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#1504 · PolkaBiz Business Mentorship & Ecosystem Support

Introduction PolkaBiz plays a key role in the Polkadot ecosystem, providing mentorship and business expertise to founders, builders, and programs such as PBA, PBA-X, Web3 Foundation, and Scytale Digital. To continue delivering high-value mentorship and guidance, this proposal seeks funding to support the PolkaBiz team for their work in 2025, ensuring Polkadot remains an attractive hub for Web3 entrepreneurship.

PolkaBiz actively identifies and mentors high-potential startups, already screening 100+ startups in 2025. We believe that entrepreneurial minds and ambitious builders deserve a platform to be heard and supported. Our mentorship program not only accelerates startups but also provides a valuable educational experience for students in PBA X and PBA Campus.

Why a Pitch & Mentor program? Many Web3 founders lack business strategy and go-to-market expertise. This leads them to make wrong and sometimes detrimental decisions. PolkaBiz fills this gap. By helping founders succeed, we help create an environment where entrepreneurial, ambitious people feel welcomed.

Feedback from partners

  • “Mario and Christian put by far the most teams for the founders grants program in touch with us and supported us by preselecting the teams. They significantly contributed to the success of this first invite-only test run.” David Hawig - Director of Ecosystem Development, Web3 Foundation.

  • “Mario and Christian formed an alliance following their time at PBA in Hong Kong as students on the Founders track we ran at that time. Since then the original Polkabiz idea has become a great tool, proven to identify and nurture entrepreneurs who have places in PBA Campus or PBA-X into the ecosystem. The next step is to use Polkabiz as a means of attracting entrepreneurs to PBA via marketing of the benefits Polkabiz provides, thus creating a new funnel of projects into the ecosystem.Mario and Christian are great at what they do and are tireless in their efforts. We’re really keen to keep working with them to help.“ - Tim Dobie - Director of Blockchain Academy.

  • “I had the opportunity to work with Polkabiz at PBA Singapore and PBAX Wave 1, where I mentored teams that went through their initial screening and mentoring process. I can vouch for the quality of effort and time Polkabiz invests in mentoring these teams 1:1, which is evident from the qualitative and quantitative feedback received from the participants” - Dr. Radha Dasari, Technical Education Lead, Web3 Foundation.

See here the details of the full proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EdAWrKn2JW3amysB3aFlDmb6uAAQIV9LcC36OZ0VAtc/edit?usp=sharing

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StatusDeciding · 22d
86%Nay
Aye (11)
19.70K DOT
Nay (17)
127.26K DOT
Decision5 / 28d
0.0%6.39%
5.12%Support Threshold
0Support Threshold
Support(0.00%)
≈ 25.38K DOT
Issuance
≈ 1.54B DOT
Vote
michjord0001Mar 30

This proposal highlights PolkaBiz’s impact on the Polkadot ecosystem, featuring strong testimonials and a clear focus on bridging the business strategy gap for emerging Web3 founders. 

PolkaBizMar 30
polkarm

At this point, this proposal makes the least sense because the founders have themselves been funded through treasury and grants for their startups, so have been the beneficiaries of this programme. Clearly, that is only thing they are likely capable of mentoring. And as a result we will likely see more people who will also rely on grants for their projects—many of which often lack real value or meaningful contributions to the Polkadot ecosystem if they even manage to stay in the ecosystem after the grant.

I recommend a much better, free of cost pitch & mentor solution for founders who really want to create value from people who have actually built viable businesses in Web3: https://www.youtube.com/@a16zcrypto

The PolkaBiz mission is to help founders build businesses that go beyond just securing grants. If we were only about grant-seeking, we wouldn’t be pushing for milestone-based accountability.

As for free resources - sure, there’s plenty of great content out there, including from a16z. But mentorship isn’t just about watching videos. It’s about hands-on support, real-world connections, and tailored guidance from people who have actually built companies. That’s what PolkaBiz delivers. (and for free for all the startups!)

We just need more successful startups and a structured, founder-focused program is exactly what’s needed. The PBA confirms this, just like the Web3 Foundation and other partners we collaborate with. In the end, we all want more successful startups building on Polkadot, because more startups mean more users, more transactions, and more growth. And ultimately, that benefits all token holders, as success drives a positive impact on token value.

polkarmMar 29

At this point, this proposal makes the least sense because the founders have themselves been funded through treasury and grants for their startups, so have been the beneficiaries of this programme. Clearly, that is only thing they are likely capable of mentoring. And as a result we will likely see more people who will also rely on grants for their projects—many of which often lack real value or meaningful contributions to the Polkadot ecosystem if they even manage to stay in the ecosystem after the grant.

I recommend a much better, free of cost pitch & mentor solution for founders who really want to create value from people who have actually built viable businesses in Web3: https://www.youtube.com/@a16zcrypto

SidMar 28

I had the opportunity to work with Mario and Christian at PBA-X as a finalist in the PolkaBiz Competition (2025 Cohort). They provided solid guidance, genuine support, and direct feedback, all of which I greatly appreciated. I believe it’s a promising concept and one of the more sustainable ways to support and implement long-term projects within the ecosystem. Good luck!

sukikoMar 28

As a mentee selected at PBA X, I want to express my deep appreciation for the incredible guidance and support from Mario and Christiam at PolkaBiz. Their sharp insights, honest feedback, and real-world experience made a huge difference in shaping our direction. They don’t just advise—they truly invest in your growth. Thank you both for your time, dedication, and for believing in us!

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