[Shutter DAO 0x36 Impact Pilot Program Round 1 - Proactive Grant] Mempool Receipts: A Verifiable Video Kit for the Encrypt the Mempool Coalition
Summary: The coalition already has the case for an encrypted mempool. This kit makes it easy to see, check and share. Eleven short videos show real users losing money to sandwich attacks, with the transaction hashes on screen so anyone can verify them, alongside coalition members making the case in their own words. A claim-indexed clip library and a reusable template mean the team can keep producing long after this grant ends. Everything is free for the coalition, its 26 member organizations and anyone teaching about Shutter to reuse.
1. Application Template
Applicant name or organization: Ubong Ephraim
Primary contact / forum handle: Ubong
Social Handle (X): X: @ubong_ephraim (Ubong Ephraim (@ubong_ephraim) / X)
Github Profile: N/A. This is video work, so my portfolio is at https://ubong.work
How did you hear about this grant program? Twitter
Wallet address for payment (if approved): 0x302809F7D6Cd34d737dF352C798e24699d2048Be
Application type:
Round 1 — Proactive grant for defined future work
Round 1 objective (select one):
- Objective 7 — Advance a High-Conviction Shutter Opportunity Outside the Defined Tracks
Contribution area
- Ecosystem development, partnerships, or business development (supporting role: the assets are built for the coalition’s stakeholder outreach)
- Education, documentation, or contributor support
2. The Shutter need or opportunity
What specific need, opportunity, or gap does this contribution address?
The coalition is building public support for an encrypted mempool in Ethereum’s upcoming I* hardfork. Its strongest proof already exists, but mostly as static images, long recordings and blog posts: the five real cases on its site under “The Human Cost of Toxic MEV,” hours of working group recordings, and a growing list of members on the record.
What’s missing is short, verifiable pieces that members can post and outsiders can check, plus a system that turns each new recording into usable clips. This proposal fills both gaps.
Why is it relevant to Shutter now?
The coalition lists 26 member organizations on its site and is preparing an EIP for submission ahead of the I* hardfork. Public support matters most while that EIP is being prepared. The coalition’s Business/Marcomms working group describes its focus as “education, stakeholder outreach, partnerships,” and this proposal is that remit, produced and packaged.
What specific demand signal supports this work now?
- The Business/Marcomms working group’s stated focus on education and stakeholder outreach: https://encryptedmempool.org
- The June 10 working group call discussed social bounties as a way to show community support: Encrypt The Mempool #5, June 10, 2026 - Protocol Calls & happenings - Fellowship of Ethereum Magicians
- The coalition already invests in this kind of content through the “Human Cost of Toxic MEV” cases and its numbered “Voices from the mempool” series.
Who benefits from the outcome, and how?
- Shutter’s coalition and marcomms team get ready-made, verifiable assets for outreach.
- Coalition member organizations get pieces they can post without making anything themselves.
- The groups the coalition needs to persuade get the case in a form they can check. These include execution client teams (Besu, Erigon and Nethermind are already members) and wallets, which the coalition’s site names as the group this EIP lets protect users in the near term.
- Educators and workshop organizers across the Shutter ecosystem get free, reusable material for their own sessions.
Value pathway (required for Round 1)
Which value pathway does this contribution advance?
- Validated path toward a pilot, integration, or repeatable workflow (the Receipts template is a repeatable outreach workflow, and the results report tests whether it’s worth continuing)
- Durable ecosystem, adoption, or public-goods value aligned with Shutter’s mission
Who is the relevant decision-maker, operating owner, funder, partner, or beneficiary group?
- Decision-maker for adoption: Shutter’s Encrypt the Mempool coalition team, including Anthony Caravello, who presented the coalition launch plan, and Loring Harkness, who proposed social bounties, both on the June 10 call.
- Operating owner of this grant: me. I deliver every piece, the library, the template and the report.
- Beneficiaries: the coalition’s 26 member organizations.
- Audience: execution client teams and wallets.
- Review body: Shutter DAO 0x36.
What problem are they solving, and what evidence supports the value of addressing it?
They’re trying to win broad public support for encrypting Ethereum’s mempool. The coalition’s site puts MEV losses on Ethereum since 2020 at more than $1.8 billion, much of it from front running and sandwich attacks. Individual sandwiches are public on chain and labeled by EigenPhi, itself a coalition member, and by the sandwich dashboard on Dune that the coalition links. That makes the problem provable case by case, which is exactly what this kit shows.
What Shutter product, deployment, service, or capability would this contribution advance?
Shutter’s threshold-encryption encrypted mempool, already live on Gnosis Chain, and the coalition’s push for an encrypted mempool on Ethereum L1.
What decision, implementation step, or next action should this contribution enable, and by when?
By the week of November 30, the coalition team decides whether to adopt Mempool Receipts as a recurring part of its outreach ahead of I*, using the template and the results report. There’s a progress update on this thread by the week of November 2.
What evidence will show progress beyond outreach, general interest, or a speculative concept?
