Integration Grants Application ‘25: Karma

#1

Name of the Project

Karma — Where Builders Get Funded and Ecosystems Grow

Problem Statement and Proposed Solution

The Conflux ecosystem, like many growing blockchain networks, faces a critical infrastructure gap in how it manages, distributes, and tracks the impact of ecosystem grant funding. Today, the Conflux grant process relies on forum-based applications, manual committee review, spreadsheet tracking, and fragmented tools for fund disbursement and milestone reporting. This creates several pain points:

  1. Operational Blindness: Grant committees lack a unified view of which funded projects are delivering, which are stalled, and where capital is creating the most value. Information is scattered across forum posts and spreadsheets.

  2. Manual and Slow Application Review: Evaluating grant applications is time-consuming. Committee members must manually review each proposal, cross-reference applicant history, and coordinate votes, all without structured tooling.

  3. No Automated Impact Measurement: Once grants are issued, there is no systematic way to track whether funded projects are driving on-chain activity, developer adoption, or user growth on Conflux. Milestone reporting is self-reported and unverified.

  4. Fragmented Fund Disbursement: Payments are handled through external multisig wallets and manual transfers, creating administrative overhead and delays for both the grants committee and recipients.

  5. No Cross-Ecosystem Reputation: Builders applying for Conflux grants may have strong track records on other chains, but there is no way for the committee to see that history. Similarly, builders funded by Conflux cannot carry that reputation to other ecosystems.

Proposed Solution: Deploy Karma’s full-stack funding infrastructure on Conflux eSpace to provide the ecosystem with a professional, end-to-end grant management platform. Karma replaces the patchwork of forums, spreadsheets, and manual processes with a single modular platform covering application intake, AI-powered evaluation, fund disbursement, milestone tracking, and automated impact measurement.

Karma has been battle-tested by leading ecosystems including Optimism, Polygon, Filecoin, and Celo. The platform has tracked thousands of projects and processed millions of dollars in grant disbursements. By deploying on Conflux eSpace, the Conflux Foundation and community would gain the same operational clarity that powers some of web3’s most effective funding programs.

Alignment with the Conflux Network

Karma is a natural fit for Conflux for several reasons:

  • EVM Compatibility: Karma’s onchain components are built on EVM-compatible infrastructure. Conflux eSpace’s full EVM compatibility means Karma can deploy its smart contracts (attestation registry, fund disbursement, milestone verification) on Conflux eSpace with minimal modification, leveraging existing Ethereum tooling (Hardhat, ethers.js, MetaMask).

  • Regulatory Compliance Focus: Conflux is the only regulatory-compliant public blockchain in China and prioritizes compliant operations. Karma includes built-in KYC workflows, document signing, and structured reporting — features that align with Conflux’s compliance-first philosophy.

  • Asian Market Expansion: Conflux has a unique position as a gateway to Asian markets, particularly through partnerships with China Telecom and Belt and Road Initiative economies. Karma’s infrastructure can support localized funding programs targeting Asian developers and builders.

  • Tree-Graph Consensus Benefits: Conflux’s high throughput (3,000–6,000 TPS) and near-zero transaction fees make it ideal for Karma’s onchain attestation model, where every milestone update, endorsement, and impact metric is recorded on-chain without the gas cost concerns present on Ethereum.

Benefit to the Conflux Ecosystem

Karma will benefit the Conflux ecosystem in several measurable ways:

  1. Attract More Developers: A professional, transparent funding infrastructure signals to builders worldwide that Conflux takes ecosystem development seriously. Developers are more likely to build on a chain where the grant process is efficient, fair, and data-driven. Karma’s public project registry also makes funded projects on Conflux visible to builders in other ecosystems, creating a discovery channel for new developers.

  2. Improve Grant Program Efficiency: AI-powered application review reduces committee workload by up to 50%, enabling faster turnaround on applications. Automated milestone tracking and conditional fund releases reduce administrative overhead.

  3. Cross-Ecosystem Visibility: Karma’s registry tracks thousands of projects across Ethereum, Optimism, Polygon, Filecoin, and more. Deploying on Conflux means Conflux-funded projects gain visibility in this cross-ecosystem registry, and builders from other chains can discover Conflux as a funding destination.

  4. Builder Retention: Structured milestone tracking, onchain reputation building, and endorsement systems give builders reasons to stay engaged with Conflux long after their initial grant period ends.

