Welcome to my first “hollycopter.eth & how to w3b” post; I am currently the Developer Marketing Lead for Figment’s DataHub and will be using this blog to share what I have learned on my journey into web3. A little background before jumping into ETHDenver. I am from the Midwest, an avid traveler, and an aspiring sailor working on my skippers' license. Before joining Figment, I worked at Yodlee (Silicon Valley FinTech) as a Senior API FinTech Jedi. I was responsible for overseeing their global startup and developer outreach programs, emerging FinTech market research, and event management/planning. Now onto the good stuff...

How to explain ETHDenver? The number of presentations, coding workshops, and networking events felt like a web3 version of Robert Frost’s poem “A Road Not Taken.” Instead of two paths to choose from, or Blockchain’s Trilemma, the possibilities within the ETHDenver metaverse were endless. Each conversation led down a new web3 rabbit hole filled with knowledge-sharing and laughter. Huge thanks to all the new web3 frens I made - especially the fabulous team at HER DAO. I am dedicating my first post to Doris Hernandez of Dippii, a new platform enabling users to create NFTs with one click. Doris, I appreciate you encouraging me to start my web3 blog on mirror, your friendship, encouragement, and accountability to write at least one post…

ETHDenver Tips and Tricks 🏔🔍

First and foremost, if this is your first web3 conference, let’s start with setting up your web3 profile for networking.

Do you have a Metamask wallet? 🦊

YES: Please ensure you have access to the information for POAPs and SWAG tokens. For example, when checking into ETHDenver, every early attendee was greeted with tons of IRL SWAG such as t-shirts, water bottles, key chains, sticker POAPs, and Arbitrum took it up a notch, offering tokens for food trucks through Metamask.

NO: It is a straightforward process if you do not have a wallet. Head over to metamask.io to get started. If you run into any issues, check out this Metamask support article.

Do you have an ENS Domain? (i.e an .eth wallet name) 🔐

I have quickly learned that in web3, business cards have become almost obsolete, but ENS Domains are the new normal. Your ENS Domain is a form of resume in web3; owning particular NFTs grants VIP RSVPs to events, POAPs, and access to gated content.

Do you have a Telegram (TG)? 📲

In the words of the Mandolorian, “Telegram is the way” to communicate in web3 vs. texting and sharing self-identifying information. Be prepared that most will have a PFP for their main picture, but there is an option for additional pictures. (Tip - slide left to see if there are any additional photos).

Telegram Networking Tricks 💡📸

There will be multiple TG exchanges from group event chats, project brainstorming, direct DMs and more. I have found it best to take a quick picture for text history and trade Twitter/ links to project information for easy follow-up. ( **some will not do photos as they are anonymous)

Do you have Twitter? 🐦

Linkedin is not a big thing in web3 -- whereas Crypto Twitter will provide the most up-to-date information on new projects, events, airdrops, and industry trends (positive or negative). Build your brand by following accounts of people you meet at events, posting, and sharing.

ETHDenver COVID Test Process ⏱🧪

While every conference will be different, the Rapid Test only takes 7 minutes, but the lines for the test at the Art Hotel varied. During the Buildathon program (2/11-2/16), the lines were only about 30 minutes from start to finish, but once the Denver Sports Castle main stage opened for Schelling Point (2/17) it ranged from 1 to 3 hours.

Where to Stay? 🏨 🏡 🛏

The ETHDenver events are spread out through venues just south of Denver’s famous North Capitol Hill. The area is full of hotel and Airbnb options easily walkable to the venue. I would not stay at the ART Hotel; while it might seem convenient to be on-site, the prices are outrageous, and the elevator lines are appallingly long and crowded. One point to keep in mind with your location is that the Ubers are extremely expensive during the conference week - sometimes well over $30 for less than a mile due to surge pricing.

Warwick Hotel - I chose the Warwick hotel and it was a wonderful long-term experience as the rooms were large, had comfortable beds, balconies, ample closet space, and a rooftop pool. They have all the amenities needed with a restaurant-bar on site. Many fellow ETHDenver attendees stayed there, so there was no shortage of networking opportunities.

The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa - This hotel is breathtaking with its atrium lobby and glass skylight soaring 8 stories. I was lucky enough to experience the hotel with live jazz music playing. I personally loved the history behind the hotel being built in 1892 and the story behind the sailing-themed Ship Tavern. Read more here.

Grand Hyatt Denver - Solid choice with all the amenities needed, within a quick walk or ride to the venue and has a restaurant on-site

Sheraton Denver - Similar to the Grand Hyatt, all the amenities you need and not too far from events

Ritz Carlton - This will be a pricier option, but they had multiple private events during the conference and have heard that the chocolate chip cookies cannot be missed.

Buildathon & Hacker House Events 🧰 🤝 💻

There were several Hacker Houses at ETHDenver, but being a #WomenInWeb3, the HER DAO Hacker House was my favorite. Received a warm welcome from Yip offering details for the house full-body massages to meeting the founder Onallee (Tracy) and planning future collaborations. In addition, they had a full agenda of seminars in conjunction with the ETHDenver scheduled attractions.

