To kick off this week’s HashPack Community Showcase, which spotlights projects on Hedera, we were thrilled to welcome Eric Neal, the Founder of Momental. Eric began his journey in the world of consumer branding and fan experiences, navigating a path that ultimately led him to the burgeoning realm of cryptocurrency. During the pandemic, he ventured into crypto and founded Third Act through his company, Momental, driven by a vision to blend familiar fan experiences with the innovative potential of blockchain technology.
The inception of Third Act was fueled by a clear thesis: to transform real-world experiences into parallel digital assets and create memorable digital souvenirs for fans. This vision materialized as Third Act evolved, leading to the development of a tech stack designed for licensing to live events.
Moreover, Eric and his team established a partnership with Major League Paintball, where they developed the marketplace and MLPB armory for various leagues, including North American, Latin American, European, men’s, and women’s divisions. This collaboration introduced an array of intellectual property ripe for development into exceptional collectibles and valuable utility add-ons.
Significantly, they chose the Hedera consensus mechanism for Hedera’s speed, efficiency, and scalability. The Founder opined that the technology was attractive and also aligned with the stellar reputation of Hedera’s foundation and technical team. Subsequently, Eric’s trajectory was shaped by a confluence of macro forces, guiding him to this innovative intersection of technology and fan engagement.
Enhancing Fan Engagement on Hedera
Ryan Solomon, CEO of Genfinity, highlighted the importance of addressing a significant portion of the general public that had not yet engaged with blockchain or distributed ledger technology. Furthermore, he emphasized the concept of meeting people where they were, particularly when it came to fans interacting with sports and athletes.
For example, in the context of Major League Paintball, Solomon raised the question of how brands could enhance their engagement with consumers. He sought insight into the dynamics of brand engagement between consumers and these brands, expressing interest in exploring the opportunities within this space.
Beginning his career focused on brand and fan engagement, Eric laid the foundation for his subsequent ventures. His approach centered around meeting people where they were, a principle he deeply valued. During paintball tournaments, he engaged directly with players and fans, finding it both a reality check and a humbling experience. Moreover, he observed that people were not constantly glued to their phones, staring at tokens or digital assets. Instead, they were enjoying a beer at the bar, catching the next game, or waiting in between acts at the theater.
Furthermore, the Founder understands the importance of recognizing the real-world context of fan experiences. He emphasized that knowing where one stood in the hierarchy of these experiences was crucial. Consequently, this awareness formed the crux of his approach: enhancing real-world moments with blockchain technology. He believed that while blockchain could be integrated into collectibles, it was not always necessary for improving the fan experience. The primary goal was to create something that extended beyond the immediate moment, whether it was in paintball arenas or theaters.
Exploring Gamification and Custom Tech Solutions in Sports and Entertainment
Ryan cited the example of Karate Combat on Hedera, where the fight audience was being gamified, as a fascinating instance of this trend. Ryan wondered if similar opportunities existed across the board for sports and entertainment. He was eager to understand how this transition might unfold and what new types of fan engagement might emerge as a result.
Eric reflected on the broader potential of integrating technology into fan experiences, acknowledging that while it was tempting to seek a universal solution, each live event had unique needs. He cited Karate Combat as an exemplary case where their platform effectively catered to both the league and its fans, indicating a clear appetite for such innovations.
Moreover, Eric viewed this as a signal that various solutions could be tailored to different live event scenarios, though they might not be identical each time. He emphasized the value of incorporating moments of gamification to enhance fan engagement. By giving fans a sense of closeness to the game or a stake in its outcome — beyond traditional sports betting — Eric aimed to introduce creative elements into the experience.
For instance, he proposed ideas like checking in before a game to predict the outcome or collecting unique digital mementos from the event. Eric’s approach involved critically assessing each event, asking what could enhance the experience — whether it was taking home a souvenir or participating in a prediction challenge. His goal was to make each moment more immersive and memorable for the fans.
The MLPB Armory
Eric provided an overview of the MLPB Armory, highlighting its role as a streamlined marketplace focused on collectibles. He introduced the platform, available at mlpbarmory.com, as an intuitive and straightforward hub centered around a collection of digital assets.
