• Investment strategy document, mapping thesis to projects

Marketplace audit complete by Weds 13th December

Stage 2: develop network

Key deliverables

• Web application system for submissions
• Airtable CRM Covering both sets of stakeholders (investor and founder/ builder)

Network development phase complete by Wed 10th January

NB on completion of Stage 2, an second release of 10,000 OP will be made to the grantee

Stage 3: Showcase

Key deliverables

• Delivery of Investor Ecosystem investor bulletin, and mailout of the first-round builders
• Targeted “curated” introductions for Founders and Builders looking to raise from the Investment Ecosystem partner funds
• Delivery of the marketing activity and management for the Showcase day event

Showcase phase complete by Wed 14 February 2024

Stage 4: Maintain

Key deliverables

• Definition of resources required for ongoing program maintenance
• Feedback mechanisms and cadence
• Experiment program to support continuous improvement

Maintain phase complete by Thu 29 February 2024

NB on completion of stage 4, a final release of 10,000 OP will be made to the grantee

Please list any additional support your team would require to execute this mission (financial, technical, etc.):

The following elements are required for timely and successful completion of the proposal scope:

• Engagement from project sponsors within Optimism ecosystem team to define + refine the project goals
• Permission and support to use Optimism brand assets to build inbound pipelines
• Nominated stakeholder for project milestone deliverable signoff
• Access to an Optimism email address to outreach to founders / investors (or agreement on a suitable branded OEIN domain)
• Commitment and engagement in the Showcase activities by key personnel
• Support from core Optimism Social Networks (Twitter, Discord) and CRM tools to promote the campaign and showcase events

Please check the following to make sure you understand the terms of the Optimism Foundation RFP program:

• [x] I understand my locked grant may be clawed back for failure to execute on critical milestones, as outlined in the Operating Manual
• [x] I confirm that I have read and understand the grant policies
• [x] I understand that I will be required to provide additional KYC information to the Optimism Foundation to receive this grant
• [x] I understand that I will be expected to following the public grant reporting requirements outlined here

[oplavande]

Closing this issue as the deadline has passed, @vwtao will follow up with next steps for applicants shortly!

[vwtao]

Thank you all for taking the time and effort for these thoughtful proposals! I will be following up directly to schedule calls with the teams that I would like more information from.

[jommi9]

How come this was reopened?

[vwtao]

Hi all - Thanks to everyone that submitted a proposal for your time and thoughtful ideas.

We're excited to share that we will be moving forward with the proposal from Homeless Ventures.

@Lordwadsworth we will be in touch directly to kick off the project and discuss expectations in more detail.

For all other teams here: we'd love to help you find the right way to contribute to the Optimism Collective. See the rest of the issues in the Ecosystem Contributions repo for ideas, suggestions, and other possible projects. And stay tuned for more RFPs posted in the next few months. Thank you again for your proposals.

[kylm0ng3r]

RFP: Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network

• Alliance Lead: Ayush Patel

• Contact info: Ayush Patel

• L2 recipient address: 0x9B364fC5Ed3Fd0cCB365155510Ce11075b247Bbc

• Please list the members of your Alliance: Raghu Mohan, Kaavya Prasad, Alyasa Haider, Justin Jose, Nitin Vinayachandran

• What makes your Buidl.so best-suited to execute this Mission?

  • Buidl.so was created to scale async introductions and interactions between startups and value-adders. In normal environments, it’s currently executed in a very centralised and gate kept manner. Scaling these interactions requires an infrastructure like buidl.so.

  • Several ecosystems already use this model of coordination that we have invented and OP ecosystem startups will benefit from using buidl.so.

  • Below are some of the traction numbers about Buidl.so:

    

  • We have a deep entrenched history of promoting founder and investor interactions both IRL and Virtual.

