metadata: {"signature": "0xdfe14ffe7833c9add9e8a503bca351d6893fb92f3b57eec8fe31d85d51bc0c334b0278823edd009193d7a0769e13d7361e1538f0475235870401833cc6ead1c41c", "application": {"round": "0x6142eedc06d80f3b362ce43b4ac52fad679dc850", "answers": [{"type": "email", "hidden": true, "question": "Email Address", "questionId": 0, "encryptedAnswer": {"ciphertext": "/HHVSzCkPJZ4vP8e2G16HgHgiI577SG5NjQZw6hiGQlNFBlrsf8712nCdPRc+T/f", "encryptedSymmetricKey": "b2062913277d06c46351c0a60749e31f2aa20dc18b35e9f4ee2647766e62652ddd62e4a846bd5a7344cb5332bd897f0fe4fe61b07d0686609e62ed2711b2f71d53162c941fffaa743927c58f0e9c515466d5af504d898cc9d61fcd29c3db919793ce736538018952c953fccc3bd1bada25935d2322bbeb7621598861674055630000000000000020ec498548eb504fe057a7c9958fa629455d36599a1389e0145282ccba32ec73466525d281f44f21b838bdde3f288548ae"}}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "\nWe are keen on applying for the Arbitrum grant to enhance our index provider solution, focusing on the automation of rebalancing through ERC models and the development of oracles. Our commitment lies in creating decentralized, data-driven indices, and we believe that Arbitrum, with its integration with Uniswap, provides the ideal network for our ambitions. This platform's efficiency and scalability can significantly support our mission to deliver innovative and automated financial instruments to the market.", "hidden": false, "question": "Application detail", "questionId": 1}, {"type": "number", "answer": "50000", "hidden": true, "question": "Amount requested (in $)", "questionId": 2}, {"type": "dropdown", "answer": "ARB", "hidden": true, "question": "Payout token", "questionId": 3}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "We are applying for the Arbitrum grant to further develop our index provider solution, emphasizing the significance of our already completed integration with CCIP and the use of oracles. This integration underlines our commitment to enhancing interoperability and ensuring secure, decentralized data flow for our automated rebalancing processes. By choosing Arbitrum, renowned for its efficiency and compatibility with Ethereum's ecosystem including Uniswap, we aim to leverage these technologies to offer a sophisticated, data-driven index platform. Our project aligns with Arbitrum's goals of fostering innovation and scalability in the DeFi space, and we believe our solution will significantly contribute to the diversity and resilience of decentralized finance on Arbitrum.", "hidden": true, "question": "How do you account for this fund request?", "questionId": 4}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "1. Hiring Cybersecurity and Development Talent - $25,000\nCybersecurity Experts: Hiring cybersecurity specialists focused on securing our infrastructure against potential threats, safeguarding smart contracts, and user data.\nSolidity and Blockchain Developers: Recruiting skilled Solidity developers and blockchain engineers to bolster our team's capacity for developing, optimizing, and ensuring the seamless functionality of our platform on the Arbitrum network.\n2. Comprehensive Tech, Security Audits, and Legal Compliance - $22,000\nSmart Contract Audits: Contracting top-tier smart contract auditing firms for thorough security assessments, guaranteeing our contracts are secure and efficient.\nTax and Regulatory Compliance: Engaging a consulting firm with expertise in cryptocurrency regulations to conduct comprehensive tax audits and ensure full legal compliance across all operational aspects.\nTechnology Infrastructure Audit: Performing a detailed audit of our technology infrastructure, focusing on security, scalability, and reliability, including Oracle integrations and CCIP implementations.