Sponsorship for active devs and community members during Polkadot Symbiosis in Buenos Aires

Ecosystem
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Name: The Dots: John Mental & Mantra

Country: Thailand, APAC

Summary: The Dots is a meme and content production studio, and one of the leading independent media channels founded in January 2024 by two Polkadot fans (both Polkadot Ambassadors Rank III). Our mission to cover the Polkadot ecosystem in a humorous, engaging, and easily digestible way. The Dots has been consistently active in the Polkadot ecosystem, focusing on media, memes, and community storytelling.

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The Dots have collaborated with a wide range of ecosystem leaders, projects, and builders - including Interview with Bill Laboon, Polkadot UX Bounty, Polkadot Marketing Bounty, Polkadot Blockchain Academy Twitter Space, WUD, Hydration, Mandala Chain, WebZero, DOTPlay (Polkadot Avatars), FIFA Rivals, and Pudgy Thailand, 265Dots.

Our social media:
The Dots on X: https://x.com/TheDotsTalks
TheDots on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedotstalks
The Dots on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TheDotsTalks
DOTClips on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dotclipstv

Alignment with Sponsorship Criteria

We specialize in turning complex narratives into memes and engaging short-form content across X and TikTok, designed to expand Polkadot’s reach and build stronger community engagement.

We have worked as media partners with WebZero, collaborating at Sub0 Reset Bangkok by producing event content, interviews, and on-the-ground coverage that helped amplify the event’s visibility.

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Feedback from WebZero (Sub0 Reset Bangkok 2024):

“It was a pleasure working with TheDots during sub0 - they were extremely determined to capture and interview many guests/speakers and share their experience. Their memes during sub0 were some of the highest performing posts and kept our feed engaging to those who could not attend. I would be happy to work with them again at sub0 Symbiosis”

Roman Kemper, Founder WebZero

  1. Representatives of projects building on Polkadot (15 points)

The Dots is a meme and content production studio, and one of the leading ecosystem media channels.

  1. Creation of technical content in last 3 months (5 points)
  1. Proof of Work (5–10 points)

Consistent and verifiable output of memes, articles, posts and videos across X/TikTok/YouTube.

Portfolio of Collaborations:

sub0 Bangkok:

Interviews:

The Dots TikTok videos for the last three months

Our social media metrics on X:

The Dots on X
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Our iconic videos on TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thedotstalks/video/7538874995016076552
https://www.tiktok.com/@thedotstalks/video/7526978526361160966
https://www.tiktok.com/@thedotstalks/video/7520465369992039688
https://www.tiktok.com/@dotclipstv/video/7513625054761078046
https://www.tiktok.com/@dotclipstv/video/7456108306067639582
https://www.tiktok.com/@dotclipstv/video/7469835641375690014

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  1. OpenGov Proposals (5+ points)
    Previously passed OpenGov proposal with all milestones successfully delivered, as verified on OGTracker.
  2. W3F Grant / PBA Alumni (5 points each)
    Not applicable.

Active Polkadot Community Contributions

1. Continuous activity (5 points)

We have been consistently active in the Polkadot community - first as ambassadors and, since January 2024, as The Dots. Our contributions include daily engagement, highlighting core ecosystem narratives, producing media content, and collaborating with multiple product teams to amplify their work.

2. Roles of responsibility (5–10 points)

Mantra is a Polkadot Community Manager and has moderator rights in the official Polkadot Telegram. When no other moderators are active, he steps in to keep the channel running smoothly. John is a moderator in the official Hydration Telegram group.

The Dots also organized six meetups in Bangkok under the TomYumDAO initiative. (This will be explained further in point 6).

3. Participation as Speakers (10–15 points)

Speaker at Pudgy Thailand x TomYumDAO - “Polkadot is the Future of Web3.”

Pudgy Polkadot
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4. Content creation (5–10 points)

This is our core strength - producing daily content on X and TikTok, including memes, interviews, storytelling, VFX videos, and edits that consistently outperform average engagement.

5. Artists within the ecosystem (5–8 points)

Our memes and edits are creative interpretations of the Polkadot’s vision. The Dots also has its own mascot with a unique cartoon design, showcasing our artistic and design skills. In addition, we are preparing to launch an NFT collection in collaboration with WUD, as part of the WUD Universe game (launching this week).

WUD THE DOTS NFT
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We were also WebZero artists partners during ETHDenver, where we managed the Polkadot marketing campaign, featured on a billboard along the highway leading to the event.

