Join the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs Building a Decentralized Future
Calling on the World’s Most Innovative Web 3, Crypto and Blockchain Projects to Pitch at CoinDesk’s Consensus and Necker Island
Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) and CoinDesk have joined forces to launch the inaugural, global Web 3 Pitch Fest as part of the Consensus Festival in June. This first-of-its-kind global competition aims to provide a platform for the massively innovative Web3 projects and communities worldwide.
Applications are now open here until Apr 30, 2022.
The call for entries is not only for startup corporate enterprises but also for any developer teams, distributed autonomous organizations (DAO) or non-fungible token (NFT) projects/communities working on a commercial business product or service that uses blockchain technology in the below categories.
All Pitch Fest entries will go through an evaluation process, with the finals taking place on the last two days of Consensus, the must-attend cryptocurrency, blockchain and Web 3 tech event of the year scheduled for June 9-12, 2022 in Austin, Texas. The Top Eight projects/startups will pitch to a panel of Web 3, Cryptocurrency and blockchain trailblazers including legendary venture capitalist and Co-Founder of XTC Bill Tai. He stated, “Extreme Tech Challenge has built an incredible worldwide community on its journey to become the world’s largest impact oriented startup competition aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In partnering with Coindesk’s Consensus Conference, together we will amplify the world’s best companies in Web3, DAOs, NFTs and the distributed, blockchain based economy. This will be an unbeatable combination to bring resources and visibility to the companies representing the white hot tip of the new economy.”
Michael Casey, Chief Content Officer of CoinDesk said, “The many different teams of builders behind the current explosion of blockchain innovation – from startups to community DAOs to ad hoc projects – deserve a world-class pitch competition before a large motivated audience that embraces the grassroots spirit of their undertakings. In pairing with XTC, the best competition organizer in the world, CoinDesk is excited to bring them just that.”
Prizes
Top 8 Finalists receive:
- Mentorship, Bootcamp and entry as finalists through XTC
- Consensus Pass and accommodations for the top eight pitching Founders
- VIP event for Finalists onsite at Consensus
- Profile Story on CoinDesk
3 Winners + Wild Card project receive:
- The top three winning teams (and a Wild Card project) from the Consensus Finals will receive an exclusive invitation to participate in the XTC Web 3 Showcase Day during ‘Neckerverse’ at Richard Branson’s storied Necker Island event in the Caribbean on 5th August, 2022.
- Each winning team may send one representative to Necker Island.
- Flight and 3 nights of accommodation for the Necker Island experience
- Pitch to and Network with Global Leaders across the Web 3, Crypto and Blockchain Ecosystem at Consensus and Neckerverse.
- Meet and greet with investors, mentoring, workshops and the chance to pitch to the Virgin Impact team and other global heavyweight investors.
Why Apply
The competition is global. The top teams will represent the world’s most innovative projects/startups in Web 3 with commercial viability and global impact. Finalists will gain exclusive access to XTC’s global innovation & investor community and CoinDesk’s reach to a global community of entrepreneurs, investors and expertise in the blockchain & digital currency space.
Web 3 Competition Scope of Eligibility
Blockchain related implementations in any of the below categories that represent responsible innovation for a better society and environment.
- Open Payment and Exchange Systems:
Cryptocurrency and blockchain projects, startups, early stage concepts, etc with solutions that deal with the core “medium of exchange” function of money to enable wider financial inclusion, easier and less costly global payments and “programmability” enhancements for peer-to-peer fund transfers.
- Organizational Governance |DAOs:
Solutions that draw from the ideas and technology surrounding decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) in order to enhance collective empowerment, optimize community decision-making and better allocate shared resources.
- Metaverse Life:
Solutions that improve people’s cultural, economic or social experience in virtual worlds and seek to advance the public interest, with the benefits accruing both to our off- and online existences.
- Creator Economy | NFTs:
Solutions that draw on NFTs and related technologies to empower creators of art, media and entertainment and which encourage the expansion of creative ideas across the widest possible community of participants.
- Digital identity/credentials:
Solutions that resolve challenges arising from the identity and credentialing demands that societies and their institutions have developed offline when applied to the special privacy-preserving access needs of participants in decentralized online communities and ecosystems.
- Decentralized IoT networks
Solutions that allow different kinds of edge-computing devices to independently and securely share data across a mass network in a decentralized manner that preserves privacy and which enables and incentivizes automated actions in the shared interests of the community of users.
- Web 3 and blockchain infrastructure:
Solutions that address core challenges for growing the overall Web 3 ecosystem, making it more widely accessible and advancing the principles of practical decentralization. Problems to address include blockchain scalability, transaction costs, privacy and security, interoperability, analytics, real-world and off-chain interfaces and universal price discovery.
If you are working on any of these areas you are eligible to apply.
Timelines
| Date | Milestone |
| March 29th | Launch of the Web 3 Pitch Fest |
| April 30 | Application Deadline |
| May 2 – 16 | Application Evaluation |
| May 17 – June 3 | Virtual Bootcamp and mentorship |
| June 11 (Saturday) | Web 3 Pitch Fest at Consensus |
| June 12 (Sunday brunch) | Announcement of the Winners |
| August 6 | ‘Neckerverse’ Showcase |
About Consensus
The iconic crypto and blockchain event of the year since 2015, Consensus has gathered all sides of the crypto industry as it has grown from a clique of visionary founders to encompass every aspect of mainstream society. Curated & produced by CoinDesk, the most influential platform for media, events, data & indices, Consensus is the only event showcasing and celebrating all sides of the blockchain industry – NFTs, Web3, DeFi, Regulation, Investing, and the Metaverse – and their wide-reaching effect on commerce, culture, and communities. Consensus invites developers, creators, policymakers, executives, and academics from a wide array of projects to come together for the most influential event of the year.
About CoinDesk
CoinDesk, a media, events, data, and indices company, is the most influential, trusted platform for the global crypto ecosystem. Founded in 2013, the CoinDesk Media platform provides millions of consumers interested in cryptocurrency assets and blockchain technology with news and insights, podcasts, live streaming TV shows, and research reports. CoinDesk Indices are the industry standard for institutional single and multi-asset benchmarks for crypto assets. The flagship CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX) has been in operation continuously since 2014. Consensus is the iconic crypto and blockchain festival of the year. CoinDesk is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, one of the largest privately-held investment companies in the crypto industry whose mission is to accelerate the development of a better financial system.
About Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC)
Extreme Tech Challenge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation whose mission is to empower startups creating new tech innovations to address global challenges. It is the world’s largest ecosystem and competition for purpose-driven technology inspired by the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Extreme Tech Challenge™ competition is supported by leading corporations, venture capital investors, foundations, policymakers, universities and tech conferences to give exceptional startups the potential for global visibility, the opportunity to raise capital, the ability to network with global leaders, and access to world-class mentorship to help them pioneer technological breakthroughs that address our most extreme global challenges. A complete list of XTC partners and how to join can be found at www.extremetechchallenge.org.
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Contacts
Casey Craig – Global Head of Communications, CoinDesk Casey@coindesk.com
Victoria Slivkoff – Executive Managing Director XTC victoria@extremetechchallenge.org