Aave Grants DAO - Event Recap
rAAVE with the Best Hackers at ETHLisbon
May 12th - 14th 2023
OVERVIEW
Summary
ETHGlobal Lisbon (ETHLisbon) was the third event and second hackathon since AGD’s fourth renewal in January 2023. This event was a late addition to the ETHGlobal line up and replaced ETHGlobal Istanbul, which had to be rescheduled to November 2023. We had proposed sponsorship for ETHGlobal Istanbul in our renewal proposal, but relocated resources to supporting ETHLisbon when the change was announced.
AGD hosted a booth during the hackathon weekend and facilitated and helped judge hackathon submissions for projects building on Aave. The weekend ended with a rAAVE on Sunday which was the must-attend event of the hackathon and an opportunity to engage the Aave community.
Personnel
Attending from AGD was Bill. Aave Co had a delegation of eleven people who supported the Aave booth and hackathon, including founder Stani Kulechov.
ACTIVATIONS
ETHLisbon Hackathon
In total over the weekend:
- 182 booth visitors collected the Aave @ Eth Lisbon POAP
- 11 grantees engaged during the event
- 23 hackathon projects built on Aave & GHO
- $10,000 awarded to seven projects building on Aave & GHO
- 1 workshop by Jess from Aave Co - “Build with GHO: rAAVE tickets” which was packed with hackers (standing room only!) eager to learn about GHO
At the hackathon, AGD sponsored three prizes for top projects built on top of Aave and five projects for the best GHO integrations. Out of the total 183 projects that were submitted during the event, 29 applied for Aave prizes and 23 were built on Aave.
Two categories of prizes were offered for the best hacks on Aave (🥇🥈🥉) and top integrations with GHO (👻 x 5). Notably, the teams behind the first and second-place AGD prize winners had previously received grants from AGD. This demonstrates that AGD-supported teams, having had a positive experience, can continue to actively contribute to the Aave ecosystem. The winners were:
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rAAve
The rAAVE was hosted on the beach at Casa Reîa, Costa da Caparica. The rAAVE capped off the hackathon as a celebration for all the hackers and Aave community. In total over 650 people attended with 213 people collecting the rAAVE Lisbon POAP.
This rAAVE introduced two new ways to better engage with the community:
- Bringing rAAVE outfits on-chain for attendees to collect. A rAAVE sweater NFT was airdropped to 192 attendees and an additional 42 attendees claimed a rAAVE hat.
- Live streaming rAAVE on Rad Radio for anyone who could not attend in person.
rAAVE costs were split between AGD and Aave Co, with Aave Co spearheading the ideation, planning and execution. AGD’s total spend amounted to $218,000. This amount is in line with spend on previous rAAVEs.
Below is a simplified cost breakdown of the rAAVE into four categories:
- Venue including Staff, Security, Food & Drinks - 33%
- Entertainment (DJs, Lighting, Equipment) - 22%
- Management & Production - 23%
- Other (VAT, Miscellaneous, Legal, Contingency) - 22%
GOALS
The overarching goal for AGD sponsorships at all events is to proliferate the ghost. This is done through:
- Brand visibility and community engagement - Make Aave top of mind
- Expanding brand recognition and extending the reach of the Aave community to become the top ecosystem contributors think of to build on.
- This is achieved through things like:
- Distributing Aave branded merchandise
- Having an engaging booth presence
- Participating in community side events
- Attracting and cultivating top contributors - Connect with the community
- Attracting exceptional contributors and fostering long-term relationships to drive innovation and growth.
- This is achieved through things like:
- Building relationships with strong communities
- Providing perks for Aave grantees and Aave builders
- Hosting the signature rAAVE
- Fostering innovation and supporting the development of new projects - Support builders
- Empowering and incentivizing participants to explore new ideas, drive impactful solutions, and support the development of innovative projects.
- This is achieved through things like:
- Offering hackathon prizes
- Conducting developer workshops
- Facilitating knowledge sharing
RETROSPECTIVE
- Brand visibility and community engagement - Make Aave top of mind
- The prevalent Aave merch and high engagement of hackers at the Aave booth, coupled with the high number and quality of hacks on GHO, is a testament to the strong brand recognition and visibility that Aave fostered among developers.
- Attracting and cultivating top contributors - Connect with the community
- rAAVE tickets were highly sought after throughout the weekend which motivated hackers to learn about GHO and actively engage with the Aave team. Distributing rAAVE tickets along with exclusive Aave merch to previous grantees, hackers building on Aave, and top contributors further enhanced the sense of community and highlighted the value of AGD’s support in nurturing a vibrant community.
- Fostering innovation and supporting the development of new projects - Support builders
- The packed GHO workshop, along with 23 project submissions specifically vying for company prizes, showcased a highly engaged developer community. The Aave judges recognized these projects as the best among all hackathon submissions at an AGD sponsored event, underscoring the event's success in fostering high-quality hacks.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Improvements and adopted learning from previous events
- ETHLisbon was an opportunity to implement learnings from the first GHO-focused hackathon at ETHTokyo, to better engage with and incentivize builders.
- Hackers were better supported by having an Aave presence late into the night on both days of the hackathon.
- Hackers were better incentivized by offering GHO-specific prizes.
- Actionable items for future events/hackathons
- Continue to offer GHO specific prizes and have an Aave presence late at night during the hackathon to support and influence hackers.
- Look for more unique ways to motivate hackers, similar to rAAVE tickets or exclusive merch.
FOLLOW UP
In 6 months we plan to revisit this report and see if interactions have progressed to a grant application or other actions that benefit AGD or the Aave ecosystem. Key stats we will look for are:
- Grant applications received after original interaction at ETHLisbon
- Grant applications awarded after original interaction at ETHLisbon
- Other beneficial calls or connections after original interaction at ETHLisbon
- Social media shout outs / follow ups from AGD’s presence at ETHLisbon
We have a number of different events coming up and revisiting this report will be an opportunity to track improvements and recurring issues.
Appendix 1: ETHLisbon Hackathon
Appendix 2: rAAVE
