Obsidian

Obsidian is a digital product marketplace, supporting Excel files, Word Docs, and more, that enables communities to self organize to fund any type of digital product that they would like to see become a part of the public domain.

A creator uploads a digital product as an NFT including two files, a preview file and the final content file. Another user comes along and wants to fund the digital product. They purchase the NFT that they can then show off. Their wallet mints the preview file. As soon as the funding goal is met, the NFT changes to the final file and the digital product is now released into the public domain and is searchable on IPFS and Etherscan.

If the funding goal is not met by the crowdfunds expiration date and time, funds are available to claim from the smart contract.

We achieve this utilizing the IPFS NFT Storage API. We obscure the final product file, although it is uploaded to IPFS so it is securely on the blockchain, but unable to be found via search.

Our process was very iterative. We started with a business use case which evolved to focus on digital piracy and trying to solve that multibillion dollar problem. We ran into a road block and could not find a way to secure the creators IP in a decentralized manner. Securing the creators IP was our top priority so we realized we didn't have a product.

Through brainstorming, we flipped the product and realized there was a way to solve a slightly different, although adjacent, business use case using the IPFS NFT Storage API. This technology was critical to us having a breakthrough moment that allowed the product concept to fully form.

We then hit a fork to build a Web 2.5 product but we chose to go after the most decentralized solution. Then we built.

The "hackiest" thing we did was keep iterating, changing small details to achieve the same or a similar product while staying focused on the product market fit and use case. We also, scrambled, supported each other, and allowed each other space to work in the manner that was best for themselves.

Runner up "hackiest" moment was us landing a solidity dev to code the smart contract at 10:52 AM Saturday

Through the process we were impressed that we had the ambition to attempt an MVP. And we're proud we could deliver a proof of concept with only a few hours of additional coding needed to complete the MVP all within the timeframe.