Meet the dynamic duo behind StellarStrides, Waleska Cerpa and Gonzalo Barría. As husband and wife, our collaborative synergy extends beyond the personal realm into a professional partnership with a shared passion for fostering positive change, especially when it comes to education on any given topic. Drawing on over 10 years of experience learning marketing self-paced to thrive in the digital era  we offer a distinctive fusion of technical expertise, marketing prowess, and a global perspectives. 

Waleska Cerpa:

With a versatile background spanning hotel management, financial coaching, and online business consulting, I bring a unique blend of skills to our team. I've honed expertise in event management, branding, marketing strategy, financial literacy advocacy, networking, and community building. Living in 11 cities across seven countries has exposed me to diverse global communities, fueling my commitment to collaborate with visionary leaders striving for positive impacts. 

Previous Experience:

I have built my own personal brand on social media since 2013, (on hold for the past 2 years because I joined Blockchain to learn), here is my website where I gathered over 10k people in my WhatsApp programs for financial literacy in LATAM: https://www.waleskacerpa.com/ 

In March 2023 I started Block&Change as a co-founder, it’s a solutions-oriented movement designed to spearhead the mass adoption of blockchain technology and Web3 innovations globally through events and other actions:

We have made significant strides in establishing the Block&Change platform and building our community:

1. We have hosted over 15 successful webinars, X Spaces, Community Calls and IRL workshops and networking events across Spain, France and Turkey, gaining valuable feedback from participants.
2. We hosted our first IRL Hackathon in Madrid in October 2023, with more than 115 registrations, 81 show ups and 20 projects.
3. Hosted our first unConference following up the hackathon with +30 speakers and over 70 participants, the quality of the speakers and the level of engagement with the audience during all panel discussions and debate were the talk of the community for weeks after.
4. Over 10 sponsors and 50 partners throughout all our events.
5. Over 1.2k followers in our social channels (Telegram, Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, mailing list) and growing

Website: http://blockandchange.com/

Social Media:

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waleskacerpa/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IamTiche
Discord: @IamTiche 

Gonzalo Barría:

As a seasoned Full-Stack Developer with over 20 years of experience, I've cultivated a strong technical foundation, specializing in client-side and server-side programming, SQL database design and REST API development. I have entered the blockchain technology space through Waleska and participated (and won) in hackathons such as Eth Barcelona and Eth Global Istanbul. Beyond technical skills, I possess a deep understanding of collaborative team dynamics and a commitment to delivering quality results. My journey involves a unique blend of technical expertise, marketing, and branding, acquired through self-driven learning over the past decade. This multifaceted skill set positions us well to contribute meaningfully to the Stellar ecosystem's diverse needs.

Social Media:

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gonzalo-barria-m/ 

Road Map for the next 3 months - Community Award: A public good initiative for the benefit of the ecosystem

For the following 3 months we plan to apply for a second SCF grant (community award) that will help us cover:

1. Video Content Production
   1. Brief description: Start recording and editing videos for YouTube launch
   2. How to measure completion: 
      1. YouTube Launch with 3 videos, between 5 and 12 minutes each
      2. Release a video every week on a different topic
      3. Creating Shorts

2. Brand Messaging Guide and Marketing Guide
   1. Brief description: Develop a comprehensive brand messaging and marketing plan guides for Stellar projects.
   2. How to measure completion: Guides finalized and approved by the team.

3. Blog Series Development
   1. Brief description: Expand the educational blog series on branding for Stellar projects, covering advanced topics.
   2. How to measure completion: Weekly blog post release

4. Interview Series
   1. Brief description: Launch an interview series featuring industry experts and successful Stellar projects.
   2. How to measure completion: Weekly live interviews

5. Workshop Series
   1. Brief description: Do live hands on workshops for the community 
   2. How to measure completion: Monthly workshops

6. Social Media Growth Strategy
   1. Brief description: Implement a strategy to enhance social media presence and followership.
   2. How to measure completion: A 20% increase in followers across all platforms.

