ETHGlobal Lisbon 🇵🇹

ETHGlobal
8 min readMay 18, 2023

A recap of our first in-person event in Europe this year and our very first appearance in Portugal!

Our first hackathon in Portugal was a truly extraordinary experience: The sunny city of Lisbon was buzzing with excitement as the Convento de Beato was filled with over 975 innovators and Ethereum enthusiasts from 51 countries gathered to build, think and unlock opportunities in the ecosystem. The result was a showcase of diverse talent, creating 183 projects and highlighting 10 finalists.

✂️ The tl;dr of ETHGlobal Lisbon

  • 🙋‍♂️ 975+ Attendees
  • 🌎 51 Countries Represented
  • 🐣 29% New to Web3
  • 👯 24 Ecosystem Partners
  • 💸 $275,000+ in Prizes
  • 🚀 183 Projects Submitted
  • 🏆 10 Finalists

Check out the incredible vibes in our Recap Video:

The ETHGlobal Lisbon Pragma and Hacker Café

Thursday marked the community coming together and warming up for the upcoming hackathon with our ETHGlobal Pragma Lisbon and our Hacker Café.

The second edition of Pragma kicked off with a curated series of high-quality talks that sparked thought and discussion among attendees, creating an intimate forum with leaders from the Ethereum ecosystem and beyond. Attendees enjoyed networking and exploring all the topics presented during the day surrounded by the stunning walls of the Casa do Alentejo in the city centre.

Pragma Lisbon was a hub for important discussions we need to have in the ecosystem

The following talks and demos were presented:

🎙 Patricio Worthalter discussing “Future of POAP and the NFT ecosystem”
🖥 Jason Goldberg from Airstack with an “Airstack Product Demo”
🖥 Sergej Kunz from 1inch with a “1inch Product Demo”
🎙 Simona Pop on “Lessons learned on DAO Governance”
🎙 Lukas Schor on “Unlocking Digital Asset Ownership”
🗣 Remco Bloemen on “Worldcoin Product Announcement”
🖥 Nader Dabit with a “Lens Product Demo”
🎙 Christina Beltramini with a “Growing web3 social apps”

Look forward as we will make these talks available on Youtube soon.

Meanwhile, just 10 minutes away from the summit, hackers gathered at Comoba Cafe to attend the ETHGlobal Hacker Café. There, they formed teams and made new friends. The interest in the Team Formation session was enormous and hackers had to gather outside of the cafe, to engage in some last-minute brainstorming sessions before taking the leap into the hackathon the next day. Good vibes only, well into the evening! 🌅

🇵🇹 The ETHGlobal Lisbon Hackathon: Kickoff & First Day!

With not a single cloud in sight, the beautiful city of Lisbon welcomed hackers as the weekend began. The doors of the Convento Do Beato opened, and hackers hurried inside to register and grab their swag bags, eagerly anticipating an action-packed three days.

Hackers collecting their swag!

Friday was dedicated to a series of 18 workshops and a Team Formation & Idea Brainstorming Session, curated to provide hackers with an immersive experience, facilitate active learning and empower participants to explore the possibilities of their creations.

The day commenced with James Zaki’s captivating workshop titled “Wallet Account eXperiments — Helping wallets, dapps, and SDKs shine,” setting the stage for a day of insightful sessions. Esteemed workshop hosts such as Tyllen Bicakcic from Uniswap, Jess Glober from Aave Grants DAO, Jason Goldberg from Airstack, Miguel Piedrafita from Worldcoin, Emily Lin from Metamask, Dror Tirosh from the Ethereum Foundation, and many more took the stage, delivering thought-provoking presentations.

Nader Dabit (Lens Protocol) was one of the many great workshop hosts this afternoon

With the hackers warmed up and equipped with their new-found information from a full day of talks and workshops, the time had come to officially kick off the ETHGlobal Lisbon hackathon! A diverse crowd of web3 newcomers, experienced individuals, and enthusiasts eagerly gathered at the main stage, awaiting the arrival of our co-founder, Kartik Talwar sharing the hackathon logistics. Attendees not only enjoyed a fireside chat with Stani Kulechov but were also greeted by a mesmerizing light show that illuminated every corner of the Convento de Beato’s roof, creating a truly memorable start to ETHGlobal Lisbon.

As the first day of the ETHGlobal Lisbon hackathon came to an end and hacking officially in full swing, the atmosphere was charged with inspiration, setting the stage for an unforgettable weekend in the enchanting city of Lisbon. No ETHGlobal hackathon would be complete without an array of amazing local cuisine throughout the day and a midnight snack to ensure they had the necessary fuel to keep going until the early hours of the morning for those who tirelessly continued working through the night! The assortment of snacks remained highly traditional starting with croquettes and rissol de carne, followed by Pastéis de Nata and local fruits.

