[Non-Constitutional] Betting on Builders: Infinite Launchpad Proposal

TL;DR

What this proposal does:

• Comprehensive support to builders: tailored support at every stage, from idea inception to Series A and beyond.
• Developer mobilization: Enhance builder onboarding, technical support, product feedback, and provide funding opportunities for mature projects.
• Advance Arbitrum's strategic priorities: Aligns with robust DevRel, governance optimization, future-proofing, and community growth.
• Developer feedback: Gather feedback to improve the Arbitrum stack and ecosystem, and distribute insights to relevant stakeholders.
• Visibility and credibility: Showcase participating teams and opportunities, promoting the Arbitrum ecosystem.
• Collaborative research: Share research findings and insights to refine the ecosystem’s approach and reduce risks in capital allocation.

What this proposal does NOT do:

• Does not provide immediate funding to all proposed programs: Funding will be distributed quarterly or bi-annually and adjusted based on performance and oversight.
• Does not engage in unplanned or unchecked capital allocation: All fund movements and program executions will be under strict oversight and transparent reporting.

Full proposal post

For an expansion on all below sections, please see the official proposal:

https://forum.arbitrum.foundation/t/betting-on-builders-infinite-launchpad-proposal/24665

Abstract

The "Infinite Launchpad" aims to provide builders with seamless support at every stage and empower our developer base to secure Arbitrum as a leading force in innovation and growth within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Born out of the Betting on Builders proposal from GovHack at ETHDenver, we are presenting a collaborative accelerator program strategy, expected to run from Q3-2024 through Q4-2025. This strategy acts as proof-of-concept for a pathway that any accelerator initiative can participate in. To begin, EVM Capital, RnDAO and Outlier Ventures are partnering on this proposal to launch the initiative, collect data, and establish best practices.

Motivation

According to ThankARB:

“[Arbitrum has] more developers than most chains, but we don’t currently know how to best mobilize them for the benefit of the ecosystem.” 

We would like to try our hand at answering this question.

Rationale

We are asking the DAO to allot $10m in ARB to provide a clear incubation track that propels innovations that leverage Arbitrum stack to deliver dapps and protocols.

How this fits into Arbitrums strategic priorities:

• Robust DevRel
• Governance optimization
• Future-proofing
• Growing the community

Specifications

The "Infinite Launchpad" suite of programs work together to support projects at any stage.

Community Building Module (Support for Other Programs)

Attracting talent into the Arbitrum ecosystem to nurture the whole pipeline with founders, projects, and skilled contributors. Additionally, this program provides opportunities for builders and projects throughout the pipeline to showcase their work and make connections.

Including:

• Semesterly Hackathons
• Quarterly Unconferences (IRL and online)
• Weekly public workshops and talks related to building on Arbitrum and Entrepreneurship
  • Speed networking
  • AMAs with builders and domain experts
  • Pitch days

Team: RnDAO

Market & Research Module (Problem Identification)

Significant developer attention is focused on overcrowded problems (group-think) and unsustainable ventures. This program provides a solution through focused research to map the landscape of problems and identify opportunities for further exploration and validation. Additionally, providing valuable intel for the Arbitrum ecosystem to de-risk capital allocation.

This program includes:

• Interviews with industry stakeholders
• Market research
• Conceptual research

Team: RnDAO

Entrepreneur in Residence program (Ideation)

Support early-stage builders in validating an opportunity fast and effectively, reducing risk and costs of entrepreneurship.

Capacity: 25 EiRs

This program includes:

• 2k/month stipend per EiR
• User research & Customer development
• Community building for EiRs (learning in public)
• Pitch development
• Paper prototyping and market testing

Team: RnDAO

Venture Builder (Minimum Viable Product)

Turning the conceptual groundwork from the ideation phase into an MVP that can be market-tested.

Capacity: 10 projects.