    IRL Events

    

    Virtual

    

  • Some notable startups we’ve helped through Buidl.so Initiatives:

    1. Ammalgamm - Funded by DeFi OGs like Kain Warwick, Anton Bukov, Serg Kunz, Tarun Chitra etc.
    2. Nodekit (prev. AnomalyFi) - Part of a16z CSS 2014 and LBank Labs Summer Bootcamp
    3. Virtual Labs (prev. Ontropy) - Yale University founder funded by Inception Capital and NEAR Foundation
    4. SuperSight - Oxford University founders funded by Animoca Brands, Wayner Fund etc.
    5. OutDID - London Business School founder funded by Jump Crypto, Superscrypt
    6. EthXY (prev. Eth.ID) - Ex-YC founder funded by Orange DAO, Nonce Capital etc.
    7. Shield - a16z CSS 2013 and funded MH Ventures, SteelDAO, Kraken Ventures etc.

    Main value addition brought by Buidl.so was following:

    • Introductions to investors for their fundraising
    • Introduction to different L1/L2s for integration
    • Introduction to research and marketing mentors

• Proposed Solution

  

  1. Infrastructure: Creating a special buidl.so domain for Optimism projects. This domain will be the onboarding point for founders building on Optimism, investors and Optimism Foundation.

  2. Network: Establishing a network of investors interested in Optimism ecosystem and/with prior history of funding Optimism projects. We have collated a list from RootData of investors that’ve invested in Optimism ecosystem in the last year: OP Projects List

     Buidl.so already has numerous of these investors present in our network.

  3. Programs: Virtual and in-person events done on periodic basis with top percentile of projects building on Optimism. These are direct investor and founder interactions. IRL events can be executed alongside any existing OP events like Onchain Summer etc.

  4. Mentors: Providing a pool of mentors who can add value to founders. These can be from the existing pool on Buidl.so or any existing mentors from existing program run by Optimism Foundation. The eligibility for being a mentor is being either an investor, protocol contributor like Head of Ecosystem, DevRel etc., domain expert like influencer, marketing, security or a founder on Optimism who has successfully raised funding or found PMF.

  5. Credits + Faucet: Founders can access free deals and discounts from leading Web2 and Web3 credits providers. Alongside, there is a faucet for Sepolia and Holesky. Optimism Foundation has the option to include their own set of credits and OP testnet tokens as well.

  6. Community Recognition: Highlight startups through various initiatives currently within Buidl.so Ecosystem like Spotlight, Product Showcase etc. Upcoming IPs like Strap Up. Moreover, through monthly newsletters or Telegram group.

• Step-by-step plan to execute this Mission, including expected deadlines to complete each piece of work

  The overall plan is divided into 3 components:

  I. Seeding Phase

  II. Surge Phase

  III. Sunset Phase

  • Seeding Phase (Deadline: 6 weeks engagement start date)

    • Buidl.so will create a specialised domain for Optimism.
    • Buidl.so will avail Credits, Mentors, Programs and Faucet for Optimism. This would also integrate any existing inventory that Optimism provides to founders.
    • Buidl.so will get LOI from pre-decided no. of investors from different funds that’ve invested in/wish to invest in Optimism ecosystem. This pre-defined no. of investors will be hereby referred as ‘hurdle rate’.
    • Define ways of working and set cadence for monthly data handoff of founder/developer/hackers from Optimism to Buidl.so with pre-defined set of POCs from Optimism.
    • Onboard POCs from Optimism on the specialised domain.

  • Surge Phase (Monthly Deadline: 7th of following month)

    The Surge Phase is further divided into Monthly Deliverables and Ad Hoc Deliverables.

