East Africa Cardano Innovation Hub

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Vision

Our vision is to establish a co-creation space in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It will be set up as a hub for Cardano developers, entrepreneurs, students, and freelancers to foster the development of Cardano products in East Africa. Endubis Hub strives to become both a physical and virtual platform where Cardano Enthusiasts across east Africa can work, share knowledge, interact with one another, innovate solutions for the future and make ideas grow.

Open Space

The open space in the ground area will be open to the public. This means that anyone interested in learning more about Cardano can come over and interact/work with other like-minded individuals. They are free to use the cafe and bar area as well as the backyard. This is especially attractive for new members of the community that want to get more understanding of Cardano and the possibilities.

Co-working Area

The second floor will be open for members that want to either build products or get an in-depth understanding of the technology, i.e Cardano developers, Plutus students, and entrepreneurs. Membership will be free, but interested individuals will have to apply to get access.

Self Service

In order to keep costs low, the cafe will be self-service. A limited number of soft drinks, as well as snacks, will be offered the prices will be listed up and a cash box will be available there. Additionally, users can bring their own snacks and use the kitchen to warm up their food.

Platform for Sharing

Even more than a place to work from, creatives are in need of a physical platform to interact and share knowledge on a professional level. Endubis hub will encourage this as much as possible through specific features that can support this.

We will install a big users board with Polaroid photos of the community members (Citizens Board). Around the pictures, there will be information about the members; their competencies, what kind of support they could need, projects they are currently working on, job offers, and searches. Even more, members can also offer time swapping with others through the wall, so a UI/UX designer can borrow some hours from a backend developer in exchange for doing UX designs.

The citizen board is the formal space that ties the network together. It is where you find out what people are working on and how you can help. It's where you find out whom to ask for what.

Next to it will be a little table with a desktop. Here will be a database with contacts, information, and references that members can add about themselves if they want to. Additionally, there will be a complete reference guide and well-organized learning materials that will be updated by the community.

Virtual Space

Most of the features mentioned above will also be available virtually, for the community at large to get access o the hub and its members. Regular virtual workshops will be organized to network with the rest of the East African community.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

We have identified three target groups that the Innovation Hub wants to attract, and through these groups, we hope to make East Africa a leader in Cardano Adoption.

Students of creative and tech schools: Student from higher education facilities in Addis Ababa.

The aspiring blockchain entrepreneur: A young entrepreneur that is looking for inspiration to start a business. We also considered people that are currently employed but are planning to start their own business within the near future.

The freelancer: Freelance developers and designers looking to expand on their skills and find new opportunities

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

Risks

Quality Membership

We have identified quality membership, to be a key factor for the success of the hub. The major risk, is the hub turning into a "shared office space".

Inorder to mitigate this risk, we will be focusing our energy on our first quarter on recruitment. This will be conducted in collaboration with ongoing funded project "student Ambassador Program" and "Cardano Networking Events"

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

October 2022 - November 2022: Minor renovation, Small Community consultations, and meetups

November 2022 - December 2022: Furnishing and Testing: we will determine What works? What doesn't? What could be changed? How does the citizen wall work? Moreover, in this phase, we will have a series of regular events such as meetups or workshops in the location, to invite our initial members

January 2023 and on: Operating the co-working Space: Opening hours and rules can be adjusted. More marketing and Promotion within east Africa will be pushed.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Budget for 6 months

7 months Rent+utilities: 10,000
Furnishing/renovation: 5,600
Marketing: 500
Events for community members: 1000
Office Equipment: 2000
Staff Salary: 4000
Creation of a Virtual Platform: 500
Business meetups: 1000
Motivational Speakers and Trainers: 2000
Assistance in MVP development for projects: 1500
Business Licence/registration: 300

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

Hub Manager - Bezawit
Recruitment head - Nebiyu
Community Builder - TBA
Partnership Manager - TBA

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

There will not be a need for additional funds, however, the new members and students will be encouraged to apply for any project ideas that they have.

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

KPI within 6 months

30 members for the physical space
200 members for the virtual space
10 projects/products started by the community members
Partnership with at least 2 hubs in East Africa
1000 people reached through promotion within east Africa

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

What success looks like in:

3 months: Bi-Weekly events with 20+ participants; 30 newbies to Cardano; 10 members
6 months: Weekly Virtual meetups 30+ participants;100 newbies to Cardano;
12 months: Self-sustaining Hub, through investor funding for access to talent

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

Entirely new proposal.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

SDG goals:

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

SDG subgoals:

1.a Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular, least developed countries, to implement programs and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship

4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations

4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.b By 2030, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular, least developed countries, small island developing States, and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programs, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life

5.b Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation, including through a focus on high-value-add and labor-intensive sectors

8.3 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

8.5 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

8.6 By 2030, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training

8.8 Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular, women migrants, and those in precarious employment

9.1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all

9.2 Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in the least developed countries

9.5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending

9.b Support domestic technology development, research, and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

10.1 By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 percent of the population at a rate higher than the national average

10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, or another status

10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard

10.4 Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage, and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality

10.6 Ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions in order to deliver more effective, credible, accountable, and legitimate institutions

17.3 Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

17.7 Promote the development, transfer, dissemination, and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favorable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

17.8 Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology, and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

4.3.1 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex

- Increase the gender diversity of users on the platform by 10%

4.4.1 Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill

- Increase platforms users under 18 years old by 10%

4.5.1 Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile, and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples, and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated

- Provide real-time parity analytics and reduce demographic and socioeconomic disparity rating by 10%

4.c.1 Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level

- Increase the number of mentors and teachers ratio by 10%

5.5.2 Proportion of women in managerial positions

- Increase mentor gender diversity by 10%

8.5.2 Unemployment rate, by sex, age, and persons with disabilities

- Diversify employment rate by sex, age, and persons with disabilities by 10%

9.5.2 Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants

- Increase developer users by 10%

17.7.1 Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination, and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies

- Increase green technology open source project funding by 10%

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