Lisbon – A Web3 Hub in Southern Europe
Lisbon is home to a thriving Web3 community, including the NEAR Regional Hub. The NEAR Foundation is a key reason why crypto enthusiasts will want to visit this beautiful city for NearCon. CryptoChipy is a media partner at the event as NEAR builds upon last year’s success. NearCon (nearcon.org) celebrates the growth of NEARVerse applications, culture, and Web3 principles.
Explore Santos – The Area Surrounding NearCon
Santos, or Santos-o-Velho as it is officially known, is a popular neighborhood among locals and expats alike. The French embassy is located at the heart of Santos (R. Santos-O-Velho), surrounded by cafes, wineries, and restaurants. This area has become home to many French nationals, as well as an eclectic mix of people from all over the world. Many Brits settled here before and after Brexit, and in recent years, more people from California and other parts of the U.S. have moved in. The area has also seen an influx of Germans, Dutch, Scandinavians, Italians, and people from former Portuguese colonies.
Coffee, Lunch, or Dinner in Santos
If you’re a coffee and pastry lover, La Boulangerie is a must-visit for the best almond croissants in town. For French toast, Heim Cafe is a personal favorite. Mila, a cafe run by a Portuguese-British couple, offers lovely smoothies and a great atmosphere. Another popular spot is Fauna & Flora, located a bit further down a side street. EleEla also serves excellent coffee.
For lunch, Yallah, which offers Israeli cuisine, is a favorite. Zappi has a good selection of options, though it’s not strictly Italian, unlike my favorite Il Matriciano, located 800 meters away, opposite the parliament.
For dinner, Mattão Lisboa is perfect for sushi enthusiasts, but Koji Lisboa offers a good alternative at lower prices. Clube de Jornalistas is a cozy, traditional Portuguese restaurant with a garden, while Da Noi is another great option in the Santos area. If you’re in the mood for traditional bacalhau or meat dishes, Café de São Bento, a classic spot with over 30 years of history, is a must-try. Most of these locations are just a 5-10 minute walk from the NearCon venue.
NearCon Ticket Access
The event is drawing large crowds, and early bird tickets have sold out. General NearCon Beta tickets are available for $460 on the official website. CryptoChipy provides several ways to save on your tickets with 35% discount codes from Pagoda and Aurora. These discount codes can be found on their respective Twitter pages.
By purchasing tickets, you will be joining over 2,000 delegates exploring the potential of NEAR for a better world. You’ll gain exposure to the ecosystem and the latest Web3 advancements. Speakers include renowned authors, politicians, economists, and artists.
The event offers a chance to network with dreamers, builders, and collaborators from various industries.
NearCon Hackers’ Invitation to the IRL Hackathon
Hackers are encouraged to participate in a 48-hour IRL hackathon at NearCon. Applications are open for teams of 1 to 5 members from all backgrounds. Spots are limited, and applications will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who meet the criteria and are eager to attend NearCon and build an ideal Web3 hack will be considered. Accepted hackers will enjoy several benefits, including:
A free pass to NearCon
Full access to the event’s hacking area
Mentorship from experienced professionals
A stipend in NEAR tokens
Opportunities to win exciting prizes
A chance to present your work on stage during a live Dragon’s Den session with crypto experts
Over 200 hackers are expected to attend, and a complete application form, including your name, email, country of residence, project details, and social media profiles (Discord, Github, Twitter, LinkedIn, DevPost) will be required. All hacker applicants must be over 18 years old.
Hackers will present their work to esteemed judges, including Illia Polosukhin (NEAR), Marieke Flament (NEAR Foundation), Alex Shevchenko (Aurora Labs), Maria Shen (Electric Capital), Sasha Hudzilin (Human Guild), Brendan Eich (Brave), Sampson (Brave), Taras Dovgal (Kikimora Labs), Lindsey McInerney (Armored Kingdom), Carolin Wend (Mintbase), and Vasilisa Versus (Roketo).
The Blockchain Behind NearCon
NearCon is a flagship event for the Near Blockchain. The Near Blockchain focuses on scalability and environmental sustainability through sharding. Its proof-of-stake consensus mechanism helps minimize energy consumption. Near’s developers are working with organizations dedicated to climate solutions to ensure carbon-neutral operations. The focus on environmental sustainability is drawing crypto enthusiasts to NearCon, even though the blockchain itself is relatively new.
Near is used to develop NFTs and other tokens. It boasts low transaction fees and rapid transaction speeds with minimal network latency.
To interact with the Near Blockchain, you need NEAR tokens. These native tokens are used to pay for transaction fees and storage on the network, as well as facilitate computations on the blockchain. With a total supply of 1 billion tokens, Near increases its supply by 5% each year while partially burning existing tokens to manage the supply. The token is gaining popularity and ranks among the top 25 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Users can trade NEAR tokens on well-known cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance, FTX, OKEx, ByBit, and CoinW.
Building Beyond the Hype
The theme for NearCon this year is “Building Beyond the Hype,” emphasizing that Web3 and Near are focused on long-term growth. Over 700 Web3 ecosystem projects are hosted on Near, and NearCon highlights the creativity and innovation emerging from this ecosystem. Developers will also receive feedback on their work from the Near community.
Confirmed Speakers and Topics
Several speakers are confirmed to present on various topics, including James Tromans (Google Cloud), Lou Kerner (CryptoMondays), Maria Shen (Electric Capital), Baek Kim (Hashed Ventures), Stanley Chen (Sci-Fi Author), Haseeb Qureshi (Dragonfly Capital), Vivi Lin (Octopus), Brendan Eich (Brave), and Magali McIntyre (Egon Zehnder). Representatives from Near Regional hubs in Kenya, Asia Pacific, and the Balkans will also attend. The event will feature activations from Human Guild, Aurora, Pagoda, and SailGP.
Here are some of the topics that will be covered during the event:
+ Bridging Web2 and Web3.
+ Bringing sustainability to the blockchain.
+ Why build on Near?
+ The Near DeFi ecosystem.
+ The case for Near.
+ How AI could reshape crypto.
+ The future of NFTs and sports fandom.
+ Design choices related to the blockchain trilemma.
+ Stablecoin tradeoffs between decentralization and mass adoption.
+ Building a crypto-native world.
+ How DAOs get work done.
NearCon Schedule
The conference officially starts on 12th September, with a registration party from 14:00 to 20:00 on 11th september. If you are registered, you will likely be able to skip the line and head straight to the event for a quicker entry. The registration party is also a great opportunity for networking, complete with a DJ and petiscos (small snacks), the Portuguese version of “tapas.”
From 12th to 14th September, the NearCon conference will be open from 10:00 to 17:00. Like most crypto conferences, enjoy happy hour on the waterfront with great drinks, food, and a view of the 25th of April Bridge and the Cristo Rei statue.
Doors open at 10:00 for light breakfast and networking. Sessions begin at 11:00 and continue until 17:00.
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Happy Hour with a resident DJ by the waterfront – great drinks, food, and amazing people.