Economic Benefit

Deploying Karma on Conflux eSpace will increase on-chain assets and transactions in several ways:

  • On-chain Attestations: Every project registration, milestone update, grant review, and endorsement creates an on-chain transaction via the Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS) deployed on Conflux eSpace, driving consistent transaction volume.

  • Fund Disbursements On-Chain: All grant disbursements flow through on-chain smart contracts, increasing CFX and token transfer volume on eSpace.

  • Increased Builder Activity: More active, accountable builders means more smart contract deployments, DApp transactions, and developer activity on Conflux.

  • Staking and TVL: As more builders receive funding and build on Conflux, the resulting DApps and protocols contribute to the ecosystem’s TVL and on-chain economic activity.

  • Karma Seeds (Future): Karma is developing Karma Seeds — ERC-20 support tokens that projects can issue at $1 each. Deploying this on Conflux eSpace would create a new class of on-chain assets and recurring transaction activity.

Competitive Edge

Karma differentiates itself from other grant management and funding platforms in the following ways:

  1. Purpose-Built for Web3 Ecosystems: Unlike generic project management tools (Monday, Notion) or web2 grant platforms, Karma is built from the ground up for blockchain ecosystems, with native support for onchain attestations, multi-chain fund disbursement, and wallet-based identity.

  2. Proven at Scale: Karma has powered funding programs for Optimism, Polygon, Filecoin, Celo, and other major ecosystems. This is not a prototype, it is production infrastructure with years of iteration based on real operator feedback.

  3. AI-Powered Evaluation: Karma’s AI application review provides scoring and risk assessments based on historical performance and cross-ecosystem reputation. No competing platform offers this depth of automated, reputation-aware evaluation.

  4. Onchain Reputation Registry: Karma maintains a public, cross-ecosystem project registry. Builder reputation is portable. A team funded by Conflux carries that track record to every other ecosystem using Karma, and vice versa.

  5. Modular Architecture: Each component (application intake, evaluation, disbursement, impact measurement) works independently and together. The Conflux Foundation can start with the modules they need and expand over time.

  6. Automated Impact Measurement: Karma integrates with GitHub, Dune Analytics, and custom data sources to automatically track builder activity and project impact, replacing manual, self-reported metrics with verifiable data.

Links

Product Links



Conflux eSpace Grant Recipient Wallet Address

0xC98786D5A7a03C1e74AffCb97fF7eF8a710DA09B

Are You an Incorporated Startup?

Yes. Karma Crypto, Inc. is a registered corporation in Delaware, USA

Technical Introduction

Functional Goals Overview

Karma is a full-stack funding infrastructure platform designed to give blockchain ecosystems operational clarity over their grant programs and capital allocation. The system was developed to solve a persistent problem: ecosystems spend enormous resources on funding programs but lack the tooling to know whether that capital is generating value. Grant teams are forced to stitch together disparate tools — forums for applications, spreadsheets for tracking, Discord for updates, Safe for payments — creating operational blindness at every stage.

Karma replaces this fragmented approach with a unified, modular platform that covers the entire funding lifecycle: from application intake and AI-powered evaluation, through fund disbursement, to milestone tracking and automated impact measurement.

Problem Statement (Reiteration)

The Conflux grant program currently operates through forum-based applications, manual committee review, and ad hoc milestone reporting. There is no centralized system to track which funded projects are delivering on their promises, no automated way to measure impact, and no cross-ecosystem visibility into builder reputation.

Existing Solutions and Feasibility Study

Existing solutions in the market:

  • Manual tooling (Notion + Safe + Discord + Spreadsheets): The current default for most ecosystems, including Conflux. Functional at small scale but breaks down as programs grow, with no data continuity, no automated reporting, and no onchain record.

Feasibility: Karma is already live and production-ready. The platform has been deployed across multiple EVM-compatible chains (Ethereum, Optimism, Arbitrum, Celo, Polygon). Conflux eSpace’s full EVM compatibility means deployment requires minimal adaptation — primarily RPC endpoint configuration and any Conflux-specific contract deployments. The team has executed similar deployments for ecosystems of comparable size within 1 - 2 weeks.

Purpose of the System

To provide the Conflux Foundation and community with a professional, end-to-end grant management platform that brings operational clarity to ecosystem funding — enabling smarter capital allocation, transparent accountability, and measurable impact across all funded projects.