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6. Polkadot grassroots contribution (5 points)

The Dots is a co-founder of TomYumDAO, the Thai Polkadot community, and an active participant in the Roots Program. We have successfully hosted six meetups in Bangkok, including signature collaborations with AVAX Team 1 and Pudgy Thailand. Looking ahead, we are preparing a special “Road to Sub0” event in Thailand to further strengthen local community engagement.

Links:

X account: https://x.com/TomYumDAO
AVAX Team1: https://x.com/TheDotsTalks/status/1966406825793970611
Pudgy Thailand: https://x.com/TheDotsTalks/status/1960344610275790931

Motivation & Activities During Symbiosis 2025

We aim to document, memeify, and amplify Sub0 Symbiosis 2025 in Buenos Aires, maximizing its reach and overall impact.

Our deliverables:

TikTok-style short videos featuring speakers, builders, and attendees; interviews with key contributors; Same-Day Edits to capture the event’s energy in real time; an Aftermovie as a full recap; plus engagement tweets and memes tailored to the event highlights.

Additionally, we’ll capture the sub0 backstage: before-during-after content, to amplify the sub0 impact and social media reach. We will not only cover the event but create a narrative arc that lives on after Symbiosis, making it memorable for those present and accessible for those who couldn’t attend.

Budget Request

We request sponsorship under the Asia region cap for a total of 4,400 USD (2,200 USD per participant) to support two team members, John and Mantra, who will attend and work together as a production team.

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Hi,

Name: Charles-Edouard LADARI
Username: celadari**
Country and Region where I will departing from**: Brazil, LATAM
Github: celadari (Charles-Edouard LADARI) · GitHub

Contributions

  1. Graduated from the Polkadot Blockchain Academy, Singapore Cohort (Wave 5) with a distinction: certificate with distinction
  2. JAM for Scala (jam4s): I am developing a Scala implementation of the JAM protocol. Due to JAM Prize rules, the repository is not yet public, but I have published. Member of the team.
  3. Blog posts: Understanding Patricia Trie in Appendix D of the Gray Paper and Safrole Algorithm Demystified: JAM Block Creation . Acknowledged in ecosystem discussions: Gavin Wood highlighting our team’s work on JAM.
  4. Community Feedback & Testing for JAM**:** I have actively engaged in JAM discussions, providing feedback on the Gray Paper and contributing test vectors that help validate and refine the evolving specification. Attented physical JAM events in Bangkok and Lisbon where I could interact with fellow Jam implementers.
  5. Community Feedback & Testing for Polkadot: provided direct feedback to the Pop team regarding their cross chain smart contract calling features.
  6. Also attented and interacted on web3 summits in Berlin 2024 and 2025 along with Decoded 2024 Singapore, Sub0 2024 Bangkok.
  7. Made a POC for on chain subscriptions: github repository
  8. Co-founder of KwickBit: a non-custodial payment gateway for eCommerce websites. Backed by W3F Decentralized Futures Grant. Also interested by Kusama community for website payments.
  9. Co-Founder of Hedgepay (hedgepay.app), a self-custodial mobile app that enables stablecoin payments in regions facing hyperinflation, starting with Latin America and Asia.
  10. Presented at nodespace at Web3 summit 2025 about future of onchain settlement payment with payment using HedgePay to pay on a website accpeting payments through KwickBit.

Motivation for Sponsorship

I’m completing the final deliverables for Hedgepay and now want to bring the product to real users and partners. Polkadot Symbiosis in Buenos Aires is the right place to do this.

Objectives at Symbiosis:

  • Hedgepay Introduction: Present the current version of Hedgepay to users, and connect with local merchants and partners who can adopt it.

  • JAM Collaboration: Work with fellow implementers to exchange progress and ideas around JAM.

  • Polkadot Projects: Collaborate more with existing Polkadot builders and initiatives to integrate Hedgepay and strengthen the ecosystem.

Attending Symbiosis will let me showcase Hedgepay in a region where stablecoin solutions are most needed, while also deepening collaboration with the Polkadot community.

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Hello!

