The Ethereum ecosystem continues to evolve at a rapid pace, driven by groundbreaking advancements in scalability, privacy, and decentralized application design. At the heart of this innovation lies a vibrant global developer community — and ETH Hangzhou 2025 stands as one of China’s most anticipated in-person hackathons dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on Ethereum.
Organized by the Zhejiang University Blockchain Association (ZJUBA), TinTinLand, WTF Academy, and the Peking University Blockchain Association (PKUBA), and officially supported by the Ethereum Foundation’s Ecosystem Support Program (ESP), ETH Hangzhou 2025 is more than just a coding marathon. It's a convergence of visionaries — developers, researchers, investors, and Web3 builders — all united by a shared mission: to shape the future of decentralized technology.
🛠️ Hackathon Tracks: Where Innovation Meets Impact
ETH Hangzhou 2025 features three dynamic tracks designed to inspire breakthrough projects at the intersection of cutting-edge technologies and real-world utility.
🔹 Main Track 1: AI x Crypto — Merging Intelligence with Decentralization
Artificial intelligence and blockchain are two transformative forces reshaping our digital landscape. This track invites participants to explore how AI agents, on-chain data modeling, and intelligent contract automation can enhance transparency, security, and user experience in Web3.
Imagine AI-driven DeFi advisors that learn from chain activity, or NFT marketplaces powered by generative models that adapt to user behavior — the possibilities are limitless.
🔹 Main Track 2: Public Goods — Building Scalable Web3 Applications for Everyone
Public goods in Web3 go beyond open-source code. They include accessible infrastructure, inclusive financial tools, and community-owned platforms that serve broad user bases. This track challenges builders to create user-friendly, scalable dApps that solve real societal or technical problems.
Projects might include privacy-preserving identity systems, decentralized education platforms, or tools that empower underrepresented communities through tokenized governance.
🔹 Bounty Track: BNB Chain — Advancing the BNB Ecosystem
Sponsored by BNB Chain, this bounty track encourages developers to build high-impact applications on its EVM-compatible, high-throughput network. With low fees and strong ecosystem support, BNB Chain offers an ideal environment for experimenting with DeFi primitives, gaming economies, and cross-chain interoperability solutions.
Winning teams across all tracks will receive substantial rewards — not just in funding, but in visibility, mentorship, and potential investment opportunities.
Mark your calendars: The hackathon runs from March 29 to March 31, 2025 — a 72-hour sprint of ideation, collaboration, and relentless coding.
🗓️ Event Schedule: Three Days of Immersive Development
Day 1 | March 29 (Saturday)
Arrival, Ideation & Onboarding
- 09:00–16:00: Registration, networking, team formation
- 16:00–16:40: Workshop 1 — Chuhan from Injective explores modular finance on interoperable chains
- 17:00–17:40: Workshop 2 — Lucas from BNB Chain dives into ecosystem tooling and grants
- 19:00–19:40: Workshop 3 — Yifei from Virtuals Protocol discusses AI agent economies
- 20:00–20:20: Keynote 1 — Xboring from Nantang DAO shares insights on rural Web3 integration
Day 2 | March 30 (Sunday)
Deep Tech & Visionary Talks
- 09:10–09:30: Keynote 2 — Devansh (AI Lead, Ethereum Foundation) on AI’s role in protocol evolution
- 09:30–09:50: Keynote 3 — Professor Chen Jianhai (Zhejiang University) on hardware-software co-design for blockchain
- 10:00–10:20: Keynote 4 — Professor Zhou Yajin (ZJU & Blocksec) on smart contract security frontiers
- 10:40–11:00: Keynote 5 — Kong Jianping (Nano Labs CEO) on Web3 entrepreneurship
- 13:30–14:10: Workshop 4 — WTF Academy teaches zero-to-deploy smart contract patterns
- 14:10–14:50: Workshop 5 — Frank from Chainlink demonstrates secure oracle integrations
- 15:40–16:40: Keynotes from Pond, GCC, and TinTinLand on data-driven AI and public goods funding
- 18:30–24:00: Full-night development session with mentor access
Day 3 | March 31 (Monday)
Showcase & Celebration
- 09:00–11:40: Panel discussions on technical trends, investment outlooks, and university blockchain education
- 14:00–18:00: Demo Day — teams present live prototypes to judges and audience
- 18:00–18:30: Awards ceremony recognizing top innovations
- 20:00–00:00: Afterparty open to participants and select guests
Note: Days 1 and 2 are exclusive to registered hackers. Demo Day and the Afterparty welcome external attendees via separate registration.