In the initial phase, MLPB Armory aimed to feature tokens representing over 300 North American paintball players, both men and women. These tokens would be transformed into digital trading cards, with additional features expected to be introduced later. Eric mentioned the forthcoming release of beautifully designed trading cards, which were set to launch later in the month.
Moreover, Eric emphasized the platform’s ease of use, catering to a diverse user base by allowing sign-ins through familiar methods. He noted the importance of accessibility, offering options to log in with Google, email, or Web3 wallets like HashPack or Blade. Eric also demonstrated the user-friendly nature of the site by logging into his account, showcasing the profile page where users could view their collectibles.
The marketplace section stands as the hub for announcements and new releases. The player cards, available in packs of three, were crafted with meticulous attention to detail, given the extensive work involved in rendering and versioning over 300 player profiles. Eric expressed enthusiasm about the platform’s launch, confident that the effort put into these collectibles would resonate with users.
Leveraging Celebrity Influence and Innovative Collectibles: Tech-Enhanced Fan Engagement
Moving along in the interview, Ryan stated that he found it interesting how athletes and entertainment figures with large followings could potentially be involved in promoting technology. He noted that a key challenge was figuring out how to get these celebrities to talk about the technology in a way that engages their fan base.
Eric reflected on their innovative approach to integrating sports players into their technology initiative. He explained that in any sport, certain players gain significant popularity, often through social media. Consequently, they saw an opportunity to leverage these players’ influence without adding extra work for them. By using the headshots taken during media day at the start of each season, Eric’s team designed and rendered these images into collectibles. They then distributed a few to each player, allowing them to sell the items directly. This method, he believed, was a fair and effective way to launch the initiative.
Moreover, Eric compared their strategy to a tree, with the industry and the players at its core, representing the lifeblood of the project. From there, the influence would extend outward to fans, crypto collectors, and eventually the general public. He emphasized that securing the support of industry insiders and players was crucial for success.
He also revealed another exciting aspect of their project. Each tournament in their sport featured a unique layout created by the league’s commissioner and kept secret until two weeks before the event. This period, known as “Hell Week,” allowed teams to train on the new layout before competing. Eric saw this unique feature as a perfect opportunity for tokenization. Thus, every tournament would be commemorated with a collectible model of the layout, packaged in a consistent style.
In addition to this, Eric hinted at future plans. He suggested that they were considering incorporating real-world experiences and perks for collectors, indicating a long-term vision for enhancing the value of their collectibles. Eric’s pride in the appearance of their products was evident, and he teased additional benefits and add-ons that would be announced in the future.
Reflecting on Achievements and Future Horizons: Eric’s Milestones and Vision for Growth
When asked about notable achievements, Eric reflected on what he considered both small and significant wins in their journey. He emphasized that, in their industry, every success felt substantial given the challenges they faced. One of the major milestones was successfully selling their concept to the league, a crucial step in getting their support and understanding. This achievement, which took place a couple of years ago, was pivotal.
Eric recently noted a shift in momentum since their launch. They began to see increased interest from within the industry, with individuals and even the President coming to them with new ideas for expansion. This newfound enthusiasm contrasted sharply with the earlier period when they had to wait for their launch before receiving any substantial interest. Now, they found themselves receiving direct inquiries from players and other stakeholders eager to engage further.
Additionally, Eric highlighted some technical victories, specifically mentioning improvements and new features in the Hedera network. Over the past 18 months, several enhancements and updates, or “HIPs,” were introduced, which significantly benefited their development efforts. Some of these improvements, while complex, made technical processes smoother and more efficient for their team.
Momental’s Upcoming Developments
When asked about upcoming developments, Eric enthusiastically shared their plans and future projects. He encouraged listeners to follow their updates on X, hinting at exciting developments in the world of paintball. Specifically, they were gearing up for major events such as the Windy City Open in Chicago next month and the World Champions Competition in South America this November. Notably, the Founder promised some engaging announcements tied to these events, reflecting their ongoing growth and innovation in the sport.
Additionally, he outlined their broader goals for the year. He highlighted that they were in the initial phase of their venture, starting at the beginning of the year, and expressed excitement about the progress they were making. In terms of their relationship with Hedera, he noted that while Hedera had a robust foundation with its governing council and business-to-business focus, their role was to act as an implementation partner. Their aim was to create direct-to-consumer engagement tools, leveraging Hedera’s solid base to enhance their offerings.