\n4. Operational and Miscellaneous Expenses - $3,000\nAdministrative Costs: Addressing necessary operational expenses such as software licenses, cloud hosting, and other essential tools required for the project's day-to-day operations.", "hidden": false, "question": "How will you use these funds? Please make a detailed plan for expenditures.", "questionId": 5}, {"type": "dropdown", "answer": "Liquidity Management", "hidden": false, "question": "Which RFP is this project covering? ", "questionId": 6}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": " In our WP (https://nex-labs.gitbook.io/nex-dex/spot-indices/nex-labs-spot-index-standard-model/defi-model), we detail the technical integration of our project with Uniswap, specifically leveraging Uniswap's router contract for automated swaps. This mechanism facilitates the dynamic rebalancing and reweighting of the underlying assets within our indices, ensuring alignment with market movements and asset performance metrics through a decentralized, automated process.", "hidden": false, "question": "How do you think this project fits in with Uniswap?", "questionId": 7}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "Innovative Use Case: Our project enhances the Arbitrum ecosystem by introducing the first Arbitrum Ecosystem Spot Index. This index prominently features over 50% allocation in $ARB tokens, with the remaining 50% distributed amongst the largest market cap tokens within the network, excluding LSDs and stablecoins. Utilizing Uniswap through our factory contract for the rebalancing and reweighting of our indices allows for dynamic and automated adjustment of asset compositions. The integration of Uniswap's router functionality with CCIP ensures continuous alignment with market valuations. This not only capitalizes on Uniswap's capabilities for sophisticated financial mechanisms but also solidifies its role in complex DeFi protocols, contributing a valuable tool for investors and enhancing the liquidity and stability of the Arbitrum network.\n\nFirst Hybrid Index Provider: We position ourselves as the first decentralized hybrid index provider on the Arbitrum network. Our focus on mature investor targets and the utilization of Real World Asset (RWA) hybrid indices, such as gold and Bitcoin (ANFI), leverages the user-friendly interface of Arbitrum and the security of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) environment. This unique offering could attract a diverse investor base to Arbitrum, increasing network utilization and visibility.\n\nEnhanced Liquidity: By adopting an index logic investment strategy, our project contributes to long-term liquidity within Uniswap's markets. This approach supports more stable and predictable market conditions, beneficial for all Uniswap participants.\n\nInnovative Use Case: Through our factory contract, we utilize Uniswap not just as a liquidity provider but as a crucial component in the rebalancing and reweighting of our indices. The combination of Uniswap's router functionality and CCIP integration enables a dynamic and automated adjustment of asset compositions within our indices. This innovative use of Uniswap's infrastructure demonstrates its versatility beyond simple swaps, showcasing its potential as a foundational element in complex DeFi protocols.", "hidden": false, "question": "What benefits will this project bring to Uniswap in the Arbitrum ecosystem?", "questionId": 8}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "We have done different basic audits but we would like to make a final credited one during the Q2 of this year.", "hidden": true, "question": "Has this project undergone a security audit? If not, are you planning to undergo it?", "questionId": 9}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "https://github.com/nexlabs22", "hidden": false, "question": "Is this project open-source? (If yes, share the repository link).", "questionId": 10}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "Development Practices and Tools:\nSmart Contract Development: We rely on Solidity for creating secure and efficient smart contracts. To ensure the reliability of these contracts, we utilize Foundry Forge, a powerful tool for testing, which allows us to simulate a wide range of contract interactions and conditions to identify and rectify potential issues early in the development process.\nApplication Layer: TypeScript is our choice for the application layer, offering type safety and enhancing code quality and maintainability.\nUI Development: For user interface design, we employ Material UI complemented by sophisticated CSS techniques. This combination ensures our applications are not only functional but also visually engaging and user-friendly.\nData Management: To improve efficiency and reduce data retrieval costs, we have deployed our own Chainlink node. This setup enables us to access real-time, reliable data essential for the accurate operation of our indices.