Growwr Web3 Grant Application

[Growwrapp]

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: @_______:matrix.org (change the homeserver if you use a different one)

[github-actions]

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

[semuelle]

Hey @Growwrapp, thanks for the application. Can you please clarify if you would like the discussion to be in private? You checked the item "I prefer the discussion of this application to take place in a private Element/Matrix channel", but did not leave a Matrix handle. Please fix one way or the other.

[semuelle]

@FatherTimeSDKP, how are you affiliated with this project?

[Growwrapp]

Good day @semuelle,

@FatherTimeSDKP is no way affiliated with our project. I don't know why he keeps commenting here.

Also @semuelle on the privacy, it should be an error. I will uncheck the tick now.

[Growwrapp]

Now unchecked @semuelle

[diogo-w3f]

@Growwrapp Thanks for the application. I think with our current guidelines it will be difficult to fund parachains. Did you consider using Asset Hub for custody/settlement and identity via Proof of Personhood? If so, could you briefly clarify where escrow will run on Asset Hub (e.g., using a simple 2‑of‑3 multisig, pallet-assets approvals or other approach such as Ink! contract) and which asset(s)/Asset IDs you’ll use for release/refund flows, as well as how you plan to integrate identity with Proof of Personhood (which DIM level first, what’s on‑chain vs off‑chain, and how attestations are referenced)? This could keeps you building on established primitives rather than proposing new standards, what would make the solution more interesting. For PoP background, see Proof of Personhood for Polkadot/Kusama here. We need more details about your proposed implementation.

Regarding Template compliance, can you adjust the following items?

• Clarify payment per template: one DOT address and one Polkadot Asset Hub address for USDC (name the asset and Asset ID).
• Reconcile FTE numbers across text and tables; explain the “DOT %” line.
• Add measurable acceptance criteria per deliverable (what reviewers can run/observe, including escrow release/refund happy path).
• Link concrete repos (not just the org) and state licenses.
• Provide a one‑step local run (Docker/compose) for the demo.
• Remove instructional callouts and non-essential media links to keep it technical and testable.

Could you clarify your open‑source scope for the grant? We don’t require the entire platform to be open‑sourced for integration, but the grant deliverables must be. If you plan to keep the main app private, would you commit to releasing standalone, reusable modules (e.g., payments/escrow and identity) under an open‑source license, with docs, examples, and a minimal demo so reviewers can verify? The integration can be checked in your on-line platform.

[Growwrapp]

HI @FatherTimeSDKP pls stop commenting on this pull request. You are not affiliated to our project. Else, I'd have report you to Github. Also, delete your comments from this thread.

[Growwrapp]

HI @diogo-w3f Your questions are acknowledeged and will be responded accordingly. Thank you!

[Growwrapp]

I have read and hereby sign the Contributor License Agreement.

[Growwrapp]

Hi @diogo-w3f

Thanks for the feedback and for pointing that out.
We understand the concern about parachain funding. Our mention of parachains (e.g., Moonbeam, Astar) was primarily for exploratory testing during our initial architecture design, not a core dependency. We’re fully open to leveraging Polkadot Asset Hub for custody, settlement, and identity functions instead, as it aligns better with existing ecosystem primitives.

For identity, we’ll integrate Proof of Personhood as advised. We’ve also added measurable acceptance criteria for each deliverable, including what reviewers can run and observe — such as successful escrow creation, release, and refund (happy path), and verified identity registration via Proof of Personhood. Following the update, we will provide all necessary details and documentation to enable reviewers to easily test and validate the deliverables.

I have also adjusted the template submission as you mentioned.

Yes — while Growwr’s main application will remain private for security and operational reasons, we fully commit to open-sourcing all grant deliverables related to the Polkadot integration.

These modules will be made publicly available under an open-source license (e.g., Apache 2.0) with comprehensive documentation, usage examples, and a minimal demo to allow reviewers to independently verify functionality.

[diogo-w3f]

@Growwrapp Thanks for updating the application. I still see Growwr parachain being mentioned in the application. Can you review that?

Furthermore, what do you mean by substrate module? Did you have the opportunity to search for existing solutions in the Polkadot ecosystem for the same problem you’re trying to solve? For example, there are some escrow contracts available (see here and here). For the other parts, if you search, you’ll probably find something that can be reused or built on top of, since the problem you’re trying to address is not so uncommon that it requires a completely new development.