    • Monthly Deliverables
      • Conduct Investor Speed Dating Event-focused for exclusively for Optimism projects each month. Projects impacted would be 10 per month.
      • Disburse credits to all projects that want to claim with strict TAT of 7 days. Disbursal here means providing relevant coupon codes from our end.
      • Facilitate mentorship sessions with listed mentors for projects that apply. If not possible due to mentors bandwidth constraint then provide an alternate mentor.
      • Highlight new projects that’ve joined each month via monthly newsletter, Strap Up, product showcase and Spotlight.
      • Conduct Onboarding Office Hours bi-weekly across two timezones for helping founders onboard and navigate Buidl.so.
      • Summarise all the above activity in a monthly Impact Report by 7th day of the following month. Report will be delayed to Monday in case 7th day is Saturday or Sunday. Contents of the Impact Report are presented below.
      • Share the Impact Report with POCs, pre-defined Governance Post on Optimism forum as well as Optimism RFP GitHub for transparency.
    • Ad Hoc Deliverables
      • Conduct IRL events at various conference where Optimism has presence and is doing an event.
      • The event would be either a Demo Day or a Bootcamp or a IRL Investor Speed Dating Event. The no. of projects impact can be minimum 10 and maximum 20 based on pre-decided time, date and duration of the event.
      • Planning of the event includes scouting projects, inviting investors and/or mentors, social media announcement, outreach, end-to-end on ground running of the event smoothly and content during/post-event.
      • Buidl.so requests a prior intimation of 45 days to plan the event and logistics cost for travel and lodging of 1 program manager. Buidl.so will provide all relevant budget information beforehand and post-event also provide relevant invoices for reimbursement.
      • Impact reporting will be included in the next or current months report (if event is concluded 7 days prior to last day of the month i.e. 23rd on a month having 30 days)

  • Sunset Phase (Deadline: 30 days after 1 year completion of Seeding Phase deadline)

    • Once the date for closure of engagement is decided. Buidl.so will start deprecation of specialised domain for Optimism.
    • Deprecation will involve provided data of existing startups on the platform in a .CSV file to Optimism. Informing all the founders on the platform that the platform would be out of operation by pre-decided date.
    • Buidl.so will provide one final exhaustive Impact Report of all 12 months of engagement in the same format as monthly Impact Report.

• Please define the critical milestone(s) that should be used to determine whether you’ve executed on this proposal:

  Critical milestones are successful completion of deadline. Buidl.so expects the following payment schedule:

  

• Please list any additional support your team would require to execute this mission (financial, technical, etc.):

  Buidl.so will require the following assistance from Optimism during different phases of the mission:

  1. Seeding Phase:
  • Announcement of the partnership and amplifying it through various Optimism channels like Twitter, Telegram, Discord etc.
  • Provide details of any investors they’d like to include from their network (optional), any existing credits, vouchers and gas rebates (optional), mentors (optional) and testnet tokens for faucet (mandatory).
  • Clearly define POCs with Optimism Foundation for various verticals (if organisationally required) for hand-holding, data transfer of developers/founders/hackers and monthly impact reporting.
  2. Surge Phase:
  • Connect with requisite founders, mentors and different POCs as requested by Buidl.so.
  • Provide support in amplifying monthly activities and announcements through various channels.
  • Inform us about IRL events and provide POC for the same.
  3. Sunset Phase:
  • Support for assigning POC to share the data .CSV file.
  • Support for assigning POC to inform founders of program lifecycle end.

• How should badgeholders measure impact upon completion of this Foundation Mission (RFP)?

  The badgeholders shall measure impact based Impact Report presented on a monthly basis. These would contain specific details like:

  • VC/Investors:
    • No. of introductions made.
    • Amount of funding received.
    • Details of Docsend generated post Investor Speed Dating event.
    • No. of investors which participated through various initiatives.
    • Investors added to the network.
  • Credits:
    • Amount of credits disbursed in $ value and no. of credits disbursed.
    • No. of startups impacted.
  • Mentors
    • No. of mentorship sessions conducted
    • No. of startups impacted
  • Community Recognition:
    • Reach of the content
    • Engagement of the content
    • No. of startups impacted

• Potential Conflict of Interest

  Polygon Ventures, Sandeep Nailwal and Mysten Labs are investors in Buidlers Tribe Pte. Ltd., parent company of Buidl.so.

  However, they have no material say in the daily functioning of the company.

[mgerhart-op]

UPDATE: At the moment, the Optimism team is no longer pursuing the completion of this RFP for the Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network. In the meantime, the Grants Council and Retro Funding rounds continue to be a sustainable resource for teams to receive grant funding for their contributions to the Optimism Collective. This RFP will be reprioritized at a later date!

Again, we appreciate everyone's submissions and interest in this RFP! Please check out our other Mission Requests to see other ways your team can contribute to the Collective. Thank you, and stay optimistic!