Learning is the proof of work. The community is the bank.
- Introduction
- Problem Statement
- Solution
- Platform Architecture
- Smart Contract System
- User Roles
- The Earn Loop
- Scholarship DAO
- Governance
- Tech Stack
- Roadmap
- Whitepaper Generation
- Running Tests
- Contributing
- Resources
- Contact
LearnVault is a decentralized learn-and-earn platform where education meets opportunity. Learners earn reputation tokens by completing skill tracks, while donors and sponsors fund a community treasury governed by DAO voting. The best learners get funded to go further — no gatekeepers, no bureaucracy, just proof of effort and community belief.
LearnVault is designed specifically with African learners in mind — a generation of ambitious builders who have the talent and drive but lack access to the financial resources that would take their skills to the next level. By combining blockchain-powered credentials, on-chain reputation, and decentralized scholarship funding, LearnVault creates a self-sustaining education ecosystem that rewards effort and amplifies potential.
Access to quality tech education across Africa is not limited by lack of ambition — it is limited by lack of opportunity. Three core problems define the gap:
Funding Barriers — Bootcamps, courses, and developer tools cost money that most learners in emerging markets simply do not have. Scholarship systems that exist are slow, opaque, and often inaccessible.
Credential Trust Gap — Traditional certificates are easy to fake and hard to verify. Employers and DAOs have no reliable way to assess a candidate's real on-chain track record.
Broken Incentive Systems — Existing learn-to-earn platforms flood learners with worthless tokens for clicking through slides. There is no real connection between learning effort and financial reward.
LearnVault addresses all three problems in a single, cohesive platform.
LearnVault creates a three-pillar ecosystem:
1. Learn — Learners enroll in skill tracks covering Web3 development, smart contract engineering, DeFi, frontend development, and more. Every verified milestone they complete earns them LearnTokens — soulbound, non-transferable reputation tokens that live on-chain.
2. Earn — LearnTokens are proof of real effort. They unlock governance rights, scholarship eligibility, and platform reputation. High-achieving learners convert a portion of their LearnTokens into Governance Tokens, giving them a voice in the DAO.
3. Get Funded — Learners with sufficient on-chain reputation can submit scholarship proposals to the community treasury. Governance token holders vote on proposals. Approved scholars receive milestone-based disbursements in stablecoins — real, stable value delivered directly to their wallets.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LEARNVAULT │
│ │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │ LEARN │───▶│ EARN │───▶│ GET FUNDED│ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ Courses │ │ LRN │ │ Scholarship│ │
│ │ Quizzes │ │ Tokens │ │ Proposals │ │
│ │ Projects │ │ (Soulbound│ │ DAO Vote │ │
│ │ │ │ ERC20) │ │ Escrow │ │
│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ COMMUNITY TREASURY │ │
│ │ Funded by Donors · Governed by DAO │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
LearnVault is powered by six core smart contracts:
A soulbound ERC20 token that is minted to learners upon verified milestone completion. Non-transferable by design — it represents real effort, not speculation. Your LearnToken balance is your on-chain academic reputation score.
A transferable ERC20 distributed to donors upon treasury contribution and earned by top learners at milestone thresholds. Used exclusively for DAO voting on scholarship proposals.
Tracks learner progress per course. Each course has defined checkpoints verified by a trusted multi-sig validator (transitioning to oracle-based verification in V2). On successful verification, this contract triggers LearnToken minting.
Holds all donor funds in stablecoins (USDC). Funds can only be released upon successful proposal execution through the governance system. Tracks total contributions per donor. Transparent and auditable by anyone.
Manages approved scholarship disbursements in tranches. Funds are released as scholars hit agreed milestones. If a scholar is inactive for 30 days, unspent funds automatically return to the treasury.
Mints a soulbound ERC721 credential to scholars who complete their funded programs. Non-transferable, tamper-proof, and permanently verifiable on-chain. Shareable with employers, DAOs, and the broader ecosystem.
- Connects wallet and enrolls in skill tracks
- Completes lessons, quizzes, and projects
- Earns soulbound LearnTokens per milestone
- Builds on-chain reputation score
- Submits scholarship proposals when eligible
- Receives milestone-based funding upon approval
- Earns ScholarNFT credential upon program completion
- Deposits stablecoins (USDC) into the community treasury
- Receives Governance Tokens proportional to contribution
- Votes on scholarship proposals
- Tracks the impact of their contributions transparently on-chain
- Can set optional focus areas (e.g., only fund Web3 developers)
- Any Governance Token holder can vote on proposals
- Votes are weighted by token balance
- Voting window: 7 days per proposal
- Quorum and threshold parameters set by DAO governance
LearnVault's flywheel is designed so that effort compounds over time:
Complete Lesson
│
▼
Earn LearnTokens (LRN)
│
▼
Complete Full Track ──▶ Convert LRN to Governance Tokens
│
▼
Submit Scholarship Proposal
│
3. **Friendbot Funding (Testnet Only):**
```bash
# Fund your deployer address for testing
stellar friendbot fund <NETWORK> <ADDRESS>
# Example:
stellar friendbot fund testnet GXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Deployer Address:
- For testing on Stellar Testnet, use the friendbot-funded deployer:
GDU2P3YJ5K7E6ZK3Q2K7E6ZK3Q2K7E6ZK3Q2K7E6ZK3│ ▼ Mint ScholarNFT Credential │ ▼ Higher Reputation ──▶ Larger Future Proposals ──▶ Loop Continues
The more you learn, the more power and opportunity you unlock. Wealth is not the
barrier — effort is the currency.