Scope of the System

The deployment will cover:

  1. Application Intake Module: Configurable application forms, gating criteria, and submission management for Conflux’s Technical and Growth grant streams.
  2. AI Evaluation Module: Automated application scoring and risk assessment using historical performance data and cross-ecosystem reputation.
  3. Fund Disbursement Module: On-chain grant disbursement via smart contracts on Conflux eSpace, supporting direct grants, milestone-based releases, and retroactive funding.
  4. Impact Measurement Module: Automated tracking of on-chain and off-chain metrics via GitHub, Dune Analytics, and custom data source integrations.
  5. Public Project Registry: A Conflux community page displaying all funded projects, their milestones, progress updates, and impact metrics.
  6. Onchain Attestation Layer: Milestone completions, endorsements, and project metadata stored as onchain attestations on Conflux eSpace.

Objectives and Success Criteria

Objective Success Criteria
Deploy Karma on Conflux eSpace Platform live and accessible; smart contracts deployed on eSpace
Onboard Conflux grant programs Both Technical and Growth grant streams configured and operational
Migrate historical grant data All previously funded projects and their milestones backfilled into the registry
Enable AI application review AI evaluation operational for new grant applications with scoring and risk assessment
Activate impact measurement At least 3 data source integrations (GitHub, on-chain metrics, custom) configured
Drive on-chain activity Measurable increase in eSpace transactions from attestations and disbursements
Builder adoption Minimum 50 projects registered on the Conflux Karma registry within 6 months

Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

  • GAP: Grantee Accountability Protocol — Karma’s onchain protocol for milestone and progress reporting
  • EAS: Ethereum Attestation Service — the onchain schema used for attestations
  • eSpace: Conflux’s EVM-compatible execution space
  • CFX: Conflux’s native token
  • AI Evaluation: Machine learning-based application review that scores proposals based on historical data and builder reputation
  • Impact Measurement: Automated tracking of quantitative and qualitative metrics to assess project outcomes
  • KYC: Know Your Customer — identity verification for grant recipients
  • SPE: Special Purpose Entity — a funded entity that may in turn issue sub-grants

Technical Proposal

Functional Overview

Karma is a modular, full-stack funding infrastructure platform. The system is organized into the following core modules:

1. Application Intake

  • Configurable Forms: Grant administrators create custom application forms with required fields, file uploads, and conditional logic tailored to Conflux’s Technical and Growth grant streams.
  • Application Gating: Set eligibility criteria (e.g., existing project on Conflux, KYC completion, minimum builder history) that applicants must meet before submission.
  • Submission Management: A unified dashboard for reviewing, sorting, filtering, and commenting on incoming applications.

2. AI-Powered Evaluation

  • Automated Scoring: AI evaluates each application based on proposal quality, team track record, cross-ecosystem reputation (from Karma’s registry of 6,000+ projects), and alignment with program objectives.
  • Risk Assessment: Flags applications from teams with incomplete deliverables in prior grants, across any ecosystem tracked by Karma.
  • Evaluator Scoring System: Supports human evaluator workflows alongside AI, enabling committee members to score applications using configurable rubrics.
  • LLM Prompt Management: Administrators can customize AI evaluation criteria and prompts to align with Conflux-specific priorities.

3. Fund Disbursement

  • Direct Grants: One-time disbursements to approved grantees via on-chain transactions on Conflux eSpace.
  • Milestone-Based Funding: Conditional fund releases triggered when milestones are verified and approved.
  • Retroactive Funding: Support for retroactive reward programs that compensate builders based on demonstrated impact.
  • Multi-Chain & Multi-Token Support: Native support for CFX and any ERC-20 tokens on eSpace.
  • Safe Integration: Integration with Safe (formerly Gnosis Safe) for multi-signature fund management.
  • Fiat On-Ramp: Support for fiat-to-crypto disbursement for grantees in jurisdictions where direct crypto payment is impractical.
  • KYC Integration: Built-in KYC workflows to satisfy compliance requirements before fund release.

4. Impact Measurement

  • Automated Metrics Collection: Integrations with GitHub (commits, PRs, contributors), Dune Analytics (on-chain activity), and custom data sources.
  • Common Approach Framework: Industry-leading impact measurement methodology that tracks both outputs (what was produced) and outcomes (what changed as a result).
  • Custom Indicators: Administrators can define ecosystem-specific metrics (e.g., number of eSpace transactions generated, smart contracts deployed, users acquired).
  • Real-Time Dashboards: Visual representation of program-wide and project-level impact metrics.

5. Public Project Registry

  • Community Page: A public-facing page for the Conflux ecosystem displaying all funded projects, their profiles, milestones, and impact data.
  • Project Profiles: Each funded project gets a comprehensive profile including team information, funding history, deliverables, and endorsements.
  • Cross-Ecosystem Visibility: Projects funded by Conflux appear in Karma’s cross-ecosystem registry, visible to builders and funders across all participating ecosystems.

