Why are we backing 0xDay?
Betting on a hacker-centric deep-tech dApp, that is out to revolutionize the hackathon business worldwide with a decentralized, standardized, self-driven system & creating verifiable professional profiles & social proof portfolios.
As blockchain technology scales and expands its ecosystem, hackathons have become essential events, driving talent acquisition, innovation, and community-building across various blockchain networks.
In 2024 alone, over 4,000 blockchain-centered hackathons have taken place globally, drawing an estimated 150,000 developers to participate in solving real-world challenges.
These hackathons not only bring technical growth but also contribute significantly to the onboarding of developers into the Web3 ecosystem, enabling rapid development across emerging chains.
Hackathons are essential to:
- Accelerate the adoption of blockchain solutions by aiding innovation.
- Provide developers with hands-on experience in blockchain development.
- Create networking opportunities for tech talent, founders, and industry experts.
- Serve as a testing ground for new technologies, protocols, and dApps.
- Enable chains to grow developer communities and strengthen ecosystem partnerships.
Current Web3 Hackathon Ecosystem Challenges
Hackathons hold significant potential for innovation and talent development, yet several challenges hinder their effectiveness in achieving consistent and scalable impact:
- Inconsistent Formats: Variability in structures and judging criteria leads to fragmented participant experiences.
- Limited Accessibility: Centralized models restrict diverse talent participation, undermining inclusivity and innovation.
- Poor Skill Assessment: Traditional evaluation methods fail to accurately measure deep-tech competencies, causing skill mismatches.
- Incomplete Skill Representation: Current systems do not fully capture a developer’s journey, misrepresenting their capabilities.
- Ambiguous Job Descriptions: Lack of standardized skill tags creates confusion in talent acquisition for employers and candidates.
- Focus on Quick Fixes: The fast-paced deep-tech landscape prioritizes rapid solutions over thorough exploration, complicating meaningful assessments.
Here is what is need — A standardized and decentralized hackathon ecosystem that ensures fairness, reduces central control, and enables global participation through reliable, accessible, and comparable measures of skills across different events and regions.
Enter 0xDay — a hacker-centric deep-tech dApp, that drives standardized self-driven skill-building systems, with continuously generated skill-attested social proofs on-chain.
They are revolutionizing the deep tech ecosystem through their decentralised calendar that aggregates high-stakes hackathons, coding challenges, technical workshops, and industry conferences — completing the feedback loop in every developer’s journey from learning to shipping.
Pivot is happy to announce that we are backing 0xDay and onboarded them on our flagship acceleration program to support them in their mission of standardizing and decentralizing hackathons, driving innovation, and enabling a community of verified deep-tech talent through continuous, on-chain skill-building.
Speaking on this occasion, Anshul Dhir, Founder & CEO, Pivot said:
“0xDay is redefining how deep-tech talent builds, verifies, and showcases skills. We’re excited to support Prashanth and Saran as they lead this innovative journey, building an ecosystem that drives skill-building and career growth on-chain.”
Prashanth BM, Co-Founder, 0xDay commented:
“Our vision with 0xDay is to create an ecosystem where developers can continuously learn, build, and verify their skills in a decentralized manner. With Pivot’s support, we’re set to scale this mission and empower tech talent globally through verifiable professional profiles.”
Why are we backing 0xDay?
The Down-in-the-trenches Co-Founders
At Pivot, we place a significant emphasis on the teams behind the projects we support. We believe that the most critical factor for success lies in long-term thinkers — those who are ready to dive into the trenches, embrace challenges, and commit themselves to relentless innovation. It’s this mindset that sets apart founders who not only dream but execute with unyielding determination.