Name / Nickname: Luiz Veloso

Matrix Handle: luizv

Role: Founder, Independent Validator, PBA Campus Graduate

Country / Region: Brazil, Latin America

Summary of the Last Six Months

Over the past six months, I have transitioned from a Polkadot Blockchain Academy graduate to an active validator and open-source contributor within the Polkadot ecosystem:

  • (April) Polkadot Blockchain Academy: I graduated in April 2025 at the Lucerne Campus (dApps Track), deepening my technical expertise and building a strong community network that led directly to my validator journey. One of the greatest experiences of my life. (NFT Certificate)

    PBA Campus @ Lucerne 2025
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  • (May) Public tool: Published an early-stage tool developed during PBA to inspect validator and nominator data, with the goal of expanding it into a full public analytics resource in the future. (Tool link)

  • (June) StakeHarvest : Set the foundation for StakeHarvest, an indie, individual validator initiative with the goal of becoming a full fledge staking provider platform startup. I’ve being working for, my currently individual validation service evolves, in the future, into a broader company with additional products and services for the ecosystem. (Hotsite)

  • (July) Validator Operations: Started from July operating **two Polkadot validators and two Kusama validators.**Now they are running on enterprise-grade servers in Brazil. I believe I am currently running the only two Polkadot validators on the active set in Brazil.

  • (August) Open source contribution: Developed and maintain polkadot-updater, a bash script for safely scanning and automating Polkadot binary updates with GPG verification. Already in production, it is designed to support a wide range of Linux distributions and is continuously improved. (OpenSource Repo)

  • (September) Decentralized Nodes Program:
    Selected for Decentralized Nodes Cohort 3 with 2 Polkadot and 2 Kusama validators. (Selection results)

DN Selected Validators

Polkadot

:green_circle: luizv/StakeHarvest/v1: 1PqUaCWULAwrdvY2B6FnkzPHWzAhbKEk6hoFoUGs2tCy5jS
:green_circle: luizv/StakeHarvest/v2: 126ANkfm32BEYjHLGvqW5KDEkzmTGxAr6RchdE85GoyjMjeW

Kusama

:green_circle: luizv/StakeHarvest-KSM/v1: Cy9zZHKEuvQAkjTqErJYZXEaVGkoxaH7yp4VAksnk5BXiKn
:green_circle: luizv/StakeHarvest-KSM/v2: DfUtjkZobvgrr6G5zbYq7k63y43PKRtUJixrbQgCXAhvaLJ

Motivation for Sponsorship

I request sponsorship to attend Subzero Buenos Aires, an important event to connect Latin America’s growing validator presence with the global Polkadot community. My participation will help:

  • Strengthen regional representation: As the only active Polkadot validator in Brazil, attending Subzero reinforces the importance of having local operators in key countries.

  • Expand Latin American presence: My medium-term goal is to expand validator coverage to more Brazilian and South American regions, supporting decentralization and reducing latency for the whole continent.

  • Advance open-source work: Engaging with peers in Buenos Aires will help me improve the validator tools I am building and ensure they meet the community’s real needs.

  • Grow StakeHarvest: One of my key goals at Subzero is to network, publicize StakeHarvest, and present its core desire to be a transparent and community-focused staking provider. This will help give visibility to my validator services, attract nominators, and accelerate the project’s growth.

This opportunity would accelerate my growth as a contributor, support the visibility of StakeHarvest, and help position Latin America more prominently in Polkadot’s global ecosystem.

Other Key Information

1. Representatives of projects that are building on Polkadot/Kusama or have demonstrated a public and notorious interest in wanting to build on PolkaVM or to migrate their existing project to Polkadot. (15 points)
I am co-founder of Tradx, a backtest trading platform with the goal to operate with both centralized (EX) and decentralized (DEX) exchanges. Tradx currently reaches around 500 downloads per month, showing consistent traction. My first step in moving Tradx into the Polkadot ecosystem was through participation in the Polkadot Blockchain Academy Lucerne 2025. Since April, integrating Tradx with Polkadot has been established as a priority in our roadmap. With that in mind, back in February we also submit it to the PolkaBiz track of PBA Campus @ Lucerne 2025, although we aren’t selected. (Link)

2. Creation of technical content focused on Polkadot or any Polkadot parachain during the 3 months prior to Sub0 (5 points).
Creating of a series of tutorials for Polkadot validator setup focus on Rhel distribution. Extensive work with multiple parts ranging from basics to security and monitoring.

