APUBCC Goes to Devcon 7 & ETHGlobal Bangkok
Recap of Devcon 7 and ETHGlobal Bangkok from community's point of view
Devcon 7: SEA (2024)
Before getting started… What is Devcon?
Devcon is the Ethereum Foundation’s flagship conference. It’s not just a tech event; it’s a global gathering of developers, creators, thinkers, and enthusiasts united by their interest in Ethereum—a platform for building decentralised applications (dApps) that run on blockchain technology.
This year’s Devcon, known as Devcon 7, was held in Bangkok, Thailand. From 12 - 15 November, Devcon 7 has provided attendees with several workshops, talks, and discussion forums from 10 different tracks:
Core Protocol
This track is for attendees with an interest in Ethereum’s essential components such as the consensus mechanism, security and scalability features.
Layer 2
Layer 2 is needed for scaling Ethereum to handle transaction volumes. This track focuses on scaling technologies like rollups and state channels.
Developer Experience
This track gives some insights into everything that can cover everything that enhances developer experience like SDK advancement and debugging tools.
Coordination
Coordination refers to how Ethereum can be used to revolutionize governance structures and improve transparency in communities
Cypherpunk and privacy
This track discusses how blockchain technologies can uphold user freedom and data security with some topics such as zero-knowledge proofs.
Applied Cryptography
In this track, the attendees can expect some topics related to cryptographic principles such as zk-SNARKs, cryptographic protocols, and digital signature innovations
Security
Security in Ethereum addresses how Ethereum is committed to maintaining the security of applications like identifying vulnerabilities in smart contracts and other harmful risks.
Real-world Ethereum
This track mainly explores some of the successful cases of the Ethereum application and its impact for the community and world.
Usability
Usability refer to how Ethereum applications can be further improved in terms of the user experience and integration of features.
Cryptoeconomics
Cryptoeconomics track may provide attendees with familiarity in several topics like tokenomics and incentive structures.
Why Join Devcon?
1. Connect Web3 communities
With over 12500+ attendees from 135 countries joining Devcon 7, Devcon has inevitably provided a global networking opportunity for developers, researchers, entrepreneurs and blockchain enthusiasts worldwide.
This opportunity potentially builds lifelong connections among the attendees through a shared passion, building a healthy and supportive Ethereum community. In addition, some of the side events may further assemble attendees with identical interests like DeFi, DAOs, and NFTs.
2. Fostering Knowledge Sharing and Learning
In general, the 300+ workshops and talks in Devcon 7 can be classified from beginner to expert level, which fosters inclusive learning opportunities for every attendee. Some beginner-friendly talks may help you to understand Ethereum as an ecosystem whether you are a tech or non-tech person such as:
1. “Ethereum in 30 minutes” by Vitalik Butterin
This opening talk provides you with some information about Ethereum that you need to know from the co-founder itself, Vitalik Butterin.
2. “ETH is permissionless money” by Mike Neuder
This talk mainly explores the role of Ethereum as a money system, discussing its supply, usage, and its potential evolution in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
3. “Unified Ethereum vs L2 Ecosystem Competition” Panel Talk
This panel talk assesses how to balance between maintaining diverse L2 ecosystem and preventing the fragmentation of user experience simultaneously.
Aside from the Devcon itself, some side events like Discord Masterclass by Community One gave some insights for community managers on how to build and grow Discord communities without airdrop and bots. This eventually shows how Devcon 7 has fostered attendees’ motivation to join the main events and side events to expand knowledge further as well as connection in Web3.
3. Foster innovation
One of the most highlighted spaces in Devcon 7 was the hacker cave. For 4 days, this place has been filled by hackers and entrepreneurs, which emphasizes how Devcon may act as a launchpad for cool and innovative projects in the Web3 industry.
In addition, over 750 speakers including builders and leaders in the Web3 ecosystem have provided some insightful and inspiring sessions, thus sparking creativity and new ideas.
For example, “The Rise of AI in Web3 Development UX” by Stephane Tetsing, which covers how AI can be integrated with Web3 technologies to create innovations that improve the user experience.
ETHGlobal Bangkok
ETHGlobal Hackathon is one of the major and prestigious Web3 hackathons, gathering developers, engineers, entrepreneurs and blockchain enthusiasts from all over the world to come up with innovative dApps on Ethereum. For ETHGlobal Bangkok, the hackathon took place right after Devcon 7 from 15-17 November 2024 with a prize pool of $800,000.
In the end, it’s reported that there were over 1950 hackers with 713 project submissions, which makes this hackathon one of the biggest ever organized by ETHGlobal. Moreover, we are also proud to share that APUBCC, comprising 13 teams with a total of 50 students, successfully secured $13,501 worth of prizes in the following tracks:
Blockscout Pool Prize - 2 wins
Innovate on Scroll - 2 wins, achieved 4th place and 5th place
Push Protocol Creative Bounty
Cartersi Rollups dApp Track - Achieved 1st Place
Rootstock labs - Recognized as the best DeFi dApp on Rootstock
Flow Foundation - 2 recognitions of developer feedback
World Pool Prize - 2 wins
Chronicle Protocol - Earned the pool prize
Protocol Labs - Achieved 2nd place in the Storacha track
Aside from the hackathon, this event also hosted 61+ workshops from different partners and mentors. Some of the themes and topics that were discussed are Zero Knowledge Proofs, AI x Crypto, DeFi, Crypto consumer, Layer 2s, Interoperability, Public Goods, Privacy & Security, TEEs, Data Availability, Identity, and DevTools. With that being said, these workshops and the hackathon have offered attendees the chance to improve their Web3 knowledge, build their network, connect with industry experts, and collaborate with like-minded individuals shaping the future of Web3.
So what’s the next step?
1. Stay tuned for Devconnect 2025
Interested to join this kind of event? Stay tuned for Devconnect, which will be happening in 2025 For further info, can check this link (https://devconnect.org/)
2. Join several community-based events
As one of the leading blockchain and cryptocurrency clubs in SEA, APUBCC has committed to delivering some community-led events from meetups to bootcamps. APUBCC’s vision and mission is to gather Web3 talents and foster the growth of the blockchain ecosystem locally and globally. Do check out our Insta & X (@apubcc) for future events.
3. Step out of your comfort zone
Aside from attending meetups and workshops, consider stepping out of your comfort zone and registering for a hackathon. Participating in a hackathon offers invaluable experience in transforming concepts into real-world applications. And most importantly, don’t forget to collaborate effectively and build strong bonds with your team.
Closing thoughts:
In conclusion, Devcon 7 was a vibrant showcase of innovation, collaboration, and education in the Ethereum and Web3 ecosystem. Thanks to both Ethereum Foundation and ETHGlobal for organizing these inspiring events, and fostering community-driven growth. Continued by ETHGlobal, these two events have inspired many newcomers to apply Devcon’s learning outcomes to real-life applications and further explore the Web3 industry. Looking forward to Devconnect 2025 and future ETHGlobal Hackathons to continue building a decentralized future. We hope this article provides you with some insights on Devcon and ETHGlobal. Thank you for reading.