The very first ATOM Hacker House worldwide in Barcelona was a remarkable success! Bringing together over 160 blockchain enthusiasts, developers, and ecosystem leaders for seven days of networking, learning, and building. Including a strong lineup of speakers such as the Co-Founders of CosmWasm, Noble and Juno; and engineers of Binary Builders, Abstract, and Nansen.
Organized by Web3Family with support from an Atom Accelerator DAO (AADAO) grant and other key partners, this event showcased the immense potential of the Atom Economic Zone (AEZ) and fostered unique innovation around the Hub.
Key Highlights
- Attendees: 160+ participants
- Speakers: 20+ thought leaders from across the blockchain space
- Sessions: 25+ talks, workshops, fireside chats, and panels (watch them here)
- Hackers: 47 dedicated individuals
- Projects: 12 hacks in development, 9 submitted for the competition
A Week of Collaboration and Inspiration
The event featured a dynamic mix of coworking, networking, talks, panels, workshops, and hacking. Over 20 speakers and 25 sessions highlighted the best of Cosmos Hub technology, spanning topics such as launching smart contracts on Neutron, deploying chains with Interchain Security, and understanding ICS 2.0. Hosted at the Akash Hub, participants gained hands-on experience through workshops and technical discussions led by experts from the Cosmos Hub ecosystem and beyond.
Daily Highlights:
- Day 1: 60+ attendees joined to network and learn. The day included talks by Lanre of Neutron, Nicolas of Abstract SDK, and others, followed by a fireside chat and workshop.
- Day 2: Attendance soared to 80+, featuring 10 speakers including Simon from CosmWasm, Joel from Seedify, and Victor from Polygon. The day ended with an electric atmosphere, fun utility merch, and engaging activities.
- Day 3: Preparations for the hackathon began as attendees enjoyed more workshops and talks from Cosmos experts such as Jelena from Noble and Ivan from Waku.
- Day 4: Hackathon energy filled the room, fueled by additional funding from AADAO and Neutron. Participants collaborated intensively to start creating innovative solutions.
The Hackathon: Unleashing Creativity
The 48h hackathon culminated in impressive submissions across multiple tracks, with prizes rewarding ingenuity and collaboration.
Cosmos Hub Track Winners (Funded by AADAO)
- $3,000 – IBC Lending Hub: A P2P lending platform which provides ATOM liquidity for any other token in the IBC ecosystem.
- $2,000 – Bust or Boom: A Telegram game that lets users place bets on whether the price of ATOM will rise or fall.
- $200 Participation Prizes
- Pewen: A Christmas Tree Loan system that promotes sustainability through reforestation.
- CosmosQuest: A quest platform where users hunt for secret codes hidden by crypto companies in their tweets and websites.
- AI Assistant for Cosmos Developers: Addressing the challenge of efficiently navigating and understanding complex documentation.
- MoneyMess: A multi-season game universe where your assets won’t lose value.
Additional Tracks and Prizes
- Neutron Track ($10,000): Four teams received $2,500 each for their outstanding contributions to Neutron-focused projects.
- Hacken Voucher ($2,000): All hacking teams received access to Hacken’s cybersecurity services.
Get further details on the developments and hackers here. Watch the hackathon pitches, or see the hackathon announcements replay here.
Building the Future of the Atom Economic Zone
The ATOM Hacker House demonstrated the transformative power of collaboration and creativity within the AEZ. Beyond the numbers and prizes, this event fostered meaningful connections and provided participants with tools to turn ideas into impactful projects.
From workshops on launching smart contracts on Neutron to panels exploring the future of interchain security, every session empowered builders and expanded awareness of the Hub’s technology.
This event was also made memorable by the dedication of volunteers, hosts, and cooks who ensured a seamless experience for all attendees. A special thanks to:
- Event Organizers: A special thank you to Web3Family and Adrien Be, whose leadership made this event a reality.
- Mentors: Facundo Medica of Binary Builders and Vlad of PostHuman who helped guide and support participants.
- Other sponsors: Neutron, Golden Staking, Newtrawn, and Hacken for their invaluable contributions.
Overall, ATOM Hacker House Barcelona 2024 reached all our goals, setting a high standard for future events and showcasing the vibrant community and potential of Cosmos Hub’s technology. The cherry on top, this event cost ended up dramatically lower than expected, with 33% savings on the original budget! The leftover budget is to be refunded to AADAO and other sponsors respectively.
As the AEZ continues to grow, we look forward to seeing the ideas sparked at this event become reality.
About the Atom Accelerator DAO
Atom Accelerator DAO (AADAO) is a governance-mandated DAO of the Cosmos Hub. We have been formed and mandated to drive value for the Cosmos Hub & ATOM, supporting initiatives that either directly create economic impact or produce value that can drive its growth. From this, our current primary mandates are public grants & venture grants.
Atom Accelerator’s venture arm, strategically invests in promising early stage web3 founders & startups both within and outside of the Cosmos Hub’s ecosystem. Offering expertise, guidance, and support as experts within the Cosmos ecosystem while driving value towards Atom.
In 2023, we deployed $3.8 million in grants to 39 recipients – resulting in, among other things – a $22m USD airdrop to the Community Pool, an AEZ Accelerator program to expand the AEZ, a successful hackathon with 42 project submissions bringing innovations to the AEZ – and many other key initiatives. Read about them in our 2023 Impact Report.