Furthermore, Eric mentioned that they were working on several new partnerships, though not all would be announced immediately. Each partnership was carefully considered, and he indicated that they had several promising projects lined up for 2025.
The Evolution of Hedera – Stacked with Amazing Developers
Our next segment delved into the current landscape of the Hedera ecosystem and explored the initiatives designed to attract both Web2 and Web3 developers to the Hedera Hashgraph.
We welcomed Ty “Patches” Smith to our show. Ty shared his reflections on his transition from being a community member to a Senior Product Manager at Hashgraph (formerly Swirlds Labs). He described the shift as both challenging and rewarding. Understanding the inner workings of the company proved to be an enlightening experience. Consequently, he feels a strong sense of empowerment in his role, enabling him to shed light on various discussions and bring clarity to complex topics.
Moreover, Ty emphasized how his position allowed him to integrate his perspective and the community’s insights into shaping Hedera’s future. He noted that the path to success was far from linear rather than a straightforward journey from point A to point B. He appreciates Hashgraph’s openness to new ideas and its commitment to enhancing the ecosystem. The alignment between the company’s ethos and his own values has made the experience particularly fulfilling.
Evaluating Hedera’s Position in the Web3 Landscape: Insights from Ty on Adoption, Progress, and Future Potential
Ryan inquired about Ty’s perspective on the current state of Hedera compared to the broader Web3 landscape. Acknowledging Ty’s deep involvement with various networks and ecosystems, he recognized him as someone who kept a close watch on the Web3 space. Essentially, he wanted Ty to evaluate where Hedera stood in relation to other technologies and ecosystems, as well as to provide insights into the overall adoption and development of Web3 technologies.
Contemplating his role, Ty noted that while his perspective was shaped by his position within the company, he remained extremely excited about the upcoming six months. Despite some recent negative sentiment within the community, Ty urged a focus on the objective advancements being made from a technological standpoint.
Moreover, Ty emphasized the impressive progress in Hedera’s adoption and implementation. He pointed out the 2,000 TPS and Hedera’s deep penetration into the ESG market, with notable projects such as Guardian and Dovu making significant strides in carbon tracking. These developments underscored Hedera’s role as a key enabler in these critical areas.
Ty also pointed out Hedera’s strong position in the realm of real-world assets. He cited several examples of successful integrations, including the BlackRock Money Market Fund, which had tokenized a portion of its assets on Hedera, and Red Swan, which was tokenizing real estate and operating a marketplace on the platform. The Diamond Standard, another RWA project, allowed users to purchase HTS tokens that could be exchanged for physical diamonds, showcasing a high level of real-world utility.
High-Profile Successes and Optimistic Future Prospects
Ty also highlighted the broader impact of Hedera’s technology through high-profile projects such as Karate Combat. He described how the sport had bridged into mainstream media, with appearances on platforms like Joe Rogan’s show and the involvement of a presidential candidate. Karate Combat’s use of Hedera technology for its token-based engagement and betting system was seen as a strong indicator of mass adoption, offering a seamless and enjoyable experience for users while demonstrating the technology’s speed and low transaction fees.
Consequently, Ty expressed confidence in the technology’s potential and its trajectory. He was optimistic about the future. Despite market fluctuations, Ty remained focused on technological advancements and continued development, noting that Hedera’s progress in major verticals like RWAs was promising. Overall, he conveyed a strong sense of optimism about the role of technology and its growing adoption.
Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities in the Evolving Blockchain Landscape
Ryan explained that while the frustration surrounding the current market conditions is completely understandable, this frustration highlights a broader issue: the lack of significant, sustained success and widespread adoption. Additionally, he pointed out that the ongoing boom and bust cycles suggest that no one has yet achieved massive, lasting success. Also, Ryan questioned whether, over time, certain technologies might ultimately stand out and succeed due to their inherent capabilities and applications, suggesting that their value could lead to self-marketing and eventual widespread use, despite current challenges.
Ty Smith responded by asserting that assuming technology will succeed solely based on its intrinsic value is misguided. He highlighted that historical precedents, such as the Betamax example, show that having the best product doesn’t guarantee success. Additionally, Smith emphasized the importance of not just having a superior product but also effectively articulating its value to the target market. He pointed out that ecosystems, rather than individual products, need to be self-sustaining to support the development of applications and decentralized apps. While the current landscape is akin to the early dot-com era — where clear indicators of success are still evolving — he believes in the potential for future success.