Our Opening Ceremony!

. . .

Saturday morning arrived, signaling the start of the first and only full day of hacking. Hackers who hadn’t stayed overnight returned to the venue from beanbags in the sun to hidden corners, hackers found their cozy spots to work and collaborate. The halls quickly filled with the sound of lively conversations and the scent of coffee and breakfast in the air — we were ready for ETHGlobal Lisbon Day 2!

Later in the day hackers had the opportunity to join the Project Feedback Session which presented the perfect opportunity to seek a fresh perspective on their projects and receive valuable feedback from the amazing mentors. Whether they were facing challenges or simply wanted a second opinion, our mentors were there to help enhance their builds and gain new insights. Mentors were constantly available, wearing bright yellow jackets, easily to be spotted around the venue.

Amongst the busyness of the day, some of the hackers took the opportunity to participate in rejuvenating yoga classes, aiming to relax and regain their focus. Led by our incredible instructor, Rafinha Gomes, these sessions provided a moment of respite from the fast-paced hackathon environment. Participants had the chance to recharge their minds and bodies while attempting a variety of poses with varying degrees of success. The yoga classes not only offered a much-needed comedic relief but also allowed the hackers to return to their projects with renewed energy and a fresh perspective.

. . .

🧨Countdown to Submission

As the submission deadline neared, our hackers worked tirelessly through the night, refining their builds and adding final touches to their projects. With anticipation mounting, all eyes were fixed on the clock, counting down to the official end of the hacking period. A collective cheer and sigh of relief filled the room as the countdown was coming to an end.

The atmosphere once again became charged with nervous excitement as the hackers presented their creations to the judges and partners. Their hard work had paid off after 36 hours of hacking, joining the ranks of the thousands of projects born at the ETHGlobal hackathon. They had made significant contributions to the growth of the ecosystem, pushing its boundaries and embracing the possibilities that lie ahead.

. . .

🏆The ETHGlobal Lisbon Closing Ceremony

Our hackers had the opportunity to present their final builds during the Partner Judging and Main Judging sessions, which ultimately led to the selection of the 10 Finalists of the ETHGlobal Lisbon hackathon. The Closing Ceremony provided the Finalist teams with a platform to showcase demos of their builds at the Mainstage, captivating not only the attendees but also the world watching the livestream on ethglobal.tv from home at. As the Closing Ceremony unfolded, it became increasingly clear that ETHGlobal Lisbon had been an exceptional and distinctive event.

The Closing Ceremony at Convento do Beato

We would like to express our appreciation to the hackers from 52 countries and 24 different time zones who participated in the ETHGlobal Lisbon hackathon. We were thrilled to receive 183 project submissions that greatly contribute to the development of the Ethereum Ecosystem. The builds created by our hackers, along with the projects of the finalists, represent the future of web3 primitives, and we are eagerly looking forward to witnessing the evolution. Together, we are pushing the boundaries and driving progress. 💙

Take a look at the profiles of the 10 Finalists below, and don’t forget to explore our showcase, which features the total 183 projects from ETHGlobal Lisbon: https://ethglobal.com/showcase?events=lisbon

🧵Or checkout our Finalists thread on Twitter:

A big thank you goes out to our amazing volunteers and tech mentors! You play a crucial role in the success of our events and we hope you enjoyed your time with us as much as we did with you!

Some of our volunteers (left) and our tech mentors (right) ready in their builder vests! 🦺

🤝 ETHGlobal Lisbon Partners

We extend our thanks to our valued partners for their guidance and mentorship which have been instrumental in supporting our hackers throughout their journey. Not to mention the awesome swag our partners provided, adding to the excitement and motivation of our participants attending this event! We hope you enjoyed witnessing the creative builds that emerged from the use of your technology.

Up Next: ETHGlobal Waterloo 🍁 23rd-25th May 2023

We’re thrilled to announce that ETHGlobal Waterloo will be hosted at the Lazaridis School of Business from June 23–25! This hackathon takes us back to our roots, designed to onboard talented students and individuals for an exciting weekend of hacking, workshops, and talks. We will also welcome Vitalik Buterin as our keynote speaker, in the city where it all began both for ETHGlobal and Ethereum. Get ready for 24/7 technical mentorship, and the chance to connect with the leading teams in the industry like Protocol Labs, Polygon, Optimism, and many more. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting out, ETHGlobal Waterloo offers the perfect platform to bring your big ideas to life. Don’t miss this opportunity to build, learn, and connect with the best in the industry!

Sign up now to secure your spot: https://ethglobal.com/events/waterloo2023

We can’t wait to see you again,
The ETHGlobal Team 💙

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ETHGlobal

Onboarding thousands of developers to the Ethereum ecosystem. Supported by L4, SV Angel, and the Ethereum Foundation.