3. Proof of work, including github activity. Repositories or personal github links to check the contributions in the last year. (5 to 10 points).
Many public repositories related to Polkadot & Substrate, with personal work starting from November, 2024. (Link)

5. W3F Grant (5 points)
Selected for 3d cohort of DN Nodes with 2 Polkadot and 2 Kusama validators. (Link)

6. Alumni PBA (5 points).
Graduated Alumni from PBA Campus @ Lucerne 2025.

Active on Polkadot Community

1. Active and continuous participation in the community during the 2024 and 2025 period (5 points).
Aditionally to the last six months contributions I already wrote about, I started Polkadot participation on October of 2024, by taking a course promoted by other members of the community (it was a 3 months course). This course I took only was possible because of a grant approved by OpenGov to teach and publicize Polkadot at Brazil.

6. Polkadot Community Leaders and Core Contributors: This area focuses on individuals who contribute to regional Polkadot grassroots communities. ( 5 points).
Currently the only two validators on active set at Brazil (as checked on Telemetry), I’m also a professor on an excellent software development academy in Brazil. I’m very proactive into bring blockchain and Polkadot information and mentoring to students, developers and other mentors this community. (Link)

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Hello, I am Ayushi from New Delhi, India.
I appreciate this initiative & would like to participate in it!

Name Ayushi
Nickname Ayano
Organization: Feooh
Region: New Delhi, India
Twitter: @ayanofeooh

Background

Feooh has been building on Polkadot since 2022 & currently one of the official tech arm for Mandala Chain developing solutions.

Feooh leadership was featured on The Kus podcast - Space Monkeys 196

Details about myself

I hold a Blockchain Postgraduate Certification from Cornell University.

Working on Polkadot-based solutions for the government education sector for client in Italy & Toronto based healthcare client, along with Mandala Chain development. Contributing to an ongoing strategic grant from W3F.

Key technical contributions:

  • Core developer for Mandala related development initiatives
  • Substrate contracts_pallet integration with custom DAG-based chain
  • Dynamic NFTs using ink!
  • Sub0 Reset Bangkok Bounty Winner (Dec 2024) - Government Grants solution

Community Leadership

  • Lead [@Dot_Delhi] - monthly Polkadot Developer Meetups in New Delhi
  • Regular technical workshops for developers & college students
  • Represented ecosystem at Web3X (Aug 2025), Tokyo, Japan & India Blockchain Week (Dec 2023)
  • Speaker at Sub0 Panel, Lisbon (Sep 2023) - Web3 Foundations: Kickstarting Your Journey in the Polkadot and Substrate Ecosystems

Why Sub0 - Polkadot Symbiosis in Buenos Aires 2025

I want to:

  1. Share Feooh’s real-world implementation experience with Mandala Chain & how we used Polkadot Deployment Portal
  2. Network with core developers & builders to enhance our ongoing projects
  3. Bring insights back to our monthly @Dot_Delhi meetups - representing Indian grassroots community
  4. Explore collaborations with builders working on identity, healthcare & gov applications

This sponsorship would enable me to represent women developer community in Polkadot Ecosystem and multiply the impact through our monthly meetups.

Thanks for consideration!

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Update on the Road 2 Sub0 Builder Party in Accra on X:

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Attending the Polkadot Event in Mumbai today (part of the Polkadot Hackathon happening).

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:compass: Application for Polkadot Sub0 Symbiosis Sponsorship — Buenos Aires 2025

Name / Nickname:
Aasav Ravi

Country / Region:
India / Asia

Summary of Activities (Last 6 Months)

Over the past six months, I’ve been actively engaged in the Polkadot ecosystem, focusing on decentralized finance infrastructure, interoperability, and community engagement.

  • Technical Contributions:

    • Building modular DeFi tools and a cross-chain USDC swap protocol aligned with Polkadot’s multi-chain architecture.

    • Exploring PolkaVM-based scalability and Substrate runtime optimization.

  • Community Involvement:

    • Mentoring early-stage developers exploring Polkadot SDKs.

    • Participating in governance and technical discussions around decentralized compute.

    • Prior Event Participation: My mother and I have actively attended past Polkadot events in Delhi and Bangalore, engaging with the community, workshops, and networking sessions.

  • Open Source Work:

    • Maintaining repositories focused on cross-chain DeFi logic and wallet integrations.

    • GitHub: github.com/aasavravi

Motivation for Sponsorship

Sub0 Symbiosis is the ideal platform to collaborate directly with Polkadot’s core innovators, share learnings from Asia’s growing developer network, and advance technical adoption through applied interoperability. I aim to bring India’s developer energy into the global Polkadot dialogue — fostering open-source collaboration, hands-on workshops, and cross-regional innovation.