Moreover, he stressed the need for effective marketing, a good understanding of ecosystem fit, and ongoing efforts to enhance adoption and participation. Smith concluded that despite the industry’s youth and uncertainties, there is a significant opportunity to shape its trajectory positively, focusing on improving quality of life and ensuring sustainable and sovereign data and financial systems.
Sustainable Strategies and Hedera’s Path Forward
He further elaborated on the challenges of managing marketing and sustaining growth without falling into the typical boom-bust cycles. He reflected on how marketing strategies must evolve to be sustainable over the long term. The overarching thesis of Hedera — that it is an enterprise blockchain designed for scalability and mass adoption — is well-understood. However, the real challenge lies in the nuances of achieving this vision.
Notably, it is important to align with market needs and implement sustainable mechanisms to support growth. Ty recognizes that the industry cannot skip ahead to the end stage; instead, it must grow in tandem with its development. Consequently, this involves ensuring sufficient infrastructure to support various stages of ecosystem development. Smith described the proactive approach taken at Turtle Moon, where they intentionally tested and broke systems to identify and fix issues, thereby enabling larger-scale functionality.
Smith acknowledged the substantial progress made with Hedera technology, praising its ability to deliver an exceptional user experience. He also theorized that Hedera could become the user experience layer of Web3 due to its high performance and seamless integration capabilities. For instance, its ability to facilitate communications across ecosystems — by reading a mirror node, validating data hashes, and executing actions — demonstrates its potential. The compatibility with EVM technologies showcases Hedera’s role in advancing interoperability within the blockchain space.
Moving along in the interview, Smith reflected that despite the potential of tokenization, the presence of middlemen and walled gardens would persist. While tokenization could not entirely eliminate these intermediaries, it had the power to enhance transparency and reveal the inefficiencies within these systems.
The Project Manager illustrated his point with the example of Ticketmaster. He noted that while Ticketmaster could fully tokenize ticket transactions to make the process more transparent, it could still impose high convenience fees. Consequently, consumers might become more frustrated upon realizing that the cost of ticketing far exceeded the minimal cost of creating and processing the digital record.
Additionally, Smith highlighted that tokenization’s true value lies in its ability to empower decentralized systems. He envisioned a scenario where a venue, operating independently from larger entities like Live Nation, could sell tickets directly to consumers using tokenization. This system would allow the venue to bypass intermediaries, reducing costs for both the venue and the consumer.
By issuing tickets as NFTs, the venue could facilitate direct transactions and validate ownership with a simple phone scan. In essence, while tokenization alone did not guarantee a utopian outcome, it served as a powerful tool to enhance efficiency and reduce costs by connecting users directly with the source.
A Focus on Developer Support and Sustainable Innovation
We wanted to know Ty’s opinion on Hedera’s current state and, ideally, what immediate improvements or features he would like to see implemented. Ryan inquired about what Hedera does uniquely well at present and what enhancements would ideally elevate the network further.
Smith described Hedera as successfully meeting the promise of a superior user experience within a decentralized framework, positioning it as a significant layer in Web3. He highlighted Hedera’s strong traction in sectors like ESG and RWA, noting that exciting developments and impactful proof-of-concepts are emerging from the network.
Ty also emphasized the need for Hedera to support developers more effectively, focusing on sustainable monetization methods, such as his HIP 991 proposal, which introduces a fixed fee system for transactions. This approach simplifies the process for developers, reducing reliance on external systems like Stripe and enhancing the ease of monetization. Furthermore, Ty expressed a desire to see continued innovation within the Hedera community, leveraging its talented developers and improving marketing efforts to showcase these advancements to a broader audience.
Ed Marquez and Tyler Cote: Insights from Hedera’s Developer Relations and HashPack’s CTO
We were joined by the Head of Developer Relations at Hashgraph, Ed Marquez. Ed gave the story of his four-year journey in the blockchain space. Initially, he started in Web3 with Hedera and transitioned to Swirlds Labs, which later rebranded to Hashgraph. Over the past three years, he has led the developer relations team, focusing on attracting, engaging, and retaining developers through educational initiatives and community support.
