Vladimir is here with a wrapped-up journey through EthPrague and the DeFi Summit 2023. It was an unforgettable event where 1,5 T of data was transmitted via 2,700 devices by 600 hackers and 650 participants, who gathered to hack, talk, share, learn, and shape the future.
During Prague Blockchain Week I had a chance to spend four days filled with relentless learning, endless discoveries, and invaluable interactions. The scene brought together the best minds in the industry, all in one city, revolving around multiple hubs. With topics spanning from Bitcoin to Ethereum, NFTs, ZK roll-ups, decentralization, and MiCA regulations, it was the best place and time to be for curious people to learn about new technologies and innovative concepts in web3.
https://twitter.com/EthPrague/status/1668680021798539266
If you are new to the Ethereum community or attending solo, such a big event might seem a bit overwhelming. Trust me, I've been there. So, to help you navigate through, I've got a little checklist ready for you. But before we jump into that, let's talk about a few key things that really resonated with me during the event.
These are the 4 main subjects that attracted my attention. Below you can find some notes and a link to the record of the talk or panel.
The Intersection of Regulations and Privacy
The Focus on User Experience (UX)
The Growth of DAOs & Tokenization
Zero-knowledge Rollups scaling Ethereum
The dynamic development of cryptocurrency and DeFi is advancing, attracting escalating interest from governments and financial institutions. In light of the latest events in the crypto space, discussions around regulatory frameworks have become paramount. The regulatory landscape varies by jurisdiction and is ever-changing due to the challenges these new technologies present.
Stanislav Ε imek is a pro when it comes to advising traditional corporations on how to best use blockchain. Stanislav's presentation is all about the global regulatory landscape of the DeFi industry.
Watch here: Regulatory Outlook for DeFi
Anne-Grace Kleczewski is a go-to person for blockchain-based projects trying to navigate regulations. She is based in Switzerland and talks about the recent adoption of MiCA, a major development in crypto regulation.
Watch here: Can DeFi and MiCA get along
Jan Klesla, Joachim Schwerin, and Thomas NΓ€gele had a panel discussion about the potential and challenges of regulatory frameworks in DeFi.
Watch here: DeFi Self-Regulation
Another interesting panel with Anne-Grace Kleczewski, Mona El Isa, Lior Zaks, Marc Zeller, and Vyara Savova on the implications of regulations on the rapidly expanding DeFi industry.
EthPrague 2023 brought some engaging discussions about UX in web3. It is one of the central topics to my mind because making complex technologies more accessible can draw a wider audience and boosts adoption. Moreover, it simplifies the process for developers. A well-crafted UX enables more trust and engagement by offering aΒ pleasing, responsive, and intuitive platform. Good UX bridges more people to the benefits of the decentralized web.
Orest Tarasiuk is an engineer at Scroll, and he talks about how to tackle Ethereum's user experience challenges and zkEVMs as one of the solutions.
Aleeza Howitt is the Head of Business Development at Cowri Labs. In her talk, Aleeza highlights the importance of composability in DeFi transactions.
Watch here: Smart Contract Composability and UX
Sasha Tanase and Daniel Luca delve into the importance of positive developer experience (DX) in the Ethereum ecosystem. Worth a watch for developers!
Watch here: Elevating Developer Experience(DX) in Web3
Ivo Georgiev dives into the potential advancements in Ethereum wallet UX, exploring competing technologies in this space.
Madalina Raicu discusses the importance of good UX in DeFi, drawing from her work at Vega Protocol.
Watch here: Psychology of UX in Decentralized Exchanges
Both DeFi Summit and EthPrague featured a wealth of information on DAOs, with multiple speakers contributing to the discussion. However, one standout event was a DAO workshop organized by Factory DAO. Notably, this event was accessible to everyone, including those without coding knowledge, who could participate, develop ideas, and concepts related to DAOs, with prizes being awarded through quadratic voting.
For anyone interested in learning about or building a DAO, it's worth reaching out to the Factory DAO team.
Shayan Eskandari, a blockchain technology and cybersecurity expert, delivered a captivating talk on how Ethereum and web3 tools can assist Iranians in their fight for freedom. His insights bridged the gap between technology, human rights, and socio-political change, exemplified by his introduction of IranUnchained.