6. Onchain Attestation Layer

  • Milestone Attestations: Milestone completions are recorded as onchain attestations on Conflux eSpace via EAS.
  • Endorsements: Community members and funders can endorse projects onchain, building verifiable reputation.
  • Portable Reputation: All onchain data is permissionless and composable — builders carry their Conflux track record to any other ecosystem or application built on the protocol.

Legal/Licensing Aspects

  • Karma Crypto, Inc. is a registered US corporation.
  • The Karma platform is offered as a SaaS product with standard enterprise terms of service.
  • The underlying Grantee Accountability Protocol (GAP) is open-source, and onchain data is permissionless and publicly accessible.

Non-Functional Overview

Usability

  • Intuitive web interface accessible via standard browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
  • Wallet-based authentication via MetaMask and other Conflux eSpace-compatible wallets (Fluent Wallet).
  • Mobile-responsive design for on-the-go access.
  • Onboarding support with dedicated success partner for Conflux administrators.
  • Builder-friendly interface requiring no blockchain technical knowledge to post updates and track milestones.

Reliability

  • 99.9% uptime SLA for the hosted platform.
  • All critical data is stored onchain (attestations) and in redundant off-chain databases.
  • Automated backup and disaster recovery procedures.
  • Continuous monitoring and alerting for system health.

Performance

  • Platform supports tracking of 5,000+ projects simultaneously.
  • AI evaluation processes applications in under 30 seconds per submission.
  • Real-time data synchronization across dashboard views.
  • Leverages Conflux eSpace’s high throughput for fast attestation confirmations.

Implementation

  • Deployment on Conflux eSpace via standard EVM tooling (Hardhat, ethers.js).
  • Smart contract deployment for attestation schemas, fund disbursement contracts, and registry contracts.
  • Backend infrastructure hosted on cloud (AWS) with Conflux eSpace RPC integration.
  • API-first architecture enabling third-party integrations and custom dashboards.

User Interface

  • Clean, modern web application with role-based views:
    • Grant Administrator View: Application review, AI scoring dashboards, fund disbursement controls, impact analytics.
    • Builder/Grantee View: Project profile management, milestone submission, update posting, funding history.
    • Community/Public View: Project discovery, endorsements, impact metrics, program transparency.
  • White-label branding option for Conflux-branded experience.

Total Budget

Grant Size

Total grant amount requested: $20,000

Justification

Activity Cost Description
Conflux eSpace Smart Contract Deployment $2,000 Deploy and configure attestation registry, fund disbursement contracts, and milestone verification contracts on Conflux eSpace. Includes testing and audit.
Platform Configuration & Community Setup $1,000 Set up Conflux community space on Karma, configure Technical and Growth grant program templates, application forms, evaluation criteria, and disbursement workflows.
Historical Data Migration $1,000 Backfill all previously funded Conflux grant data from forum posts and records into Karma’s registry. Create project profiles for all historical grantees.
AI Evaluation Customization $1,000 Train and configure AI evaluation models with Conflux-specific criteria, priorities, and scoring rubrics for both Technical and Growth grant streams.
Impact Measurement Framework $5,000 Design and implement Conflux-specific impact measurement framework with custom indicators (eSpace transactions, smart contract deployments, TVL contribution, developer adoption). Integrate with relevant data sources.
Ongoing Platform Operations (6 months) $10,000 Hosting, maintenance, support, weekly platform updates, bug fixes, and dedicated Telegram/Discord support channel for Conflux grant administrators and grantees. ($2,500/month × 6 months)
Total $20,000

Development Roadmap

Timeline and Milestones

Milestone 1: Foundation (Week 1)

Requested Funding: $5,000

Deliverables:

  • Smart contracts deployed and verified on Conflux eSpace (attestation registry, fund disbursement)
  • Conflux community space created on Karma platform
  • Technical and Growth grant program templates configured with application forms and evaluation criteria
  • Wallet integrations tested (MetaMask on eSpace, Fluent Wallet)
  • RPC and chain configuration completed

Verification:

  • Live smart contracts on Conflux eSpace (verifiable on ConfluxScan)
  • Accessible Conflux community page on Karma (public URL)
  • Functional application submission flow demonstrated

Milestone 2: Data Migration & AI Configuration (Week 2)

Requested Funding: $10,000

Deliverables:

  • All historical Conflux grant data migrated into Karma registry (project profiles, grant amounts, milestone history)
  • AI evaluation model configured with Conflux-specific scoring criteria
  • AI evaluation tested against sample applications with scoring output reviewed by Conflux grants committee
  • Evaluator scoring rubrics configured for human reviewers

Verification:

  • Historical projects visible on Conflux Karma community page
  • AI evaluation demo with sample applications reviewed and approved by Conflux committee
  • Documentation of AI scoring methodology and configuration

Milestone 3: Disbursement & Impact Measurement (Week 3)

Requested Funding: $10,000

Deliverables:

  • Fund disbursement module operational on Conflux eSpace (direct grants, milestone-based releases)
  • Safe multisig integration configured for Conflux Foundation treasury
  • Impact measurement framework activated with at least 3 data source integrations (GitHub, eSpace on-chain metrics, custom)
  • Custom Conflux impact indicators defined and tracked (eSpace transactions, contracts deployed, TVL contribution)
  • KYC workflow integrated

Verification:

  • Successful test disbursement on Conflux eSpace
  • Impact dashboard showing real-time metrics for at least 10 registered projects
  • KYC flow demonstrated end-to-end

Milestone 4: Launch & Onboarding (Week 3)

Requested Funding: $10,000

Deliverables:

  • Full platform launch for Conflux grant programs (Technical and Growth streams)
  • Onboarding sessions conducted for grants committee and Grant Shepherds
  • Builder onboarding materials published (documentation, video walkthroughs, FAQ)
  • First live grant round processed through Karma (applications received, AI-evaluated, committee-reviewed)
  • Public Conflux community page live with project directory and impact metrics
  • Conflux-specific documentation published

Verification:

  • Live grant applications submitted and processed through the platform
  • At least 20 projects registered on Conflux Karma registry
  • Public community page accessible and populated
  • Published documentation and training materials

Milestone 5: Optimization & Reporting (Week 4 onwards)

Requested Funding: $5,000

Deliverables:

  • Ongoing platform maintenance, bug fixes, and feature updates
  • Monthly impact reports for Conflux grants committee
  • Platform optimizations based on user feedback from administrators and builders
  • Dedicated support channel operational
  • Final report on platform usage, on-chain activity generated, and builder adoption metrics

Verification:

  • Monthly impact reports delivered to Conflux committee
  • Support channel active with documented issue resolution
  • Final comprehensive report submitted
  • At least 50 projects registered on Conflux Karma registry

Team

Mahesh Murthy — Founder & CEO

Role: Project lead, strategy, and stakeholder coordination with Conflux Foundation
Experience: Founded Karma (formerly Karma GAP) in 2022. Previously built Zastrin, one of the largest blockchain developer education platforms. Has led Karma through deployments with Optimism, Polygon, Filecoin, Celo, and other major ecosystems. Deep expertise in DAO governance, reputation systems, and blockchain infrastructure.
GitHub: https://github.com/maheshmurthy
Twitter/X: https://x.com/mvmurthy

Arthur Ulhoa — Backend Engineer

Role: Smart contract deployment on Conflux eSpace, impact measurement integrations, data pipeline architecture
Experience: Built Karma’s impact measurement infrastructure including Filecoin metrics, OSO stats integration, and offchain registry. Expertise in blockchain indexing, data engineering, and EVM smart contract development.
GitHub: https://github.com/Arthh

Amaury Maghales — Full-Stack Engineer

Role: Application intake module, frontend development, payment integration, user experience
Experience: Built Karma’s application gating system, Safe payment integration, project profile redesign, and end-to-end testing infrastructure. Expertise in React, TypeScript, and web3 frontend development.
GitHub: https://github.com/amaurymagalhaes

Bruno De Masi — Full-Stack Engineer

Role: AI evaluation module, fund disbursement, KYC integration, multi-chain support
Experience: Built Karma’s LLM prompt management system, program UX, fiat on-ramp feature, and multi-chain Safe support. Expertise in AI/LLM integration, blockchain payment systems, and full-stack development
GitHub: https://github.com/brunodmsi

Terms of Use

I agree to all of the following terms of use in applying to a Conflux Ecosystem Grant:

  • I have read and understood the Conflux Grants Ecosystem Overview
  • I have read about and understood that the Conflux Technical Grants are subject to a No-Sale rule
  • I agree to provide KYC information to the Conflux Foundation for the sake of overall ecosystem security
  • I understand that I will be required to follow public grant reporting requirements