---
## Scholarship DAO
The Scholarship DAO is the heart of LearnVault's funding mechanism.
### Eligibility to Apply
A learner must hold a minimum LearnToken balance (set by governance) before
submitting a proposal. This ensures only learners with a verified track record
can access treasury funds.
### Proposal Contents
Each scholarship proposal includes:
- Learning goal and intended program or bootcamp
- Amount requested in USDC
- Timeline and milestone plan
- On-chain reputation score (LRN balance)
- Wallet address for disbursement
### Voting
Governance token holders vote YES or NO within a 7-day window. A proposal passes
if it meets the required quorum and approval threshold. Failed proposals can be
resubmitted after 30 days.
### Disbursement
Approved funds are locked in `MilestoneEscrow.sol` and released in tranches as
the scholar completes agreed milestones. Progress is reported by the scholar and
confirmed by a community-elected validator committee (transitioning to oracle
verification in V2).
### Accountability
Scholars who abandon funded programs without communication are flagged on-chain.
Repeated abandonment affects future proposal eligibility. Unspent funds always
return to the treasury.
---
## Governance
LearnVault's DAO governance covers:
- Scholarship eligibility thresholds (minimum LRN to apply)
- Voting quorum and approval thresholds
- Treasury allocation limits per proposal
- Adding new course tracks to the platform
- Protocol upgrades and parameter changes
Governance evolves over time. In V1, the founding team holds a multi-sig with
community governance as an advisory layer. In V2, full on-chain governance
transfers to token holders.
---
## Tech Stack
| Layer | Technology |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Blockchain | Stellar (primary), EVM-compatible L2 (planned) |
| Smart Contracts | Solidity / Stellar Soroban |
| Frontend | Next.js, TypeScript, TailwindCSS |
| Wallet Integration | Freighter (Stellar), MetaMask |
| Storage | IPFS (course content + proposal docs) |
| Stablecoin | USDC |
| Backend | Node.js, PostgreSQL |
| Deployment | Docker |
---
## Roadmap
### V1 — MVP (Current Phase)
- Core smart contracts (LearnToken, GovernanceToken, Treasury, ProposalManager)
- Basic course completion tracker
- Scholarship proposal submission and voting
- Learner and donor dashboards
### V2 — Growth
- MilestoneEscrow and automated tranche disbursements
- ScholarNFT credential system
- Oracle-based milestone verification
- Expanded course catalog (Web3, DeFi, Smart Contracts, ZK basics)
- Mobile-responsive frontend
- Community leaderboard
### V3 — Scale
- Full on-chain governance transition
- Cross-chain support (Arbitrum, Base)
- Corporate sponsor portal with targeted funding
- ZK-powered credential proofs (prove achievement without revealing identity)
- API for third-party integrations
---
## Whitepaper Generation
The LearnVault Technical Whitepaper is authored in Markdown and exported to PDF.
To ensure Mermaid diagrams render correctly in the PDF export, follow this
two-step build process:
1. **Compile Diagrams to Images:** Generate static PNGs from the Mermaid source
files using the Mermaid CLI:
```bash
npx @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli -i docs/architecture.mmd -o docs/architecture.png
- Generate the PDF: Once the diagrams are compiled and embedded as standard
markdown image links, generate the final PDF using
md-to-pdf:npx md-to-pdf docs/whitepaper.md
---
## Running Tests
### Prerequisites
1. **Install Rust and Stellar CLI:**
```bash
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
npm install -g @stellar/stellar-cli
-
Install Visual Studio Build Tools (Windows):
# Download Visual Studio Build Tools installer # Visit: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/ # Or use winget: wing install VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools
-
Configure Environment:
# Copy environment template cp .env.example .env # Edit .env with your configuration # Set STELLAR_SCAFFOLD_ENV=testnet for testnet deployment
npm test # runs all Soroban contract tests
npm run test:contracts # alias for the above
npm run test:watch # re-runs tests on file changesLearnVault is an open-source project and welcomes contributions from developers, educators, designers, and community builders. If you believe in decentralized education and want to help build the infrastructure for the next generation of African builders, we would love to have you.
To contribute:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Submit a pull request with a clear description of your changes
- Join the community discussion in our Discord
All contributors are recognized on-chain and in our official documentation.
Please read our Code of Conduct before contributing. We expect all participants to uphold these standards.
- Glossary — Key terms, tokens, and contracts explained in plain English
For partnerships, sponsorships, grant inquiries, or general questions about LearnVault, please reach out through our official channels.
- GitHub: github.com/learnvault
- Twitter/X: @LearnVaultDAO
- Discord: discord.gg/learnvault
- Email: hello@learnvault.xyz
LearnVault — Built for African learners. Powered by community. Governed by effort. \n## Architecture Decisions\n\n- ADR-001.md\n- ADR-002.md\n- ADR-003.md\n- ADR-004.md\n- ADR-005.md\n- ADR-006.md\n- ADR-007.md\n
Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):
 bakeronchain 💻 📖 |
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