BlockDeep Labs: Ecosystem Services Proposal for Polkadot Treasury

About BlockDeep Labs

BlockDeep Labs is spin-out of the former solution engineering team at Parity, who have successfully consulted on and implemented Substrate-based chains for the last 5+ years, for more than 300 teams (including pre-commitment teams and committed builders). We are honored to have secured the grant to deliver the Mythos Parachain through the Web3 Foundation Decentralized Futures program. However, we view this accomplishment as just the start of our commitment to growing the Polkadot ecosystem. This proposal outlines an expansion of our service offerings with the goal of fostering the growth of the Polkadot ecosystem.

Problem Statement

With the decentralization of go to market functions of Parity (including the solution engineering team), and with the scaling down of the Substrate Builders Program, the new teams coming in the Polkadot ecosystem do not have enough high-quality and effective support and guidance available. There are quite a few things to figure out (structure of the node template, finding relevant & reusable pallets, chain configs, deployment, on-chain logic optimization, understanding Substrate’s macro system, integration tooling, infrastructure requirements, XCM, bridge integrations, etc. etc.) when building a parachain. For new teams coming into our ecosystem, it is still a big challenge to figure out all of the above in reasonable time without any help or support.

In addition, with the launch of agile coretime, the inflow of new builders in the ecosystem is expected to increase reasonably.

Having worked with almost all parachain teams in the past (during our time at Parity), and having evaluated multiple more builder teams over the last 3 years, we believe the new builders still require initial support and guidance to build successfully in the Polkadot ecosystem.

While being at Parity, and as part of the Delivery Services team, we provided a set of highly tailored services to the ecosystem builder teams which are not available anymore. This proposal details these services, their benefits, and requests funding for 6 months to deliver them to the new and existing builder teams.

Proposal

We would like to propose the (re)start of following services to the builder teams in order to enhance the code quality, best practices, information availability and engagement coordination in the Polkadot ecosystem.

Coretime Usage Based Technical Support/Advisory Services

We propose a new concept of providing coretime based support services to Polkadot ecosystem teams, funded via treasury.

We believe:

Agile Coretime will increase Polkadot adoption dramatically, considering the auction related blockers will be resolved.
The more coretime a chain uses, the better product-market fit they have, and the more utility and usage the DOT token gets.

Hence, if quality teams with good product ideas help increase the adoption of Polkadot, they should get something in return from the ecosystem too. That’s where coretime usage based support services come into picture.

Based on how much coretime teams are using, they will have free access to a pool of support engineering resources to help them with their code reviews, best practices, problem solving, and engineering advisory.

We believe this kind of support service model will also gamify the coretime usage in the ecosystem, and will play a catalytic role in education and generating excitement about the coretime concepts.

Substrate Code Reviews

The (now-discontinued) Substrate Builders Program (SBP), overseen by Parity for many years, has undergone fundamental evolution in terms of goals and resource allocation. Throughout its existence, our engineers conducted Substrate code reviews for emerging Parachains and projects.

Previously, as part of the SBP, teams defined milestones, each spanning three months and comprising at least three technical deliverables. Code reviews focused on evaluating the achievability of these deliverables within the specified timeframe and their quality; aiming to enhance development and ensure the highest quality of projects on Polkadot.

Prior to the strategic decentralization of ecosystem functions at Parity, our team played a vital role in assisting project teams with these technical reviews. With the cessation of the SBP program and its replacement with the new product feedback focused Alpha Program - aimed at enhancing the Polkadot SDK and core products; the expert, impartial, and dedicated engineering support that was once available to these builder teams is now unavailable in the ecosystem.

Based on empirical evidence from the original program, we are highly aware of the importance of the engineering support we are capable of providing and wish to maintain this service in a decentralized manner.

Polkadot Release Analysis

Within the framework of Parity's Delivery Services offering, we formerly curated meticulous analysis for each Polkadot release. Regrettably, this service is no longer accessible to the community, with the last post issued in January 2024.

Although the PR docs solution has been introduced, it is imperative to acknowledge that the community widely appreciated the Release Analysis. We propose reestablishing this service to enhance visibility of breaking changes that may impact Parachain operational integrity.

Delivery Partners Program

For the past 4 years, we have overseen the Substrate Delivery Partners Program, with the primary objective of curating a list of globally distributed solution engineering companies excelling in the delivery of Substrate-based projects. There are enhancements that can only be implemented under a decentralized coordination model proposed by BlockDeep Labs.

Specifically:

BlockDeep Labs can train and provide strategic technical support to quality dev shops and consulting agencies on Polkadot technology. Our intention is to enable a technology on-ramp to the Polkadot Ecosystem, facilitating accreditation for service companies proficient in delivering enterprise-grade Substrate solutions.
As BlockDeep Labs is proposing a code review process for new entrants in the ecosystem, there will invariably be teams requiring blockchain development, devops, and frontend support. The proposed program would support this need synergistically as a passive service.

Services Description

This section goes into the detail of each proposed service, and how we intend to deliver them.

Coretime Usage Based Support Services

The coretime usage based support services will be provided to the teams who show coretime utilization above average (exact measurement model will be figured out once coretime launches).

As part of the funding of this proposal, we will ensure a total of 25 hours per month (across top coretime using teams) of the funded bandwidth goes to providing free support based on the above mentioned model.

Substrate Runtime Reviews

Pipeline

In terms of establishing a strong pipeline of quality projects, BlockDeep Labs will offer this service to all members of the Alpha Program. However, as capacity will be limited to 25 teams in the first 6 months, the service will be offered on a case by case basis with preference given to recommendations from the Alpha Program and/or technical complexity & value additivity to the ecosystem.

