zk-ink! Grant Application

[Mikerah]

Project Abstract

Please replace these instructions with a brief description of your project summarising key points (1-2 paragraphs).

If your application is a follow-up to a previous grant, please mention which one in the first line of the abstract and include a link to previous pull requests if applicable.

Grant level

• Level 1: Up to $10,000, 2 approvals
• Level 2: Up to $30,000, 3 approvals
• Level 3: Unlimited, 5 approvals (for >$100k: Web3 Foundation Council approval)

Application Checklist

• The application template has been copied and aptly renamed (project_name.md).
• I have read the application guidelines.
• Payment details have been provided (Polkadot AssetHub (USDC & DOT) address in the application and bank details via email, if applicable).
• I understand that an agreed upon percentage of each milestone will be paid in vested DOT, to the Polkadot address listed in the application.
• I am aware that, in order to receive a grant, I (and the entity I represent) have to successfully complete a KYC/KYB check.
• The software delivered for this grant will be released under an open-source license specified in the application.
• The initial PR contains only one commit (squash and force-push if needed).
• The grant will only be announced once the first milestone has been accepted (see the announcement guidelines).
• I prefer the discussion of this application to take place in a private Element/Matrix channel. My username is: @mikerah:matrix.org (change the homeserver if you use a different one)

[github-actions]

CLA Assistant Lite bot All contributors have signed the CLA ✍️ ✅

[Mikerah]

I have read and hereby sign the Contributor License Agreement.

[github-actions]

The applicant has requested the discussion of the application to happen in a private chat room.

[semuelle]

Thanks for the application, @Mikerah. Before we move the discussion to the private chat, two points:

• You are currently modifying three files with this PR. It should only be one. It looks like you have included changes from the last two commits to the main branch.
• Have you looked into applying with the ink!ubator? The curators include some of the core ink! team and ink! ecosystem devs, so they might be able to provide more pointed feedback.

[Mikerah]

Hi @semuelle, yes, I accidentally included the previous commits when squashing. Would you like me to simply include our own file and commit?
As for ink!ubator, I wasn't sure where would be a good venue for this work to be funded through. Last I recall, the Web3 foundation was more focused on funding ink! work than other smart contract languages hence why we applied here. Please let me know where would be a better place for this application.

[semuelle]

W3F tries to stay neutral with regard to smart contract languages. The ink!ubator has a public chat where you could ask: https://t.me/inkathon/2390. I could also share this with them to gauge interest.

[Mikerah]

@semuelle I'm not getting much interaction in the public channels for ink!ubator. If you can share this proposal with them directly, that would be great.

[semuelle]

Sorry for the wait, @Mikerah. I would suggest to apply with the ink!ubator first; we can always revisit the application here, but I think it makes more sense to have a conversation over there first. There is probably also an opportunity to leverage the ZK initiative on Kusama, in case you haven't heard about it yet: https://medium.com/web3foundation/a-new-chapter-for-kusama-web3-foundation-proposes-10m-dot-initiative-to-fuel-zk-innovation-and-bd63298fbd3b.