\nTeam Collaboration and Workflow:\nTeam Composition: Our project is powered by a diverse team of 12 professionals, covering development, design, marketing, and more.\nCommunication Channels: We use Discord and Slack for day-to-day communication, fostering a dynamic and responsive team environment. GitHub stands as our central hub for project management, where we track progress, manage code reviews, and coordinate milestones through issues and PRs.\nMeeting Structure: Our structured approach includes bi-weekly all-hands meetings to align on objectives and progress, alongside daily checks focused on development quality assurance. This ensures continuous alignment and maintains high standards across all project facets.", "hidden": true, "question": "What is the workflow chosen for this project? (You can mention development practices, tools, programming languages, etc.)", "questionId": 11}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "https://app.nexlabs.io/", "hidden": true, "question": "Does this project have a demo? If yes, share a public link.", "questionId": 12}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "Institutional Investors: Bank Partnerships: Leveraging our partnerships with banks, we aim to attract institutional investors by offering them a bridge to the crypto market through a familiar and trusted avenue. Our indices provide a diversified, low-entry barrier investment tool, designed to meet the risk management and compliance standards expected by these entities. Crypto Enthusiasts and Retail Investors: Education and Adoption: Our mission extends to maturing the investment approach of the broader crypto community, including those fondly referred to as 'crypto degens.' We intend to demonstrate that crypto indices represent a safer, passive investment strategy compared to individual asset speculation. While we acknowledge the popularity of memecoins, our emphasis is on educating investors about the advantages of index investing\u2014highlighting its potential to combine the benefits of crypto adoption with a time-efficient, risk-managed investment strategy.  An effective community growth plan includes several strategies and tactics, including retaining community members, creating awareness and word of mouth through social media, and leveraging industry KOLs to reach a wider audience.  **Competitors Analysis:**  After analyzing our competitors, we have noticed a few common errors we intend to avoid in order to have an active and loyal community to leverage and expand the project across the DeFi space. These mistakes include:  - Low chat activity - Absence of community activities & contests - No activity incentivization - Low focus on Asian communities  **Past Experiences**  Our CMO (https://twitter.com/Moomsxxx) has been in the cryptocurrency field for 3 years and has had multiple experiences as a moderator, community leader, marketing advisor, and project marketer. Among the several experiences, we can highlight the growth of a trading community from 0 members to 2700 members organically in a 7-month time frame, the funding raise of $250,000 with a marketing budget of $8,500, delivering a cost per install (CPI) of $1.88 and a return on investment (ROI) of 29.4, and the growth of his personal brand from 0 to 14,000+ followers over 4 months.  ---  ## Strategy  ### Phase 0  - **Creation of communities:** Start Twitter, Telegram, and LinkedIn communities.  ### Phase 1  - **Content marketing:** Post educational content, articles, and videos explaining the project on our social media profiles. These will be retweeted and reposted by our KOLs such as influencers, traders, and communities. - **Rewarded contests:** Amplify engagement and reach by hosting several contests to incentivize users to share the project with their contacts and on social media platforms. - **Weekly competitions:** Hosting weekly competitions to increase the project\u2019s visibility on Twitter through numerous posts using specific hashtags in a short time frame. - **AMAs:** Host AMAs (Ask me anything) in collaboration with our KOLs network and other crypto companies to present the project and drive the audience into our community. - **Crypto network advertisement:** Create appealing banners and advertise them all over crypto websites to redirect crypto users into our community. - **Influencer marketing:** Sort out partnerships with influencers and communities to turn them into ambassadors and have constant long-term support, converting their audience into platform users.  ### Phase 2  - **Investing content:** Creating educational investing content in collaboration with our KOLs network and explaining it through AMAs to entertain and educate our community. This will help us to reach our vision of an active and engaged community similar to a trading/investing discussion group instead of a normal DEX community with low activity. - **Loyalty Program:** Usage of tiers for Telegram users based on their community and platform activity. This way, users will be incentivized to engage in the chat and use the platform in exchange of specific perks. - **Advertisement:** Creating appealing videos, content, and memes and promoting them on social media profiles like TikTok, Twitter, Telegram, and Instagram. This way, the targeted audience will be curious about these memes and videos and will check out our profiles, potentially joining our community. - **Bounty dApp:** Creating a dApp (decentralized application) where users log in and accumulate NEX tokens by making tasks that will boost our engagement on social media, such as retweeting a post, liking a post, and others.  ### Phase 3  - **Asian marketing:** Utilize our connections with Chinese and Asian-based influencers and marketers to create channels dedicated to each relevant Asian country and expand the project in those countries. - **Airdrop Strategy:** Start an airdrop strategy that incentivizes users to share the project through tasks such as \u201cLike, Retweet, and comment\u201d or \u201cMake a transaction on Testnet.\u201d This way, we will generate word of mouth across the users and expand the project passively. - **DAOs collaborations:** Close partnerships with DAOs that manage investment portfolios and propose NEX indices as a potential investment, introducing the project and the products to a different type of investors.  ### Phase 4  - **CEX Listings:** List the NEX token on several centralized exchanges raising our brand awareness and making it easier for crypto users to discover our project. - **External partnerships:** Close partnerships with companies and brands outside the Web 3.0 space, such as watches brands or clothing brands, creating an index of their assets, reaching this way a new audience of users. - **Trending on charting sites:** List the token on charting sites obtaining visibility thanks to these platforms' high website visits. - **Trading contests:** Hosting trading competitions to increase the platform\u2019s usage and, consequently, the company\u2019s revenue.  *It is important to note that strategies may change based on the outcome and data the team will gather throughout the months. We will continuously monitor progress, analyze data, and adjust our strategy as necessary to optimize our expenses and grow the project in the best way possible.*  *Lastly, strategies may vary based on the development roadmap and potential changes throughout the months.", "hidden": true, "question": "What is the target audience for this project? (Mention if there is a market launch plan).", "questionId": 13}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "CEO: Gianluca Di Bella\n\nEmail: gdb@moodglobalservices.com\nLinkedIn: gdbmoodglobalservices\nCTO: Walt Schagen\n\nEmail: iposignal@gmail.com\nLinkedIn: walt-schagen-7302017b\nFINTECH LAWYER: Giovanni Piccirillo\n\nEmail: nexlabs.piccirillo@gmail.com\nLinkedIn: giovanni-piccirillo-941709239\nBUSINESS DEVELOPER: Lorenzo Ceppaluni\n\nEmail: lorenzo.ceppaluni@libero.it\nLinkedIn: lorenzo-ceppaluni\nCMO: Mahmoud Ghadre\n\nEmail: mahmoudghadre@gmail.com\nTwitter: Moomsxxx\nRosario Napolano, Bank Director and Tradfi Advisor\n\nLinkedIn: napolano-rosario-94ab5a7b\nChief Smart Contracts Dev: Morteza Khedri\n\nLinkedIn: morteza-khedri-20076720b\nFull Stack Dev: Med Newton\n\nLinkedIn: mohamed-ben-moussa-b60ab498\nFull Stack Dev: Naman\n\nLinkedIn: namanthitha\nSecurity Expert: Lorenzo Zaccagnini\n\nLinkedIn: lorenzo-zaccagnini\nJunior Smart Contracts Dev: Sourav Maji\n\nLinkedIn: sourav-maji-0217b41b3", "hidden": false, "question": "Who are the members of the team?", "questionId": 14}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "CEO: Gianluca Di Bella\n\nEmail: gdb@moodglobalservices.com\nLinkedIn: gdbmoodglobalservices\nCTO: