The Cardano community and Catalyst have truly blown us away with their support, and we are incredibly grateful for every single vote that made this dream of building a Cardano Center possible. These physical spaces are all about supporting the incredible Cardano community and ecosystem, with loads of cool resources and activities like live events, workshops for techies and entrepreneurs, NFT art galleries, and plenty of chances to network. And here's the best part - the first one is funded by Project Catalyst, thanks to the community voting for it in Fund 9's "Grow Africa Grow Cardano" category. 

From the beginning, we knew that building a Center from the ground up would be a challenge, but the truth is, it has been even more challenging than we ever imagined. We've had to navigate through a maze of bureaucratic red tape and work with multiple jurisdictions, but through it all, we never lost our tenacity and persistence. And it all paid off! The road is finally clear for us to move forward and build and grow the very first Cardano Center. 

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Why a Cardano Center? 

The Community - The open-mindedness of the Blockchain. The need for more incubation, conversations, and real-world events and meet-ups. The positive feedback you hear from events like cNFTcon and Cardano Summits are highlights in the Cardano ecosystem. During the events, there’s excitement and buzz on social channels; everyone is using a common hashtag, sharing pictures with familiar faces and projects; it’s all you see online for a week or two. We, as a Cardano Community, need more of this.

Education - Cardano Center is a location where individuals and organizations can learn about and engage with the Cardano blockchain and technology stack, fostering collaboration and innovation across the community. Whether you are new to Cardano or an experienced user, the Cardano Center offers something for everyone interested in Cardano or Web3. 

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A Physical Location  - The importance of face-to-face interactions can’t be stressed enough. With the goal of fostering more of these positive experiences, the first Cardano Center is being established in Cape Town as a dedicated hub for community growth and education around Cardano and Web3. The Cardano Center will serve as a destination spot for the worldwide community, offering a beautiful location for community members to come together and further the Cardano ecosystem.

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Cardano Center Deliverables 

At the heart of every catalyst project are the deliverables, and we believe in total transparency and openness throughout the process. We want everyone in the Cardano ecosystem to join us on this exciting journey as we build the Center together, both virtually and in reality. We're inviting the community to have a voice and a vote on almost every aspect of the Center, from its design and aesthetics to its name, the art displayed, and beyond. Join us and be a part of creating something truly special! The community already voted on the logo for the Center, and it is already part of our branding. 

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Deliverable 1: Finding the Perfect Location

We will successfully locate and negotiate the terms & pricing for the lease of the perfect location for our Community Catalyst Center (CCC). We will confirm the address and provide a budget breakdown estimate for the building and fitting of the CCC. A lawyer will review the lessor's standard lease agreement to ensure everything is in order.

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Deliverable 2: Renovations and Outfitting

With the lease agreement signed, we will begin the renovations and outfitting of the CCC. We will purchase and install all the necessary equipment, set up a dedicated email and website, and register our business listing and address.

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Deliverable 3: Launch Preparations

The renovations and outfit will be completed, and all the equipment will be in place. Our marketing efforts for the CCC will be in full swing, and we will have completed the hiring of all staff.

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Deliverable 4: Grand Opening

We will hold the grand opening of the CCC and welcome everyone to our new community space. To ensure the success of future CCCs, we will make our Open Source Business Plan available to anyone who wants to replicate our model. With all the elements in place, anyone can open a Cardano Center anywhere in the world!

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The Future of Cardano Centers

Decentralization needs incubations: incubation needs adoption, and all this need more interaction and real - world growth... This first Cardano Center is just the beginning, wee see it as a stepping to setting up even more Cardano Centers worldwide.

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