Watch here: Iran Unchained -- NGOs Meet DAOs
Lior Zaks a legal expert in the crypto venture space, spoke about the recent Delphi Labs article, "Assimilating the BORG: A New Framework for CryptoLaw Entities". His insights shed light on how this could transform the way DAOs are governed, enhancing security, transparency, and scalability.
Watch here: A Game-Changing Framework for DAOs
Grace Rachmany, a devoted expert on new economic models, blockchain governance, and distributed technology, led an instructive workshop on effective DAO governance planning. Her workshop offered valuable insights into various aspects of DAO governance, such as membership types, decision flows, reputation, and long-term sustainability.
Watch here: If You're Going to DAO It, DAO It Right
Jan Osolnik, a data scientist with a varied background, provided insights into the development and challenges of Levon Grade, one of the first DeFi credit scoring products. His talk was particularly informative for those interested in the intricacies of DeFi credit scoring systems.
Watch here: Building MakerDAO's Economic Risk Engine
Christoph Jentzsch, a theoretical physicist and blockchain pioneer, presented an engaging overview of the evolution and future of tokenization. He also introduced the novel tokenization model "Auslobung," aimed at democratizing company ownership.
Sam MacPherson, a smart contracts engineer at MakerDAO, provided valuable insights into MakerDAO's shift towards greater decentralization through the creation of subDAOs. His talk examined the potential impacts of this strategy on the broader DeFi ecosystem.
Pavel Machalek gives a talk on leveraging zero-knowledge proofs for on-device credit scoring and Web3 identity integration as an NFT. Learn how smartphone metadata can be used to credit scores which could be generated without exposing sensitive data to central entities, thus preserving user privacy.
Watch here: Zero-knowledge proofs in privacy credit scoring
Matter Labs' Co-founder and CEO and the brain behind zkSync, Alex Gluchowski, explores the enormous potential of zkEVMs to scale Ethereum for billions of users. He discusses the roadmap and possibilities these innovations present. Frank Chaparro of The Block facilitates this insightful talk.
Watch here: Freedom, progress, and prosperity
Danny Holland, a professional smart contract developer and Ethereum enthusiast, in his presentation, examines the use of Zero Knowledge (ZK) Rollups for enhancing privacy within the Ethereum network. He showcases how ZK Rollups could conceal users' private information, including identity and demographic details, using SNARKJS and Circom circuits.
Watch here: Zk rollups: applied privacy
Web 3 Researcher and Consultant Daniel Lumi, who specializes in Layer 2 solutions, Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK), Privacy, and DAOs, endeavors to unravel the intricate subject of ZK for a non-academic audience. His talk delves into why Zero-Knowledge Proofs are important, how they function, and their real-life applications, such as blockchain scalability and identity systems.
Watch here: Zero-knowledge Proofs 101
Worldcoin's Research Engineer DCBuilder's talk is focused on Zero-Knowledge Machine Learning (ZKML), an emerging field that integrates zero-knowledge proof properties into machine learning models. This approach enhances the verifiability and privacy of machine learning processes by allowing for the verification of model computations and selective concealment of input or model parts.
I'm delighted to be part of the pioneering team developing the layer 1 blockchain specifically for the travel industry. Which has solid facts and logical reasoning. Reason one - ticketing has evolved to the digital age. Physical tickets are practically extinct.
Today, every ticket you purchase, whether for a flight, train, or concert, is digital. And where do digital assets find their natural home? Blockchain, of course! With its security, transparency, and immutability, blockchain technology is the ideal platform for valuable digital assets like tickets.
Reason two - we are talking about a truly global industry.
https://twitter.com/vovanovaque/status/1669628521839316993
The travel industry knows no boundaries - it spans towns, cities, countries, and continents. This international characteristic aligns perfectly with the decentralized, borderless nature of blockchain and web3 technologies.
Reason three - the travel industry is overloaded with numerous APIs and experiences a real connectivity deficit. However, blockchain can be the solution to this problem. It can deliver a unified, secure, and efficient connectivity system that the industry desperately requires.
Why am I saying this all? Because Iβve spoken to many people from the web3 community explaining the thing and was very much surprised to receive a lot of positive feedback and genuine curiosity towards Camino Network.
More than my emotions and words speak hackers. Out of almost 100 projects submitted to the EthPrague hackathon, four were devoted to resolving travel-related problems with web3 technologies. The fusion of the travel industry and web3 is more than just a theoretical construct - it's happening in real time.
