The Platform as a Service for Web3

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The Problem

Existing infrastructure and cloud providers are centralized, proprietary walled gardens that are incompatible with each other. Developers must invest heavily in creating and implementing their tools and workflows built around their providers' systems that bring limited intrinsic value to their products and customers. Companies have to invest in non-transferrable proprietary infrastructure and worthless workflows outside the particular cloud providers' ecosystem.

The Solution

To address these and other problems developers, entrepreneurs, and technology companies face, we introduce Newton, a fully decentralized software infrastructure protocol and platform built with public blockchain infrastructure and other decentralized technologies.

Link to Demo Video: https:/loom.com/share/15c7cafce685421a865f200ef6626eb8

Approach:

Newton allows Developers to deploy to and pay for infrastructure provided by numerous existing and new cloud providers via a consolidated, open-source, fully distributed platform comprised of the following components:

An efficient token economy powered by the Newton platform token ($NEW), 3rd-party stablecoins, and Infrastructure / Software Provider tokens.
An infrastructure provider protocol
A build protocol for distributing software build jobs that are defined in existing industry-standard open source technologies appropriately and efficiently across the infrastructure network.
A decentralized storage solution and ledger for sharing build artifact and infrastructure metadata
A content-encryption scheme paired with a programmable mechanism to unlock user-specific proxy re-encryption keys for content control and permissioning
A discovery protocol for users to efficiently query metadata
Domain-specific clients for contributing to and utilizing the network
A decentralized governance protocol, whereby developers, infrastructure providers, node operators, open-source projects are enfranchised in decision making about protocol changes and upgrades

Stakeholders: 

Wider Catalyst Community
will be provided with a platform that faciliates rapid development, deployment and iteration, delivered via a web3 native model they believe in, can trust and can govern the evolution of
Stakepool Operators
Can leverage their server operations and blockchain knowledge to run the nodes that will power the Newton protocol and earn rewards in return
Open-source Developers
Web3 & Web2 open-source developers will be rewarded automatically for the usage of their projects within the Newton protocol

Deliverables:

The creation and launch of the Newton Protocol has been split into 4 phases (please see slide 12 in the linked slide deck)

This proposal is to meet the funding needs of Phase 1: Launch Alpha test program on test-net by October 2022.

This entails finishing the development of the 3 core node types needed for the protocol. These are the Content, Discovery and Accounting Nodes as well as their supporting smart contracts.

Please see the relevant sections in the linked whitepaper for details on these nodes and smart contracts.

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

Cardano needs a thriving ecosystem of different Dapps, products and integrations for the community to use that increasingly become the better alternatives over current centralized providers.

The Newton Platform is a protocol & a Dapp for accessing that protocol that makes it easier for entrepreneurs and developers to launch their own Dapps on top of Cardano

The more interesting and useful the products and integrations are that can be built in the ecosystem the more reasons people have to interact with the Cardano blockchain that can help further drive more adoption, feedback, growth and even more innovations.

By removing and abstracting away as much complexity as possible from the end user Newton allows Dapp developers and entrepreneurs to focus on their business case and most importantly….the needs of their customers. This will result in better utilized resources and higher quality outcomes and better user experiences for customers.

Besides increasing adoption by giving less senior community member

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

The biggest risk is our ability to execute our plan on our target timeline. Unforeseen complications in the smart contract implementations in particular would have the potential to delay development and ultimately cause us to miss our deadlines and run over budget. This has been mitigated by forming relationships and partnerships with plutus developers as well as the proposer participating in the Plutus Pioneer program personally.

Development has already begun on the various components on the protocol in advance of funding to ensure timely delivery and to allow for as much of the Catalyst funding as possible to be dedicated to solving the unknown unknowns as they appear during our development roadmap execution.

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

Please see the link to the development roadmap that will be added to slide 12 in the linked slide deck above

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

This funding enables:

Launch Alpha version protocol on testnet within 6 months
Developer salary and tooling
$10,000/Month * 6 months
total cost = $60,000
Onboard 5 - 10 Alpha SPO's
Developer Advocacy
tooling and support
1500/month * 6 months
total cost = $9,000
Onboard 1-3 Alpha Customers
Developer Advocacy
tooling and support
1500/month * 6 months
total cost = $9,000
Create Newton brand, website and begin marketing and education efforts (Outsourced development budget = $20,000)
Miscellaneous expenses = $2,000

Total Budget = $100,000

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

Mark Moore - Founder, lead developer and Architect. Responsible for the development of the spo operated nodes, their apis and the smart contracts they will rely on. Also responsible for developer advocacy, spo onboarding and product management.

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

Yes, upon successful completion of phase 1 we will return to request funding for phases 2 & 3

Phase 2 is the transition from private Alpha testing to public Beta testing and would last between 3 and 6 months post Alpha completion

Phase 3 is the transition from Beta testing to production launch on mainnet

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

We will track 3 things:

Development Roadmap completion percentage and delivery velocity
Stake Pool Operator onboarding for Alpha test phase
Customer / project onboarding for Alpha test phase

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

Success for this project would be launching the core spo operated nodes (Storage, Discovery & accounting) that power the protocol in an Alpha state operated by 3-5 Alpha participant spo's.

At this stage these nodes should talk to the relevant smart contracts backing the protocol on testnet.

There should be at least 1 customer (third party / independant project) deployed at the same time and willing to participate in the Alpha test program

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

This is a new proposal

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

SDG goals:

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

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

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

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

SDG subgoals:

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

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

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

Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

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

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

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added

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

Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population

Universal Human Rights Index (UHRI):

#proposertoolsdg

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