Prashanth BM and Saran Kumar together bring an exceptional blend of technical expertise, educational innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit. Prashanth’s background in computer science, building ERP systems, and leading coding bootcamps, paired with his AI-driven adaptive learning and tokenomics knowledge, equips him to co-lead 0xDay’s mission of empowering deep-tech talent. Saran, an IIM Bangalore alumnus and three-time entrepreneur, transitioned from scaling a global F&B business across 17 countries to pioneering in the Web3 space with Builders Tribe and Dripverse. Their combined experience and forward-thinking approach make them the ideal team to lead 0xDay, making our decision to back them an easy one.
Together, Prashanth and Saran form a formidable team whose combined expertise in technology, education, and business make them an ideal fit for our flagship acceleration program — a partnership that was a clear choice for us.
The Hackathon Market: Potential and Growth Opportunities
We cannot go far from all the buzz around blockchain and hackathons if we do not gauge the market that this business encompasses. Hackathons have become essential for driving innovation, discovering talent, and building tech communities. Their role in fueling blockchain growth highlights the vast opportunities in this dynamic market. Here are a few pointers to prove that 0xDay is addressing a growing market.
Tech Talent
The global developer pool now exceeds 30 million, with a significant portion being university students, recent graduates, and early-career developers with up to five years of experience. Hackathons offer these groups the perfect platform to validate and showcase their skills, supported by blockchain-based verification for credibility and recognition.
Hackathon Organizers
Each year, over 4,000 hackathons are hosted worldwide, underscoring their importance in the tech ecosystem. Organizers and sponsors are increasingly seeking reliable, decentralized platforms to host these events, which attract participants and spark innovation. This growing market is fueled by companies that see specialized hackathons as a means to connect with and recruit top talent.
Blockchain Ecosystem
Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks are leveraging hackathons to boost adoption and developer engagement, positioning them as crucial strategies for onboarding new talent. Established networks rely on continuous developer involvement to maintain relevance, while emerging projects use these events to build and expand their user bases. Sectors such as DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs particularly benefit from cross-chain hackathons that showcase interoperability and attract developers.
Recruiters and Hiring Managers
The tech industry has an ongoing demand for skilled and verified professionals. Hackathons provide an efficient way for recruiters and hiring managers to identify top talent with proven, practical experience. Platforms that facilitate skill verification through hackathon participation help bridge the gap between job opportunities and suitable candidates, making the hiring process smoother and more effective.
Educational Institutions
Universities and coding bootcamps are looking to enhance their programs by incorporating hackathons and hands-on tech events. Participation in these events provides students with invaluable real-world experience and verifiable credentials, improving their career prospects. Institutions that integrate such events into their curricula position themselves as forward-thinking and aligned with industry needs, making them more attractive to both students and industry partners.
These markets underscore the expansive potential of hackathons to drive tech talent growth, innovation, and ecosystem development across blockchain networks and beyond.
The Products
0xDay offers a suite of products and services designed to empower developers, facilitate continuous learning, and build a connected ecosystem for deep-tech talent. Each component is strategically developed to create a seamless, verifiable experience for skill development and professional growth:
- 0xCalendar: A comprehensive calendar that aggregates hackathons, technical workshops, coding challenges, and industry conferences. It serves as a central hub for developers to discover opportunities, engage in events, and build their professional profiles, driving continuous user engagement and platform growth.
- 0xLabs: Industry-grade problem statements that challenge developers to think critically and build innovative solutions. 0xLabs focuses on creating a high-curiosity, hacker-oriented environment that contributes to verifiable professional profiles through curated BUIDL statements.
- 0xStudio: Offers detailed, research-based case studies and learning materials that help developers solve real-world problems. With byte-sized, research-oriented video content, 0xStudio supports contextual learning and guides developers through complex challenges in deep tech.
- 0xHacking: Inclusive hackathons that bring together developers from various backgrounds to participate in themed tracks, win prizes, and gain practical experience. These hackathons include hands-on workshops and mentorship to prepare participants for success.
- 0xGraph: A solution for standardizing job descriptions and skill assessments, aligning industry needs with developers’ technical expertise. 0xGraph provides clarity in the talent acquisition process, helping recruiters find the right fit with validated skill tags and transparent assessments.
