- Middle East’s largest hackathon cements Dubai as a leading destination for Web3 technologies
- Prize pool increased to USD 160,000 with award split among top five most innovative Web3 businesses
- Hackathon saw 15 top Web3 startups compete in cutting edge areas such as tokenisation, AI, Web3 infrastructure and zero-knowledge protocols
DMCC, the leading international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, and the global crypto exchange Bybit, have concluded the second edition of the Middle East’s largest Web3 hackathon focused on pioneering the latest innovations in Web3.
With an increased prize pool of USD 160,000, the event saw 15 of the world’s most innovative Web3 startups compete to develop creative technical solutions to a range of challenges at the cutting edge of the sector including tokenisation, AI, Web3 infrastructure, zero-knowledge protocols, digital identity and DePIN (decentralised physical infrastructure networks).
The 15 projects were carefully curated to promote real-world industry solutions, encouraging tangible, practical applications that create meaningful impact. Judges evaluated each project based on creativity, technical implementation, practicality, business potential and impact, focusing on how effectively each project addressed genuine challenges.
Recognised for their technical prowess, the five winners were:
- KelpMe – KELP (Key-Loss Protection) is a blockchain-based solution designed to address the loss of private keys and misdirected transactions, which can lead to permanent asset loss. It offers a fully reactive recovery mechanism, allowing users to reclaim assets even after key loss, without needing preemptive backup measures. (USA, UAE, Greece)
- Trepa – Trepa is a Telegram-based app that lets users predict majority opinions on any topic through easy prediction pools. Stake tokens, align with the consensus, and earn rewards. Powered by TON blockchain for secure, transparent, and low-cost participation. (South Korea, Singapore)
- Mavryk Network – Mavryk Network is the Layer 1 blockchain designed to revolutionize asset ownership and nurture the RWA community building the tokenization of assets for tomorrow. By leveraging RWA tokenization, DeFi applications, and robust infrastructure, Mavryk aims to transform how individuals interact with and leverage tokenized assets. (Dubai, Gibraltar, Singapore, Paris, Kiev, Tel Aviv)
- Hive – Hive is building a solution that is leading the compute sharing economy with every home’s GPU. By empowering individuals to share their computing resources, Hive can democratize access to technology. This shift challenges the dominance of big tech and puts the power back into the hands of everyday people. (Abu Dhabi, Belgium)
- Poppin – Poppin is a browser extension that turns any webpage into a social hub, allowing users to connect and interact with others on the same webpage through comments, real-time chats, and voice streams. (Turkey)
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: “By pioneering new solutions in tokenisation, AI, and zero-knowledge protocols, the DMCC-Bybit hackathon continues to show why Dubai remains at the forefront of Web3 innovation. With an expanded competition of 15 global start-ups and an increased prize pool of USD 160,000, we are attracting the world’s best talent to Dubai to encourage practical applications and create meaningful impact. This is another great example of the innovation being carried out from within DMCC Crypto Centre, with the support of Bybit and our other dedicated ecosystem partners, as we showcase Dubai’s vast Web3 potential for the benefit of the entire industry.”
Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit added: “It is safe to say there is such an abundance of Web3 talent here in Dubai. The fierce competition displayed a clear ethos of innovation, so we are proud to work with DMCC to advance Web3 globally. We look forward to seeing all of today’s competitors make their mark on the world of Web3.”
In addition to co-organiser Bybit, the hackathon was held in partnership with DWF Labs, Meezan Ventures, Injective, 1inch, CVVC, Blockchain for Good Alliance and Hacken, each providing key contributions to the programme. Cointelegraph sponsored the event as the media partner, with Superteam UAE, Web3 TV, College DAO, Hackquest, BeWater, Bloc Soc IITD and KEY Difference joining as community partners.
With over 600 members, the DMCC Crypto Centre is a comprehensive ecosystem for companies that develop Web3 technologies, and associated value-added services. Providing everything that crypto businesses and entrepreneurs need to set up and scale their operations, it has become the largest concentration of crypto and Web3 firms in the region.
Headquartered in Dubai, Bybit is the world’s second-largest crypto exchange by trading volume, serving over 50 million users.