So ETH Tokyo, 2023 just concluded a few days ago, and going through all the notable events for writing this recap journey was absolutely jaw-dropping, to say the least!
To begin with, let’s first understand what the event is all about & then we will take a deep dive into everything notable that took place in Tokyo!
What is the ETH Global event all about?
Ethereum is at the forefront of onboarding web3 developers into its ecosystem & welcoming everyone who wants to be a part of the ever-growing blockchain universe.
ETH Global on the other hand started with a vision to bring developers together on a platform, very fondly known as “Hackathon” (Hacking + Marathon)
The core team of ETH Global is behind the entire madness of these events and it all began with ETHWaterloo in 2017, the World’s largest Ethereum hackathon with over 400 hackers and 32 countries in participation.
Everything that happened at ETHTokyo, 2023
The event was a massive success and the numbers speak for themselves:
1070 Hackers from over 59 countries out of which 35% were new to web3 development.
No of project submissions: 311 🧑🏻💻 (image above all project names that successfully participated)
There was a total prize pool of $375,000 for projects to take home. These were distributed across different sponsors, verticals, and sample problem statement solving using protocols at various levels for the developers.
A total of 36 hackathon sponsors which included the likes of 1inch, Polygon, MetaMask, Lens Protocol, Mina Protocol, and Hyperlane amongst others
Each sponsor partner had their own hackathon track to challenge developers to come up with the best use case according to their protocol-level technology. To put things into perspective and detail:
Polygon: The prize pool was designated to developers who could build an x-chain hack connecting the Polygon zkEVM with Ethereum or Polygon PoS
MetaMask: The prize pool was open to anyone building a dApp on any vertical, it could be DeFi, gaming, NFT, social…anything that a project builds that helps scale Ethereum was open to take the bounty home
Hyperlane: The project sponsored tracks for the following use-cases under 1st prize, 2nd prize & 3rd prize categories-
- Best use of Permissionless Interoperability
- Best use of Hyperlane Warp Routes
- Write new Interchain Security Modules (ISMs)
Mina Protocol: Their track was for developers building zkApps on Mina Protocol using SnarkyJS
ETH Tokyo Judges Panel
Consistent with previous ETH Global events, the judge’s panel at the ETH Tokyo was led by the biggest names in the web3 space who decided on the champions that emerged from the Hackathon.
The ETHGlobal Tokyo Finalists
Standing out amongst the 311 projects were the top 11, which made an impact on the judges & proved that their build was suitable for real-world use as well as making an impact with the available protocol technology at hand:
- POMPoarding: A web3 community-focused project that brings ease of use to onboarding users with a simple type form. It also has an in-built dashboard that helps community leaders in managing the members
- ZKvoice: The protocol allows users to recover their wallet private keys through voice authentication. The project makes use of Fuzzy Commit and Zero-Knowledge Proof for voice authentication without storing any information on the blockchain
- BAILOUT; A security pipeline for wallets, that allows users to transfer assets seamlessly between EOA (externally owned accounts), cold wallet, and contract wallet. Assets can be stored on the contract wallet and allow for the ejection of the main asset to a cold wallet in the event of loss of private keys as well.
- AokiApp NFT: Get ready for a full on-chain NFT collection! With their image compression technology, Aoki can mass-produce stunning NFTs. Their build proves that Ethereum isn’t just about finance — it can handle complex image processing too.
- Octoplorer: Obtain any data you need with this AI-powered blockchain explorer. Simply type in natural language and receive answers displayed in tables, images, and graphs.
- Myna: Allowing Japanese residents to use their government-issued ID (My Number Card) as a hardware wallet with their browser extension (forweb3 take: This is what will bring mass-adoption to crypto)
- Probably nothing.works: This protocol aims to help web3 communities generate revenue from advertising minus the censorship
- AbswapX: Bringing in one the best features to DeFi trading, limit orders and scheduled strategies with an automation module
- Tanuki: Revolutionising the game with their trustless wallet scoring protocol. The product uses ZKPs to analyze on-chain data and calculate wallet scores, allowing for paymasters with loyalty-based subsidies and lending protocols with variable rates.
- YORU: Making use of account abstraction & stealth address, YORU is a privacy-preserving dApp intended for social crypto payments. The product allows the receiver to have a 1-time address that is only known to the sender & receiver
- SuperPlay: A web3 gaming-focused solution. It eliminates the troublesome onboarding process of the existing web3 gaming ecosystem by simply allowing players to sign-up with email registrations and gas-less transactions with Safe and Superfluid.
Conclusion:
In closing, ETH Global Tokyo 2023 was a huge success and a testament to the vibrant and ever-growing Ethereum developer community. The event showcased the latest developments and innovations in Ethereum and provided a platform for members of the community to bring their ideas to life.
I hope this blog has helped you learn more about ETH Global Tokyo 2023 and the exciting world of Ethereum.
See you with the next ETHGlobal event coverage on For Web3!