Name of Grant
Sponsor Of Institutional DeFi Season [May - July 2025]
What is the work being proposed?
A fully managed B2B marketing campaign targeting capital allocators, banks & fintechs [TradFi] with the goal to educate on the topic of staking for institutions.
The starting point is May and includes different forms of media [5x networking events {IRL Zurich, Frankfurt, Paris, London + digital}, social media content & industry report] to increase RPs BD/sales & brand awareness.
Efforts are leveraged as the marketing campaign is held with 8 other DeFi leaders in different DeFi relevant categories e.g. custody, network infrastructure, risk management & vault curation, …
Detailed overview can be found here: https://pitch.com/v/w3vision-x-blockstories-institutional-defi-season-xfbr9p
Is there any related work this builds off of?
No.
Will the results of this project be entirely open source
No, the results will not be entirely open source.
Details:
Public-Facing Content:
Key deliverables such as the industry report, event recaps, and selected digital content aimed at educating and informing the broader DeFi and institutional communities are published publicly.
Proprietary Assets:
The core creative assets—including the comprehensive proprietary production materials, curated marketing content, and attendees registration data—will remain closed & only be shared with season sponsors.
Benefit
| Potential rETH holders | The campaign raises institutional awareness and educates capital allocators about staking solutions. This increased credibility and visibility enhances trust and attracts new users who are exploring staking options with rETH |
|---|---|
| rETH holders | By driving institutional interest and broadening the market’s understanding of staking benefits, the campaign leads to greater network adoption and liquidity. This, in turn, supports the overall ecosystem stability and improves token dynamics for existing rETH holders. |
| Potential NOs | The marketing initiative includes educational events and targeted outreach that demystify the process of running a Rocket Pool node. These efforts lower the barrier for first-time node operators, encouraging new participants to join the network. |
| NOs | For operators already running a node, the campaign’s enhanced brand positioning and increased market visibility will bolster credibility and attract more business. This translates into improved operational support and additional networking opportunities. |
| Community | A strengthened and more visible Rocket Pool brand benefits the entire community. Increased industry engagement and a successful institutional campaign contribute to a more robust and innovative ecosystem, benefiting all community members. |
| RPL holders | As the campaign attracts institutional interest and enhances Rocket Pool’s market positioning, there is potential for increased network usage and demand. This leads to greater utility and possibly an uplift in the value of RPL tokens. |
Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?
Member of the Rocket Pool Team such as Darren, or DAO member, or other appointed representative [e.g. Alpha Growth’s team if continued]
Work
Who is doing the work?
The B2B marketing campaign “Institutional DeFi Season”, is hosted as a partnership between:
Blockstories UG, Mühlenstraße 8A, 14167 Berlin
- Leading German Digital Assets Media Company
- Project Lead, Maximilian Vargas: https:/www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-vargas/
w3.vision GmbH, Neue Schönhauser Strasse 2, 10178 Berlin
- Community Owned Media Connecting Industries With Web3
- Project Lead, Jonathan Kuhl: https:/www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-kuhl/
Comment: The partnership is ideal as Blockstories has strong expertise in curating content in the field of Digital Assets & w3.vision has proven experience in media execution.
What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?
Shared Experience [Blockstories & w3.vision]
- Proven Digital Asset Season (Jan-Mar ‘25)
- Together with Solana Foundation, Fireblocks, Near Foundation, Kiln, 21shares, DLT Finance, tradias, Deka (DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale is the central provider of asset management and capital market solutions of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, a network of public banks that together form the largest financial services group in Germany and in all of Europe)
- KPIs
- People reached: 200.000 (digital channels)
- Event registrations: 1200 [attendees: 350 offline / 500 online]
- Present guests: e.g. Fidelity, KKR, Blackstone, UBS, Allianz, Baader, DZ Bank
Experience [Blockstories]
- Newsletter Subs: 15.000 [open rate: 64%]
- Conference Attendees: 300 [digital asset conference, ‘24, Frankfurt]
- Clients include: Galaxy, Sygnum, Taurus, 21shares
Experience [w3.vision]
- Hosted Events & Hackathons: 250+
- Conference Attendees: 20.000 [marketing conference for industries, ‘21&’22, Cologne]
- Clients include: ETH Foundation, Mastercard, Bitpanda, Ledger, Circle, Celestia
What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?
- Deadline: 01.05.2025
- Invite Only Events (IRL):
- 25.05.2025 [Zurich]
- 05.06.2025 [Frankfurt]
- 24.06.2025 [London]
- VIP Dinner
- 08.07.2025 [Paris]
- Industry Call [Virtual]
- 11.05.2025
- Virtual Content [Onside Interviews, Newsletter Deep Dives, Report]
- May - July 2025
How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?
- A similar B2B campaign was hosted between Jan 25’ - Mar’ 25 together with proven season sponsors [see above: What experience do they have with such projects in the past?]
How will the work be maintained after delivery?
On w3.vision’s website: https://www.w3.vision/
Costs
What is the acceptance criteria?
- RP representative at IRL events
- Input from RP representative for digital content campaign
What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much USD $ and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?
For the production of the B2B marketing campaign (Institutional DeFi Season) from May - July 2025, 100% of the payment is requested before its start [deadline 01.05.2025].
The final price ranges from EUR 22.000 to EUR 32.000. As the pricing is at a first confirmation, first price.
- 1st - 4th Partner: EUR 22.000
- 5th - 7th Partner: EUR 28.000
- 8th - 9th Partner: EUR 32.000
How will the GMC verify that the work delivered matches the proposed cadence?
All data is shared & reported. For the event there will be ideally always representatives of GMC, ideally Darran.
What alternatives or options have been considered in order to save costs for the proposed project?
The Institutional DeFi Season is cost efficient for RP, as it is hosted with 8 other sponsors, reducing costs for individual events, leveraging marketing output.
Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?
No.
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).
No.
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?
No.