FairPass - Zero-Fee Creator Memberships on Polkadot

Decentralized membership platform where creators keep 100% revenue and fans own tradeable NFT memberships.

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FairPass - Hackathon Submission Answers

Inspiration

Creators on Patreon lose 5-12% of every dollar to platform fees. On $10,000 monthly revenue, that's $1,200 gone. Plus, creators don't own their audience data—if Patreon bans them or raises fees, they lose everything.

I wanted to prove blockchain could solve this without crypto UX friction: zero platform fees, true ownership for creators and fans, and smooth UX like Patreon.

What it does

FairPass is a membership platform on Polkadot with 0% platform fees.

Core flow:

  1. Creator sets up tiers (e.g., Gold: 50 WND/month, Silver: 30 WND/month)
  2. Fan connects wallet and purchases membership
  3. Payment goes directly to the creator's wallet (no middleman)
  4. NFT mints to fan's wallet as proof of membership
  5. Creator tracks members and revenue on dashboard

What makes it real:

  • Actual blockchain transactions on Westend Asset Hub
  • Real NFTs using Polkadot's NFTs pallet
  • Wallet integration: Polkadot Developer Signer, SubWallet, Talisman
  • Demo mode for instant testing

Fan benefits:

  • List memberships for resale on secondary marketplace
  • Purchase memberships at discounted prices from other fans
  • Access exclusive content with NFT verification
  • Own subscription as a real asset, not a database entry

Secondary marketplace:

  • Fans can list their memberships for sale at any price
  • Buyers purchase with DOT, NFT transfers to new owner
  • Royalty percentage calculated and displayed for each sale
  • Full marketplace UI with active listings, stats, and transaction history

How I built it

Tech stack:

  • Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript + Vite + Tailwind
  • Blockchain: Polkadot.js API + NFTs pallet + Westend Asset Hub
  • Backend: Supabase for creator profiles and tier metadata
  • All ownership logic on-chain

Build timeline:

  • Day 1-2: Database schema, basic UI, navigation
  • Day 3-4: Polkadot.js integration, wallet connection
  • Day 5-6: Real WND transfers
  • Day 7-8: NFT minting with NFTs pallet
  • Day 9-10: Polish, bug fixes, documentation

Key architecture decision: Hybrid model—blockchain handles ownership/payments, database handles metadata and UI queries. Web2 performance with Web3 ownership guarantees.

Challenges I ran into

  • Polkadot.js API learning curve: Async ops and transaction signing required experimentation
  • Two-transaction flow: Users sign twice (payment + NFT mint). Added clear modals and progress indicators
  • TypeScript types: Generic Codec types required custom definitions
  • Testing barrier: Built demo mode so anyone can test instantly without tokens or wallets
  • Error handling: Network failures, insufficient funds, rejected signatures—handled with clear messages

Accomplishments I'm proud of

  • Every transaction is real on Westend, every NFT is on-chain
  • 100% of payments go to creators, no intermediaries
  • Full secondary marketplace with listing, purchasing, and royalty calculation
  • Production-quality code: TypeScript, modular components, scalable architecture
  • Feels like Patreon, not a crypto app. Instant feedback, animations, demo mode
  • 7 documentation files covering setup, usage, troubleshooting. Judges can test in 60 seconds (demo) or 5 minutes (real blockchain)

What I learned

Technical:

  • Polkadot.js API transaction flows
  • NFTs pallet integration for on-chain assets
  • Hybrid blockchain + database architecture patterns
  • TypeScript for Web3 development

Product:

  • Web3 UX requires clear feedback at every step
  • Demo mode is critical for adoption/testing
  • Clear documentation matters more than fancy features
  • Real utility drives usage, not token speculation

Creator economy:

  • Platform fees are a massive pain ($50B+ annually)
  • Creators need control of their audience data
  • Fans value true ownership
  • Secondary markets unlock new revenue

What's next for FairPass

Short-term (post-hackathon):

  • IPFS for NFT metadata
  • On-chain royalty payments for secondary sales (royalties currently calculated in UI)
  • Advanced analytics (retention, churn, revenue trends)

Medium-term:

  • Deploy to Polkadot mainnet after security audit
  • Multi-token support (DOT, USDT, USDC)
  • Fiat on-ramps for non-crypto users
  • Auto-renewal subscriptions

Long-term:

  • Deploy as Polkadot parachain (lower fees)
  • Cross-chain support (Kusama, other parachains)
  • API for third-party integrations
  • DAO governance for platform decisions

Built With

  • nft
  • polkadot-api
  • polkadot.js
  • polkadot/extension-dapp
  • supabase
  • tailwind
  • vite
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