This program includes:

• 50k ARB per team
• Team formation assistance
• Strategy clinics
• Rapid prototyping: MVP development, market testing and user feedback
• Development of operational practices (eg. legal incorporation, governance, development processes, rewards & compensation, etc.)
• Pitch development

Team: RnDAO

Pods Program (Pre-Accelerator)

Pods will engage local developers and stakeholders to translate and regionalize Arbitrum’s toolkit. The first pod will expand Arbitrum's presence in Japan and the greater Asia region by partnering with AngelHack and Fracton Ventures.

We will achieve this goal through:

• Education:
  • 50+ technology partners for dev resources
  • Curricula on Arbitrum's technology, business and legal structures, operations, product development, product-market fit, and go-to-market strategies, with insights from founders and thought leaders.
• Mentorship:
  • 250+ industry experts providing tailored insights, feedback, and support.
• Capital Raising:
  • Intros to 100+ VCs, regional strategics, corporates, and other investors to not only provide capital but also strategic acceleration.
  • Pitch coaching and networking events to help startups secure the necessary funding to scale.

Team: EVM Capital

In partnership with: AngelHack and Fracton

Base Camp (Accelerator)

Outlier Ventures’ flagship 12-week accelerator program. Cohort participants (5-8 teams) are provided with support from Outlier Ventures’ in-house team of experts, partners, and mentors on their product roadmap, community building, entity structuring, token design, and more. The program also provides a grant stipend for each team to amplify their growth and success.

This program includes:

• $100k grant per team in $ARB
• 1:1 sessions with OV specialists and access to our external mentor network of web3 industry leaders
• Token engineering support and business model testing to pinpoint product-market fit
• Workshops and sessions with our in-house specialists across token, design, legal, product & engineering, marketing, fundraising and more
• Virtual Demo Day withOutlier partner and investor network featuring over 200+ known names and 300+ alumni companies in Web3
• Post Program support for two months

Team: Outlier Ventures

Orbital (Growth Program for Series A and Later-Stage)

Commercial accelerator to help Series A and later-stage companies align their product roadmaps with the needs of enterprise decision-makers ensuring their innovations achieve widespread market impact.

This program includes:

• $50k grants for projects building with 200+ corporate partners
• Market access to enterprises in 40+ strategic locations
• Direct access to Orbit, Stylus, Nova engineering teams
• Feedback analysis with Offchain Labs to improve the program

Team: EVM Capital

In partnership with: AngelHack

Steps to Implement

> Preparation:

• Strategic Alignment
• Committee Formation and Program Oversight
• Funding Installments and Oversight
• Program Activation
• Launch

> Operation:

• Program Execution
• Transparent Reporting and Accountability
• Community Engagement

> Post-Program:

• Platform Integration
• Committee Feedback and Program Improvement

Timeline

Pods, Base Camp, and Orbital are cohorts. Research and Community Modules, EiR, and Venture Builder operate on a rolling application basis.

Expected Outcomes and KPIs

The Infinite Launchpad aims to work with established entities to expand, support, and mobilize Arbitrum’s developer base and reinforce Arbitrum as a central influence of innovation and impact within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Primary Expected Outcome:

• Gather 1600+ applications collectively
• 30+ startups building with Arbitrum by end of 2024
• 100+ startups building with Arbitrum by end of 2025
• 10+ Orbit chain deployments by end of 2025
• Participating projects from at least 20+ countries

Our North Star is to help at least one startup achieve unicorn status using the Arbitrum software stack and protocols.

Overall Cost

The total cost is $10 million USD, covering expenses from Q3-2024 to Q4-2025.

• Summary
  • RnDAO: $3.02MM
  • Outlier Ventures: $3MM
  • EVM Capital: $4.25MM
  • Cross-program Marketing: $200K

Total Ask: $10.47MM USD*

Numbers are shown in USD and will be converted to $ARB ahead of a Tally vote.

*distributed quarterly or bi-annually at the discretion of the oversight committee, enabling the DAO to adjust funding for individual programs or the entire suite.

Other Considerations

This proposal was developed in consultation with the Arbitrum Venture Initiative (AVI) working group.