Next Top Blockchain Startup (2024)

The Next Top Blockchain Startup Competition

GDA Group brings together 50+ years of combined capital markets and financial technology experience and consists of a vertically integrated ecosystem of companies that partner with institutional capital and disruptive technology markets, specializing in the digital asset class.

Aimed at discovering and nurturing emerging talents in the blockchain technology sphere. It is open to a global audience of entrepreneurs, developers, and innovators. The competition is structured to foster innovation through mentorship, education, and competition, bridging the gap between innovative concepts and market-ready blockchain solutions.

Requirements

MANDATORY SUBMISSIONS

All participants are expected to adhere to the following submission requirements before the designated deadlines:

A Litepaper: Your litepaper should include an introduction, market analysis, project description, technical architecture, features, token information (if applicable), business model, user acquisition strategy, team details, and a comprehensive roadmap.
Project Introduction Video: Submit a concise video, no more than 5 minutes in length, introducing your project, its unique use case, and its functionality.
Category Requirement Compliance: Please address all requirements for your target prize category. For any queries, refer to the discussion in the Discord categories channel.
English Language Submissions: All submissions, including all written documents and presentation videos, must be in English.

Make sure that your project meets these requirements to be considered for judging. Your innovative solutions and rigorous research are what will make this hackathon truly impactful.

Hackathon Sponsors

Hackathon Powered By

Host Partners

Academic Partners

Launchpad Partners

Lead Marketing Partners

Community Partners

Mentors & Judges from

VC Partners

Prizes

$273,000 in prizes
Prizes paid in cryptocurrency

Interoperability with Coinweb (2)

Develop decentralized applications that function smoothly across multiple blockchains, leveraging Coinweb’s advanced features like reactive smart contracts and blockchain routing. Aim to create scalable, efficient, and resilient applications.

- 1st place: $35,000 in Tokens + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to Launchpads

- 2nd place: $15,000 in Tokens + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to Launchpads

20% unlock for competition winner
20% unlock for Proof of Concept (PoC)
20% unlock for Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
40% unlock for full release
12-month vesting schedule

Awesome ICP (2)

Unlock the power of ICP to build fully on-chain, cross-chain applications with advanced canister smart contracts for AI, data computation, and seamless blockchain integration.

- 2 prizes of $5,000 USD in ICP Developer Grants each will be distributed among the top teams and projects, with $2500 USD given immediately and the remaining $2500 USD dependent on achieving milestones.

Proof Of Green Energy (POGE) with SolarX (2)

Leverage the Proof of Green Energy (PoGE) consensus mechanism and utilize SXCH tokens to create sustainable energy solutions/applications.

Milestone 1 Prize

- 1st Place: $5,000 in either SXCH or Solar X miners + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to
Launchpads

- 2nd Place: $2,500 in either SXCH or Solar X miners + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to
Launchpads

Mileston 2 Prize (see rules)

- 1st Place: $5,000 in Solar X tokens or miners + $10,000 in marketing to app users +
$20,000 Waived listing fee on the Solar X Launchpad.

- 2nd Place: $5,000 in Solar X tokens or miners + $10,000 in marketing to app users +
$10,000 Waived listing fee on the Solar X Launchpad.

Both winners will receive strategic mentorship, with both winners also gaining market entry support and introduction, and potential listing on the SolarX launchpad.

-Please see the rules for full details

Decentralized Cybersecurity ( DePIN ) with Naoris (2)

Design solutions to protect IoT networks by enabling each device to be proactively part of a secure, global decentralized network, and create potential use cases that solve real-world problems.

Milestone 1 Prize

- 1st place: $10,000 in tokens in form of SAFT + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to Launchpads

- 2nd place: $5,000 in tokens in form of SAFT + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to Launchpads

Mileston 2 Prize (see rules)

- 1st place: $10,000 in tokens + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to Launchpads

- 2nd place: $5,000 in tokens + Mentorship with GDA Capital + Introduction to Launchpads

Gaming with Moxy

Create innovative and versatile applications using the Moxy Forge SDK, focusing on enhancing eSports integration across multiple platforms.

- 1st place: $6,500 in tokens + Strategic mentorship for entering the market with GDA.Capital + Intro to Launchpads
- 2nd place: $3,500 in tokens + Chat with Gaming Expert

AI for web3 with Llama Launchpad (3)

- winner project gets: $40,000 listing Fee Discount

Llama Launchpad will help bring your project to market without any retainer, providing access to thousands of private and retail investors focusing on AI and Web3 investments.

ERC-7621 with Alvara (DeFi) (2)

Milestone 1 Prize

• 1st place: $7,000 in Alvara tokens via SAFT, with initial release after a 6-month cliff (April 1st) upon meeting defined KPIs + Strategic mentorship for market entry with GDA Capital + Collaboration with Alvara to define use cases + Introduction to Launchpads

• 2nd place: $3,000 in Alvara tokens via SAFT, with initial release after a 6-month cliff (April 1st) upon meeting defined KPIs + Collaboration with Alvara to define use cases

Milestone 2 Prize (January 1st - March 31st)

• 1st place: $10,000 in Alvara tokens via SAFT, distributed through a 12-month vesting schedule starting April 1st, with token releases tied to milestone-specific KPIs + Strategic mentorship for market entry with GDA Capital + Collaboration with Alvara to define use cases + Introduction to Launchpads

Milestone 3 Prize (April 1st - June 30th)

• 1st place: $15,000 in Alvara tokens via SAFT, distributed through a 12-month vesting schedule starting October 1st, with token releases tied to milestone-specific KPIs + Strategic mentorship for market entry with GDA Capital + Collaboration with Alvara to define use cases + Introduction to Launchpads

Secure and Reactive Web3 Apps with Linera (3)

Create a user experience that is both real-time and secure using Linera's innovative microchains, a new type of user-centric blockspace.

With Linera, users can store assets and app data in their own chains, ensuring fast finality and data replication. The platform supports cross-chain messaging, multi-user chains, and local composability, providing a robust programming model for developers.

Prizes:

1) $3,000 USD for Best Demo for Edge AI (your own or a variation on generative NFT)

2) $3,000 USD for Best UI for DeFi demo app (your own or the existing AMM or orderbook app)

3) $3,000 USD for the Best UI for Onchain Game (your own or a variation on Hex game)

Code will need to be made available under Apache license

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

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Judges

David Carvalho
CEO / Naoris

Michael Gord
CEO / GDA Capital

Joaquim Miro
Partner / GDA Capital

Toby Gilbert
CEO / Coinweb

Judging Criteria

Originality & Creativity
How novel and innovative is the idea? Does it set out to do something completely different or at least improve existing models?
Technicality & Design
What is the tech like? Does it have comprehensive and efficient features? Is the code understandable and usable by others? Is it designed to scale?
Business Model & Feasibility
What is the value proposition and how does it set out to differentiate itself? How will it capture value, new users and/or generate revenue? Is the project positioned to succeed?
Usability
What is the user experience like? Is it clean and intuitive? How will you implement UX/UI?
Practicality & Use Case
Is this something people would actually use and want? Will the idea have an impact on people, revolutionize some aspect of human life, or disrupt the status quo?
Contribution to the Global Blockchain Ecosystem
How does your idea increase global blockchain adoption, value for its users, and innovation in the field of Open Source technology? Does it welcome new users and help existing users?