Marquez highlighted a major initiative: a significant hackathon nearing its final week. He urged interested developers to register at hedera.com/hackathon, noting that $300,000 in prizes awaited the most compelling projects. Significantly, the hackathon aimed to foster continuity for these projects by connecting them with various ecosystem development organizations.
Furthermore, he discussed ongoing developer campaigns designed to increase awareness of Hedera’s offerings. He anticipated seeing the team at numerous events and across different channels, striving to expand their network and demonstrate the benefits of building on Hedera, including its technology, governance, and community support.
Tyler Cote also participated in our interview and introduced himself as the CTO of HashPack. The CTO shared that he had been involved in the ecosystem for approximately four years. Additionally, he revealed his active participation in the ongoing hackathon, which wraps up next Tuesday. Tyler was enthusiastic about discussing the development of the Hedera network and the exciting opportunities it presented.
Assessing Developer Engagement and Technological Advancements on Hedera
Ryan inquired about the current state of attracting developers to the technology, questioning whether there remains a significant education gap. He asked Tyler to reflect on his observations over the past three or four years, specifically regarding the growing awareness and interest among developers in this space.
Ed shared his insights from attending several conferences over the past year, noting that while curiosity about blockchain technology remained high, there was still a significant need for educational initiatives. He observed that many developers, whether they were new to the space or transitioning from other Web3 ecosystems, needed guidance to fully understand and leverage Hedera’s offerings.
Acknowledging that the awareness of blockchain technology has increased, Ed believes the industry is still in its early stages. He emphasized that achieving widespread adoption would require the continued maturation of interfaces, protocols, and technology. As these elements developed, they would attract more developers, creating a momentum that could drive massive adoption.
Evolving with Hedera: Tyler and Ed Reflect on Technological Progress and Key Advancements
Tyler reflected on his experience since Hedera first launched, describing the transition as significant. He noted that the constant addition of new features and Hedera Improvement Proposals (HIPs) kept the development process dynamic and challenging. While some developers might prefer stability and consistency, Tyler found the ongoing evolution of the technology both exciting and rewarding. He enjoyed the opportunity to work on the cutting edge of new technologies, appreciating the continuous improvements and innovations that kept the development process engaging and fulfilling.
Ed highlighted several key advancements since he first joined the Hedera ecosystem. Initially, he noted a significant gap: the absence of a functional wallet connector. He praised Hashgraph for addressing this with HashConnect, which evolved into a community-driven protocol supporting multiple wallets.
Notably, Ed emphasized the transformative impact of the Smart Contracts 2.0 upgrade. He recalled the early challenges and growing pains associated with smart contracts but marveled at the progress made by the team and the ecosystem. This advancement significantly enhanced the programmability and flexibility of smart contracts on Hedera. He also appreciated the introduction of EVM compatibility, which, while not a native Hedera service, provided a valuable pathway for developers to engage with the network and leverage common protocols. Overall, Ed felt these improvements had unlocked new opportunities and contributed positively to Hedera’s development.
Navigating Early Challenges and Embracing Progress
Discussing the evolution of building on Hedera, Tyler recalled the early challenges and significant progress made. He reminisced about the period when Hedera lacked a functional wallet connector, which forced him to use workarounds like manually verifying transactions for their first NFT launch pad. This experience was a stark contrast to the current state, where wallet connectivity has significantly improved.
Furthermore, Tyler acknowledged the ups and downs over the years, including initial euphoria when NFT tools first became available, followed by periods of difficulty, such as when the main wallet provider was unavailable for several months. Despite these setbacks, he praised the continuous advancements made by Hashgraph, particularly in creating a cohesive and user-friendly experience.
Tyler highlighted that Hedera’s journey had been marked by a blend of trial and error, leading to incremental improvements in infrastructure and user experience. He expressed optimism about the future, believing that the next six months would bring further advancements and opportunities for developers to enhance the ecosystem. Tyler concluded that despite the challenges, Hedera was on a promising path toward mass adoption and had a bright future ahead.
