Project Update October 2022: Cross-Chain, Web3 Incubator, Upcoming Product, Ontochain, New Hires, and more!

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iExec

13 min readNov 4, 2022

What’s the latest from iExec? This blog post will give some updates on what the team has been working on over the past few months. As it is not possible to include everything in a single article, we’ve chosen to focus on some topics which have not yet been talked about in detail in previous iExec communications.

This Project Update covers 6 topics:

🔗 iExec Oracle Factory x Polygon: new features including cross-chain capabilities with Polygon.
💫 iExec’s Web3 Incubator for start-ups with H7.
✨ Upcoming product: Our progress on the cNFT product prototype.
🇪🇺 ONTOCHAIN: EU-funded projects deploying their solutions on the iExec Sidechain.
🚀 Community Rewards & Ambassadors programs & success stories from them.
👤 HR: An overview of the latest new hires and our ambitions.

🔗 Oracle Factory: better user experience and Polygon cross-chain coming soon!

As you may know, the iExec Oracle Factory is a tool that allows developers to create an oracle for the blockchain from any kind of off-chain data. You can build the exact oracle your application needs, in less than 5 minutes, in only a few clicks. The product intends to help developers build applications that need to move off-chain information (from the traditional Web2) on-chain. The iExec Oracle Factory interface is simple, and fast — saving hours of coding. The team is working continuously to ensure it is as user-friendly and powerful as possible.

Continuous improvements: the latest new features

New features are continuously added to the iExec Oracle Factory product. First, search functions were improved. If you have visited the Oracle Factory recently, you may have noticed the changes. For instance, you can now sort oracles in the gallery by date of creation or update (newest, oldest, last updated). You can also use the search bar on the top right to look for pre-created oracles. Maybe you’re looking for oracles for a specific industry or sector — then use the new tag functionality to filter by topic. Various other interface and workflow changes have also been implemented — all in the name of maximizing user and developer experience.

In addition, you may have heard that the Oracle Factory, previously on a testnet chain, now runs on the iExec Sidechain. This is huge! Developers can now deploy oracles and integrate them into their applications on the iExec Sidechain, faster than ever before and at zero cost. That’s right, the iExec Sidechain has zero gas fees! This is game-changing as developers can create and update as many oracles as they want — at no cost.

The Oracle Factory cross-chain with Mainnet and Polygon — coming soon!

One of the most significant functionalities iExec is working on is cross-chain the Oracle Factory. Interoperability with applications on other chains is a priority. Until now, users of the Oracle Factory could implement their created oracle on the iExec network. This cross-chain functionality will be implemented by the end of the year. It will extend Oracle Factory’s usage, as the product will be available for developers who build on other protocols.

Ethereum Mainnet and Polygon were the main chains requested by our developer community. Understandable, as a huge majority of Ethereum development happens on Polygon. Based on future feedback from the community, the team will continue to add cross-chain functionality for other chains.

iExec sponsors the Starton Hackathon, Nov 21–24 — More Oracle Factory prizes!

iExec will be an official partner of the 2022 edition of the Web3 Hackathon organized by Starton, the API platform for connecting any application to blockchains. iExec will be one of the sponsors of this event alongside other key players of the blockchain ecosystem including Ledger, 42, Epitech, 20 minutes, Blockchain HEC… The Hackathon will take place from November 21 to 24, online, via the video-chat platform Gather.

For this Hackathon, the teams will be asked to design, build and present the most innovative Web3 solution to a problem before pitching the final concept and prototype to the jury (which iExec will be part of). The iExec team can’t wait to see what innovative ideas participants have using the Oracle Factory!

Interested in getting involved? iExec will be holding a dedicated training workshop on 22 November at 14:00 CEST — online on Gather. We’ll be sharing what’s possible with the iExec Oracle Factory. Join the workshop and learn how to create an oracle from any off-chain data in just a few clicks, and be ready to integrate it into your application. You can visit the Starton Hackathon’s Notion page here: Starton Hackathon, Nov 21–24

💫 The Web3 Incubator by iExec and H7 is launched!

