S4 Intent 3: Spread Awareness of the Optimistic Vision
Proposed Mission: Proposal for Web3 ATL Hackathon and Conference Sponsorship
Proposal Tier 16 1: Ember
Please verify that you meet the qualifications for submitting at the above Tier:
404 DAO and Blockchain at Georgia Tech has not worked with or for the Optimism Collective before. We are delegates and have received a small grant from season 3 for participating in governance.
Baseline grant amount: 15K OP + 10K Upfront Cash Grant
% of total available Intent Budget: 1.5%
Please check here if access to upfront capital is a barrier to completing your Mission and you would like to be considered for a small upfront cash grant: Yes
Alliance name: 404 DAO + Friends
Alliance Lead: 404 DAO
Contact info: cole@404dao.io pruitt@404dao.io
L2 recipient address: 0xE93D59CC0bcECFD4ac204827eF67c5266079E2b5
Please list the members of your Alliance and link to any previous work:
- 404 DAO (blockchain education nonprofit) - https://www.404dao.io/
- Host of Web3 ATL - https://2022.web3atl.io/
- Launched non-dilutive Accelerator in early June - https://twitter.com/404DAO/status/1656011697738379264?s=20
- Delegate for OP, dYdX, and ARB
- Blockchain at Georgia Tech - https://www.blockchain-gt.io/
Please explain how this Mission will help accomplish the above Intent:
In order to spread awareness of the Optimistic Vision, this proposal aims to create educational content, event series, and workshops revolving around Optimism during and before the Web3 ATL conference. This includes:
- A dedicated Web3 ATL Hackathon track that targets technical pain points/bounties expressed from Optimism team and community.
- Additional technical workshops during and leading up to Web3 ATL on November 4-5.
- Keynote Presentation on the Optimistic Vision, RetroPGF, or something relevant to Optimism when the conference is hosted in November.
- A community event that includes a panel/workshop highlighting the OP stack. This event will be part of the “Road to Web3 ATL” series that will be leading up to the full Conference (Target date in late September or early October).
- Newsletter coverage by the Blockchain at Georgia Tech research team written prior to the Conference on the Optimistic Vision and relevant updates.
The purpose of these events is to onboard new users, developers, and partners who are passionate about the Optimistic Vision. We will mainly target students and developers.
Last year, Web3 ATL saw attendance from students representing over 15 universities. 492 students filled out the application for a free ticket to the conference, with over 200 students attending. We look to more than double the amount of universities represented in 2023 as well as sponsor top students from across the country to come to Web3 ATL 2023 by covering travel expenses.
The Web3 ATL Hackathon is comprised of 4 sector tracks, each sponsored by a company. Problem sets and bounties are crafted with hackathon sponsors. Last year we featured tracks from Chainlink, Ocean, Forta, and a Solidity Sprint created by 404 DAO. Last year about 120 developers participated in the hackathon and we anticipate that number to be larger this year. Our goal is for a total of 300 developers to participate with at least 75 competing in a Optimism focused track.
What makes your Alliance well-suited to execute this Mission?
- 404 DAO - We have a large network within the university space and experience running a conference. Additionally, we have grown an organic ecosystem in a major city like Atlanta and cater to an underserved region that is the Southeast US. Our network demographic ranges from technically talented student developers and young startup founders to crypto enthusiasts and traditional FAANG professionals. In less than a year of creation we have held a conference, hackathon, multiple builder cohorts, and recently launched an accelerator program while also expanding our governance efforts to 3 major protocols.
- Blockchain at Georgia Tech - Started in August of 2021, it is the official blockchain student organization at Georgia Tech. Since its inception, the club has launched a crypto fundamentals course that has been completed by over 100 students, a research focused newsletter, and several technical workshops/events. Previous research partnerships include Blockworks Research, Goldfinch, and Eclipse. The club has also placed in multiple Code for Arena bounties. The 404 DAO team is composed of several GT alumni and previous leaders of Blockchain at GT. Together the organizations work closely together.
