Hello Fantom Community!
We are excited to share our grant proposal aimed at boosting developer adoption, building awareness, and providing ongoing support within the Fantom ecosystem. Our project is designed to deliver a Developer Report, a Public Developer Event, and Recruitment Support, with the goal of fostering a thriving developer community and facilitating growth for Fantom.
First off - a bit about Encode Club
Who are we?
Established in 2020, Encode Club is a leading web3 education community, renowned for its high-quality educational programming, hands-on approach, and impressive track record. We’ve trained over 50,000 developers across 100+ programmes, both online and in-person, and are committed to offering free, accessible, and diverse opportunities for developers worldwide.
What makes us special?
- Proprietary developer flow: With tens of thousands of developers trained, our audience comprises 40% new Web2 devs, 40% Web3 devs, and 20% university developers.
- Chain agnostic: We collaborate with various chains, boasting a diverse developer pool, with 75% proficient in JavaScript and 15% in Rust.
- Education-focused: Our long-term approach prioritizes high-quality content delivery for sustained developer engagement and adoption.
- Hands-on support: We offer live content and personalized mentorship to ensure developer success and high conversion rates.
- Data-driven: Tracking 50+ data points per developer, we optimize programme success and provide valuable insights.
- Accessibility and diversity: Our free, predominantly online programmes foster inclusivity and equal opportunity.
- After-care: Graduates receive dedicated recruitment and fundraising support.
Our Founders
Encode Club was founded by Anthony Beaumont and Damir Bandalo, who previously worked together at investment funds. Their success in organizing university-focused hackathons in 2018 and 2019 inspired them to create Encode Club to drive web3’s success through high-quality developer education. In 2022, Encode Club raised $5M in a funding round led by Galaxy Digital and Lemniscap, featuring investors such as Dragonfly, Folius Ventures, not3Lau Capital, SolBigBrain, Stefan George, Kain Warwick, Anton Bukov, Jason Choi, and Evgeny Gaevoy. The fundraise was covered by TechCrunch.
Track Record
Over the past four years, Encode Club has established itself as a premier educator and developer training company in the rapidly evolving web3 space. Our extensive track record includes:
- Successfully conducting over 100 tailored programmes designed to attract and engage diverse developer communities.
- Training more than 50,000 developers, providing them with the knowledge and skills to excel in the blockchain and decentralised finance (DeFi) landscape.
- Building a vast and diverse community of developers through our online-focused approach, complemented by strategic in-person events. This community spans various geographies, backgrounds, and experience levels.
- Continuously refreshing our audience, with more than 50% of new community members joining each programme. Our bespoke marketing approach for every programme ensures a constant influx of fresh talent and perspectives.
| Total developers who’ve attended our programmes | 53,500 |
|---|---|
| 2022 developer attendance | 37,500 |
| 2021 developer attendance | 17,800 |
| Mailing List | 30,000 |
| Discord | 10,000 members (only recent attendees allowed) |
| 14,000 | |
| Major Geographies | Europe, US, India, Africa |
| % Existing Web3 Devs | Roughly 40% |
| % New Web2 Devs | Roughly 40% |
| % University Devs | Roughly 20% |
| Most common languages | Javascript, Solidity, Rust |
As a trusted partner in developer onboarding, Encode Club is well-positioned to support Fantom’s objectives, driving the growth and success of the highly scalable blockchain platform for DeFi, crypto dApps, and enterprise applications.
Developer Report
Our Developer Report will offer an in-depth analysis of the Fantom ecosystem, revealing valuable data, insights, and recommendations to enhance the platform’s capabilities. We will focus on areas such as:
- Current developer demographics and their specific needs
- Technical gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement
- Strategies to attract and retain talented developers
- Best practices to encourage a collaborative and innovative environment
- Timeline: 3 months
- Milestone: Comprehensive Developer Report with actionable insights
Public Protocol Online Showcase Event
We aim to organize a large-scale Public Protocol Online Showcase Event, inviting developers from the Encode community and beyond. Our goal is to engage with thousands of developers through:
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Live presentations, demos, and workshops
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Q&A sessions with core Fantom team members and developers
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Hackathons and coding challenges with attractive rewards
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YouTube coverage for extended reach and future engagement
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Milestone: Successfully hosting the event and onboarding new developers
Recruitment Support
Leveraging our expertise in recruitment, we will work closely with the Fantom ecosystem and associated companies to help talented developers find their ideal roles. Our recruitment support will include:
- Tailored job-matching services for developers
- Assistance in creating compelling job descriptions and requirements
- Access to our extensive network of developers and industry connections
- Interview support and guidance to ensure a smooth hiring process
- Timeline: 3 months
- Milestone: Successful placements of developers within the Fantom ecosystem
Why It’s Worth Funding
Our programme will bolster the Fantom ecosystem by:
- Strengthening developer adoption and community engagement
- Enhancing awareness and understanding of Fantom’s capabilities
- Streamlining the recruitment process for developers and companies
- Providing ongoing support for a vibrant, innovative ecosystem
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
To measure our success, we will track the following KPIs:
- Number of developers engaged through the Developer Report and Public Developer Event
- Increase in developer activity and contributions within the ecosystem
- Developers successfully placed within the Fantom ecosystem and related companies
- Community feedback and satisfaction with our initiatives
- We are eager to contribute to the growth and success of the Fantom ecosystem and look forward to hearing your thoughts, suggestions, and feedback on our proposal.
Funding Requested
In order to ensure the success of our collaboration with Fantom and maximize the impact of our developer onboarding activities, we are requesting a total of £20,000 in funding.
This investment will be strategically allocated across various essential components, as detailed below:
- Marketing (£7,000): For targeted bespoke marketing campaigns to attract new community members and promote engagement with Fantom’s platform.
- Event Management (£5,000): To facilitate a seamless online experience for participants, covering technical requirements and virtual event platforms.
- Administration (£2,000): For efficient planning, coordination, and communication, ensuring the smooth execution of our online activities.
- Tech and Infrastructure (£1,000): To invest in cutting-edge tools, software, and platforms, delivering an optimal learning environment for our developer community.
- Back Office Support (£5,000): To cover operational costs and general administration associated with our skilled support staff, guaranteeing a high standard of service.
By strategically investing in these key areas, we are confident that our partnership with Fantom will result in the successful onboarding of developers, driving the growth and adoption of Fantom’s scalable blockchain platform for DeFi, crypto dApps, and enterprise applications.
Let’s work together to create a flourishing developer community on Fantom!
Thank you for your consideration.
Best regards,
Anthony from Encode