Opened 14-06-2026 by SaveTheAles, last activity 4mo ago
Proposal file:
Link to the proposal added in this PR (e.g., /proposals/your-proposal-name.md)
Briefly describe the proposal and the value it delivers to the Canton ecosystem (2–3 sentences).
/proposals/(Add anything the Tech & Ops Committee should pay attention to.)
Showing automated messages too. Hide bot messages
Showing 1 to 2 of 2, oldest first.
@SaveTheAles, your proposal is missing a Special Interest Group (SIG) label. Adding the right SIG label ensures the relevant domain experts can find and review your proposal, Check more about SIGs.
Please add one of the following labels to your PR Description or include the label name in your proposal:
attestor-pools-daos-multisigcanton-apiscanton-protocol-multi-synchronizerdaml-toolingdapp-integrationdar-app-managementdefi-liquiditydefi-protocolsfinancial-workflows-composabilityglobal-synchronizer-scalingnode-deployment-operationsonchain-governanceparty-portability-data-resilienceregulatory-compliancetoken-asset-standardstokenomicswallet-appsNot sure which one fits? Pick the closest match to your proposal's domain.
@SaveTheAles, thank you for your interest in the Canton Development Fund!
Your proposal needs a valid Tech & Ops Committee champion organization. The champion field is either empty, contains placeholder text, or names an organization that is not a current Tech & Ops Committee member.
Per CIP-0100, all external proposals require a Tech & Ops Committee champion.
Next steps:
If you need help finding a champion, reach out to SIGs or any Tech & Ops Committee member.
This PR is being closed automatically. You are welcome to reopen it once a champion is confirmed.
Author: Noders LLC Status: Submitted Created: 2026-06-14
This proposal requests funding for HackCanton — a recurring series of developer hackathons, an incubator, and an accelerator program built to solve Canton's most important growth problem: onboarding new teams and projects into the ecosystem at scale.
HackCanton Season 1 was completed as a pilot, validating the format and proving that the program works. This proposal funds Seasons 2 through 5 — scaling what Season 1 proved into a recurring, compounding ecosystem asset.
Each HackCanton season takes developers from zero Canton knowledge to production-ready Featured App candidates. Teams that go through HackCanton arrive at the ecosystem already trained, already understanding Canton's specifics, and already building in the right direction. The result is a repeatable pipeline that continuously increases the supply of strong, Canton-native projects.
Total Funding Request: 800,000 CC — 200,000 CC per season, structured across four milestones, each corresponding to one full HackCanton season.
Problem: Canton's ecosystem growth is bottlenecked by the scarcity of teams that understand the network well enough to build on it meaningfully.
The consequence: every new project team rebuilds the same onboarding from scratch, makes the same early mistakes, and takes longer than necessary to reach ecosystem-grade quality — or doesn't make it at all.
Outcome: A season-based developer program that creates a high-quality, continuously replenishing pipeline of Canton-native teams:
Success looks like:
HackCanton operates across three workstreams that together form a full-cycle developer pipeline — from first contact with Canton to Featured App readiness.
What it is
A recurring series of developer hackathons, each running several weeks, open to teams globally. Each season is built around Canton-specific problem tracks, with prizes structured to reward real Canton understanding — not generic blockchain applications.
HackCanton is not a weekend sprint. Each season follows a structured program path — teams move through defined phases: problem identification, ICP definition, validation, GTM strategy, MVP development, and final pitch. AI-powered mentors provide daily guidance at each phase, keeping teams on track and aligned with Canton's ecosystem standards. Mentors and judges deliver structured feedback throughout. What teams produce at the end of a season is not a demo — it is a project with a validated use case, a defined user, and a clear next step. Teams don't build and disappear; they leave with direction, relationships, and momentum to keep building in alignment with Canton's vision.
Per-season scope
Why it matters
Hackathons are the most effective developer onboarding mechanism at scale. A competitive hackathon creates time pressure, community, and real output — teams ship working Canton applications. A well-run season produces more Canton-fluent developers per dollar than documentation, conferences, or individual outreach combined.
What it is
A structured education and mentorship layer running alongside and after each season, ensuring teams build with a genuine understanding of Canton — not surface-level usage that breaks at production scale.
Scope
Why it matters
Teams that complete a HackCanton season graduate with an operational understanding of what Canton requires and enables. This is the core differentiator: not just a hackathon, but an education program that produces Canton-fluent developers ready to build serious applications. Projects that reach FA status through this pipeline don't arrive at the ecosystem cold — they already know what they're doing and why.
What it is
A partner network and post-hackathon acceleration track that connects the strongest teams with the resources, guidance, and ecosystem relationships they need to go from hackathon project to live Canton application.
Scope
Why it matters
The hackathon is the beginning of the pipeline, not the end. The partner network and acceleration track are what convert hackathon projects into live FA applications. Each season, the network grows — making the program more valuable for participants and more impactful for the ecosystem. By Season 4, the compounding effect is substantial: alumni mentor new cohorts, partners bring deal flow, and the HackCanton brand attracts serious teams without requiring the same outreach effort as Season 1.
HackCanton strengthens the Canton ecosystem at the developer and project layer:
Each milestone corresponds to one HackCanton season. Season funding is released upon demonstrated delivery of the current milestone. Metrics for later seasons are set based on learnings from earlier ones.