Walt Schagen\n\nEmail: iposignal@gmail.com\nLinkedIn: walt-schagen-7302017b\nFINTECH LAWYER: Giovanni Piccirillo\n\nEmail: nexlabs.piccirillo@gmail.com\nLinkedIn: giovanni-piccirillo-941709239\nBUSINESS DEVELOPER: Lorenzo Ceppaluni\n\nEmail: lorenzo.ceppaluni@libero.it\nLinkedIn: lorenzo-ceppaluni\nCMO: Mahmoud Ghadre\n\nEmail: mahmoudghadre@gmail.com\nTwitter: Moomsxxx\nRosario Napolano, Bank Director and Tradfi Advisor\n\nLinkedIn: napolano-rosario-94ab5a7b\nChief Smart Contracts Dev: Morteza Khedri\n\nLinkedIn: morteza-khedri-20076720b\nFull Stack Dev: Med Newton\n\nLinkedIn: mohamed-ben-moussa-b60ab498\nFull Stack Dev: Naman\n\nLinkedIn: namanthitha\nSecurity Expert: Lorenzo Zaccagnini\n\nLinkedIn: lorenzo-zaccagnini\nJunior Smart Contracts Dev: Sourav Maji\n\nLinkedIn: sourav-maji-0217b41b3", "hidden": true, "question": "Describe team members' experience and current roles for this project.", "questionId": 15}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "01\n\nTestnet deployment of CRYPTO 5 AND ANFI.\nPOC: first ecosystem index product, such as the Arbitrum Index, composed of ARB tokens and major network tokens by market cap.\nInternal audit.\nPre-seed round.\n02\n\nCommunity kick-off.\nMainnet deployments.\nRollout of crypto categories tradable indices.\nLiquid staking indices.\nSeed round.\n03\n\nCommunity growth plan.\nGo to market strategy.\nRWA indices and AI protocol indices categories.\n04\n\nFocused effort on opening an exchange traded fund.\nRollout of ecosystem index product offerings, including specialized indices and benchmark through NEX API.\nLaunch of NEX Token Presale for DAO Governance Use cases and Protocol Based Token.\nStarting series A funding rounds.\n05\n\nRollout of derivatives and options products for all-in-one DeFi broker platform.\nObtaining licenses for EU & US markets.\nTokenization of hybrid indices as bonds and commodities through our own RWA platform without third parties.\n06\n\nIDO NEX.\nStaking service for institutions.\nTokenization of Wealth Management Fund.\nEuropean sandbox for automated management fund", "hidden": false, "question": "What are the Project Milestones? (Be very specific and write a roadmap highlighting critical deliverables of the project; mention how you will ensure to supervise and track them).", "questionId": 16}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "Let me show our feasibility trough different points:\nPartnerships: The onboarding of an Italian bank into our team has fortified our capabilities, particularly in blending traditional finance expertise with innovative DeFi strategies. This partnership enhances our credibility and access to financial knowledge.\n\nDevelopment Progress: As we conclude phase 1, our adherence to the set timeline illustrates our commitment and ability to meet our objectives. Our development team is working diligently to ensure that our testnet deployment and POC for the Arbitrum Index are completed as planned.\n\nTeam Dedication: Our team's passion for the project is a significant driving force. This passion, combined with our rigorous internal audit processes, ensures that we not only meet our deadlines but also maintain the high quality and security standards necessary for success in DeFi.\n\nFunding Strategy: Our pre-seed and seed rounds are critical for sustaining our momentum. We're on track with our funding strategy, aiming to secure the financial resources required for each stage of our roadmap.\n\nCommunity Engagement: A focused community kick-off and growth plan are integral to our strategy. By engaging with the community early and establishing a solid user base, we ensure that our go-to-market strategy is robust and driven by community feedback and needs.\n\nRegulatory Compliance: Obtaining the necessary licenses for EU & US markets is a key component. We're proactively addressing this by aligning with regulatory requirements, which will enable the tokenization of our hybrid indices and the launch of an ETF.\n\nTechnology and Innovation: The rollout of our derivatives products and the NEX token presale will showcase our technological advancements and our platform's capabilities, underpinning our series A funding rounds and beyond.\n\nArbitrum Support: Applying for support from the Arbitrum ecosystem aligns with our goal to innovate in DeFi. With Arbitrum's backing, we can further enhance our platform's performance and security, benefiting from the network's scalability and efficiency.