SPARK-IT Green: A Decentralized Blockchain-Based Platform for Sustainable Innovation, Mentorship and DAO Governance

Abstract

Encouraging green innovation has become increasingly important in order to address sustainability challenges, yet startups and early-stage initiatives in this domain face numerous barriers, including lack of structured guidance, limited access to mentorship and funding, and concerns around intellectual property protection. This paper presents a solution entitled SPARK-IT GREEN, a decentralized platform designed to support eco-friendly innovation through a secure and transparent ecosystem. Building upon the original SPARK-IT framework, the platform introduces several new features, including a Green Business Model Canvas, lifecycle-aware AI matchmaking, decentralized governance via a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), and advanced intellectual property protection through blockchain-integrated encrypted storage. As an incentive for users to join the proposed SPARK-IT system, they can earn reward and reputation tokens. Our novel solution empowers innovators to define sustainability goals, find verified expert support, and apply for DAOgoverned funding based on community-aligned green priorities. It uses smart contracts deployed on a permissioned blockchain, token-based incentives, and a semantic matchmaker enriched with green project metrics. A detailed use case scenario shows how the proposed system can be used by a biodegradable packaging startup. SPARK-IT GREEN sets the foundation for a scalable, transparent, and sustainability-focused innovation ecosystem.