One of this year's most significant Ethereum events occurred in November 2023 in Istanbul. Devconnect aims to bring together Ethereum's most influential builders, researchers, and community.

My name is Daria Volkova. I'm a Blockchain Product Marketing and Branding Expert. I build awareness and trust in blockchain products among users, developers and VC funds.

I’m interested in the Ethereum ecosystem and research it deeply because now it’s the most promising blockchain for building products that can bring the mass blockchain adoption.

I attended over 10 events at Devconnect Istanbul hosted by ETHGlobal, zkSync, Starkware, Scroll, Wallet Uncon, and others during this crazy and fantastic week, and I want to share some thoughts and conclusions with you.

Devconnect Istanbul Overview

Devconnect 2023 occurred in November in Istanbul and gathered more than 2000 builders from around the world. I met people from Ukraine, Italy, the USA, the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Argentina, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and of course Turkey.

I was lucky to come to Istanbul with my husband Andrii Bondar. He is responsible for the developers’ and users’ experience at the product team of zkSync. We often attend different blockchain-focused events and sometimes speak there.

It should be noted that Devconnect is not a single event, as usually happens, but a large number of official (more than 70) and side (more than 150) events that take place during the week. These include conferences, workshops, hackathons, and pitching sessions for startups, rave parties, dinner, and boat trips.

I had never been to Istanbul or Turkey before, so I was very surprised by the size of the city and the number of cats. Of course, I heard that cats are the most popular animals in Istanbul, but there are so many of them that it exceeded my expectations!

Istanbul in November turned out to be very contrasting from sunny +20 to +5 with rain and snow. That is why many people, including me, caught a cold or even covid. But this did not become a big problem for me, because colds happen and you need to be ready for them.

Turkish food is great! And they often make filter coffee which I like so much.

Unfortunately, I don't have many photos of the food, but this croissant is one of the tastiest I've ever eaten. I highly recommend the Kruvasan bakery.

My TOP Events of Devconnect

I attended various events during the week but mainly focused on events discussing Account Abstraction in crypto wallets, DeFi and L2 networks.

As someone who works on the business and marketing side, I am most interested in implementing blockchain in traditional businesses and decentralization as a path to greater personal financial freedom.

I created a thread on X about my list of TOP events during the Devconnect week in Istanbul. You can click on the post and read it:

Unfortunately, I did not manage to attend the events that took place on the boats. A trip along the Bosphorus with a view of historic Istanbul would be wonderful, I'm sure.

The most successful blockchain projects resemble F1 teams

The hottest panel of this autumn was at L2Days, moderated by Vitalik Buterin. The discussion was about the problems and future of decentralization, and representatives of zkSync, Scroll, Polygon, Aztec, Starknet and Optimism shared their visions and future plans. The friends and competitors. These guys are pushing our decentralized future forward!

I like the “Drive to Survive” show on Netflix. It shows the dramatic, funny and unforgettable moments in the most prestigious racing in the world. In the blockchain field, the most prestigious projects are Ethereum L2 networks that try to become the most applicable and scalable.

• High risk and high reward. Blockchain startups and F1 teams operate in highly competitive environments without guaranteed success. They both face high-risk and high-reward scenarios, where a single mistake can cost them dearly or even a pilot's/project's life.

• Innovation and technology. Web3 startups must be super innovative and hustling to create unique tech that solves problems and captures market share. Similarly, F1 teams constantly push the boundaries of technology and innovation to gain a competitive edge.

• Rapid change and adaptation. Blockchain projects must be agile and pivot quickly to market to satisfy and surprise customers' or developers' needs. F1 teams also must constantly adapt to changes such as rules, technology advancements, and competition strategies.

• Financial pressures. F1 teams require significant investment to operate at the highest level, and Web3 startups face similar financial pressures to raise funding and generate revenue. By the way, all racing teams in F1 have sponsors from the crypto industry.

• Teamwork and a Tribe Spirit. Team members of the projects support their colleagues and try to show the strength of their solutions. Sometimes, it looks like a friendly fire to other projects, and sometimes it goes out of respectable communication. The competition is too high!

I am excited to follow the development of events and the teams' preparation for the bull run. The big ambitions and plans of some teams are already visible. So, all the most interesting is ahead!

More women in blockchain in 2023

At Devconnect Istanbul I met many women involved in the blockchain field as Solidity developers, cryptographers, community managers, marketers, event managers, and others.

When I first started working with blockchain and crypto projects in 2017, only few women were in this field. Now, thanks to the abundance of educational programs and a healthier environment, more and more women are joining the blockchain industry.

I recommend you follow these ladies on X because there is a lot to come, and I am sure they will be able to please you with quality content:

• @albicodes - devrel engineer at zkSync.

• @gstnrl - chairwoman of the first Turkish university blockchain society.

• @iandreeacia - co-founder of ETHBucharest and community builder at Graph AdvocatesDAO.

• @Agni_deneve - event manager and producer at Zero Knowledge Validator, Zero Knowledge Podcast and ZK Hack.

• @jerh17 - CBDO & Co-Founder of Hacken.

• @Natasha - head of marketing at Mina Foundation.

• @zecenazaltinok - marketer, community builder, and growth hacker in Web3.

• @merfymerf - developer advocate at Aztec

Feel the atmosphere of the biggest Ethereum festival!

I created a short video about Devconnect on my YouTube channel. Watch it to feel the atmosphere of the biggest Ethereum festival for builders in 2023:

Conclusion

I am happy that I became a part of such a large-scale complex of events dedicated to Ethereum and its ecosystem. Exchange of thoughts and ideas, arguments and competition, parties, delicious food and cats - this is what made an unforgettable Devconnect week in Istanbul.

Despite the large number of discussions on security issues, all events went according to plan.

If you were unable to attend Devconnect this year, I highly recommend joining the following events. It's worth it!

Read my previous entries about Ethereum-based social networks economy and about Account Abstraction as a perfect blockchain tool for exciting brand experiences.

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