Allowing users to get unfunded (no ETH) accounts funded through a private channel to a coordinator using blinded signatures to maintain user privacy.
Imagine you get a gift card (like an ERC-20 token), but you can't use it because you need to pay a small fee first (ETH), and you don't have it. Gas Ticketing is like a friend who lends you that fee, but in a way that no one knows it's your friend, so your privacy is protected. It's like buying a ticket for a show from one person and using it with another, without anyone connecting the dots.
https://devfolio.co/projects/gas-ticketing-670f
The platform allows you to buy/sell real tickets in the form of NFts
Easy Ticketing is like a global online marketplace for buying and selling event tickets, but these tickets are special digital items called NFTs. It's eco-friendly as it reduces the use of paper tickets. Plus, it's smart and fair; you can trade tickets easily, save for future purchases, and anyone from anywhere can buy a ticket, whether it's to attend the event or simply to support it from afar.
https://devfolio.co/projects/easy-ticketing-4e9b
Fixing the ticketing system using on-chain capabilities. Create an event, buy or sell tickets with just a few clicks while keeping royalties for those who deserve them.
FairTickets is a platform that uses blockchain technology to simplify the process of creating events and buying or selling tickets. It tackles issues of traditional ticketing like scalping, fraud, delayed payouts, and middleman fees by setting price thresholds, recording transactions, enabling immediate fund transfers, and minimizing costs. Despite initial challenges with account abstraction, paymaster integration, and complex project architecture, the team overcame them through diligent research, testing, and teamwork.
https://devfolio.co/projects/fairtickets-88db
Provide a social proof of location for Lens publications to gate & encrypt content for local users.
Lens Social Proof of Location is a tool that provides verified location data for Lens publications, ensuring content is accessible only to local users. It uses a system that verifies location tokens, allowing for trust-based location determination. Despite challenges like missing a flight and working solo, the project was developed and implemented.
https://devfolio.co/projects/lens-social-location-5bb4
The full list of projects submitted: https://ethprague2023.devfolio.co/projects
Walking away from the closing party EthPrague at Bike Jesus, I'm sure to be back next year. The takeaways, contacts, and wisdom - are all priceless. Can't wait to share them with my team and community. The conference was stylish, informative, and fun. It's not a degen club anymore. It's a game-changer for everyone.
Hashtag: Dogs Hashtag: Photos Hashtag: Bike Jesus Hashtag: PWN merch Hashtag: Stage Design Hashtag: Live Stream Team Hashtag: Donuts Missing the Links Hashtag: EthPrague Orgs are Rockstars Hashtag: The Style and the Energy of the Venue
As promised I share my checklist for events like EthPrague, with numerous activities happening simultaneously. Prioritization is the key to a successful visit to such an event. This is how I did it.
Research the conference agenda and identify which sessions, workshops, or keynote speeches as well as parties you are interested in attending.
Know the speakers to better understand their talks. Find their Twitter or LinkedIn profiles and DYOR.
Plan your questions to get expert insights or to impress people around you.
Set goals to gain specific knowledge, hack, network, discover business opportunities, and have fun.
Download dApps/apps. For Ethereum-focused events it is a wallet, POAP app and ENS domain. Search for QR codes and mint POAPs. Some could bring cool perks.
Take notes of important points, ideas, or insights and people you spoke to. Telegram and Twitter are the two easiest ways to connect with new people.
Participate in Q&A sessions, discussions, or workshops. It's a good way to learn and meet like-minded people.
Make the most of networking opportunities. But, please, be wise and curious. Ask people what they build and what challenges they have.
Explore the venue to find food, water (always keep hydrated) and booths with merch.
Document your thoughts and experiences sharing them on social media.
Follow up on connections to build your network in the web3 space. Organize all the new chat on Telegram in folders. EthPrague 2023 and dump all the new contact into that folder.
Reflect on what you learned and achieved at the conference. Exactly what I am doing now with this article.
Apply what you learned or bring this knowledge in your team, project, company. This can enable a new strategy.
Share cool stickers and merch with your friends and community.
Have some rest and start getting ready for a new conference.
Thanks to EthPrague, I finally got my first ENS domain and now I am publishing my debut article on a decentralized platform. Stay tuned for more insights from both the blockchain and the travel industries.