Ode to Dr. Sukhmeet — FEOOH

I wish to express deep gratitude to Dr. Sukhmeet from FEOOH, whose leadership has profoundly shaped our developer journey. Traveling from Canada to mentor us in Delhi, he exemplifies the Polkadot spirit of knowledge without borders.

Under his guidance, we have matured from learners into capable builders within the ecosystem. His company’s elegant algorithm, f(e)∞h — inspired by the circumference of the Ashoka Pillar, symbolizing harmony, precision, and continuity — serves as both mathematical beauty and philosophical compass.

Through his vision and mentorship, we’ve come to see decentralized development not merely as code, but as a disciplined path toward collective progress.

Thank you to Lorena, Adrian, Patricia, Bekka, and Michael for enabling inclusive participation and transparent community representation. I look forward to representing the Asian developer community at Sub0 Symbiosis 2025, along with my mother, and contributing to the growth of Polkadot worldwide.

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Name: Francisco Albornoz

City, Country: Santiago, Chile

Region: Latam.

X: https://x.com/misterexcelw3

Activities/Bio: I’m Francisco Albornoz, AKA Mr. Excel, and I’ve been deeply involved in the Polkadot ecosystem since 2021. My passion for this technology is absolute, to the point that all my activities and projects in the Web3 space are exclusively centered around it.

This year, I took a crucial step by founding my own company in Chile, Web3 Chile. Additionally, since April 2025, I have been the co-founder of Polkadot Americas alongside César Escobedo (Mexico), and I have served as a curator for the Meetups Bounty since its inception.

Dev.

Representatives of projects that are building on Polkadot/Kusama or have demonstrated a public and notorious interest in wanting to build on PolkaVM or to migrate their existing project to Polkadot.

My company Web3 Chile has achieved a significant milestone: securing the endorsement of the Chilean Mountaineering Federation (FEACH Federacion de Andinismo de Chile) to integrate Web3 solutions into their platform. This project, which demonstrates great potential, is being actively developed by leveraging the energy and structure of Hackathon series such as Latin Hack, Builder Party, and Sub 0.

The development team comprises high-caliber experts: the Chilean mountaineer with 20 years of experience, Carolina Palma, along with Edgar Salinas (Peranto Project, Mexico) and César Escobedo (Polkadot Mexico).

Proof of work, including github activity. Repositories or personal github links to check the contributions in the last year.

https://github.com/misterexcel

https://github.com/misterexcel/AndinoChain

Alumni PBA: PBA-X graduated cohort 2 https://x.com/misterexcelw3/status/1925380094379397419

Active Polkadot Community:

1.- Active and continuous participation in the community during the 2024 and 2025 period.

My activities throughout the 2024-2025 biennium have spanned diverse locations, involving participation in multiple events in Santiago, Chile (connecting and participating with Chile DAO), Chiloé (a set of islands very far south in Chile), and Mendoza, Argentina.

In addition to this geographical focus, I maintain an ongoing commitment as a curator for the Meetups Bounty, hold the role of co-founder of Polkadot Americas, and have also been a contributor to KUS DAO.

2.- Having held positions of responsibility within the community: Discord/Telegram Moderator on official Polkadot channels, Event Organizer, Workshop Mentor, Meetup Organization, Participation in Spaces/Lives

I have participated in Polkadot en Español Spaces, and I also serve as a Meetup Organizer in Santiago, Chile.

3.- Participation as a Speaker at important sector-specific technology events. Note: Business/Professional Web2/Web3 events. (10 - 15 Points).

In March 2025, I was a speaker at CriptoVendimia in Mendoza, where I presented on OpenGov and its Evolution.

I also supported a highly successful Meetup in Mendoza: https://x.com/DOTmeetups/status/1910750801263575312

In May, I spoke at the NerdCamp Satellite Meetup in Santiago, Chile: https://x.com/DOTmeetups/status/1930721655384416496

In June, I was featured at the significant IME Chile event, speaking about Web3 and Polkadot alongside representatives from other protocols: https://x.com/misterexcelw3/status/1937724328826511801

4.- Content creation on X/YouTube

Through Polkadot Americas, we have produced over 40 livestreams that have received excellent reception on Twitter. I personally participated in approximately 30 of these, giving me substantial experience in content creation. You can find these broadcasts via the following link.

https://www.youtube.com/@PolkadotAmericas/streams

5.- Artists within the ecosystem

Many years ago, I used to write rap songs (as an MC). While I haven’t yet integrated this into my Web3 work, it’s something I don’t rule out for the future.

