Grants Application
Project
Rocket BUIDLers workshop
What is the work being proposed?
We’re proposing to organize and present a workshop about the Proteus project in Denver during the BUIDL week event (February 24th to March 1st, before ETHDenver). We aim to demonstrate how cheap and easy it is to become a Rocket Pool Node Operator running your own node at home, how it can be fun building a piece of the hardware, and how easy it is to set up the Rocket Pool smartnode.
ETHDenver and the BUIDL week are among the main Ethereum events, with an expected audience of thousands of Ethereum-aligned people, making it the perfect place to disseminate the word about Rocket Pool in a more engaging way.
The RP team will only be present during the main event, so this is an opportunity to establish a presence for the protocol during BUIDL week.
Is there any related work this builds off of?
The workshop would be based on the Proteus project by Joe Clapis and the Rocket Pool smartnode by the Rocket Pool team and contributors.
Will the results of this project be entirely open source (MIT, GPL, Apache, CC BY license, or similar)? If not, which parts will not be, why, and under what license will they be published?
The project doesn’t involve any new software development. The hardware project is an IP of Joe Clapis and will not be made public. Any training material created will be made public through a GitHub repository or similar medium.
BENEFITS
How does this help people looking to stake ETH for rETH?
With this workshop, we expect to increase the number of users hosting minipools with Rocket Pool, which would increase the rETH supply, making it easier for users who want rETH.
How does this help rETH holders?
Increasing the number of Node Operators using Rocket Pool would help diminish the risks from a single NO impacting the rETH value. We can also expect users to migrate from VPS services making Rocket Pool and the Ethereum network even more decentralized.
How does this help people looking to run a Rocket Pool node for the first time?
Some of the workshop participants would be convinced by the simplicity of the Proteus solution and the smartnode stack, making the decision to become a Node Operator with Rocket Pool easier.
How does this help people already running a Rocket Pool node?
Existing Node Operators could replace their existing solution with Proteus, reducing their energy costs, or adding Proteus as a fallback node, making their setup more resilient to failures.
How does this help the Rocket Pool community?
We aim to increase the number of RP Node Operators and to disseminate the Rocket Pool brand at one of the biggest Ethereum events worldwide. Training material will be made available to the Rocket Pool community.
How does this help RPL holders?
New Node Operators would buy and stake RPL, increasing its value.
The exposure of the Rocket Pool brand at such a big event could lead to more investors buying RPL.
What other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?
Joe Clapis (and Proteus parts providers) would profit from any eventual Proteus sales made possible by the workshop.
Will the resulting project be open source?
This grant does not involve any new software development. Any training material created will be made public through a GitHub repository or similar medium.
TEAM
Who is doing the work?
0xFornax is championing this grant based on the work from Joe Clapis, with his authorization. Yorick and 0xFornax will prepare/present it on Joe’s behalf during BUIDL week at a rented venue. Other Rocket Pool volunteers are welcome to help during the workshop.
What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?
Joe is the lead smartnode developer and creator of Proteus. Yorick is a member of the Rocket Pool oDAO and an expert on Ethereum nodes. 0xFornax is a Rocket Pool community enthusiast and smartnode contributor.
What is the proposed work breakdown, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?
Upon acceptance, training material will be prepared by the team and made available to the GMC no later than February 16th.
The workshop would take place during ETHDenver or the BUIDL week, according to the space availability. February 24th to March 5th.
No other work would be required after the workshop.
How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?
Proteus has been through a prototyping phase and is thoroughly tested.
How will the work be maintained after delivery?
The training material resulting from this work will be made available to the Rocket Pool community and serve any future training needs requiring eventual updates.
There’s no other maintenance expected as a result of the workshop. New node operators would be welcomed and receive the Rocket Pool community support, as usual. Joe would be responsible for handling any Proteus orders made possible by the workshop.
PAYMENT AND VERIFICATION
What are the acceptance criteria?
This grant request would be subject to acceptance by the event organizers. According to BUIDLWeek Event Hosts | BUIDLWeek Event Hosts, during BUIDL week there are 90-minute slots costing $1,500. We’re going to apply for a slot and expect the application to be accepted by the event organizers.
What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much RPL and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?
$1,500 worth of RPL to rent an official venue during BUIDL week. This is subject to the workshop proposal being accepted by the ETHDenver organization.
$1,000 worth of RPL to be offered as a bounty to one hackathon team with the best work related to RP. This is an optional amount for the current grant proposal and aims to increase the RP exposure to hackathon teams, which usually consider sponsor bounties when defining what to do for the hackathon. This would be added to any bounty provided by the RP team and doesn’t match a proper “bounty” as defined by the GMC as it would be a generic prize offered for the best work related to RP and not require a specific feature to be implemented.
$600 worth of RPL to acquire a Proteus unit as a prize for workshop/ETHDenver participants. The specifics of how people could engage and try to win the prize would be discussed with the RP community (possibilities include a raffle for the event participants or a contest for improvements to RP/Proteus). This prize would greatly expand the interest in Rocket Pool during the event and is very aligned with the BUIDL week ethos.
$600 to acquire a Proteus unit to 0xFornax, which will be used to create training material and represent compensation for this work.
$250 worth of RPL to offer as a Poapathon design bounty: (1st Place $150 / 2nd Place $100)
Yorick has declined to be paid for the workshop
The total grant proposal cost is a one-time payment of $3,950 worth of RPL at the moment the workshop is accepted by the event organizers.
How will the GMC verify that the work’s deliveries match the proposed cadence?
Training material will be prepared by the team and made available to the GMC.
The workshop is expected to happen at BUIDL week, where GMC members can either directly participate or verify the results using the expected social media coverage by the event organization and the Rocket Pool volunteers.
What alternatives or options have been considered to save costs for the proposed project?
Renting an external Maker space has been considered but it would miss most of the benefits compared to an official event venue.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).
0xFornax and Yorick have no conflicts of interest. Joe Clapis, the creator of Proteus, is a member of the Grants Committee and will abstain from voting.
Will the recipient of the grant or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?
The recipient of the grant would have a financial benefit equivalent to one Proteus unit. 0xFornax doesn’t have any vested interest in any organization that would benefit from this grant (ETHDenver would benefit from renting a space, poap designers would benefit from the poap bounty).