As a blockchain pioneer in France and a Web3 player, one of our goals is to help businesses benefit from the opportunities created by decentralization. In 2019, iExec became the blockchain expert partner of H7, a startup accelerator and a ‘French Tech’-associated organization in Lyon. Three years later, in March 2022, we decided to join forces once again and launch a full Web3 Program to support companies and individuals entering the world of Web3. The program is organized around 3 pillars: make Web3 and blockchain technology accessible by discussing challenges in conferences and roundtable sessions; anticipate and develop new use cases within companies and working groups; and finally, help start-ups accelerate the development of their Web3 business with a 6-month incubation program.

Bringing startups into Web3

Over the past few months, more than 250 people have already attended events, conferences, and working groups. We are now delighted to have officially started the Web3 Incubator phase — one of the first of its kind in France! This Incubator combines iExec’s expertise in Web3 and blockchain with the entrepreneurial expertise of H7. The Incubation program is 100% financed by iExec and it is totally free for the projects. The teams will use the iExec infrastructure to develop their projects, increasing the adoption of the iExec stack.

As part of the Incubator, projects supported will:

Benefit from individual support by the iExec and H7 teams.
Get about a dozen training on topics related to technical and business development, funding, product design for Web3, elevator pitch, etc.
Meet key players in Web3 and become part of the iExec and H7 ecosystems.
Receive extra visibility thanks to iExec and H7 communication.
And much more!

Four projects were selected to join the Incubator

Following the applications call and the selection process, we are now happy to reveal the name of the projects selected! We initially planned to support 3 projects in this Incubator, but as there were so many quality projects submitted, we decided to make room for one more place and accept 4. Projects were selected based on the overall maturity and viability of the project, along with technological feasibility. We are glad to have a good mix of projects, showing that the Web3 approach can benefit a variety of sectors. We can’t wait to start seeing results from these projects, as we know they will play a valuable role in the iExec ecosystem.

Meet the projects:

Ziplo: A solution of transfer and repository files that allows freelancers, small businesses, and SMEs to protect their intellectual property in 3 clicks. Ziplo won the Web3 Hackathon in June - https://info.ziplo.fr/
LAfricaMobile: LAfricaMobile provides a multi-operator and multi-channel communication platform to help companies in Africa engage with their clients, thanks to solutions and products aligned to local specificities - https://lafricamobile.com/en/
Wearspaces: Wearspaces is an immersive marketplace dedicated to fashion and luxury that aims to offer a new retail experience with clothes that can be worn in real life and within the Metaverse.
HZCare: HZCare has developed the first telemedicine station that measures 90 vital signs per day per person. The data analyses offer immediate results and complete a database serving the customers to detect, inform and prevent risks related to health - http://hzcare.eu/

✨A sneak-peak at the upcoming iExec NFT product for personal data

As some of you may know, iExec is currently developing a new product. It uses NFTs and Confidential Computing tech to allow users to manage ownership and confidentiality of their personal data while using decentralized applications. The early prototype was introduced by iExec CEO Gilles Fedak at EthCC Paris in July. You can read the article published following the conference here. The product has evolved somewhat since then, as the team has continued to conduct interviews with Dapp projects to improve the value proposition of the product. We plan to write a dedicated article about the product by the end of the year, but here’s a recap of what we’ve been working on.

Sharpening the value proposition

iExec started research for this product based on a fact: today, you are required to share personal data to access or use Web2 services or applications. And once you’ve handed over your personal data, you can’t be sure exactly where your data goes or how it is used. This was our starting point for the users of Dapps. And what about the Dapp providers then? When you provide a product, a service, or an application, interacting with your community of users is key. Our research showed that providers of decentralized apps would like to improve how they communicate and interact with their users. For example, being able to send them messages. But as of today, that’s not possible. Why? because the only thing they have to identify a user is the wallet address! And if it was possible, any organization that stores personal data must be extra careful as to how it manages its customers’ data if they wish to maintain the trust of its users (and in Europe, comply with GDPR).