\n\nBy staying true to our vision and leveraging the combined strengths of traditional banking and modern DeFi, we're on course to not just reach but surpass our milestones, with the ultimate goal of making a significant impact on the DeFi landscape through the support of Arbitrum.", "hidden": false, "question": "How do you plan to reach these milestones? (Explain the project feasibility).", "questionId": 17}, {"type": "multiple-choice", "answer": "No", "hidden": true, "question": "Has this project already been funded by other Grant Programs?", "questionId": 18}, {"type": "checkbox", "answer": ["I confirm."], "hidden": true, "question": "I confirm that I have read the Code of Conduct and that I have filled out this form correctly and truthfully.", "questionId": 19}, {"type": "checkbox", "answer": ["I understand."], "hidden": true, "question": "I understand that I will be required to provide KYC information by the UAGP team in case my application is accepted.", "questionId": 20}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "Trough Off Chain Labs lead.", "hidden": true, "question": "How did you find out about UAGP?", "questionId": 21}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "Here you can find all our info and the deck:\nhttps://www.notion.so/moodglobalservices/Nex-Labs-Links-and-Docs-03549bc576cb4e02885c30028990210f?pvs=4", "hidden": true, "question": "Additional information", "questionId": 22}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "We're eagerly anticipating feedback on the products we currently have in the testnet phase. Please, if there are any aspects of our product lines that require additional explanation or if there are details you'd like us to delve into, don't hesitate to reach out. Your insights are invaluable to us as we strive to refine and enhance our offerings.", "hidden": true, "question": "Special requests", "questionId": 23}], "project": {"id": "0x83a42970885a82dfe270fc7ea15dbe814413cbda36e6d2a20e8faae616272b68", "title": "Nex Protocol", "logoImg": "bafkreidqfczfzrpyah64j4yxcuxcswvyqsjbe2suknkk7c3wksiaz2zhey", "metaPtr": {"pointer": "bafkreihgckhjtciylfmup2zhpcyaawcpl2bvjvrogm3fl6azo3qqrkeehe", "protocol": "undefined"}, "website": "https://www.nexlabs.io/", "bannerImg": "bafkreihlpriqd7ehiz6ok4t6mujbhjrl3wed2wl5zkrwyquejjdefcf4ia", "createdAt": 1712182821275, "userGithub": "gdbmood", "credentials": {"github": {"type": ["VerifiableCredential"], "proof": {"jws": "eyJhbGciOiJFZERTQSIsImNyaXQiOlsiYjY0Il0sImI2NCI6ZmFsc2V9..5kOOR5gHQ0JVO40xpfAE4cBY2dC6bcYHAegjZqWQtK585EOFF7N6gmCTLzSX_NtxxwIUWynpPZC18I7YRnjtAQ", "type": "Ed25519Signature2018", "created": "2024-04-03T22:19:51.907Z", "proofPurpose": "assertionMethod", "verificationMethod": "did:key:z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC#z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC"}, "issuer": "did:key:z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC", "@context": ["https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1"], "issuanceDate": "2024-04-03T22:19:51.907Z", "expirationDate": "2024-07-02T22:19:51.907Z", "credentialSubject": {"id": "did:pkh:eip155:1:0xad91104b93AABa4EDfD2833833663b711C8DDA56", "hash": "v0.0.0:KEWOdzR54Oqmd5B9oTuTNrpQV4IwK2bt2+aG5P847d0=", "@context": [{"hash": "https://schema.org/Text", "provider": "https://schema.org/Text"}], "provider": "ClearTextGithubOrg#nexlabs22#111443995"}}}, "description": "Nex Labs is dedicated to streamlining market entry by offering a broad industry index that facilitates efficient, decentralized passive investing. Our unique approach combines Real World Assets (RWA) and cryptocurrency assets, crafting a mature portfolio blend through a single tool. This hybrid index strategy is designed not only to save time but also to provide a robust investment solution that leverages the strengths of diverse asset classes. Moreover, part of our mission is to educate the public on the advantages of using our hybrid indices as a potent financial instrument, highlighting the innovative integration of RWAs and crypto assets for a balanced and forward-thinking investment approach.", "lastUpdated": 0, "projectGithub": "nexlabs22", "projectTwitter": "NEX_Protocol"}, "recipient": "0xCdA2Ea98295D214aaDEE8D47c7ef10bf9965c226"}}