Review Process Details

Our engineers will take on the task of conducting thorough code reviews for builder teams. The review process will consist of two phases, similar but more compact to the approach employed by the SBP in the past. Teams will have direct access to expert Substrate engineering guidance and constructive feedback.

Each review will have the following work items (tasks):

Overview call with the builder team to understand codebase and usecase.
In-depth review of the code.
Writing the review report.
Doing a feedback call with the builder team.
Minting the NFT badge.

Service details

Full code review of pre-agreed Substrate-based chain runtime code for a defined scope.
Detailed technical feedback report (example report) to be provided to the builder team.
Additional technical support of up to 5 hours of engineering time per review.
These will not be security reviews or audits.
Creation of an on-chain “Reviewed by BlockDeep” badging system for teams who pass the review.
Creation of a Polkadot & Substrate best-practices knowledge base based on review findings.

KPIs

No. of teams per month.
No. of reviews per month.
No. of positive / negative reviews / issues with specific areas.
Vertical breakdown e.g. DeFi, Gaming, NFTs, Sustainability etc.

Engineering bandwidth requirements:

Assuming 50 new teams per year (25 teams per 6 months)
50 teams * 2 reviews per team = 100 reviews per year
- Each team will receive up to 2 reviews
Every review takes 40-80 person-hours; ~60 person-hours on average (see review process details above)
- 100 * 60 hrs = 6,000 person-hours total per year
- For 6 months: 3,000 person-hours

Anticipated outcomes

Best case scenario:

25 teams and 50 reviews in 6 months. Fully utilized. We will request for more funding to support teams beyond 6 months.

Average Case Scenario:

10 to 15 teams and ~25 reviews in 6 months. We will route the unused bandwidth to the coretime based support service and extend the duration accordingly.

Worst case scenario:

Zero reviews as no teams come to us. We will extend the review service for another 3 months, with the same funding.

Polkadot Release Analysis

We commit to delivering a comprehensive analysis within timeframe of 5 to 7 days following each Polkadot release. This analysis will be disseminated to the community through the Polkadot forum.

See the last Release Analysis here: https://forum.polkadot.network/t/polkadot-release-analysis-v1-6-0/5855/2
We intend to follow the same format and detail in the analysis reports proposed as part of this proposal.

Bandwidth needed: 0.5 FTE per month (Substrate Engineer)

Delivery Partners Program

We propose initiating a new partners program designed to facilitate engagement, accrediting tier-1 and tier-2 Substrate engineering companies possessing expertise in the following skillsets:

i. Substrate Runtime & ink! Development
ii. Frontend UI/UX
iii. DevOps
iv. Solidity (considered ancillary yet vital for ecosystem support)

This strategic initiative aims to amplify Polkadot’s visibility and empower third-party Business Development (BD) teams to interact with customers on a basis that is both trusted and verified.

In addition to the above, we will also take up relationship management, ongoing training, and support for existing partners too.

The program structure will comprise two tiers, recognizing the existing tier-1 engineering companies with significant expertise, while also establishing a tier-2 accreditation to accommodate new entrants with some experience, enabling them to contribute to the ecosystem.

Service details

Creation of program branding.
Training and technical support to accepted partners on Polkadot technology.
Creation of and on-chain badging systems for trained partners using NFTs on one of the existing parachains.

Team

Gautam Dhameja

Role: Founder & Architect
Experience: ex-Director of Solution Engineering at Parity. Build the Parity consulting team from the grounds up to 35+ people. Architected and designed the services and processes described in this proposal, and delivered them while being at Parity successfully for 5+ years.

Emiliano Zapata

Role: Substrate Engineer
Experience: Substrate Engineer and Polkadot Academy graduate. Expert at XCM and runtime development.

José Molina

Role: Substrate Engineer
Experience: Senior Substrate Engineer and full stack architect. Expert at integrations and dapps built on parachains.

Valentin Fernandez

Role: Substrate Engineer
Experience: Substrate Engineer and Polkadot Academy graduate. Expert runtime developer.

Andreja Markovic

Role: Project Manager
Experience: Technical Project Manager. Managed the delivery at Parity on most of the services described above.

Budget (6 months, 01/06/24-30/11/24)

Work Area	Role	Costs	Tasks / Comments
Code Reviews	Substrate Engineer	3000 hours * 70 (hourly rate) = 210,000 USD	Code reviews, feedback writing, advisory, communication with builder teams.
Release Analysis	Substrate Engineer	0.5 FTE for 6 months = 40,000 USD	Analyzing Polkadot releases and drafting detailed reports.
Coretime Based Support	Substrate Engineer	150 hours * 70 (hourly rate) = 10,500 USD	Technical support for Polkadot parachains based on coretime usage (25 hours * 6 months).
On-chain Badging System	Full Stack Engineer	2 FTEs for 6 months = 105,000 USD	Design, Development, and maintenance of badging system using NFTs for reviewees and partners (two mini dapps).
Runtime Reviews and Partners Program Coordination	Ecosystem Services Coordinator (PM)	FTE for 6 months at 140,000 per year = 70,000 USD	Ecosystem coordination with reviewee/builder teams. Delivery Partners Program.
Entity Management	Operational Costs	50,000 USD	Infrastructure, Taxes, CRM software, Administrative expenses, etc.

Total

Total excluding VAT: USD 485,500
VAT (19%): USD 92,245 (Update: Just to be on the safer side of taxation system. We are a company registered in Germany and it is unclear how to treat DAOs for VAT purposes.)
Total Including VAT: USD 577,745
DOT EMA7 Price (22 April 2024): 7.07 (https://polkadot.subscan.io/tools/charts?type=price)
Total DOT Requested: 81,718