[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.
PillarWheel Studios is built out of a need to organize developers around Northwest Arkansas into a centralized LLC, at first, that also incorporates decentralized autonomous organizational tools centered on the Cardano blockchain for its internal organization of consultants and developers.
Our CTO is focused on building PillarWheel Studios in a utility app space providing SSI solutions for U.S. higher education immigration compliance, and also economic simulations.
[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.
The Cardano blockchain is our choice of blockchain integrations for many reasons–some being that our missions have similarity. We will use Cardano as our blockchain of choice for our products, and this proposal will assist in building the infrastructure needed to develop these products and services.
We seek to be frugal with our received funds–using them as a means to obtain larger funding aside from the Catalyst/Cardano community.
Pillarwheel Studios is built out of a need to organize media and game developers and producers around Northwest Arkansas into a collective. Northwest Arkansas is home to a few corporate headquarters (Wal-Mart, J.B. Hunt, Tyson, etc.), and was ranked in the top 10 places to live.
[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?
Starting a new venture can be difficult. I have been part of a few startups, one raising millions of U.S. dollars, and have seen more failure than success. Sometimes the strategy would be strong, but the infrastructure weak. The company name of "Pillarwheel" came from studying what can go correctly, and what variables contributed to the success of the startups I have been involved in. Not only is a foundation of strategy, business plans, and the like important–so is having plans of action, partnerships, and the ability to move through those strategies. With persistence, and a conservative use of funds: will mitigate these risks, and soften any impact of possible failure.
[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.
We have already started forming the L.L.C. in Arkansas, U.S., and are in the midst of forming partnerships with in-state resources for startups, in addition to DAO and other resources in the non-centralized space, with Blockery.io and other organizations to assist with our decentralized infrastructure.
October 2022: Offer either a MVP, or a small demo, of a flagship product:
We plan on offering public views of our "Above So Below" game development in a few months, and starting with initial tests with friends and partners by October 2022. This involves another proposal (LINK PROVIDED ONCE PROPOSAL POSTED), to develop this flagship product. I can solo develop this game if the proposal is not accepted, and could use some resources from this phase to minimize the project to one that is just an example of the features and selling points of this product.
By December 2022: Have the LLC formed, LLC agent secured, and then begin more aggressive efforts at receiving investors (using these funds from this proposal as a means to obtain and solidify partnerships and individual investors).
[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.
$2,750 Legal services for LLC formation, contract agreements for investors, and other legal consulting
$1,600 Marketing and a media push to announce the LLC formation
$150 Bank account establishment
$11,600 One year of cloud hosting for web resources
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$16,100 TOTAL
NOTE ON EXPENSES: It will cost much more than the above to startup a DAO and LLC. This is to launch the LLC and to prepare to obtain other funding for the bulk of the startup costs. This proposal's funds is to create a large enough impact to gain the attention of those we are seeking partnerships and investment funds from.
[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensevic/>
Currently in IT support for the University of Arkansas, and as CTO of International Office Consulting. I have been a CA since Fund 6, and a CA/vCA since Fund 7, in Catalyst, and have been studying blockchain development for a few years. I develop in C#, NodeJS, JS, and use the Unity game engine. I have been a graphic artist, 3d artist, and I.T. specialist and developer for over 30 years.
[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.
We do seek to keep the needs of these proposals minimal, and to be able to under promise and then over deliver. We have purposefully been very frugal when estimating these funds due to this reason: to be able to prove we can do more, with less. With some startups raising millions: $16K is overly modest, and is in no way reflective of the real costs to start a new company. We have been with other companies that have raised millions, but then were not frugal with their investor's funds.
Yet, for future proposals, just like to fund our "Above So Below" flagship product (PROPOSAL LINK HERE): we may seek funding for very specific endeavors that will grow Cardano and our startup.
[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?
The "wheel" of the Pillarwheel organization is to:
- Generate income
- Generate deliverables
- Under promise, but over deliver on released products
- Obtain partnerships
We have, and will have more: videos on YouTube to get an idea of their number of views on our initial product offerings. We can already show legal filings on our LLC name reservations, and can further document our LLC's formation.
Our foundation (pillar) should produce action (our wheel), and its progress shown in the form of income and products offered.
[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?
A company that can advertise its solid foundations and actions to the public. Success for our main team member is to launch this from a series of plans, to concrete and measurable actions with KPIs showing success, or at least routes toward it. Articles in, at least, local publications detailing our launch, and then interested investors that will help us obtain a greater amount of funding from our efforts of contacting them for these opportunities, or investors contacting us.
[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.
We have a few other proposals that all relate to each other, although each are projects in and of themselves:
(LINK TO "ABOVE SO BELOW GAME")
(LINK TO IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS ON CHAIN)
(LINK TO IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS ON CHAIN PT. 2)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating
SDG goals:
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
SDG subgoals:
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors
Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
Key Performance Indicator (KPI):
Average hourly earnings of employees, by sex, age, occupation and persons with disabilities