🏛️ Co-hosts: Powering the Next Generation of Builders
Zhejiang University Blockchain Association (ZJUBA)
As a student-led initiative backed by ZJU’s Computer Science and Management faculties, ZJUBA fosters blockchain literacy through workshops, research collaborations, and large-scale events. With over 10 campus-wide activities reaching tens of thousands, it serves as a bridge between academia and industry.
TinTinLand
A thriving Web3 developer community offering technical content, hackathons, career guidance, and educational programs. TinTinLand has become a go-to hub for aspiring builders across China.
WTF Academy
Known for its open-source Web3 curriculum on GitHub (over 15,000 stars), WTF Academy lowers the entry barrier for new developers through hands-on tutorials in Solidity, Ethereum internals, and protocol design.
Peking University Blockchain Association (PKUBA)
Rooted in open-source philosophy, PKUBA champions public goods development and supports academic research in cryptography, consensus mechanisms, and decentralized governance.
💡 Core Themes & Emerging Trends
The themes of ETH Hangzhou 2025 reflect broader shifts in the Ethereum landscape:
- AI x Blockchain Integration: Leveraging on-chain data for predictive modeling, autonomous agents, and intelligent contracts.
- Public Goods Funding: Exploring quadratic funding, retroactive public goods financing (RPGF), and DAO-based grant mechanisms.
- Scalability & Privacy: Utilizing zkEVMs (like Scroll), optimistic rollups (like Morph), and Layer 2 innovations to enhance performance.
- Developer Experience: Simplifying tooling with Chainlink oracles, ZAN’s node infrastructure, and NFTGo’s analytics suite.
These focus areas align with Ethereum’s post-Pectra upgrade trajectory — emphasizing efficiency, accessibility, and long-term sustainability.
👉 Unlock advanced development tools and APIs to power your next Web3 project.
🤝 Sponsors & Partners: Enabling Ecosystem Growth
Key supporters include:
- Injective: Interoperable L1 for next-gen financial apps with native DeFi modules.
- Pond: Training AI models exclusively on chain data — enabling data-driven trading strategies.
- Virtuals Protocol: Building an AI nation where digital agents act as economic participants.
- GCC Foundation: Funding Chinese-speaking contributors to global digital public goods.
- Scroll: zkEVM-based Layer 2 scaling solution enhancing Ethereum throughput.
- Chainlink: Secure oracle network connecting smart contracts to real-world data.
- ZAN (AntChain): Enterprise-grade Web3 infrastructure provider with robust RPC and compliance tools.
These organizations aren’t just sponsors — they’re active contributors shaping the future of decentralized systems.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Who can participate in ETH Hangzhou 2025?
A: Developers, designers, researchers, and students passionate about Ethereum and Web3 are welcome. Teams typically range from 2–5 members.
Q: Is prior blockchain experience required?
A: While helpful, it's not mandatory. Workshops and mentors will support beginners. Open-source contributions and learning projects also count as experience.
Q: How do I apply?
A: Visit the official site to submit your team details and project idea before the March 23 deadline.
Q: Are non-Chinese speakers allowed?
A: Yes. While some sessions may be in Mandarin, keynotes and materials will have English translation support.
Q: Can I attend only Demo Day?
A: Yes. General admission opens for Day 3’s Demo Day and Afterparty via a separate registration link.
Q: What kind of projects tend to win?
A: Winning entries often combine technical depth with clear use cases — especially those addressing scalability, user adoption, or novel AI integration.
🚀 Final Call to Builders
With Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade unlocking new capabilities in account abstraction and staking flexibility, now is the perfect time to build boldly.
ETH Hangzhou 2025 isn’t just about winning prizes — it’s about joining a movement. Whether you're crafting AI-powered agents, designing public goods protocols, or building on BNB Chain’s scalable infrastructure, your code could become part of Ethereum’s next chapter.
👉 Start building today — access developer resources to accelerate your Web3 journey.
Gather your team. Sharpen your ideas. And prepare to code through the night in the heart of Hangzhou — where innovation meets impact.