Building Auver: Roadmap & Funding Our Vision

The Auver Protocol represents a significant undertaking – building foundational open-source infrastructure for a more verifiable, equitable, and efficient digital world. The Auver Non-Profit Foundation is committed to stewarding this development transparently and responsibly. Our approach involves distinct phases, each with clear goals, ensuring we build a secure and robust network capable of fulfilling its mission. Achieving these milestones requires dedicated resources, primarily to support the core engineering team, rigorous security audits, legal frameworks, and initial ecosystem development.

Phase 1:

Core Implementation & Seed Funding (Estimated 9-15 Months)

Goal: Build the core, functional Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of Auver's runtime and node on Substrate. Prove the fundamental mechanics of CPoUW, VNB, basic PEE, and the Identity system. Conduct internal testing and simulations. Secure necessary seed/early-stage funding.
Duration: 12 - 18 months
Key Activities & Deliverables:
Team Assembly & Foundation Formalization: Recruit core Rust/Substrate engineers, cryptographers (if needed for ZKP scheme integration), protocol designers. Finalize NPO legal setup, governance structure for the Foundation itself.
Detailed Technical Design on Substrate: Translate whitepaper concepts (Sections 4, 7) into detailed specifications for FRAME pallets and custom consensus components. Finalize choices for ZKP schemes/libraries (template D.7), VRF libraries (A.2).
Runtime & Pallet Development (MVP Scope):
Native Currency (CVNB) using pallet-balances.
IdentityPallet (MVP: Basic AuverID, VerificationLevel management, ZKP verifier host function for ZkpVerifiedUnique for servers/voters, optional contact verification stubs).
VNBReputationPallet (MVP: On-chain reputation scores, basic PoM submission extrinsic, manual or simple penalty application logic for defined MVP violations - B.2).
PEEPallets (MVP: Basic fee handling via configured pallet-transaction-payment - C.3, basic reward pool logic from priority fees, Community Fund account setup on pallet-treasury with C_rate funding - C.7, Dynamic Supply logic present but inactive - C.2, Spoilage for clients - C.4).
StakingPallet (MVP: Server collateral - C.5, basic Auditor Bond logic, earn-in mechanism, manual or simple slashing integration with VNB).
ShareManagementPallet (MVP: Server Share issuance, basic ownership tracking, operator/tradable split - C.6, manual reward distribution stubs).
FunctionRegistryPallet (MVP: Registering initial CPoUW functions like PoW fallback - A.10).
ServerRegistryPallet (MVP: Basic server registration data).
Custom Consensus Logic (MVP Scope):
VRF Leader Election (A.2, A.3) integrated into Substrate authorship.
Basic CPoUW execution flow (Model A or simplified D.2) for simple tasks (e.g., PoW fallback, basic transaction validation tasks).
EpochSummaryBlock (Substrate block) structure and validation rules.
Basic finality gadget configuration (e.g., leveraging Aura for leader-based block production + GRANDPA-like elements for finality, adapted for Auver's reputation if possible, or a simpler N-block confirmation for initial testnets - A.8).
Internal Testnet & Simulations: Deploy and rigorously test on private/internal networks. Simulate economic models and consensus stability. Develop basic network monitoring.
Initial Documentation: Core concepts, node setup for internal testing.
Seed/Series A Funding: Secure funding for Phase 2.
Estimated Costs:
Personnel (e.g., 8-12 core team for 1.5 years): $1.8M - $3.6M
Legal & Foundation Ops: $50k - $150k
Tools & Infrastructure: $30k - $100k
Contingency (15%): $280k - $580k
Phase 1 Estimated Total: ~$2.1M - $4.4M

Phase 2:

Public Testnet & Audits (Estimated 6-9 Months)