Evaluating Hedera’s Core Technology: Insights on Performance, Developer Experience, and Technological Advancements
Ryan inquired about the core technology of Hedera, asking for the developers’ perspectives on whether its fundamental infrastructure is as advanced — or even superior — to other blockchain technologies. He shared that he had heard from various sources, including those outside of Hedera, that the underlying tech of Hedera was impressive, to the point where some other ecosystems were hesitant to engage in cross-chain discussions due to apprehensions about Hedera’s technology. Ryan was interested in understanding from the developers’ viewpoints whether there was something truly exceptional about Hedera’s base layer and, if so, what made it stand out.
Tyler explained that Hedera’s technology stood out for two main reasons. Firstly, he noted that the platform’s ability to achieve transaction finality within three to five seconds, coupled with predictable transaction fees, set it apart from most other networks. This performance metric, he argued, was a significant advantage on paper.
Additionally, he highlighted the practical ease of use for developers, particularly those skilled in JavaScript and TypeScript. Tyler emphasized that Hedera’s user-friendly SDK and streamlined processes allowed developers to quickly build and deploy applications, such as NFTs, with minimal code. This accessibility was a major strength that could drive broader adoption and innovation on the platform.
Advancements in Hedera’s Core Technology: Enhancements in Consensus, Scalability, and Ecosystem Integration
Ed Marquez reflected on the impressive advancements in Hedera’s core technology. He praised Leemon Baird and his team for their exceptional work on the consensus algorithm and the distributed network infrastructure. Ed highlighted the strategic separation of concerns between optimizing consensus nodes for speed and scalability and using mirror nodes for historical data as a future-proof approach. He admired the foresight in designing a system capable of handling vast amounts of data, ensuring that Hedera’s technology remained robust as transaction volumes increased.
Hashgraph’s Head of Developer Relations also expressed excitement about the ongoing developments in the protocol, noting the recent modularization of the codebase to enhance scalability, extensibility, and maintainability. He acknowledged that while Hedera’s ecosystem was still evolving, significant progress had been made since the early days. The addition of various ecosystem integrations, such as custody providers, oracles, and infrastructure tools, marked a stark contrast to the more limited options available in the past. Notably, Ed believed that as the technology continued to mature and the ecosystem expanded, Hedera’s capabilities would only grow stronger.
Hedera’s Exceptional Foundations and Developer-Friendly Features
Tyler reflected on the impressive nature of Hedera’s technology, starting with the foundational elements like consensus nodes and mirror nodes. He acknowledged that these components performed exceptionally well and were bolstered by ongoing improvements in base infrastructure, including advancements in modularization and on-disk storage. Furthermore, he praised the Hashgraph engineering team for their exceptional skill and innovative contributions to the technology.
He then shifted focus to the developer experience, highlighting what he found most remarkable about Hedera. Unlike many other blockchain networks, which required learning entirely new technologies and smart contract languages, Hedera offered a more accessible approach. Developers could interact with the network using familiar tools and languages, such as making API calls to a mirror node or installing an NPM package. This ease of integration and the straightforward nature of Hedera’s tools stood out as a significant advantage, making it particularly approachable for developers accustomed to conventional programming environments.
Assessing Developer Engagement and Growth Potential within the Hedera Ecosystem
Ed provided a nuanced perspective on the developer base within the Hedera ecosystem, noting its growth and potential. He began by acknowledging the varying methodologies of different reports and analyses, such as those from Electric Capital, which impact how developer activity is assessed.
Developer engagement with Hedera has a positive trajectory, with active contributions from both internal teams like Hashgraph and external contributors through initiatives such as the HIP process. Moreover, contributions span various levels, from core protocol improvements to the development of applications using Hedera’s SDK and RPC infrastructure.
Despite this growth, Ed acknowledged that the developer base is still relatively small compared to the broader Web3 ecosystem, which includes around 100,000 developers globally. He stressed the importance of attracting millions of Web2 developers to bridge this gap, which he sees as a key opportunity for future expansion. This influx would create significant network effects, driving greater adoption and activity within the Hedera ecosystem.
Ed’s enthusiasm was palpable as he spoke about his excitement for the possibilities within the Hedera ecosystem. He particularly highlighted moments of revelation — like realizing the potential of the Hedera Consensus Service or the Hedera Token Service — to spark transformative ideas. His role, as he saw it, was to facilitate these “aha” moments, helping others grasp the capabilities of Hedera’s technology so they could develop solutions that might revolutionize industries. This sense of excitement and anticipation for future innovations was what truly kept him motivated.