- Eleven published pieces whose data anyone can verify on chain, with transaction hashes on screen
- Speaker-approved clips and a technical review by a Shutter team member
- The clip library and template handed over to the team
- Reposts and reuse by member organizations
- A public results report on this thread, covering every piece including the weak ones
Targets:
- The median piece meets or beats the sample piece listed in the appendix.
- At least 2 of the coalition’s 26 member organizations repost or reuse at least one piece.
If the median falls well short and the coalition doesn’t use the kit, I’ll say so plainly in the report and won’t ask to continue.
Deliverables and acceptance criteria
| # | Deliverable | What it is | Acceptance criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sandwich, Replayed (60 to 90s) | One real sandwiched swap, chosen with the team from EigenPhi’s labeled data or the cases on the coalition’s site. Replayed block by block with the user’s loss and who kept the profit | Published on X and YouTube. Transaction hashes on screen and linked in the description. Figures match EigenPhi and Etherscan. Technical review requested from a Shutter team member before publishing |
| 2 | Protected? Not Always (60 to 90s) | Why private RPCs and other MEV protection aren’t enough, built on the cases the coalition already highlights and aimed at wallets and dApps | Published on X and YouTube. Every case sourced on screen and in the description. Technical review requested before publishing |
| 3 | Mempool Receipts pilot | Three 20 to 30s “Who got paid?” episodes, each on one recent sandwich, plus a reusable template and one-page guide | Three episodes published. Editable template and guide in the public asset folder |
| 4 | Coalition clip pack | Six short clips from public working group recordings and talks, three of them combining different speakers on one point. Designed to complement “Voices from the mempool,” not repeat it | Six clips in the public asset folder with ready-to-post captions. At least three multi-speaker cuts. Speaker approval requested for each |
| 5 | Claim-indexed clip library | A timecoded index of public coalition recordings, organized by claim | Shared spreadsheet covering at least 5 public recordings. Each entry has a timestamp, speaker, claim and source link |
| 6 | Results report | A closing report on this thread | Posted here with per-piece numbers, member reposts and reuse, what worked, and a recommendation. Public asset folder linked |
Pieces are published on my X and YouTube and delivered to the coalition team at full quality, so it can post them on its own channels if it chooses.
Timeline
| Week of | Work |
|---|---|
| Oct 12 | DAO vote. If approved, agree the case list and data sources with the coalition team |
| Oct 19 | Transcribe and index public recordings for the library. Script deliverable 1. Cut the first clips |
| Oct 26 | Produce deliverable 1 and send it for technical review. Finish clips 1 to 3 |
| Nov 2 | Publish deliverable 1 and clips 1 to 3. Post the progress update here. Script deliverable 2 |
| Nov 9 | Produce and publish deliverable 2. Clips 4 to 6 |
| Nov 16 | Receipts episodes 1 and 2 |
| Nov 23 | Receipts episode 3, template and guide. Hand over the library. Offer a walkthrough at a Business/Marcomms working group call |
| Nov 30 | Post the results report and link the public asset folder, for milestone review |
Out of scope
- Paid promotion, ads or boosted posts
- Original MEV detection or new on-chain research. Cases come from EigenPhi’s labels and the coalition-linked Dune dashboard, cross-checked on Etherscan
- Speaking for Shutter or the coalition. Pieces carry my name unless the team chooses to post them
- Any claim about whether or when an encrypted mempool lands in I*
Previous work and track record
- Active in crypto since 2018.
- Over four years at Hype Partners (April 2021 to September 2025) as Growth Marketer and Video Content Strategist.
- Separate work with Starknet, MetaMask, Injective and Mantle.
- I script, edit and do motion graphics myself, so a series doesn’t need multiple vendors to ship.
Selected work: X - The Everything App / X and https://ubong.work
3. Funding request
Amount requested: $2,000
Proposed use of funds / budget rationale:
| Deliverable | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1. The Sandwich, Replayed | $450 |
| 2. Protected? Not Always | $400 |
| 3. Mempool Receipts pilot and template | $400 |
| 4. Coalition clip pack | $400 |
| 5. Claim-indexed clip library | $200 |
| 6. Results report | $150 |
| Total | $2,000 |
This covers production time only. Software and hardware are self-funded and not claimed.
Milestone for the second 50% payment: all six deliverables meet the acceptance criteria above, and the results report is posted on this thread by the week of November 30.
Payment structure: 50% after DAO approval, and 50% after milestone review, consistent with the Round 1 process.
4. Prior compensation and disclosures
Have you, your organization, or a related party received or requested compensation for this work from Shutter or another source?
- No
Do you have any financial, professional, or organizational conflict relevant to this application?
- No
5. Public discussion
Forum post link: This thread
6. Applicant attestation
I confirm that the information in this application is accurate to the best of my knowledge; that I have disclosed relevant prior compensation and conflicts; and that I understand any award remains subject to the published process and DAO approval.
Name / handle: Ubong Ephraim (@ubong_ephraim)
Date: October 8, 2026