Here, arises an opportunity. With iExec Blockchain and Confidential Computing technology, we can address these challenges, by offering a product with the following value propositions:

For Dapp users: Allow users to access products and services while keeping full privacy and ownership of their personal data, giving them the freedom to choose what data to share, with whom and how it will be used.
For Dapp providers: Offer a new way for Web3 applications to effectively communicate with their users by sending messages while respecting their privacy — something that is not possible today!

We’ll soon share more details soon… as well as announce the product name!

🇪🇺 iExec , the pilot network of ONTOCHAIN Open Call 3

Last summer, we announced the opening of the ONTOCHAIN Open Call 3 for projects. Most of you now know well this European research project aiming to develop an ecosystem for trusted, traceable, and transparent ontological knowledge management through 3 years of supporting program. iExec, as one of the advisors and scientific partners, provides mentoring and support for its technical stack to the projects selected.

For this new (and last) year of the program, the goal is to implement real-world technical solutions and business applications contributing to a sustainable and democratic ecosystem, based on the results of the first two calls. A total of 105 applications were received to join this new 10-month round, for 14 positions available. Criteria for selection included the excellence, innovation potential, and expected impact of the projects. After several weeks of reviewing applications and meeting with the teams, the project selection has now been finalized. The full list will be soon available here: https://ontochain.ngi.eu/selected-projects.

The iExec Sidechain, the blockchain infrastructure of ONTOCHAIN

This round is especially exciting for the iExec team. As a technical partner of the program, the teams selected for Open Call #3 will deploy the solutions and applications on the iExec Sidechain! iExec furthered its involvement with ONTOCHAIN last year, becoming the pilot infrastructure of the program. Projects in the program can benefit from a fast, trustable, and feeless blockchain. For iExec, this will increase the adoption of the marketplace with additional users. ONTOCHAIN Open Call 3 officially started at the beginning of October, with selected projects being onboarded and introduced to the iExec stack.

Accelerating the technology transfer

To continue with the R&D activities: iExec has always been at the forefront of innovation. The future of our research team will focus on accelerating the ‘technology transfer’. This means integrating the results from our extensive R&D work into our products, after careful testing and evaluation. For that, we are currently implementing a dedicated roadmap. Its ultimate goal is to feed new technologies into the iExec stack to enable new products, that will in turn enable new applications that were previously not supported! The first technology on our roadmap will likely be Service Tasks that we are developing in the European research project DataCloud. Service Tasks aim to run jobs for a long time and to pay by the hour, but there is actually much more to it than that to create powerful new products.

Recognition of the iExec research work

On top of this, several research papers drafted by the research team have been successfully submitted these last weeks. We are especially proud to have been published by the respected scientifical media Frontiers! The article, co-written by iExec and the organizations involved in the DataCloud European project, explores the topics of data privacy and blockchain for smart cities. In other words, how can blockchain, combined with data analytics techniques and edge/fog computing, address the data privacy issues in Smart Cities? You can read it here: Frontiers — Toward blockchain-based fog and edge computing for privacy-preserving smart cities. This is great visibility for the work produced by the research team and recognition from the scientific community!

Last but not least, an article written by the team has been selected to be presented at the Intel4EC workshop. Intel4EC aims to bring together researchers and developers to present their experiences and research progress covering architectural designs, methods, and applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning-enabled Edge-Cloud operations and services. In December, the iExec research team will be in Portland to present the results of this article that demonstrates how Edge Computing and Federated Learning can support secure and trustworthy vehicular traffic communication in a smart city context.

