Open World Builders: Free Virtual Blockchain Bootcamp
A hands-on program focused on the new opportunities unlocked by crypto / blockchain technology, smart contracts, and decentralized applications (dapps)
Welcome
Open World Builders is a series of online workshops put in place to provide free access to greater knowledge around emerging blockchain technologies. Hosted by industry veterans including the teams behind CryptoKitties, Dapper and NBA Top Shot, this 8-week program will begin on July 6th, 2020 and end on August 28th, 2020 (subject to change). Our main objective is to educate students and professionals about the future potential of blockchain technology and the crypto assets industry, along with the new programming paradigm it represents for software developers.
Open World Builders is open to both technical and non-technical audiences, with both code and no-code options based on your individual interest. Technical workshops will leverage Flow blockchain as the base example, but the underlying logic and paradigm imparted can be easily applied to most smart contract-based blockchain solutions out there.
Open World Builders will give you an introduction to blockchain and the opportunity that exists right now in crypto networks:
- Background on decentralized systems and the unique tools they give builders like you to solve the problems of today;
- The opportunity space for artists, creators, and developers in this decentralized environment: how to build in a world with no platform risk, where fans and brands can connect directly and peer-to-peer.
- The skills needed to create projects and businesses on a blockchain, from games and toys to financial products and everything in between.
As a participant, you will have the opportunity to:
- Hear from some of the foremost thinkers and builders in the worlds of crypto, emerging technology, and decentralized applications;
- Join weekly webinars covering key technical and product challenges in the space;
- Work directly with tools, accessible for all levels of development experience, to create assets or app(s) as part of a capstone project;
- Engage directly with the core Flow team and industry experts to receive feedback and mentorship for your projects;
- [Subject to compliance with local laws and regulations] Receive access to FLOW tokens — restricted for usage as credits to build, or interact with, applications on top of the Flow network (similar to AWS or Google Ads credits).
Two sessions will be offered each week:
- Technical Seminars: in which we will introduce the broader concepts of the topics mentioned above to all participants;
- Product Workshops: practical sessions, in which participants will get to define a product and, for those interested in coding, build it:
- Product Definition: foundation-building sessions to determine compelling product outcomes, go-to-market strategies, a competitive analysis and to incorporate feedback given on product;
- Development: technical sessions working through hands-on examples relevant to building out the defined product.
Non-technical participants are welcome to join the development portion of the workshops each week, though they aren’t mandatory. For those who want to actively participate in both sections of the workshops but are less familiar with coding, there will also be an option to leverage less code-intensive tools like TryCrypto to bootstrap a full-stack blockchain application on top of Flow.
Regardless of the track chosen, each participant is required to submit a capstone project, either individually or as a group. Capstone projects can be based on any topic of choice: art and digital assets symbiosis (to be secured by the blockchain, Flow), voting and governance structures, new business models, or full-stack applications deployed to Flow are all welcome.
This program offers a great way for participants to gain exposure and experience in the blockchain industry. Given the high level of resources our professionals are committing to the program, we ask that each participant to be seriously motivated and actively participate for the whole duration of the program. The capstone project submission is a requirement for the successful completion of this bootcamp.
This program is open to everyone and was designed to ensure access to understanding emerging blockchain technologies, especially for those who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about it. There are a limited number of seats we can support, and individuals from underrepresented groups will be given priority. We will be accepting applications on a rolling basis; if you are interested, please submit your application as soon as possible.
Apply Now
If you are interested in helping with the program as speaker, coordinator, session moderators, or marketing please let us know via this form.
Responsibilities:
- Attend webinar sessions
- Participate in working sessions
- Commit to attending for the entire duration
- Participate in creating a project and deliver a capstone project
Requirements:
- You must be a professional or student currently enrolled in a high school, undergraduate, graduate, or PhD program
- Access to a computer or mobile device capable of joining video conferencing
Expectations:
- Participants that complete the bootcamp successfully will receive a limited edition, exclusive non-fungible token (NFT) secured on the Flow blockchain as a digital certificate verifying their involvement.
- Participants will work in teams to complete a capstone project and record their presentation. A selection of projects will be presented to the Flow community including our investors — some of the most supportive and forward-thinking individuals and institutions in the world.
- Students will graduate with a foundation in smart contracts, the Flow blockchain technology stack, and a strong understanding of why decentralized computation is the future of technology.
Program Outline (subject to change)
Week 1 (Introducing Smart Contracts)
- Introduction to blockchain and smart contracts
- Overview of the program, resources available and expectations
- Technical Seminar: Cadence Playground and initial tutorial overview
- Product Workshop: initial product brainstorming and ideation phase
- Industry leader guest speaker #1
- Assignment #1
Week 2 (Digital Assets)
- Resource-Oriented Programming paradigm for blockchain
- Technical Seminar: fungible token and non-fungible token tutorials
- Product Workshop: what works uniquely well in the new paradigm with blockchain?
- Industry leader guest speaker #2
- Assignment #2
Week 3 (Community Governance)
- The Future of Governance, on-chain voting and DAOs
- Technical Seminar: implementing voting functionality and on-chain governance
- Product Workshop: understanding the importance of community-driven ecosystems and active participation
- Industry leader guest speaker #3
- Assignment #3
Week 4 (Digital Agency)
- How to get people on the blockchain and building around their user experience
- Technical Seminar: Understanding the Flow Client Library and building full-stack dapps (decentralised applications)
- Product Workshop: cross-app identity persistence — the user experience of identity, authentication, and authorization
- Industry leader guest speaker #4
- Assignment #4
Week 5 (Decentralised Finance & Marketplaces)
- Decentralised finance, what the next era of financial services will look like
- Technical Seminar: building a marketplace and adding your assets
- Product Workshop: the role of marketplaces for both financial assets and collectibles, examples of DEX (decentralised exchanges) and more
- Industry leader guest speaker #5
- Assignment #5
Week 6 (Composability)
- Advanced Cadence Concepts
- Technical Seminar: composability on blockchain and handling Cadence resources
- Product Workshop: share feedback on your first iteration with investors
- Industry leader guest speaker #6
- Assignment #6
Week 7–8 (Time to Build)
- Pitch your products to a panel of investors
- Technical and business support for participants
- Breakout sessions and discussion forums
- Recorded presentation of your dapp/idea
