Back in 2021, Caesar Lynch steps out from the comfort of his Silicon Valley crypto tech firm. He embarked on a journey with a mission: to revolutionise the landscape of Web3 education that was clearly lacking a proper foundation.

Following numerous engaging dialogues with WhiteFish, the initiator of SeeDAO, a plan began to take shape. Caesar and his tech team will build an educational protocol, a new foundation for the industry. They'll call it EDU3 protocol.

With EDU3 protocol as their foundation, the team and SeeDAO pour their energy into their first DApp: https://deschool.app. This Web3 learning platform, since its official launch in November 2022, has served over 70 institutions and amassed a user base of more than ten thousand Web3 enthusiasts. The team's efforts have earned them significant recognition within the industry, leading many to refer to them as the DeSchool Team.

In February 2023, the DeSchool Team proved they were far from done, and launched their second DApp based on the EDU3 protocol: booth.ink. It provides Web3 users with the capability to create on-chain resumes. Its introduction proved significant, as it stood out and claimed a top-three position in the LensFans Hackathon.

Over the past year, through the enhancement of two products - deschool.app and booth.ink, the EDU3 protocol has become increasingly sophisticated. The DeSchool team is beginning to consider whether to make this protocol available to the community as an SDK.

The EDU3 protocol provided in the form of an SDK has the following features:

• Plug and use
  It helps developers achieve zero backend, allowing them to quickly launch Web3 educational applications with minimal resource investment.

• Data ownership returned to users
  By utilizing decentralized storage technologies like Arweave, users are given ownership of their data.

• Rapid upgrade to Web3 educational application
  Traditional educational institutions and online educational products can be upgraded to a Web3 educational application within a few hours.

• Flexible plug-in architecture
  Including content management, multi-signature permissions, incentive distribution, education verification SBT issuance, NFT Gate, reputation system, etc.

What are the global challenges being confronted in the exploration of education?

In the current landscape, our education system grapples with issues such as data ownership, high costs of access, limited payment options, limited forms of learning and creating, and bureaucratic inefficiencies. We Imagine a world where educational records are owned by learners, educators can easily contribute their knowledge, and learners access educational resources without significant cost burdens. We see a future where payments are seamless, learning is collaborative, and processes are automated for maximum efficiency. EDU3 protocol towards achieving this vision.

Why is Web3 native education infrastructure so important?

Building on the concept of "Blockchains are Cities" by Haseeb Qureshi, we see blockchains as digital cities with their own unique visions, values, economies, and therefore attracts different citizens. We will be living in a multi-chain world, as if multiple big cities with their unique value propositions and cultural norms for us, citizens, to experience and utilize. Just as in a city, infrastructure, accessibility, and governance are needed. Public goods in these cities, such as open-source libraries, educational resources, and social networks, are crucial for fostering growth and development.

Why should we develop the EDU3 protocol?

Our mission with the EDU3 protocol is to create a decentralized, accessible, and inclusive protocol to serve millions of educators and educational platforms. We aim to empower learners, educators, and institutions through shared educational resources and data. The protocol allows open access to building decentralized identities through on-chain teaching, learning, and co-creating activities; providing infrastructure for Web3 content storage and copyright protection; support value captures through modular SBT certificates issuance and on-chain revenue shares.

By doing so, EDU3 protocol not only enhances the infrastructure of blockchain cities through accessible education but also fosters a culture of learning, innovation, and collaboration within the community.

Our team brings in extensive experience from crypto and AI entrepreneurship, but more than experience, it is our dedication to improving the education system that sets us apart.