🚀 iExec Community Rewards: highlights from the Program

The iExec community in 2022. Wow. It’s been one of the strongest years for community-generated content that we’ve ever seen! Pieces of content posted daily, covering every kind of possible iExec narrative, use-case, or event. Over 1 million views on our community content across subreddits. 10 regional community channels, over 30,000 RLC distributed in community rewards, the list goes on…

After observing the power of collective work from our followers during 2021, iExec first launched the Community Rewards Program at the start of this year. This program offers monthly RLC token rewards to individuals who contribute to community growth. Since then, the team noticed that some community members were offering more than what would qualify for monthly community rewards, providing consistent, quality contributions to the project. As a response to this, the Community Rewards Program naturally evolved to include recognized ‘iExec Community Ambassadors’.

And it’s bullish. The contributions received in response to these programs have been extremely beneficial for the iExec project. Our dedicated Ambassadors have been educating and onboarding new community members into the project. The relentless ‘RLC Army’ have been taking to social networks to make noise about iExec, earning RLC community rewards prizes. We’ve seen what has essentially been an extension of the iExec marketing team! We believe this is essential to the growth of iExec, and to increasing overall awareness of our technology. We’ve seen a huge uptick in community-generated from memes to educational videos, with 2,000+ original posts from iExec community accounts in September alone! For an example of some of that, here are some accounts you should follow:

We’ve also seen the birth of new regional communities run by enthusiastic local moderators. You can now find translated content on social media feeds and discussion channels for the following regions: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian (Hindi), Portuguese, French, Spanish, Turkish, Arabic… and more! We’ve recently hired one of our previous ambassadors to join to officially manage the Spanish-speaking community as well as provide support in moderating community channels.

This strong community, combined with iExec’s new strategy and direction towards a Web3 Marketplace should serve as the launching point for increased adoption, benefitting both the project and its token holders.

For developers: Maybe you’re interested in RLC prizes but are more into getting your hands dirty with code? iExec is also running a Developer Bounties and Grants Program, with funding provided for builders who use the iExec tech stack. Learn more here: https://iexec-grants.notion.site/

👤 iExec is hiring… and not planning on stopping anytime soon!

On the HR front, let’s start with some excellent news: in a ranking published by the well-respected economical media Capital, iExec was nominated as one of the best French startups to work for in 2022/2023! After a first selection operated among 4000 startups in France, iExec came in rank 51. The ranking is based on criteria such as the company’s reputation on social media, the number of open positions available, the rise of the workforce, etc. We didn’t know that such a selection was ongoing, so were delighted with this news from Capital. You can check out the full list (in French) here: Capital — The best startups to work for in France.

Speaking of growth, iExec isn’t stopping anytime soon! Since 2020, we have recruited around 30 permanent employees, in every field of expertise from tech to sales, from marketing to research… We have also been hiring product profiles and creating dedicated product squads. There are currently about 40 people working at iExec. Want to see the entire team? Here we are! https://iex.ec/fr/about-us/

And in the future?

The bear market doesn’t impact iExec HR ambitions. We currently have about 12 open positions, and in 2023, we plan to have about 20 more employees. We are still reinforcing the workforce in each of iExec’s divisions and are looking for a large number of profiles.

Engineers and Developers specialized in Blockchain and Confidential Computing, to keep our stack at the best level and continue implementing new features. Marketing profiles like Marketing Managers, Project Managers, Product Managers, Growth Hackers… to increase adoption of the Marketplace, develop products, and increase our activity. And Business Developers, to extend our consulting and support services to companies.

Looking for a new challenge? Know someone that could be? Check out the list of all our current open positions: https://www.welcometothejungle.com/en/companies/iexec/jobs

As mentioned, this is only a selection of topics we wanted to highlight, but the team has been working on several other projects. Among them? Some public worker pool tests! We will soon announce more good news — stay tuned! Besides, as you may know, iExec has been working on its new strategy and roadmap for 2023 and beyond, and we are evaluating the best format to share it with you. Most likely a Twitter space at the end of November. You’ll want to be there!

Thanks for reading!

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