6.- Polkadot Community Leaders and Core Contributors: This area focuses on individuals who contribute to regional Polkadot grassroots communities.

Together with César Escobedo from Polkadot Mexico, we founded Polkadot Americas. The community has been a resounding success. I share an article about the community here:

https://medium.com/@audiarmisg/get-to-know-polkadot-americas-6ad890aaa7db

Our main activities include:

Additionally, since this year, I have been an active member of Chile DAO, encouraging new agents to conduct activities collaboratively. To date, 5 Meetups have already been organized. The group’s goal is to soon make Santiago, Chile, part of the Roots Program.

Motivation to go to The Polkadot Symbiosis 2025

My profound appreciation for Polkadot technology and its ecosystem strongly motivates me to participate in this event.

If I have the opportunity to attend, my intention could be is to organize a side meetup or similar parallel activity, facilitating the chance to connect in real life with the large number of people I interact with daily or weekly within the ecosystem.

Furthermore, the opportunity to be in Buenos Aires in November is crucial, as it will undoubtedly be the global epicenter of Web3 technology during that period

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Me as Speaker in CriptoVendimia. Mendoza, Argentina. March 2025.

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Mendoza Meetup. March 2025.

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May 2025, Nerdcamp Satelite Meetup, Santiago de Chile.

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IME Festival June 2025, Santiago de Chile.

Thank you to all the Organizers of this initiative, is very positive and important for the community.

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Sponsorship Application - Polkadot Sub0 Symbiosis - Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Name: Carlos Israel Jimenez
Country and Region: Ecuador, Latam - Polkadot Americas.

Summary of Activities in the Last Six Months

PBA Alumni - Certificate: https://app.kajabi.com/certificates/7621e674

Active Project Development on Polkadot
I’m developing Bae (Baby App Especializada), and IoT healthcare solution for infants on Polkadot Paseo Testing using Substrate. This project integrastes IoT, Decentralized Identity (DIDs) and XCM, demostrating a high social impact usa case aligned with UN SDG 3. Currently being developed for LatinHack with plans to present at the Polkadot Build Party and compete in the Sub0 Hackathon.

Community Leadership - Founder of Polkadot Ecuador

I founded Polkadot Ecuador and organized the first official Polkadot Meetup in the country where I served as speaker. Currently planning a Road to Sub0: Builder Party meetup focused
on developers for late October/early November, and in conversations with Angeles Binance Ambassador Ecuador to organize a CyptoCoffe in December featuring Polkadot.

Firts Polkadot Meetup in Ecuador
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Active Participation in Polkadot Americas
Active member of Polkadot Americas community, member of the Polkadot Americas DAO, and regular participant in OpenMIC sessions.

Content Creation
Published education article on Medium about Polkadot: **“Polkadot: Donde las promesas se Vuelven Productos.

GitHub and Proof of Work

Github Profile: https://github.com/carlos-israelj

Bae Project Repository (carlos-israelj/Bae) - Substrate-based for healthcare IoT.

Why I Would Like to Benefit From This Sponsorship
As a PBA alumni, Sub0 Symbiosis represents the opportunity to take my Bae project to the next level through the Build Party and Hackathon, receiving direct technical feeback from
Substrate and XCM experts. As founder of Polkadot Ecuador, every connection and technique I learn will multiply into workshops and mentorship for local builders. I’m currently organizing mutiple events to grow the ecosystem in Ecuador, and attending Sub0 will be crucial to strengthen these efforts and bring world-class knowledge back home. Without this sponsorship, I cannot afford the travel costs from Ecuador, and I have no other funding source available. The investment in me will strengthen an entire nascent ecosystem in Ecuador.

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Name: Patch Kientz

Location: California, United States

Experience and Contributions, past six months and prior

  • Berkeley PBA 2023 Alumni – Successfully completed the Engineering Track, passing all assignments and forming lasting relationships with colleagues who continue to inspire new directions in my work and thinking.
    Certificate: kodadot.xyz/ahp/gallery/56-14

  • Core Developer, Unit Network – Worked full time for 8 months to achieve critical milestones leading up to the launch of Unit Network’s private beta — a Substrate-based decentralized exchange with a diverse feature set for creating and managing token economies.
    unit.network

  • Decentralized AI Research – Independently exploring projects and carrying out R&D focused on decentralized AI systems.

    • I spent several months deeply engrossed in studying the fundamentals of machine learning and the application of advanced cryptography to help realize new infrastructures where GenAI can be auditable and while having optimal access to heterogeneous compute resources.

