Round Intro

Deep Funding Rounds Overview

Deep Funding is committed to providing support to AI developers and builders via different opportunities that allow you to secure funding for your projects and your contributions. This page gives an overview of our Deep Funding Rounds - a funding opportunity we provide to anyone who is interested in aiding the mission of SingularityNET of advancing beneficial AGI.

Deep Funding Rounds are initiated by the Deep Funding Program and driven by the community with reviews, voting, decisions, and directions entirely guided by them ensuring that the outcomes align with the collective interest of our community.

New Rounds are scheduled once or a few times per year and each Round takes several months to complete.

Our Funding Rounds are open and accessible to anyone, with no entry barriers to foster inclusivity and broad participation - anyone can submit a proposal.
There are only a few specifications for round proposals allowing for a lot of creativity, out-of-the-box thinking and unexpected, innovative ideas to emerge. Funding in our rounds is milestone-based which means that funding is only released after the approval of a milestone as indicated in the proposal.

How it works:

Once the submission period ends, a review process begins. The specifics of this process evolve from one round to the next. At the end of this process, valid proposals are added to the voting portal where the community will decide which projects get awarded for funding.

  • Announcement of a Deep Funding RoundEvery new Deep Funding Round gets announced several weeks before it officially starts. At this point, important details like starting date, timelines, type of submission pools and their size and the overall Funding Round amount to be awarded will be released.
  • Proposal Submissions and Review PeriodOnce the funding round is open to start accepting proposals you can start creating and submitting proposals via the Deep Funding portal and its guided submission flow. You will be asked to provide all relevant details of your project, including a summary, the required budget, a detailed description of your AI project or idea, milestone deliveries, and team members. You can create multiple proposals, save them at any stage in the process, and view all your proposals across different rounds in the ‘My project’ dashboard. There, proposers can choose to make their proposals visible or hidden during this time.

    Eligibility reviews and expert reviews will begin simultaneously and feedback is provided to teams. During the eligibility review initial proposal submissions will be audited by the designated expert reviewer to ensure they meet basic criteria.

    Adjustments to proposals can be made based on the feedback. Once the final eligibility list is published the expert reviews take place. Expert reviewers review and rate the proposal based on several criteria. The highest-rated proposals (7+) proceed to the next phase, the interview phase.

    Proposals that advance will undergo live interviews with a team of experts to ensure that proposers have the necessary expertise to execute the project, and feedback reports are provided. There is an appeal period where proposers are able to appeal the outcome of their interviews, providing an opportunity for reconsideration.

    Lastly, the final list of approved proposals is prepared. The details of the submission and review process evolve from one round to the next to encourage higher-quality proposals and refine and improve our processes in the Funding Program. Deep Funding reserves the right to veto any proposal that does not align with its strategic objectives or long-term vision even after the final reviews and votes.
  • Announcement of Approved Proposals Once all approved proposals have been selected the results are being published via Social Media channels, our newsletter and on the Deep Funding portal to the community and all participating teams. The selected proposals are added to the voting portal ready for the community to cast their vote.
  • Community Voting The community has the final say in which project gets awarded and the community voting perod starts. Once the voting period closes, results are being calculated.
  • Announcement of Proposals who Secured Funding and Onboarding Process The final result with all winning proposals that got selected for funding is announced. Once your project has been selected to receive funding, a contract will be signed, and you can get started working on your milestones.
    There will be an onboarding meeting to inform you of all relevant processes and you will get the opportunity to connect to the Deep Funding staff, Deep Funding Circles members and other awarded teams.
    Funds will be released after review and acceptance of the related milestone deliveries as defined in your proposal.

Proposal Guide

Proposals to a Deep Funding Round should be submitted if you have a solid project or idea and the capacity or a capable team ready to execute it. The schedule of the funding round should fit your project’s timeline.

Guiding Principles:

Deep Funding Rounds are based on the following core principles:

  • The project must align with SingularityNET’s mission and vision to develop beneficial Artificial Super-Intelligence (ASI).
  • The project should contribute to the growth of our decentralized AI platform or our ASI framework: OpenCog Hyperon
  • For more info on our guiding principles, please read Funding with Purpose.

    Submitting a Great Proposal:

    During a funding round we receive well over a hundred, sometimes several hundred proposals. To help you stand out and submit a well-rounded proposal we put together a few pointers for you to help you in your proposal creation process:

    A great proposal showcases your and/or your team’s expertise and knowledge around the proposed solution and that your idea or project is aligned with the guiding principles of SingularityNET. Proposals that differentiate themselves with unique ideas and creative approaches as well as proposals that foster innovation while being aligned with SingularityNET’s mission and values are highly encouraged.

    Furthermore, a great proposal contains:

    • A descriptive title
    • A clear description of your proposal including any relevant information such as technical specifications, market research etc., and showcases the value of your idea or project
    • A description of each milestone you are aiming to achieve with related deliverables and budgets
    • All known team members, their roles and a Curriculum Vitae for each member
    • Relevant past work or case studies that demonstrate your ability to execute the proposed solution
    • Details required for administration including contact information, tax information and others
    • The proposal should be detailed enough to showcase the value of the outcomes but compact and concise enough to easily be understood and reviewed by the community, community experts and eligibility reviewers. Remember that not all community members have a technical background, it is always advisable to explain technical terms and processes.

      Deep Funding is pleased to offer the opportunity to participate in Funding Rounds to the community. We look forward to your innovative ideas and solutions and are excited to work together to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve.

      To understand why we offer multiple funding paths, we encourage you to read: The Funding Trilemma.

feedback_icon