Team 26: DevRel Uni cohort

DAO Programs & Initiatives GovHack Brussels
1

  • Track Number: 2

  • Track Name: Builders & DevRel

  • Deck Link

  • Challenge Statement: The Arbitrum ecosystem lacks sufficient Web3 DevRel talent to support the various projects built on it (860 Arbitrum + 54 Orbit). This leads to sub-optimal builder support and developer resources, resulting in fewer devs building on top of the existing dApps and users.

  • Members: Bianca Buzea, Benjamin Memisevic

  • Team Lead contact name or alias: Buzea Bianca

  • PITCH: GovHack - DevRel Uni | Loom

1. Abstract

DevRel Uni is seeking $30K in funding to develop and deliver a program aimed at training Developer Relations (DevRel) talent for the Arbitrum ecosystem. This initiative seeks to create Web3 DevRel talent to ensure that every protocol built on Arbitrum can receive adequate DevRel support. The program aims to bolster the Arbitrum ecosystem by providing Web3 DevRel talent, facilitating content creation, documentation support, and enabling dApp prototyping.

Building on the success of five previous cohorts, which included over 30 training sessions, training 250+ students from more than 50 countries, and achieving a 56% job placement rate in DevRel roles, the program is designed to upskill new DevRel professionals, attracting new talent to create valuable educational resources for the Arbitrum community. Participants will benefit from lectures from Web3 DevRels experts, hands-on tutorials, assignments, and a supportive community environment.

2. Motivation

While Arbitrum boasts great technology and a rich ecosystem of protocols, it currently lacks DevRel support, which negatively impacts the attraction and retention of new developers. Arbitrum has a significant advantage over other protocols due to products like Stylus, which have the potential to tap into the vast pool of Web2 developers (as of 2023, there are around 22K Web3 developers and 26.3M Web2 developers). However, without adequate support to nurture these Web2 developers, Arbitrum may miss crucial opportunities. Educational resources and developer support are essential for onboarding new developers, and these are offered by DevRel professionals.

One key reason for the lack of DevRel support is the shortage of Web3 DevRel talent. Although many courses, bootcamps, and initiatives cater to aspiring developers, there is a noticeable lack of resources for those interested in transitioning into DevRel roles, which are crucial for scaling any developer ecosystem.

Building on the success of its previous five cohorts, DevRel Uni aims to partner with Arbitrum for the long term. Initially, this will involve this initial DevRel Cohort, with potential expansion to in-person (IRL) events and further DevRel talent enablement and initiatives, such as collaboration with Arbitrum’s DevRel Fellowship. According to the most recent survey, 56% of our graduates have transitioned into new DevRel roles, while others have experienced significant career advancement partly due to the program.

DevRel Uni has also become a creative hub for Developer Relations professionals, offering a supportive environment for networking, sharing insights, mentorship, and peer advice. Bianca, the founder of DevRel Uni, has demonstrated her ability to create and deliver high-quality educational programs.

If you would like to learn more about DevRel Uni and its initiatives, please check the following resources:

3. Rationale

To scale and succeed, the Arbitrum ecosystem needs builders. Developer Relations (DevRel) is crucial for attracting and retaining these builders by:

  • Educating developers
  • Building relationships
  • Representing the protocol
  • Making the technology accessible to newcomers
  • Retaining developers and keeping them engaged within the ecosystem

However, to achieve this, DevRel talent must be trained and guided towards the Arbitrum ecosystem. With DevRel Uni Cohort 6, we aim to cultivate a pool of DevRel talent that will expand DevRel efforts within the Arbitrum ecosystem, in alignment with Arbitrum’s mission to be the home for builders.

The need for DevRel talent and support has been validated as well though interviews with different protocols from the Arbitrum ecosystem during GovHack, such as the GMX team.

4. Key Terms

Developer Relations (DevRel) can be defined as the practice of fostering a vibrant ecosystem of third-party developers by serving as the interface between these developers and the platform’s product, engineering, and marketing teams.

DevRel professionals advocate for developers’ needs, create educational resources, offer technical support, and build a sense of community. They also gather feedback to help improve the product, ensuring developers have the tools and knowledge needed to succeed. Through these efforts, DevRel enhances developer experience, drives adoption, and promotes innovation within the ecosystem.

5 Specifications

DevRel Uni Cohort is a six week cohort-based program where students get to learn from the best Web3 DevRel professionals while tackling DevRel challenges.

The program will comprise 6 lectures delivered by different mentors, followed by 6 workshops that allow students to put in practice the notions just learned, and homework assignments

There will be a post-event media production with students’ testimonials and storytelling to amplify the event on social platforms, as well as written testimonials.

Post event, an impact report will be created with our key learnings and impact. It will be shared with the Arbitrum community, as well as on DevRel Uni’s Medium.

6. Steps to Implement

After spending is approved, funds will be sent to the an EOA identified by 0x789dD37D0BB7e8333E7B1b203D54f9B1515DB9F3. 25% of the funds upon approval, an additional 35% will be sent after the completion of the first 3 sessions, 30% after the program concludes, and the remaining 10% after the completion of the report.

The release of the funds can be halted if the proposal is not delivering the proposed deliverables.

7. Timeline

The duration of the program is 6 weeks. We propose to start the cohort 15th of August (assuming funding is approved in a timely manner - we need to announce the program at least 2 weeks before the start date), and complete it by the end of September (this includes a 1-week buffer, assuming any of the sessions need to be rescheduled for unforeseen circumstances).

8. Overall Cost

The cost to execute this program is $30K, enabling a total of 60 scholarships.

Cost breakdown:

Curriculum Design and Materials - 7k

Marketing and Outreach - 4K

  • Create and manage social media and marketing campaigns to promote DevRel Uni and Arbitrum

Application Processing - 1,5K

  • We want to select a pool of 60 participants. We currently have around 300 pre-registrations. This process is performed manually, and it involves an intensive curation part as well as interviews.

Class and Assignment Delivery - 7K

Administration Costs and Support throughout the Program - 8K

Contingency - 1K

Challenge Bounty for participants - 1,5 K

  • This will be used for setting a bounty for the best educational resources created by students on Arbitrum. Examples of previous assignments can be found here.
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