Understanding the KPIs

Below is a collection of potential KPIs for “New Protocols & Ideas” grants. Grantees can pick and choose which metrics best fit their project’s scope and intended impact. Each section also includes a brief explanation of what the KPI is measuring and why it might be relevant.

At the bottom is the list of potential KPIs from which grantees can select the most relevant metrics for their application.

Innovation and novelty

Innovation and novelty

• What it measures: How your solution brings fresh concepts or mechanisms to Arbitrum—like novel AMM designs, yield aggregation approaches, or social-media-inspired dApps.
• Why it’s important: Demonstrates that your project adds new functionality or experiments that the ecosystem doesn’t already have.

Stylus adoption

• What it measures: How effectively your project utilizes Stylus features (e.g., improved gas efficiency, innovative routing logic, or advanced on-chain triggers).
• Why it’s important: Highlights your team’s ability to push new technical boundaries on Arbitrum, offering potential performance benefits or entirely new use cases.

Ecosystem alignment

Cross-protocol integration

• What it measures: How your product taps into other Arbitrum protocols or helps those underused protocols gain traction, potentially by improving UI/UX or combining multiple services into a new offering.
• Why it’s important: Encourages interoperability and composability, making Arbitrum more cohesive and attractive for both developers and end users.

Cross-protocol partnerships

• What it measures: The ability to form sustainable relationships with existing Arbitrum dApps (e.g., co-marketing, liquidity sharing).
• Why it’s important: Strong partnerships often translate to wider adoption, deeper network effects, and more resilient ecosystem growth.

User adoption and activity

Financial metrics