Roadmap Beyond Stellar Community Fund and public good: Business Development Overview

StellarStrides envisions a dynamic business development strategy that extends beyond content creation to ensure self-sufficiency by onboarding projects into personalized branding and marketing services. This approach allows us to progressively reduce reliance on external funding, while planning for sustained growth and expansion of StellarStrides' consultancy services.

While remaining committed to providing valuable resources for the community, future requests for support to the SCF would then align with transformative expansions or innovative initiatives, such as hosting impactful live events to propel the StellarStrides brand to new heights within the Stellar ecosystem.

Q2 2024

Business Development Strategy: Devise a strategy to onboard Stellar projects into consultancy services.

Client Onboarding: Initiate the onboarding process for Stellar projects seeking consultancy.

Q3 2024

Partnership Exploration: Identify potential partnerships within the Stellar ecosystem.

Service Expansion: Introduce additional consultancy services based on client needs.

Q4 2024

Evaluate and Optimize: Evaluate the consultancy model's effectiveness and optimize services.

OVERVIEW

StellarStrides is a dynamic and innovative branding and marketing educational platform specializing in empowering projects within the Stellar ecosystem through guidebooks, blog posts, video tutorials, workshops and inspiring interviews with experts. 

Serving as a guiding light for brands seeking impactful growth, we aim to simplify the complexities of marketing in the blockchain realm by making it accessible, understandable, and actionable for projects of all sizes ensuring their success and meaningful contribution to solving real world problems.

Vision:

Our vision at StellarStrides is to contribute to the widespread recognition and success of the Stellar ecosystem. We envision a future where Stellar projects are well-positioned in the global market, and celebrated for their innovation and positive impact.

Mission:

Our mission is to provide actionable and accessible strategies that amplify the visibility and adoption of projects within the Stellar ecosystem. Through educational resources and community engagement we strive to empower Stellar projects to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape and contribute meaningfully to the growth of the Stellar network.

FOCUS

Branding & Marketing Strategies for Stellar Projects

Objective: Crafting a Unified Stellar Narrative

Stellar Network’s brand image and narrative has evolved and so should the projects in the ecosystem follow. We aim to foster a shared understanding and representation of Stellar projects, cultivating a common narrative that resonates across diverse audiences. By doing so, we seek to bridge communication gaps, enhance community cohesion, and contribute to a robust, positive, and collective image of the Stellar network and its associated projects.

Activities:

• Develop a comprehensive branding and marketing guide specific to native Stellar projects, specially those that are building on Soroban, covering topics such as brand and logo design, community engagement, social media marketing, content creation, and event promotion.
• Use YouTube as our main communication channel and distribute in other social media (Twitter, Linked In) 
• Plan and host virtual workshops covering relevant marketing topics, such as brand building, community management, and campaign execution.
• Interview successful Stellar projects sharing their marketing experiences.
• Invite experienced marketers and industry professionals as guest speakers to share insights and practical tips.
• Encourage active participation through Q&A sessions, group discussions, and collaborative activities.
• Create a repository of marketing resources, including templates, design assets, and best practices for Stellar projects to use in their promotional activities.

Outcome:

• Empower Stellar projects with effective marketing strategies to attract a wider audience, increase user adoption, and enhance their overall visibility within the community and industry.
• Enhanced knowledge and skill development among Stellar project teams, empowering them to implement effective marketing strategies independently.
• Fostering a sense of community and collaboration among Stellar projects through shared learning experiences.

Activation Award: Foundation, Brand Establishment and Launch: A public good initiative for the benefit of the ecosystem

Here's a detailed plan for the Activation Award Period of 1,5 months: 

1. Logo for StellarStrides
   1. Brief description: Design a unique and impactful logo for StellarStrides that embodies its brand identity.
   2. How to measure completion: Vector and PNG in Drive folder
   3. Estimated date of completion: End of week 1: Saturday, Dec. 16th (Assuming week 1 starts on Mon 11th)
   4. Budget: $500
       
2. Brand guidelines book for StellarStrides 
   1. Brief description: Develop a comprehensive brand guidelines book outlining the visual and messaging aspects of the StellarStrides brand.
   2. How to measure completion: It will be part of our Media Kit as a downloadable PDF.
   3. Estimated date of completion: Week 2: Wednesday, Dec. 21st
   4. Budget: $1,500
       
