Hashed ETHDenver 2023 Recap
About three weeks ago, Hashed flew over to Denver, Colorado to attend ETHDenver, the world’s biggest and longest-running conference dedicated to the Ethereum blockchain. This year’s event was attended by tens of thousands of blockchain enthusiasts, developers, investors, and researchers from all over the world, making it a melting pot of ideas and perspectives.
During this year’s event, we were able to catch up with our portfolio companies, build new networks, and gain valuable insights into the latest trends and technologies in the blockchain space. And here is a short recap of our visit to Denver.
Catch-ups, Networking, and Side Event Hosting
ETHDenver was a great chance for us to reconnect with our portfolio companies. During our short stay, we had a chance to sit down and have a seated meeting with approximately 15 portfolio companies to discuss their recent developments, roadmap, and how Hashed can work together to achieve them. Hashed always strives to provide proactive, hands-on support to portfolio companies rather than just being a passive financial investor, and do think retaining a close relationship with founders is always very important.
Aside from portfolio companies, we had countless meetings and encounters with partners and friends to share thoughts, findings, and deal opportunities throughout the main event week. Although Hashed is already very well-connected in the blockchain space due to our continued active involvement since our inception in 2017, we are always interested in expanding our network for any potential partnership and collaboration.
In addition, Hashed hosted two public side events during this year’s ETHDenver, and both events had great turnouts and were very fruitful.
1) Hashed Happy Hour (Co-hosted by Hashed, zkSync, and Everyrealm)
In collaboration with our portfolio companies zkSync and Everyrealm, Hashed hosted an open bar event titled Hashed Happy Hour in a spacious premier sports bar. It was a great opportunity for attendees to form a new network and share knowledge. The event was very well-attended with approximately 500 attendees.
2) Hashed College Mixer Brunch (Co-hosted by Hashed and EduDAO)
Hosted by Hashed and EduDAO, the Hashed College Mixer Brunch was a side event primarily targeting students and young professionals to discuss the latest trends and projects under development. Hashed recognizes the importance of engaging with the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs in the industry and thus allocates substantial resources to hosting student-focused events throughout the year. The brunch was well-attended and served as an excellent forum for learning and discussion.
Mentoring and Judging
This year February, Hashed shared our research summary titled Top 10 Trends in 2023: An Overview by Hashed which covers our investment thesis for 2023, and ETHDenver was a great opportunity for us to validate our thesis and find great projects under development.
In order to interact with various individual projects participating in ETHDenver at the closest distance, we participated both as a mentor and a judge for this year. Baek Kim, our general partner was the official judge for ETHDenver #BUIDLathon, and YK Rha, our investment associate spent many hours helping out projects as an official mentor.
The demo day on March 5th attracted a large audience, and the finalists under the following five different tracks delivered their final pitch: 1) DeFi, 2) Impact & Public Goods; 3) DAOs & Community 4) Metalance (NFTs, Gaming, and Metaverse); and 5) Infrastructure. The overall quality of the presenting teams was much higher than in previous years, and Hashed plans to keep a close eye on how these amazing projects will develop over time.
The official full video of the closing ceremony followed by the #BUIDLathon finalist presentation can be found below in case you missed it. Regardless of whether you made it to the finalist round or not, if you are working on any interesting projects and would like to share with Hashed, please contact us directly at contact@hashed.com.
Adieu and See You Soon!
During ETHDenver, Hashed had the opportunity to catch up with their portfolio companies, build new networks, and gain valuable insights into the latest trends and technologies. Despite the continued bear market, the atmosphere at ETHDenver 2023 clearly showed that the blockchain community is growing in size, and tangible steps are being taken towards technological advancement and mass adoption.
We believe that conferences like ETHDenver are essential to the growth and development of the blockchain industry, as they provide a platform for innovation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. It is with this perception that Hashed has been hosting Korea Blockchain Week (www.koreablockchainweek.com), Asia’s largest blockchain festival co-hosted by Hashed and FactBlock every year since 2018.
Interacting with the brightest minds, and learning about new innovations is always a great thrill for us. We really look forward to seeing everyone again in other upcoming conferences all around the world, and hopefully in Korea during Korea Blockchain Week 2023 as well!