The Tech & Ops Committee will evaluate completion based on:
Total Funding Request: 800,000 CC — 200,000 CC per season across four seasons.
| Milestone | Description | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | HackCanton Season 2 | 200,000 CC |
| M2 | HackCanton Season 3 | 200,000 CC |
| M3 | HackCanton Season 4 | 200,000 CC |
| M4 | HackCanton Season 5 + Impact Report | 200,000 CC |
| Total | 800,000 CC |
| Category | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Prize pool | 60,000 CC | 30% |
| Marketing & community | 100,000 CC | 50% |
| Platform & operations | 40,000 CC | 20% |
| Total per season | 200,000 CC | 100% |
Upon each season's completion, Noders LLC will collaborate with the Canton Foundation on:
Canton's growth depends on a steady supply of quality projects building on the network. But developer onboarding doesn't happen automatically — it requires structured programs, sustained community investment, and operational expertise.
HackCanton is Noders' answer. We have already run HackCanton Season 1 as a pilot and observed directly what a well-run hackathon does: teams arrive without Canton experience and leave with working DAML applications, a deep understanding of Canton's privacy model and FA mechanics, and a clear sense of what the ecosystem requires. The best of those teams go on to become the ecosystem's next Featured Apps.
Season 1 results
HackCanton Season 1 ran as a pilot to validate the format, test demand, and prove operational feasibility. Results:
| Metric | Season 1 |
|---|---|
| Participants | 300+ |
| Project submissions | 21 |
| Ecosystem partners engaged | 11 |
| Prize pool distributed | 65,000 CC cash + 265,000 CC in sponsor prizes |
| Teams continuing to build post-season | 6+ |
Geographic reach: 29 countries across 6 regions — Americas (USA, Argentina, Colombia), Europe (Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Poland, UK, Greece), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia), Turkey & MENA (Türkiye, Israel, UAE, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan), South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh), Africa (Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, East Africa).
Season 1 validated the core assumptions: developers outside the Canton community participate when the format and prizes are compelling; teams can go from zero Canton knowledge to working DAML applications within a hackathon window; and the program generates genuine interest in Featured App status among the strongest participants. This proposal is not a bet on an untested idea — it is a funding request to scale a program that has already proven it works.
The investment case is clear: each season of HackCanton onboards a new cohort of Canton-fluent developers and projects. The cumulative effect over four seasons is a materially larger, stronger Canton ecosystem — more projects, more developers, more CC locked in Featured App status. And unlike one-time events, the series model creates compounding returns: each season is higher-quality and more impactful than the last, as the partner network, curriculum, and alumni community grow.
We are asking for the funding to run this program at the scale it deserves — with a prize pool that attracts serious teams, marketing that reaches the right developers, and the operational infrastructure to deliver a high-quality experience every season.
Why this funding is necessary
Thirty percent of each season's budget — 60,000 CC — flows directly to participating teams as prizes. Noders does not retain this; it is the economic incentive that makes the program work. Without a meaningful prize pool, HackCanton attracts only teams already inside the Canton community. That produces a community event, not an onboarding program — and the goal is onboarding, not celebration.
The majority of the budget — 50%, or 100,000 CC — covers marketing to cold audiences: developers who have never heard of Canton. This is where ecosystem growth actually happens. Reaching teams outside the existing community requires paid distribution, content, and sustained outreach. Both the prize pool and marketing generate no revenue for Noders. This is structurally identical to maintaining open-source infrastructure: the value accrues to the ecosystem, not to the team doing the work.
Season 1 attracted 265,000 CC in sponsor prizes on top of Noders' own contribution — but sponsor participation is not guaranteed season to season. Sponsors set their own criteria, timelines, and budgets; they cannot be relied upon as a primary funding source. More importantly, sponsor prizes do not cover marketing: reaching cold developer audiences outside the Canton community requires sustained paid distribution that no sponsor bounty funds. Growing the cash prize pool — which Noders controls and commits to upfront — is what makes the program credible and attractive to serious teams before sponsors are confirmed.
Without grant funding, the program cannot reach the scale required to create compounding effects. Below a certain threshold of teams and prize quality, there is no alumni network, no partner gravity, and no meaningful FA pipeline — just a small recurring event that does not grow. The 200,000 CC per season is the minimum viable scale to build something that compounds season over season.
Why hackathons for ecosystem growth?
Hackathons are the highest-leverage developer onboarding mechanism available. A well-run hackathon produces more Canton-fluent developers per dollar than documentation, individual outreach, or conferences. The competitive format accelerates learning; the team structure produces applications that solo tutorials never generate; the time pressure creates real deliverables. Every HackCanton season is a cohort of Canton developers that did not exist before it.
Why a platform, incubator, and accelerator — not just an event?
A single hackathon creates a moment. A platform, incubator, and accelerator create a pipeline. Teams that participate in HackCanton don't just get a prize — they get Canton education, mentorship, partner introductions, and a supported pathway to FA status. This is what turns a tactical event into a strategic ecosystem asset. The goal is not to run a hackathon; it is to build the machine that continuously produces Canton-ready teams and projects.
Why a series and not a one-time grant?
The series model is what creates compounding value. By Season 3, Season 1 and Season 2 alumni are mentoring Season 3 participants. By Season 4, the partner network has enough gravity to attract projects without cold outreach. By Season 5, the curriculum is mature, the brand is established, and the program runs with operational efficiency that Season 1 could never achieve. Funding a series — not a one-time event — is what makes the investment permanent rather than episodic.
Why Noders?
We have already done this. HackCanton is not a speculative proposal — it is a program we have built and operated (community). We know what it takes to run a high-quality Canton hackathon, we have the technical depth to support teams through DAML and Canton specifics, and we have the partner relationships to build a meaningful acceleration track. We are not asking for funding to start something new; we are asking for the support to scale something that is already working.
Rebuilt from the recorded board moves (complete history). get_dev_fund_lifecycle(number) gives the same in the MCP.