If you enjoyed last year’s HackFS event, strap in as we look back at this year's phenomenal event!
From June 2nd to 21st, we hosted the fourth edition of HackFS, in partnership with Protocol Labs: A three-week event hosting 838 builders from 73 countries as they ventured into the world of Web3 — with a focus on dApps, decentralized storage, and everything in between. The result: 200 incredible projects submitted. We are thrilled to present you with a rundown of what happened during this incredible online hackathon!
Ever wondered what the ‘FS’ stands for? What do IPFS, Filecoin, Libp2p, FVM… all have in common?
They’re all about making better File Systems… in one way or another!
✂️ The tl;dr of HackFS 2023
- 🙋♂️ 838 Hackers
- 🌎 76 Countries Represented
- ⏰ 23 Timezones
- 👯 29 Ecosystem Partners
- 💸 $150,000+ USD in Prizes
- 👬 12 Ecosystem Mentors
- 🚀 200 Projects Submitted
- 🏆 9 Finalists
Kick-off Ceremony and Summit 🚀
The highly anticipated fourth edition of HackFS kicked off live on ethglobal.tv, with our very own Kartik Talwar, leading the ceremony and delivering words of encouragement to all the hackers and spectators from around the globe. We couldn’t help but be excited about the unfolding of this year’s event and the opportunity to witness the evolution of space since its first iteration in 2020.
The stage was set for another great hackathon experience filled with innovation, collaboration, and the boundless potential of the HackFS community — with that, it was time to get hacking!
In celebration of the remarkable journey the space has undertaken since our initial HackFS, we were delighted to host the HackFS Summit featuring which featured top players within the ecosystem who have made significant strides to foster its growth. The primary objective of this summit was to inspire and encourage our hackers by equipping them with the latest advancements and opportunities for personnel within the space.
The HackFS Summit Talks🗣️:
- 🎙 PLN Ecosystem Overview: All the things you can build on — Molly Mackinlay
- 🛸 FVM: What, why, what next? — Sarah Thiam
- 🛸 FVM: Hack the Tracks — Matt Hamilton, Aadi Shidham
- 👥 PANEL | Succeeding with FVM: A Builder’s Perspective
- 🛠 Overview of PLN + Builders Funnel — Ruben Amen
- 🤗 Why apply for a PL Accelerator Program — James Tunningley
- 🎙 How Accelerators like GPC help FVM Builders — Gabriel Anderson
- 🎙 Closing Remarks with Juan Benet
⬇️ If the talks didn’t already provide enough inspiration, we ensured our hackers received an extra boost by sharing success stories born out of previous HackFS events, such as Lighthouse!
Finally, the exciting first week of the 2023 HackFS hackathon came to an end with a Team Formation & Idea Brainstorming Session! This session ensured that every hacker had a team to collaborate with and enabled them to exchange and expand upon each other’s ideas and set them on the right path in their quest to build a decentralized future.
Week 2: All about Workshops!
We kicked off week 2 with our first Project Check-in where hackers shared their progress with us!
These Check-Ins were important because they helped us
🤔 Learn more about the projects
⛔ Ensure there were no blockages
📊 Help the hackers continue their progress to submission
🏅Ensure the hackers were able to qualify for as many prizes as possible!
From beginner-friendly to advanced levels, week 2 focused entirely on workshops designed to assist our hackers in exploring, brainstorming, and igniting ideas. These workshops also provided valuable one-on-one time with mentors and developer advocates who offered support as the hackers delved into their projects.
All of the HackFS workshops can be found here on our HackFS Workshop Youtube Playlist. This Playlist includes all the summit videos plus workshops to keep you fully updated with everything that happened during this event!
Week 3: Prepping for Project Submissions!
Week 3 started off strong with Project Check-in #2 and Project Feedback Session as final submissions were only a week away!
With this in mind, our hackers took part in an incredibly informative talk titled “From a Hackathon Project to a VC Deal” with Ruth Galvin from Outlier Ventures. The talk was lined up to prepare them for the possibilities that lay ahead after the hackathon was over.
Finally, the Project Submission Deadline had passed signalling that the hackers’ three week marathon had officially come to an end! The teams had submitted their builds and would now eagerly await the outcome, keeping a watchful eye on their inboxes to see what rewards their weeks of dedicated effort would bring them.
HackFS 2023 Finale
After 3 weeks of hard work, the HackFS 2023 Finale was finally here! We have seen some amazing projects originate from previous HackFS hackathons turn into scaleable, successful companies that have raised millions: Huddle01, Lighthouse Storage, Secured Finance, and many more!
How could we not be excited to see what our hackers would build and by the time the Closing Ceremony had finished, we were not disappointed!
With over 200 projects submitted by our talented hackers, the judges had the tough job of carefully evaluating each build to decide who our finalists would be. In the end, 9 finalist teams were chosen to demo their builds to the world, which was followed by the awarding of prizes from the $150,000 USD prize pool to the deserving teams! We are so proud of our ETHGlobal community for the talent and passion that they all possess, which was evident in each and every build.
If you’re interested in delving deeper into our finalist projects or exploring the other remarkable builds from this hackathon, we encourage you to visit our Project Showcase!
Our HackFS Partners 🤠
A big thank you goes out to all 29 of our HackFS ecosystem partners for making this event one for the books! No hackathon would be possible without their dedication to growing the ecosystem and the individuals who take part in them.
Lastly, but with equal importance, we express our gratitude to our 838 hackers for their participation in the fourth edition of HackFS. Your efforts and achievements over the past three weeks have been remarkable, and we are incredibly proud to have witnessed the incredible projects you have created.
We will see you at the next one! 🫡
Up Next: ETHGlobal Paris July 21–23rd, 2023 🇫🇷
Paris, the city of lights and the birthplace of revolutions is at the forefront of Web3 innovation. This July, a global community of developers, designers, creators, and thinkers committed to shaping the decentralized future are coming together for ETHGlobal Paris — a hackathon weekend to foster creativity and collaboration on the Ethereum ecosystem, bringing together builders from all around the globe with $400,000 USD in cash prizes.
Here at the beautiful Palais Brongniart, hackers can attend talks and workshops, receive valuable feedback from the leading teams, and engage with our community of experts, mentors, judges partners such as Polygon, Metamask, The Uniswap Foundation, 1inch, Gnosis Chain and many more, who will be offering amazing prizes. Build something incredible with us at ETHGlobal Paris!
Sign up now to reserve your spot: https://ethglobal.com/events/paris2023
🚨 Don’t delay — applications close Saturday, July 1st at 11:59pm ET.
See you soon,
The ETHGlobal Team 💙
