Achievement Unlocked: Ethereum Uruguay’s First Buildathon!
August 16, 2024
Montevideo, Uruguay
The much-anticipated Ethereum Uruguay Buildathon was a resounding success for the community despite being the first of its kind in the country’s history. Held on August 15-16 as part of the larger Ethereum Conference, the event brought together both enthusiasts and experts from blockchain and crypto who soon found themselves in an environment filled with creativity, learning, and collaboration.
The kickoff involved a virtual phase where participants attended workshops covering everything from idea generation to pitch development. This prepared the teams for the in-person stage, which took place at the Uruguay Innovation Hub. There, teams worked intensively on their projects with real-time support from expert mentors, such as Pamela Gonzalez (Web3 Pro), Felipe Cordoves (Globant), Matías Aereal Aeón (The Red Guild), Patricio Palladino (Nomic), Carla Martínez (Push Protocol), Alejandro Narancio, Romina Salveraglio, Marcelo Arbiza, Vicente Bermúdez (Infuy), Pablo Carranza (The Graph), Gianluca Franco (SEED Latam), Juan Samitier and Jean Putzel (Kleros), Verónica Blanco (Ethereum Uruguay), Gabriel Aufgang (5SEIS), Juan Manuel Sobral and Federico Sendra (SpaceDev).
The organizers expected ten teams, but ended up with twenty from twelve different countries! The event culminated at Sinergia Faro, where the projects were pitched to a high-level jury composed of Yemel Jardi (Decentraland), Hernán Haro (MrPink VC), Pamela Gonzalez (Web3 Pro), Guzmán Llambías (Pyxies), David Giménez Gutiérrez (MIT), Skylar Weaver (Ethereum Foundation), Patricio Palladino (Nomic), and Ignacio Varese (Blockbear).
In addition to awarding USD 6,000 in prizes – not including bounties and grants from sponsors like Arbitrum, The Graph, Scroll, Push, INTMAX, and Kleros – the Buildathon offered participants the opportunity to network with industry professionals. Congratulations to the winners, who were selected based on the innovation, feasibility, and quality of their projects.
The pitching at the very end of the Buildathon gave way to the last of the presentations from the long and prestigious list of international speakers. None other than Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, joined as a last-minute guest to show his support and recognition of the growing web3 movement in the country.
Ethereum Uruguay continues to establish itself as a key regional figure when it comes to promoting blockchain technology and offering impactful opportunities for the next generation of builders. As one of its most active partners, SpaceDev remains committed to spreading knowledge and developing new technological solutions that drive the growth of the ecosystem.