Strategies for Expanding Developer Engagement
Ed began by outlining strategies to bring the millions of developers who are not yet engaged with blockchain technology into the space.
Firstly, he emphasized the need to demonstrate the tangible business value of blockchain solutions. For instance, tokenization can solve various business problems, such as enhancing revenue streams, increasing asset liquidity, and attracting new users. By highlighting these practical benefits, developers and business decision-makers can better understand the value blockchain technologies offer.
Secondly, he stressed the importance of combining effective marketing with user-friendly technology. Strong marketing can attract interest, but it must be supported by technology that is approachable and efficient to prevent users from becoming frustrated and abandoning the platform.
In the context of Hedera specifically, Ed noted the necessity for robust infrastructure, comprehensive documentation, and supportive tools to facilitate smooth onboarding. Extending this approach to the broader blockchain and Web3 ecosystems, he pointed out the challenge of ensuring interoperability across different chains. This would help prevent developers’ work from becoming obsolete during migrations and maximize user reach.
The Hedera Hackathon
Hackathons serve as an exceptional way for developers to gain hands-on experience with new technologies. For instance, when Ed was considering joining Hedera, the Token Service Hackathon was actively happening. Since then, Hedera has consistently hosted various hackathons, including those focused on smart contracts and recent events organized in partnership with AngelHack. This year’s hackathon, in particular, saw over 2,000 developers registered, underscoring the high level of interest and engagement.
Moreover, supporting and nurturing developers beyond these initial events is crucial. Ensuring that they remain engaged with the ecosystem and have clear next steps is a priority. For this reason, a new hackathon program is scheduled for November, providing another chance for developers to participate, compete for prizes, and further develop their portfolios.
In addition, the approach extends beyond organizing in-house events. By partnering with other hackathons and Web2-focused events, Hedera aims to provide developers with a range of opportunities to interact with the technology. This broader strategy ensures that developers can benefit from diverse experiences, whether through financial incentives, certification, or networking opportunities.
Ultimately, hackathons play a critical role in fostering developer interest and involvement, facilitating meaningful interactions with the technology, and building a vibrant and engaged community.
Evolving Tech Education: Bridging Gaps and Navigating Regional Differences
Tyler from HashPack opined that the landscape of tech education is indeed evolving. On one hand, traditional educational institutions often face criticism for becoming diploma mills, where the practical, hands-on experience might be lacking. Tyler reflected on his own experience, noting that while formal education provided some benefits, such as an internship, the slow pace of learning and high costs made it less valuable compared to self-directed learning.
Moreover, the contrast between educational experiences in different regions is striking. For example, in Canada, where Tyler is based, the rising costs of education further complicate the situation, making the pursuit of formal qualifications less appealing to many. On the other hand, the tech scene in Canada is unique and differs from that in other countries, particularly the United States.
Consequently, introducing young people to programming and fundamental computer skills is increasingly seen as essential. Even if they do not pursue a career in tech, having a foundational understanding of computers and programming is incredibly valuable. This early exposure can help bridge gaps, foster critical thinking, and equip individuals with skills applicable to various aspects of life and work.
Key Takeaways
As we wrap up our exploration of Hedera’s evolution and its thriving developer community, it’s clear that the journey has been marked by significant milestones and ongoing potential. The insights shared by Ty Smith, Ed Marquez, and Tyler Cote highlight both the remarkable progress and the continuing challenges within the Hedera ecosystem.
From Ty’s reflections on his role and the promising advancements in Hedera’s adoption to Ed’s strategic vision for expanding developer engagement and Tyler’s candid views on tech education, the narrative paints a picture of a dynamic and evolving landscape. Hedera’s technological prowess, exemplified by its consensus mechanism and developer-friendly tools, positions it as a formidable player in the blockchain space. At the same time, the need for continuous improvement and broader developer outreach remains a key focus.
The upcoming hackathons and initiatives to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 developers signify Hedera’s commitment to nurturing innovation and fostering a vibrant community. The emphasis on practical education and hands-on experience underscores a broader trend in tech, aiming to equip individuals with valuable skills for a rapidly changing world.
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