The Buildathon events between 2/11-2/16 were epic for networking. I met some of my favorite new web3 frens and projects in the first few days. The Denver Sports Castle events started with Schelling Point on 2/16 and drew a large crowd with lines down the street. Meanwhile, earlier events allowed deeper conversations with serious builders and actionable next steps to partner.

One quick note: It is critical to RSVP for main and side events EARLY as they sell out quickly. I suggest checking the ETHDenver schedule every so often, starting at least a month before. New events are added daily, and free RSVP sells out quickly. To add to any FOMO for missing the ETHDenver adventure, here is a quick ETHDenver 2022 Shortlist that Mark created from Commonwealth or @Mark_CMN on telegram.

ETHDenver Highlights & Projects 🧐 🤩

It was a surreal week, but if I had to name a few of my favorite moments… it started with meeting people I had been speaking to virtually in IRL finally! I met colleagues in-person vs. Google Meet, new innovative projects, and joined a spontaneous web3 mountain trip! My biggest personal accomplishment for the week was the Cryptogals Bowling event in partnership with Figment DataHub, Ceramic, HER DAO, SheFi, and Boysclub. It was a night to remember - which I will detail further in my next post - ETHDenver: Part 2.

As for the projects, here are some of my fav from ETHDenver ( in no particular order):

• HER DAO 🙋‍♀️ I cannot say enough about HER DAO, I look forward to collaborating again soon. HER DAO is a womxn-led developer DAO championing innovation & diversity.
• Dippii 📸 🖼 This project has a fantastic female founder whose vision I believe in. Her project will bring NFTs to all, not just those with crypto wallets. Dippii allows you to NFT your fav moments with one click - for free without a crypto wallet needed.
• Mintus 🔥 This platform empowers and connects women in web3 through several virtual and IRL initiatives, such as weekly "Women Building on Web3" Twitter Spaces. I was honored to join one of their Twitter Spaces with other female rockstars. Are you a woman in web3? Don't miss a chance to receive a complimentary mint for International Women's Day on March 8th. DM @onlymintus on Twitter for more info! 👀 💡 🎉
• Minority Programmers Association 🗝 This project is extremely exciting, bringing together a group of international developers of all ages and races to work on social impact projects.
• CryptoGene | Living NFTs 🎮 🧬 Web3 gaming and metaverse continually amaze me - but the team at Sortium is taking it to the next level with CryptoGene using AI and CRISPR DNA algorithms to create the first living NFTs in their play-to-earn game. Sign up for their discord for a chance to get whitelisted and learn more about CryptoGene in their white paper here.
• Acumen 🤝💰This is one of my favorite projects, as it is a DeFi for Good solution. Acumen leverages DeFi to bridge crypto and traditional assets to democratize access to capital globally. They partnered with the government in El Salvador to deploy their program and are the first blockchain in the world to be authorized by a central bank for lending.
• Star Atlas 🚀💫 Growing up a Star Wars fan, I immediately fell in love with this project. These guys were building a Blockchain Gaming Metaverse before it became cool. Also….UMMM have you seen their Spaceships? If you have not - head over to their marketplace today - I promise you will not be disappointed. They are building a fully on-chain Space game that makes you seriously doubt whether it's worth going for a scenic drive once you experience this new world from the comfort of your home.
• Cashmere 🧰 Cashmere is a multi-sig wallet, and they were able to launch their mainnet in one week at the Chicago Pyth Hacker House! I was impressed by the team’s dedication and focus, which they have kept up by joining hacking sessions at mtnDAO in Utah and ETHDenver.
• Blanksoles 👟 Blanksoles is the first decentralized sneaker company on Solana, recently launched a collection with Metta World Peace and plans for future charitable projects to help the situation in Ukraine and more. I learned about this project at the Chicago Pyth Hacker House, and their progress from their launch to ETHDenver is remarkable.
• Phonon ⛓ This project was quite intriguing as Phonon is a layer 0 protocol that uses secure hardware to enable the transfer of digital assets off-chain.
• YAM DAO 🍠 YAM DAO is a decentralized DeFi community focused on synthetic assets. In addition, they have a fun interactive YAM Museum that I would highly suggest taking a trip to explore.
• Egonauts NFT 🏰 Egonauts NFTs will release 101 NFTs featuring the heroes and villains of the Blockchain for 12 months at a fixed cost of 1 ETH. I really like this collection because the NFTs provide additional utility granting each holder “crypto keys” to explore their metaverse Block Castle, access to ETH airdrops, and potentially an IRL party in 2023.
• Unicrow 💸 🔐 Coming from a FinTech background, I was quite intrigued by this project. Unicrow is a cryptocurrency payment platform built for marketplaces and their users. It allows two parties to trade goods using escrow that doesn't require any third party. They have a developer-friendly toolkit that makes it easy to integrate the platform.
• SuperWorld | Dapp 🗺 This metaverse allows users to buy and own digital real estate and become stakeholders and earn a return on revenue generated from their real estate from advertising, in-game purchases, and more!
• Pizza DAO 🍕 Pizza DAO believes pizza should be free for all. When I met the team I learned they have given away $400,000 since starting and $20,000 at ETHDenver alone! This group was schilling pizza all over the conference - and it was GLORIOUS.

I would love to feature so many more exceptional projects, but what is the phrase? Publish or Perish? Until, ETHDenver Part 2, hollycopter.eth over and out.