ELK — Milestone 1
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| RFP | RFP 02 — Use Case Landscape & Competitive Positioning |
| RFP | RFP 05 — Government & Emerging Markets Entry Strategy |
| Team / Organisation | ELK GmBh |
| Milestone number | 1 of 4 |
| Reporting period | August 2026 - December 2026 |
| Grant amount | ADA 110,000 |
| Amount claimed this milestone | ADA 27,500 |
| Cumulative amount claimed | ADA 27,500 |
Summary
The goal of this milestone was to understand what is the current state of the ecosystem in terms in strategy and objectives. Making sure to understand what work is currently being done in terms of BD, what works, what doesn't, and why we need a more coordinated approach. Also analyzing what is being done in other blockchain ecosystems, and starting to develop the initial Impact Vertical Chain Template.
Deliverables
List every deliverable committed to in your grant agreement for this milestone.
| # | Deliverable | Status | Link / Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review and synthesize all existing Cardano 2030 KPI definitions | Complete | |
| 2 | Audit existing vertical reporting approaches across Cardano ecosystem teams | Complete | |
| 3 | Benchmark methodologies from adjacent ecosystems (Polkadot, Ethereum ecosystem funds, Cosmos) to identify best practices | Complete | |
| 4 | Draft the initial Impact Vertical Chain template and scenario modeling structure | Complete | |
| 5 | Publish a public call for ecosystem input on Intersect forums | Complete |
Evidence
Provide links or descriptions for all supporting evidence. Evidence must be publicly accessible or shared directly with the committee.
The following documents provide the supporting evidence for Milestone 1:
- P1-1+2 — Cardano 2030 KPI Synthesis and Ecosystem Reporting Audit
- P1-3 — Adjacent Ecosystem Benchmark
- P1-4 — Impact Vertical Template and Scenario Modeling
- Public Ecosystem Input Call. A public ecosystem-input call was published on the Cardano Forum to invite feedback on the Vertical-to-KPI Impact Framework. Title: Public Ecosystem Input Call: Vertical-to-KPI Impact Framework for Cardano Categories English; Research & Development Platform: Cardano Forum Author: ELK GmbH Publication date: September 16 2026 Public record: https://forum.cardano.org/t/public-ecosystem-input-call-vertical-to-kpi-impact-framework-for-cardano/156837 The post includes a description of the project, the Milestone 1 research outputs, specific questions for ecosystem participants, and instructions for providing feedback.
Deliverables
- Framework foundation report: the combined KPI synthesis/audit, ecosystem benchmark, and impact-chain/template materials.
- Agreed methodology: the methodology and framework approach documented in the P1-4 template and scenario-modeling document.
- Data-source and stakeholder map: Data Source and External Stakeholder Map
- Confirmed decision-gate structure: Decision Gate Structure
Budget Update
| Category | Budgeted (ADA) | Spent this period (ADA) | Cumulative spend (ADA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research & interviews | ADA 8,750 | 0 | 0 |
| Report production | ADA 10,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Brainstorming and strategy building | ADA 8,750 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 27,500 | 0 | 0 |
Issues and Blockers
- We encountered issues mainly in the actual strategy, and understanding how things would be managed, planned or funded. Who should be eligible or not to lead a vertical, should it be a person or a team.
- A lot of questionning around the management of all of this, should there be an entity leading all the verticals, where should the vertical leads report to. Should there already be initial work into the vertical before asking for funding ?
- We tried answering these questions thanks to the different discussions we have had with different Cardano actors, builders, DReps. We have not all the answers yet but it will be refined when completing milestone 2.
Plan for Next Milestone
Phase 2 — Framework Design & Expert Validation (Weeks 4–8)
- Conduct 10–12 structured interviews with vertical leads, dApp builders, BD professionals, and DReps across the Cardano ecosystem
- Iterate the framework based on expert input, stress-testing the Impact Vertical Chain template against multiple hypothetical verticals
- Validate the Bottleneck & Enabler Taxonomy with practitioners from at least 3 different ecosystem domains
- Host a live community workshop (Week 7) presenting the draft framework to ~30 community members for open feedback
- Finalize and publish the complete framework documentation on Intersect platform
This work should be completed by the end of September.
Here are the deliverables:
- Impact Vertical Chain Template Fully documented, reusable template for mapping any vertical's activities to Cardano 2030 KPIs
- Standardized scenario modeling methodology with shared input variables and KPI output metrics
- Classification system for vertical adoption constraints and accelerators, validated with ecosystem practitioners
- One-page self-service planning and reporting tool for vertical leads
- Full documentation of framework design rationale, validation process, expert insights, and usage guide
Milestone 1 Inception: Data Sources, Stakeholders and Decision Gates
This section records the project’s initial plan for identifying relevant data sources and stakeholders, and for reviewing decisions as the work progresses. It distinguishes the inception-stage planning completed for Milestone 1 from the detailed vertical research planned for Milestone 3.
Attestation
We confirm that the information in this report is accurate and that the deliverables described have been completed as stated.
Authorised signatory: Benjamin Ben Zvi, ELK GmBh Date: 2026/09/02