I see this grant application as a Web2-to-Web3 migration/integration approach, i.e., integrating Growwr and Polkadot. This doesn’t mean that you need to develop all modules from scratch. In this way, I was expecting the main milestone to be this integration live on your production website. Given that, please review your application. You’ll probably be able to enhance your productivity and reduce the budget.

Finally, can you provide evidence of the number of users and companies currently using Growwr? For example, what do you use to measure it? If it’s Google Analytics, could you provide (privately via email) read-only access to it?

Let me explain why I’m asking this. Currently, according to our guidelines, increasing DOT usage is important. The usage of your site is a key indicator of potential future DOT token usage. If you can prove that, it will increase the chances of your application being approved.

[Growwrapp]

Hi @diogo-w3f

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback and guidance.

Following your comments, we’ve made the following updates to our application:

• We’ve removed all references to parachain and Substrate modules to ensure alignment with your clarification.

• We’ve reviewed the existing escrow contract resources you shared — thank you for the links. After evaluating them, we believe they fit perfectly into our implementation plan, and we’ve refined our milestones and deliverables accordingly to leverage these existing solutions instead of building from scratch.

• We’ve simplified and clarified our milestones to emphasise the Web2-to-Web3 integration approach, aligning with your vision of Growwr’s integration within the Polkadot ecosystem.

Additionally, to support the user traction and adoption metrics we referenced, I’ve shared two materials via email:

• A public Infogram analytics dashboard showcasing our user and company activity.

• A snapshot of our admin data analytics screen for internal user metrics.

Please kindly confirm receipt of those materials.

Looking out for your feedback.

[Growwrapp]

Happy new week! @diogo-w3f @semuelle

Just pinging in on our application. Any update for us please?

[diogo-w3f]

@Growwrapp Just for completeness, can you add this information to your application? They are missing from our application template:

• Missing Payment entry under Payment Details; the template expects both DOT and USDC lines.

• No DOT % field in the roadmap overview; please add the percentage of total costs to be paid in DOT.

• Milestone tables omit mandatory deliverable 0d. Docker; include it for every milestone.

• Team Code Repos section is empty; in fact the repo is in the development status section, what is not appropriate.

• Team LinkedIn Profiles lacks entries; Spread in another section.

• Additional Information repeats the “How did you hear” question without answering; give a concrete response.

Some of this information is spread across other sections of the application, such as Development Status and others. Please consolidate and include it in the proper sections of the template.

[Growwrapp]

@diogo-w3f All acknowledged, We'll address appropriately

[Growwrapp]

Hi @diogo-w3f

All comments have been resolved. Kindly review. Looking out on the update. We have included everything in the proper sections of the template.

Thank you!

[diogo-w3f]

@Growwrapp thanks for the improvements. There are two points that still need to be adjusted:

• DOT % in the roadmap overview is 40%; grant guidelines require ≥50% of the request paid in DOT.
• Project Details still lacks the explicit bullet “What your project is not or will not provide/implement,” which the template calls out to set expectations.

Please make these adjustments, and I’ll mark the application as ready for review by the committee.

[Growwrapp]

Issues all resolved @diogo-w3f Thanks!

[diogo-w3f]

@Growwrapp Thanks! The application is ready for review. The grants committee may have some questions and ask them here.

[Growwrapp]

Thank you!

[semuelle]

Hey @Growwrapp, thank you for the application.

I have one pressing question for now: You explained what and why you want to use Polkadot for, but your product roadmap and technology stack documents both don't mention blockchain at all. Can you elaborate how this shift looks like from a user perspective? Do users have to install a Polkadot wallet to use Growwr? Or are these features optional? Or possibly custodial, happening in the background?

[Growwrapp]

Hi @semuelle , Thank you very much for the question:

Currently, Growwr has processed over $1.5 million in talent payments. However, we still face major challenges with cross-border transactions, including currency conversion barriers, settlement delays, and regional payment restrictions; especially when paying African talents or receiving funds from global clients.

This is precisely why we’re integrating Polkadot. The Polkadot Wallet will not be optional—it’s a core part of Growwr’s next phase. Through USDC on Polkadot Asset Hub and DOT, clients will be able to pay for projects directly in crypto, while talents can receive payments instantly, eliminating days of delay typical of fiat systems. Think of it like (Stripe for crypto) and Crypto payroll for talents.