Goal: Launch a stable, public, and incentivized testnet. Complete and audit all features planned for the initial Mainnet version. Grow the initial community and attract early dApp developers/testers.
Duration: 9 - 12 months
Key Activities & Deliverables:
Team Expansion: Potentially expand engineering, add dedicated testnet ops, community managers, developer relations.
Feature Completion for Mainnet v1:
Robust VNB/Reputation system with automated penalties/rewards.
Full PEE implementation (as per MVP specs, e.g., automated reward distribution, dynamic supply logic audited but still inactive).
Complete ShareManagementPallet with reward claims.
Full StakingPallet with automated slashing and earn-in.
Advanced IdentityPallet features (MFA, recovery flows - D.3, D.5).
PARS implementation (A.6, A.7) within the chosen CPoUW coordination model.
Anchoring Service pallet (Section 4.4.13).
Mature Governance pallets (configured pallet-democracy, pallet-collective, pallet-treasury, initial Staked Auditor mechanism - F.1-F.3, 7.3.12).
Public Testnet Launch: Multiple iterations, potentially incentivized participation for servers and users.
Security Audits: At least 2-3 comprehensive external security audits of the entire Auver runtime (all custom pallets, consensus logic, economic model).
Tooling & Documentation: Public block explorer, improved wallet support (via PolkadotJS extensions), detailed developer documentation, node operator guides.
Community Building & Developer Relations: Engage with potential users, server operators, and dApp developers. Run workshops, produce content.
Initial Partnerships & dApp Incubation: Identify and support early projects wishing to build on Auver.
Further Funding Rounds (if needed): Based on progress and roadmap for mainnet.
Estimated Costs:
Personnel (e.g., 15-20 team for 1 year): $2.25M - $4.0M
Security Audits (critical): $300k - $1M+ (can vary wildly)
Marketing & Community (incl. testnet incentives): $200k - $750k
Legal & Ops: $100k - $200k
Infrastructure (Testnet): $50k - $150k
Contingency (15%): $440k - $920k
Phase 2 Estimated Total: ~$3.3M - $7.0M+

Phase 3:

Mainnet Launch & Ecosystem Seeding (Ongoing Post-Testnet)

Goal: Successfully launch the Auver Mainnet (v1) and foster initial adoption and utility.
Duration: 3 - 6 months (for launch process and immediate post-launch activities)
Key Activities & Deliverables:
Address Audit Findings: Implement all critical fixes from security audits.
Genesis Event Preparation: Finalize chain_spec.json (initial parameters, token distribution - C.1, core dApp/pallet addresses G.3), select and prepare genesis server operators.
Mainnet Launch: Coordinated launch of the Auver blockchain.
Intensive Monitoring & Support: Closely monitor network health, performance, and security. Provide support for initial server operators and users.
Ecosystem Activation:
Launch initial Foundation-stewarded core services (e.g., official wallet interfaces, block explorer).
Distribute vested tokens to early participants/team as per schedule.
Activate Community Fund proposals via on-chain governance.
Encourage and support the launch of the first dApps built on Auver (potentially via grants).
Exchange Listings & Liquidity: Pursue listings on reputable exchanges for CVNB (if part of strategy).
Public Relations & Marketing Campaign: Announce mainnet launch and highlight Auver's capabilities.
Estimated Costs:
Personnel (focused team for launch & immediate support): $300k - $800k
Marketing & Launch Campaign: $250k - $1M+
Exchange Listing Fees (if pursued, can be very high): $50k - $2M+ (highly variable and sometimes controversial)
Legal & Compliance (for launch): $50k - $150k
Contingency (20%): $130k - $800k
Phase 3 Estimated Total: ~$0.7M - $4.7M+ (highly dependent on marketing and exchange listing strategy)

Phase 4:

Long-Term Evolution (Post-Mainnet, Funded Primarily by Protocol/Community Fund)

Goal: Continuously develop, upgrade, and decentralize the Auver protocol based on community governance and research. Implement features from Section 9 of the whitepaper.
Duration: Ongoing
Key Activities & Deliverables (Iterative via Forkless Runtime Upgrades & Governance):
Activate Advanced PEE Features: E.g., Dynamic Token Supply (C.2) based on network maturity and data.
Implement Features from "Future Work" (Section 9):
Server Specialization pallets.
Advanced CPoUW WASM functions and verification strategies.
L2 Rollup support enhancements.
Cross-Chain Interoperability (XCM, Bridges).
Refine/Evolve CPoUW Coordination (e.g., towards aspects of Model D.2 if beneficial).
Enhanced privacy features (e.g., Shielded Pool pallets).
Further decentralize Identity (e.g., AI-based verification research).
Ongoing Research & Development: For long-term goals like quantum resistance, formal verification of more components.
Ecosystem Growth: Continued dApp grants, developer support, community initiatives, funded by the Community Fund and potentially further Foundation fundraising or revenue streams.
Progressive Decentralization of Governance: Ensure the on-chain governance mechanisms become increasingly community-driven and resilient.
Estimated Costs:
This phase is ongoing and primarily funded by the Community Fund (template C.7 - 5% of priority fees) and potentially ongoing Foundation operations/grants.
Annual Operational Budget (Illustrative, for NPO & core R&D funded by treasury/grants): $1M - $5M+ per year, depending on the scope of active development, research grants, and ecosystem support. This would be covered by network revenue flowing to the Community Fund and any other Foundation income.

Overall Initial Funding Goal (Phases 1-3):

To successfully navigate from core implementation through to a secure Mainnet launch and initial ecosystem seeding (approximately a 24-month timeframe), the Auver Non-Profit Foundation estimates a total funding need in the range of $3 Million to $16 Million USD.

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