Devcon 2024: Alpha Release, Hackathon Highlights, and Bangkok Adventures

Devcon stands apart from other events - but is that for better or for worse? 

For us, it was undoubtedly for the better. With vlayer continuing to grow, staying at the forefront of technology while engaging with the Web3 community is our top priority. That’s why we couldn’t miss this year’s Devcon in Bangkok!

What can a great team achieve in just a few days? Let’s break it down:
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1. Alpha Release at our First-Ever Side Event? - DONE!

We couldn’t have imagined a better venue than the biggest Ethereum-focused conference to host our debut side event. And what a success it was! The room was packed with attendees eager to discover what we’re building.

We finally had a chance to truly introduce our Solidity superpowers:

• Time Travel – Harness on-chain historical data in your smart contracts.
• Teleport – Compute cross-chain data across EVMs.
• Web Proofs (zkTLS) – Bring private Web2 data securely on-chain.
• Email Proofs (ZK Email) – Extract and verify trusted email content privately.

Our team - Marek Kirejczyk (CTO), Piotr Żelazko (Email Proofs Dev), and Artur Chmaro (DevRel) - delivered workshops and demos that left the audience buzzing with new ideas.

A highlight was the panel discussion “Verifiable Data Demystified: The No BS Debate”, featuring amazing guests including Marcello Bardus (Herodotus), Fubiao Tia (Primus), and Aayush Gupta (zkMail). They shared insights into the zk ecosystem, use cases for Storage Proofs, Web Proofs, and Email Proofs, as well as their visions for the future and the challenges ahead.

Our alpha launch was a resounding success, and we’re already looking forward to the next milestones!

2. Collaborating with Builders at EthGlobal Hackathon? - DONE!

Bangkok wasn’t just about presenting - it was about connecting. Our booth at ETHGlobal drew crowds curious about our tools and documentation. 

Proof of the hype? A snapshot of Vitalik at our booth!

Our workshops inspired developers, who eagerly took up the challenge of creating innovative use cases with our tools. The hackathon featured incredible projects, with 26 submissions in total. Four stood out:

• Strava Challenge Vaults: Fitness challenges with friends, provably verified via our tools.
• ActionFlow: A low-code, drag-and-drop Web3 automation tool powered by Web Proofs.
• Privacy-Preserving Registry: Community membership management using Email Proofs to enhance identity workflows.
• ZK Credit Score: Privacy-preserving credit scoring for DeFi, built with Time Travel and Teleport.

And yes, our merch was (objectively) the best out of all 😉 If you missed out, keep an eye out for upcoming events! There’s gonna be more for sure!

3. Learning and Networking at Inspiring Talks? - DONE!

Devcon was different from other Web3 events. The vibe was refreshingly infrastructure-focused - conversations centered on tech over sales pitches. Talks catered to all expertise levels:

• Scroll’s DevRel Emily delivered an intro to Layer 2 and ZK tech that filled a room with curious beginners
• Advanced cryptography and security-focused sessions, such as those on EIP-7702 and recent Solidity vulnerabilities, captivated our devs for entire days
• Major announcements, like L2Beat’s shift to ranking projects by security stage instead of TVL, emphasized the importance of security and decentralization in our ecosystem

We also loved panels on Web3 Trends in Consumer DApps, where zk technology was mentioned multiple times, highlighting its growing relevance across consumer-facing applications. Another standout was the Fireside Chat: Building for Next-Gen Consumers at the Builder’s Club Café powered by Safe, which delved into creating seamless experiences for Web3 adoption.

One minor observation? There were surprisingly few end-user products showcased.

And yes, Vitalik was everywhere—from dancing at the opening to sharing insights during talks and participating in the hackathon. That was fun.

4. Exploring Bangkok - Food, Scooters, and Energy - DONE!

Bangkok is vibrant and alive! Street food? A must-try for the adventurous. For those less bold, gourmet food halls and Michelin-starred restaurants were abundant.

We embraced the city’s pulse by zipping through its streets on scooters (helmets on, of course!) Between events, we fell in love with the city’s energy and charm.

Wrapping Up

We couldn’t have imagined a better way to go live with our tools. The energy at Devcon has left us inspired and hungry for more!

To everyone who joined us in Bangkok - thank you for the memories, ideas, and conversations. Stay tuned for our next event - you won’t want to miss it! 

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