The ETH Sofia, held in October 2024, marked a significant milestone in Bulgaria's blockchain ecosystem. Bringing together veteran Web3 developers, university students, and professionals looking to explore the Ethereum ecosystem, the three-day event showcased cutting-edge projects and attracted participants from across the region.

Hosted by DoraHacks, the hackathon featured a $30,000 prize pool and offered participants the chance to work on a variety of open track and sponsor-specific challenges. The hackathon emphasized creativity, openness, and collaboration, with projects ranging from DeFi solutions to privacy-enhancing applications.

For me, ETH Sofia was not only my first hackathon participation as a hacker but also an incredibly rewarding experience. Competing alongside my stellar team— **Razvan, Marcin, Yoan, and Ruth **—we developed AthleteProof, a blockchain solution designed to securely verify and showcase athletes' achievements. AthleteProof leverages Ethereum's decentralized ledger to provide a transparent, trusted method for recording performance data, making it particularly useful for athletes looking to share their accomplishments with sponsors and event organizers.

Our hard work paid off, and we were thrilled to win a $250 prize from iExec. The sense of accomplishment was immense, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to build with​.

Beyond the competition, ETH Sofia was a powerful networking experience. I made over 50 new connections, including meeting key figures in the Bulgarian blockchain ecosystem, and even reuniting with old acquaintances. A highlight of the event was reconnecting with Jan from DoraHacks, whose support and help at ETH Bucharest has been invaluable. Thank you, Jan, for always being there!

I also want to give a big shout-out to Alina, who played a critical role in making the event hackathon smoothly. She’s an absolute legend, and her efforts were key to the hackathon's success​.

I’m incredibly proud of Vlad and the ETH Sofia team for bringing this event to life. Two years ago, I met Vlad through Darren from IPOR and we shared our dreams of organizing Ethereum-focused events in Eastern Europe. I was planning ETH Bucharest, and Vlad was considering ETH Sofia. Seeing him finally pull off such a well-organized and inspiring hackathon fills me with pride. The side events, workshops, and team-building activities created an enriching experience for everyone involved.

ETH Sofia didn’t just attract Bulgarian participants. I was thrilled to see many fellow Romanians at the event, both as hackers (GG SnapData for winning one of the main prizes) and speakers (Andrei Duma - Li.Fi). The cross-border collaboration between Romanian and Bulgarian builders highlighted the regional strength of the blockchain community. I also had the opportunity to meet and learn from many new people, all passionate about advancing blockchain technology and contributing to the Web3 movement.

ETH Sofia has left me with incredible memories, new connections, and invaluable experiences. This event wasn’t just about hacking—it was about building bridges, celebrating creativity, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible within the Ethereum ecosystem. I’m excited to take the lessons and inspiration from ETH Sofia back to ETH Bucharest and other upcoming projects.

All in all, ETH Sofia 2024 was a tremendous success, and I can’t wait to see what next year brings!

In the end, as always, I leave you with this:

Love people and use things, because the opposite never works! - The Minimalists

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest post. As a writer, it's always a joy to see people engage with my writing, and I hope you found it insightful and entertaining.

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The ETH Sofia, held in October 2024, marked a significant milestone in Bulgaria's blockchain ecosystem. Bringing together veteran Web3 developers, university students, and professionals looking to explore the Ethereum ecosystem, the three-day event showcased cutting-edge projects and attracted participants from across the region.

Hosted by DoraHacks, the hackathon featured a $30,000 prize pool and offered participants the chance to work on a variety of open track and sponsor-specific challenges. The hackathon emphasized creativity, openness, and collaboration, with projects ranging from DeFi solutions to privacy-enhancing applications.

For me, ETH Sofia was not only my first hackathon participation as a hacker but also an incredibly rewarding experience. Competing alongside my stellar team— **Razvan, Marcin, Yoan, and Ruth **—we developed AthleteProof, a blockchain solution designed to securely verify and showcase athletes' achievements. AthleteProof leverages Ethereum's decentralized ledger to provide a transparent, trusted method for recording performance data, making it particularly useful for athletes looking to share their accomplishments with sponsors and event organizers.

Our hard work paid off, and we were thrilled to win a $250 prize from iExec. The sense of accomplishment was immense, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to build with​.

Beyond the competition, ETH Sofia was a powerful networking experience. I made over 50 new connections, including meeting key figures in the Bulgarian blockchain ecosystem, and even reuniting with old acquaintances. A highlight of the event was reconnecting with Jan from DoraHacks, whose support and help at ETH Bucharest has been invaluable. Thank you, Jan, for always being there!

I also want to give a big shout-out to Alina, who played a critical role in making the event hackathon smoothly. She’s an absolute legend, and her efforts were key to the hackathon's success​.

I’m incredibly proud of Vlad and the ETH Sofia team for bringing this event to life. Two years ago, I met Vlad through Darren from IPOR and we shared our dreams of organizing Ethereum-focused events in Eastern Europe. I was planning ETH Bucharest, and Vlad was considering ETH Sofia. Seeing him finally pull off such a well-organized and inspiring hackathon fills me with pride. The side events, workshops, and team-building activities created an enriching experience for everyone involved.

ETH Sofia didn’t just attract Bulgarian participants. I was thrilled to see many fellow Romanians at the event, both as hackers (GG SnapData for winning one of the main prizes) and speakers (Andrei Duma - Li.Fi). The cross-border collaboration between Romanian and Bulgarian builders highlighted the regional strength of the blockchain community. I also had the opportunity to meet and learn from many new people, all passionate about advancing blockchain technology and contributing to the Web3 movement.

ETH Sofia has left me with incredible memories, new connections, and invaluable experiences. This event wasn’t just about hacking—it was about building bridges, celebrating creativity, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible within the Ethereum ecosystem. I’m excited to take the lessons and inspiration from ETH Sofia back to ETH Bucharest and other upcoming projects.

All in all, ETH Sofia 2024 was a tremendous success, and I can’t wait to see what next year brings!

In the end, as always, I leave you with this:

Love people and use things, because the opposite never works! - The Minimalists

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest post. As a writer, it's always a joy to see people engage with my writing, and I hope you found it insightful and entertaining.

If you enjoyed what you read, I invite you to subscribe to my page to stay up-to-date on all my latest posts. By subscribing, you'll be the first to know when I publish new content.

If you enjoyed reading my article and would like to own a piece of it, I invite you to consider collecting it as an NFT.