Around the world, thousands of individuals and teams are devoting their energy, talent, and resources to making Filecoin an important building block of the internet’s evolving infrastructure. As we saw these past few weeks during HackFS, the products and services these teams are building are truly revolutionary (see our recap post for more info). HackFS alone inspired more than 130 projects to power the decentralized web. Co-hosted by Protocol Labs and EthGlobal, the month-long hackathon drew more than 470 hackers from 50 countries across 19 time zones. And this summer’s Spark University Hackathon, a 6-week virtual hackathon run by Encode Club, attracted 50 teams from universities across the world to build on Filecoin. Winners from that challenge will be announced on August 31st.
To maintain this momentum, we’re teaming up with other Web3 leaders to create more opportunities for developers to build and showcase their projects. Collectively, these new programs are part of Filecoin Ignite, a mission ahead of mainnet launch to build a strong, sustainable Web3 community.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can participate in two new programs designed to foster the next generation of the web: Filecoin Launchpad Accelerator and Filecoin APOLLO.
Filecoin Launchpad Accelerator
Apply now for the Filecoin Launchpad Accelerator, powered by Tachyon, a program designed to offer up to 20 teams twelve weeks of funding, mentorship, benefits, and programming around business and blockchain-specific issues.
The program is designed to accelerate the adoption of Filecoin within the Ethereum and DeFi ecosystems, and attract web developers looking to leverage the benefits of decentralized storage.
Launchpad culminates in a Demo Day, and teams will be offered post-program fundraising support. Teams will be able to leverage access to the ConsenSys and Protocol Labs networks and expertise, ranging from entrepreneurs and legal advisors to pathbreaking technical researchers. Each team will receive $80,000 USD in investment.
This cohort will be focused on startups building more open, interoperable, and programmable tools, infrastructure, and applications for the distributed web through IPFS and Filecoin. There’s still time to get involved – applications close August 28th! If you have any questions, you can join the #fil-ignite-launchpad channel on the Filecoin Slack.
Filecoin APOLLO
Looking for more ways to get involved? Apply for APOLLO, a 6-week, invite-only incubator program designed for Filecoin entrepreneurs and makers building investable businesses. Co-hosted by Protocol Labs and Gitcoin, APOLLO kicks off September 1st and will offer opportunities for more than 150 highly-talented builders to become pioneers of the Filecoin and Web3 ecosystems. Applications close August 28th.
APOLLO is designed for anyone building a Filecoin infrastructure project, early-stage Filecoin startups, and other interested builders. Together, we’ll share ideas, fantastic learning materials, and time building relationships together around our ideas for a better future.
Special thanks to all of the community organizers, including the teams at Gitcoin, TachyonEthGlobal and Encode Club who have brought this community together and helped onboard many many new contributors. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Filecoin and the Web3 ecosystem!
If you have any questions, you can join the #fil-ignite-apollo channel on the Filecoin Slack.
We’re looking forward to continuing to work with the builders of web3 through these programs and more!