From a user perspective, every Growwr user (currently over 50,000) will have a non-custodial Polkadot wallet integrated seamlessly into their dashboard. Users won’t need external setup; wallet creation and management will be handled natively within the app, ensuring a simple Web2-like experience but powered by Web3 infrastructure.

In essence, Polkadot enables us to solve payment problems, one of the biggest bottlenecks in Africa’s talent economy, while onboarding thousands of new users into the Polkadot ecosystem.

Hope this provide more clarity @semuelle . Open to share more...

[Growwrapp]

Hi @semuelle and @diogo-w3f looking out for anymore questions for clarity please.

[semuelle]

Hey @Growwrapp, thanks for the updates. We will discuss the application; I hope I will have more feedback for you tomorrow.

[Growwrapp]

Thank you @semuelle

[Growwrapp]

Happy new week! @semuelle & @diogo-w3f

Trust you're great! Pinging in if there's an update for us yet. Thank you!

[semuelle]

Sorry, @Growwrapp. I will ping the committee again.

[Growwrapp]

HI @semuelle & @diogo-w3f A kind reminder again please.

[diogo-w3f]

@Growwrapp Thanks for the application and for taking the time to answer our questions. I’m still a bit concerned about the volume of users/companies you claim to have and the discrepancy with the activity on your social media, which appears to be quite low. This leads us to question whether these users are real users or just data in your database.

I know you already sent us a screenshot of your internal dashboard, but this does not prove that the users are real people that interacts with your system. They could simply be data that was web-scraped from somewhere. I’ll be very happy to approve your application if you can prove that your users / companies are real and still active and interacting with your system.

Furthermore, in your last milestone you mention that you will onboard 50,000+ users. Just to clarify: if these users are real, active users and not simply accounts that will be created on Polkadot, that would be excellent. We can discuss how to provide proof for both cases.

[Growwrapp]

Hi @diogo-w3f I am very much open to prove user growth. How best can we prove this? I am very open.
We are not active on social media yet until we incorporate media marketing, however, we already have about 5k organic followers on LinkedIn.

Here are even some press coverages from tech journalists:

How a $50K loss on Upwork inspired the launch of Growwr (TechCabal)
TechCabal, Oct 10 2025: Nigerian founder Obinna Umeh shares how losing a $50K contract sparked Growwr’s mission to fix biased global hiring and payment systems.
Link: https://techcabal.com/2025/10/10/upwork-loss-inspired-growwr/

How Nigeria’s Growwr helps businesses hire, manage and pay vetted African tech talent (DisruptAfrica)
Oct 9 2025: Growwr’s platform enables global companies to onboard, manage and pay skilled African tech professionals securely.
Link: https://disruptafrica.com/2025/10/09/how-nigerias-growwr-helps-businesses-hire-manage-and-pay-vetted-african-tech-talent/

https://techpoint.africa/insight/growwr-startup-feature/

and more.

I am even open to share some customers details for reference too.

I can also share job history csv files for Q1 2025.

[diogo-w3f]

@Growwrapp , thanks for being open to sharing more. To help us get comfortable that the traction figures reflect real, active usage, it would be great if you could bundle together a few concrete proofs from the list below (the more independent signals, the better):

• Third-party analytics exports, e.g., read-only access or downloaded reports from Google Analytics/Mixpanel/Amplitude that show traffic, retention, and engagement trends over time.
• Payment evidence, anonymized invoices, payout receipts, or transaction logs from Stripe, Paystack, Brex, bank statements. We’re looking for proof of actual money flowing through the system.
• User/company references, randomly selected set of active users or clients we can contact directly (or meet on a call) to confirm they’re real and using Growwr today.

If you can assemble a “traction packet” combining these elements (or whatever subset you can share quickly), it will make it much easier for us to move forward. Let us know if you need clarification on any of the above. Thanks again for working with us on this. All this information can be sent to us privately by email.

[Growwrapp]

Reports_snapshot.pdf
I have just attached our downloaded report from Google analytics just now.

I will send other visa email. @diogo-w3f

[Growwrapp]

Hi @diogo-w3f I have sent you an email regarding your comment. I hope those help. @semuelle keeganquigley

Thank you