Please list the critical milestone(s) that should be tracked to determine if you should receive your grant in one year:
Milestone 1: Finalization of Event Series and Hackathon Track Details (Now - August 15th, 2023)
- Confirm dates and speakers for the Optimism Road to Web3 ATL event in early October. Venue is already confirmed.
- Begin creation of marketing materials and event registration form for Optimism Road to Web3 ATL event.
- Work with OP Labs team and Optimism Collective to craft bounties and Web3 ATL Hackathon problem sets.
- Begin sourcing topics for a Optimism related keynote or panel at the Web3 ATL Conference.
- Creating branding guidelines that specifically cater to the conference merchandise. These guidelines will align seamlessly with the overall branding of retroactive public goods funding, ensuring a cohesive visual identity (defining logo placement, color usage, typography, and other essential visual elements).
- Work with the research team at Blockchain at Georgia Tech to begin writing a Optimism related report.
Milestone 2: Completion of Optimism Road to Web3 ATL Event and Blockchain at GT Report (August 16th - October 5th)
- Blockchain at Georgia Tech report on Optimism is completed and published.
- Optimism Road to Web3 ATL Event is promoted on 404 DAO, Blockchain at GT, and other relevant Atlanta local partner’s social media accounts. The event occurs and additional social media recaps are posted. Panel example and post event social content: https://twitter.com/CoinTherapist/status/1651723514867507200?s=20
- The event’s attendance and effectiveness will be posted to the Optimism community.
Milestone 3: Web3 ATL (October 15th - November 5th)
- The Optimism Web3 ATL Hackathon track details are published in the hack pack.
- The Web3 ATL Conference occurs from November 3-5th in Tech Square, ATL
MIlestone 4: Final Deliverables/Report from Web3 ATL & Optimism’s Hackathon Track (November 15th)
- Web3 ATL Hackathon prize are distributed
- Final report of attendance numbers, developer participation, and successful submissions will be created for the Optimism community to gauge the effectiveness of this mission.
How should Token House delegates measure progress towards this Mission:
Milestone 2
- KPI 1 - Attendance at Optimism Road to Web3 ATL Event: At 75 people in attendance for the Optimism specific event to raise awareness and hype of the larger Web3 ATL conference.
- KPI 2 - Release of the Blockchain at GT Optimism Newsletter Article and subsequent social media impressions. Example: Arbitrum: Scaling Ethereum
Milestone 3 & 4
- KPI 1 - Number of devs participating in the Optimism Hackathon Track: 50+
- KPI 2 - Total number of workshops and content (panels or keynote) delivered: Our goal is at least 2, but this is dependent on availability of OP Labs team members.
- KPI 3 - Number of successful teams that complete the Optimism hackathon track
Breakdown of Mission budget request:
- 10,000 OP (67%): Participation and Prize incentives to be distributed to hackers in the Web3 ATL Hackathon.
- 5,000 OP (33%): Student sponsorship - funds will be distributed to students participating in the Optimism Hackathon Track at Web3 ATL to help cover travel and housing expenses.
Operating budget (requires USDC): 10,000 USDC
- This includes venue cost, food for hackers, merchandise, and other conference expenses (wristbands, lanyards, banners, etc.)
- In return for both the OP and Cash grant, Optimism will receive additional perks for brand awareness and recruiting that are offered to other Web3 ATL sponsors.
I confirm that my grant will be subject to clawback for failure to execute on critical milestones: Yes
I confirm that I have read and understand the grant policies: Yes
I understand that I will be required to provide additional KYC information to the Optimism Foundation to receive this grant: Yes
I understand that I will be expected to following the public grant reporting requirements outlined here: Yes
Additional Information: 404 DAO has already begun conversation with members of the OP Labs team to make sure that representatives can help lead workshops or speak at the events. Despite the length of time required to plan a conference, we believe sufficient milestones can be hit within the season 4 window to measure the success of the mission.