    • Attended the UC Berkeley Decentralized AI Summit (Summer 2025), where I engaged with founders from Gensyn, a startup pioneering decentralized compute networks for training machine learning models.

    • Currently running a Gensyn testnet node for their RL Swarm — Interested in node operations for similar projects, including Cyborg Network, Allora Network and Bittensor

    • Building connections and acquiring knowledge to contribute to the advancement of decentralized AI, which I believe can overcome bottlenecks in energy, computing resources and help catalyze the emergence of superintelligence.

  • Conceptual Development / Hackathon Submissions – Authored a whitepaper and submitted projects to several hackathons, an attempt at enabling composability in blockchain primitives and DeFi pipelines so AI chatbots can dynamically assemble Web3 solutions on demand.
    dovetails.network/whitepaper

  • Upcoming Hackathon Participation – Beginning October 6th, I will participate in the “Build Resilient Apps with Polkadot Cloud” hackathon. My project proposal may be geared towards using on-chain compute for machine learning purposes, integrated with a DeFi process to incentivize participants.

  • Deep Study of JAM Protocol – Actively reading the Gray Paper and perusing related materials with the goal of developing expertise in JAM. My aim is to leverage JAM in some of my nascent initiatives while also helping to broker other use cases by projects in the decentralized ML space and beyond.

By attending Sub0 Symbiosis, I can deepen my understanding of the JAM protocol, gain direct mentorship from the builders and power brokers leading its development, and apply those insights to my current hackathon project. I hope to have a complete proof of concept—potentially even a hackathon-winning one—that I can bring to the conference as a foundation for further building and collaboration. In addition to advancing my current project, I hope to evangelize the new revolutionary updates within the ecosystem while also maintaining a critical perspective on its current shortcomings. For instance, I am currently discussing with a PBA colleague the lack, if not sheer absence, of verifiability in Polkadot, meaning there is no reliable way to prove that the code running on the system matches the code it claims to execute; this is an issue I hope to explore further at the conference.

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Name: Pablo Dorado
Location: Bogotá, Colombia

Over the last six months, I’ve been dedicated to creating within the ecosystem, as well as imagining and crafting solutions with the tools provided by it.

I completed my first year as a member of the Polkadot Fellowship, where I actively contributed to several upgrades to the Polkadot and Kusama Relay Chain and System Chains, publishing an article for the community to learn about my experiences on that matter, and progressing on the Token Horizon vision (more details here).

Additionally, I’ve researched how to improve the UX on various fields, like account abstractions (as part of my job at Virto Network), or simplifying storage deposits.

Finally, I received a Founders Grant from the Web3 Foundation to complete the vision of creating Kippu, an ink!-based solution leveraging on NFTs that democratises access to publishing and selling events’ tickets to everyone, and empower people to use their tickets the way the intend to, providing a secure secondary market.

I would love to attend sub0 to be up to date to the newest, most exciting changes in the ecosystem, and be able to meet up with industry leaders to learn about them.

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Name: Patch Kientz

Location: California, United States

Experience and Contributions, past six months and prior

  • Berkeley PBA 2023 Alumni – Successfully completed the Engineering Track, passing all assignments and forming lasting relationships with colleagues who continue to inspire new directions in my work and thinking.

  • Core Developer, Unit Network – Worked full time for 8 months to achieve critical milestones leading up to the launch of Unit Network’s private beta — a Substrate-based decentralized exchange with a diverse feature set for creating and managing token economies.
    https://app.unit.network

  • Decentralized AI Research – Independently exploring projects and carrying out R&D focused on decentralized AI systems.

    • I spent several months deeply engrossed in studying the fundamentals of machine learning and the application of advanced cryptography to help realize new infrastructures where GenAI can be auditable and while having optimal access to heterogeneous compute resources.

    • Attended the UC Berkeley Decentralized AI Summit (Summer 2025), where I engaged with founders from Gensyn, a startup pioneering decentralized compute networks for training machine learning models.

    • Currently running a Gensyn testnet node for their RL Swarm — Interested in node operations for similar projects, including Cyborg Network, Allora Network and Bittensor

    • Building connections and acquiring knowledge to contribute to the advancement of decentralized AI, which I believe can overcome bottlenecks in energy, computing resources and help catalyze the emergence of superintelligence.