3. Visual templates for social media posts
   1. Brief description: Create visually appealing and consistent templates for StellarStrides' headers, banners and social media posts for YouTube, Linked In, Instagram, Twitter, blog)
   2. How to measure completion: Completed templates ready for use on Canva
   3. Estimated date of completion: Week 2: Saturday, Dec. 23rd 
   4. Budget: $1,500

4. Social Media accounts setup
   1. Brief description: Set up official StellarStrides accounts on social media platforms with logo, banner and specific copy for YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram (and Discord - see suggestion for Discord below)
   2. How to measure completion: You will be able to find them all on each platform.
   3. Estimated date of completion: Week 3: Saturday Dec. 23rd
   4. Budget: $500
       
5. Content Calendar Program
   1. Brief description: Develop a comprehensive content calendar program for StellarStrides, outlining the schedule and topics for social media posts and blog content
   2. How to measure completion: The content calendar is finalized and accessible on the StellarStrides Notion Workspace
   3. Estimated date of completion: End of week 3: Saturday, Dec. 30th
   4. Budget: $2,500
       
6. Educational Blog Series 
   1. Brief description: Initiate an educational blog series focusing on fundamental branding concepts tailored to Stellar projects during the Soroban mainnet launch. Topics will include crafting a compelling brand narrative, developing a distinct visual identity, and highlighting the significance of community engagement
   2. How to measure completion: 3 first blog posts will be on Notion before going live on Website.
   3. Estimated date of completion: End of week 4: Saturday, Jan 6th
   4. Budget: $1,500
       
7. StellarStrides website Design
   1. Brief description: Creation of the website design mockup
   2. How to measure completion: A Figma link will be provided for design review
   3. Estimated date of completion: End of week 3: Saturday Dec. 30th
   4. Budget: $1000

8. StellarStrides website Copywriting
   1. Brief description: Crafting the written content for the StellarStrides website.
   2. How to measure completion: Successful development of engaging and informative copy for the website will be accessible on the StellarStrides Notion Workspace
   3. Estimated date of completion: End of week 4: Saturday, Jan 6th
   4. Budget: $1000
       
9. StellarStrides website Implementation
   1. Brief description: To make the website accessible worldwide, it needs to be hosted on a web server. The web design will be implemented using Next.js on the Vercel servers.
   2. How to measure completion: The outcome will be visible at https://stellarstrides.xyz. 
   3. Estimated date of completion: Week 5: Tuesday, Jan 9th
   4. Budget: $1,000

10. Live Review Workshop
    1. Brief description: Host an interactive Live Review Workshop where projects can get feedback on their branding or marketing strategies, preferably conducted within a designated Discord Channel (details to be finalized in collaboration with the Stellar Team).
    2. How to measure completion: Facilitate live reviews of projects on the Discord channel, allowing a maximum of 3 projects to participate.
    3. Estimated date of completion: End of week 6,  Tuesday, Jan 16th
    4. Budget: $500
        
11. Case Study Compilation 
    1. Brief description: Compile a comprehensive case study highlighting the branding and marketing journey of StellarStrides.
    2. How to measure completion: Each week the team will record a video sharing the steps taken to complete each task available in Youtube channel
    3. Estimated date of completion: End of Week 6 ends documentation to start working on the case study and share with the community within the next 2 weeks.
    4. Budget: $1,500
        
12. Community Engagement
    1. Brief description: Foster community engagement through the establishment of a dedicated Discord Server, aiming for a new channel within the main Stellar Devs Discord (subject to discussion with the Stellar team). This initiative, although not a traditional "deliverable," is crucial for the project's nature and will enhance community participation. 
    2. How to measure completion:
       1. Track the number of posts on each social media platform.
       2. Develop various types of engaging social media posts.
       3. Monitor the growth in the number of followers on social media
       4. Assess the number of participants in conversations within the Discord Server
       5. Initiate the hiring process for a Social Media Manager.
    3. Estimated date of completion: It starts on week 3 and it should never end.
    4. Budget: $1,500