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Special Focus: Black & African Excellence in Web3
Welcome back to StartMode! This week, we're spotlighting the incredible innovation happening across Black and African Web3 communities—from the $1 million Hedera Africa Hackathon, which is transforming a continent's tech landscape, to groundbreaking artists redefining digital ownership. These aren't just stories about the future; they're about builders creating it today.
🚀 StartMode Spotlight
Africa's $1 Million Web3 Revolution: The Hedera Hackathon Changes Everything
The biggest Web3 event in African history is underway. The Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 has attracted over 10,000 participants across more than 20 cities with $1 million in prizes, signalling a seismic shift in how the global tech community views African innovation.
Running from August 1 to September 30, this isn't just another hackathon—it's a continental awakening. Hacking stations in Lagos, Cairo, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Cape Town, Casablanca, and Tunis are buzzing with developers building decentralized solutions across finance, healthcare, agriculture, and sustainability. The event has backing from over 50 global partners and 100 universities, demonstrating unprecedented investment in African Web3 talent.
What makes this remarkable isn't just the scale—it's the focus. Participants are tasked with building blockchain-based solutions that solve real and urgent problems facing African countries. Four tracks include On-Chain Finance and Real-World Asset Tokenization, DLT for Operations, Gaming and NFTs, and AI & DePIN integration.
Africa leads global mobile-money adoption, with countries like Kenya processing more mobile payments than anywhere else on earth.
Join Africa's largest Web3 hackathon powered by Hedera - over $1M in prizes, 20+ in-person events across the continent, and 10,000+ developers building real-world blockchain solutions.
Weekly Pulse
Gaming Guild Power: MetaVerse Magna (MVM) has emerged as the first and most popular DAO within Africa, connecting players into 'Tribes' known as 'MetaKnights' across games like Axie Infinity and Thetan Arena.
Educational Revolution: Binance has granted 400,000 African people access to Web3 resources in 2025, with 5.9 million gamers recorded owning cryptocurrencies in Africa and the Middle East. (Source)
Mobile Gaming Dominance: Mobile gamers make up 95% of all gamers within Africa, with the African gaming market forecasted to reach $3.72 billion by 2029. (Source)
Continental Growth: Over the past 5 years alone, video game players in African nations have doubled, positioning the continent as the next major gaming frontier. (Source)
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Our latest newsletter is out! Our focus this week is on the Black and African communities, highlighting their impact within the gaming infrastructure and tokenised economy. Subscribe. Collect. Enjoy!