  • Conceptual Development / Hackathon Submissions – Authored a whitepaper and submitted projects to several hackathons, an attempt at enabling composability in blockchain primitives and DeFi pipelines so AI chatbots can dynamically assemble Web3 solutions on demand.
    https://www.dovetails.network/whitepaper

  • Upcoming Hackathon Participation – Beginning October 6th, I will participate in the “Build Resilient Apps with Polkadot Cloud” hackathon. My project proposal may be geared towards using on-chain compute for machine learning purposes, integrated with a DeFi process to incentivize participants.

  • Deep Study of JAM Protocol – Actively reading the Gray Paper and perusing related materials with the goal of developing expertise in JAM. My aim is to leverage JAM in some of my nascent initiatives while also helping to broker other use cases by projects in the decentralized ML space and beyond.

By attending Sub0 Symbiosis, I can deepen my understanding of the JAM protocol, gain direct mentorship from the builders and power brokers leading its development, and apply those insights to my current hackathon project. I hope to have a complete proof of concept—potentially even a hackathon-winning one—that I can bring to the conference as a foundation for further building and collaboration. In addition to advancing my current project, I hope to evangelize the new revolutionary updates within the ecosystem while also maintaining a critical perspective on its current shortcomings. For instance, I am currently discussing with a PBA colleague the lack, if not sheer absence, of verifiability in Polkadot, meaning there is no reliable way to prove that the code running on the system matches the code it claims to execute; this is an issue I hope to explore further at the conference.

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120

Name: Daan van der Plas

Location: Germany

Experience and Contributions, past six months and prior

I entered the Polkadot Ecosystem after successfully completing the first PBA in Camebridge. After that I have joined Parity as Support Engineer, to then Application Engineer, for 1.5 years, and then started the company R0GUE with my amazing co-founders.

R0GUE is developing the Pop CLI, an all in tool for Polkadot Development. It co-founded the ink! alliance which is maintaining and further developing the ink! Rust smart contract language. We are also the technical co-maintainers of Paseo, the Polkadot Testnet. In addition, we provide support to Polkadot Developers through our channels and are very involved with Polkadot.

I believe that blockchain technology makes it possible to design systems that distribute the value they generate in proportion to each participant’s contribution, while ensuring that no single entity has the power to change the rules. This in my view can have great positive effect in the world, we can build a better world.

This event is going to be super important for the ecosystems because we have had difficult times as well as new exciting times ahead. I would want to meet people in person that I often only see online, help people build at the hackathon as mentor, and talk to industry experts and newcomers to better understand how we as R0GUE can bring value to Polkadot and the world.

Thanks in advance.

Daan | R0GUE

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122

Hey @gbaci thats sad to know. While i’m not involved in this process what I understand is that Ethereum Foundation is offering visa waiver to everyone who buys a devconnect ticket (30 days stay)

You simply buy the ticket and apply for the visa online, I believe there is still time for the last batch of approvals, maybe you can check that out?

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oh wow! that sounds interesting. i will check it out. thank you so much for the information, much appreciated :heart_hands:t5:

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Sent you on X. You have till 17 Oct to apply.

Goodluck ser

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125

i originally posted a message asking the team to remove me from consideration due to getting visa early concerns, but i have deleted that message because @Kratist0s linked me to this devconnect option that enables me bypass regular visa process.
so please, still keep me in consideration :man_dancing:t5:

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Hi Lorena and team,
I understand the deadline may have passed, but I wanted to express my support for this initiative and my interest in attending Polkadot Symbiosis. I’m Euphemiah Nortey from HER DAO Ghana — a strategic coordinator and community builder working across Web3 ecosystems.

I’ve been actively involved in DeFi research, documentation, and mentorship, and I’d love to contribute to the HER DAO activation and hackathon in Buenos Aires.

I’m based in Ghana, and I appreciate any consideration for travel support or future opportunities. Thank you for all you’re doing to make this event inclusive and impactful.

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Sorry for the very late submission, I hope I can still make it in.

Name: Juan Girini
Region: Europe

PBA Alumni - Buenos Aires

Juan Girini
Juan Girini1675×1675 251 KB

Why I want to participate and how would I benefit from it

Our parachain is live on Paseo, with a Polkadot deployment coming soon. This sponsorship would be an incredible opportunity to participate in the event, learn from the talks, connect with other innovators in the space, and share what we’re building at Ideal Labs. It’s the perfect moment to highlight our work and deepen our presence within the ecosystem.

NFT → Subscan | Aggregate Substrate ecological network high-precision Web3 explorer

original-logo

1 Like