- 0xCampus: A strategic initiative to partner with universities and academic institutions, integrating hackathons and workshops as part of their programs. This component aims to onboard students, create verifiable hacker profiles, and prepare the next generation for impactful tech careers.
These products and services position 0xDay at the forefront of deep-tech talent development, while building an ecosystem that promotes verified, skill-based professional growth and continuous learning.
Some Screenshots
Traction So Far
In just the first five months of operations, 0xDay has made impressive strides in establishing its presence and growing its community engagement. Key achievements include:
- Hosting 22 successful hackathons that have attracted widespread participation.
- Building a growing developer community with over 7,000 active 0xDay users.
- Achieving more than 20,000 user registrations, reflecting strong interest and adoption.
These milestones highlight our platform’s early market traction and the robust engagement from users. As we look ahead, our focus remains on expanding our reach while ensuring an exceptional user experience.
Ecosystem & Community Partnerships
0xDay has forged strategic partnerships with a range of ecosystem and community partners that bolster its mission of creating a thriving deep-tech platform. Key ecosystem partners include Algorand Blockchain, Diamante Blockchain, Stellar, Hyperledger, and Quill AI, each contributing their unique expertise and technological support to enhance 0xDay’s offerings and reach.
Complementing these alliances, our community partners such as Code Cubicles, Dev Army, SDS Labs — IIT Roorkee, and Hack2future play a vital role in driving grassroots engagement, encouraging a collaborative environment, and supporting the growth of our developer community. These partnerships collectively strengthen 0xDay’s ecosystem, ensuring a comprehensive, impactful experience for all participants.
0xDay at Work — Future Plans & Initiatives
- Implementing a strategic initiative to expand the user base by 100,000+ within the next 10–12 months.
- 0xCalendar projected to drive 30% annual growth in event participation, bringing in 100,000 new users.
- Decentralized hackathon platform targeting 10–15% of the global market, adding over 60,000 users annually.
- 4,000+ global hackathons annually identified as a key growth opportunity, with plans to capture significant participation through enhanced user acquisition channels.
- 0xCampus initiative aimed at onboarding over 40,000 students by partnering with universities and integrating hackathons into academic programs.
- $DAY tokens allocated for ecosystem incentives, governance, partnerships, and community airdrops to support user engagement and attract investors.
- Multi-channel approach designed to continuously engage participants, ensuring long-term retention and sustainable growth across blockchain networks.
- Vision includes scaling to become the go-to platform for skill verification, with the aim of generating on-chain professional profiles for hundreds of thousands of developers.
What Pivot brings to the table
Pivot offers 0xDay access to an extensive network of industry leaders, expert mentorship, and strategic guidance. Through our flagship acceleration program, 0xDay benefits from essential tools for scaling operations, refining platform features, and establishing strong partnerships. Pivot’s expertise in the Web3 space empowers 0xDay to achieve its vision of transforming the hackathon landscape and nurturing a community of skilled, verified tech talent.
Pivot’s contribution extends to guiding 0xDay through both pre- and post-token launch milestones. In the pre-launch phase, Pivot assists with refining the product-market fit, strengthening team dynamics, and implementing effective marketing and community-building strategies to ensure robust user engagement. By focusing on investor relations and community outreach, Pivot helps 0xDay lay a solid foundation for a successful token launch.
In the post-token launch phase, Pivot provides continued support in token distribution and governance, ensuring transparent and efficient allocation. Additionally, Pivot aids in token marketing and liquidity management to enhance platform stability and user trust. Beyond the token launch, Pivot contributes to broader aspects such as partnership building, regulatory compliance, and sustainable growth initiatives, ensuring that 0xDay remains adaptable and competitive in an evolving market.
Building the Future of Tech Talent
0xDay’s mission to reshape the hackathon landscape and deep-tech skill development aligns perfectly with Pivot’s commitment to nurturing groundbreaking innovations. By supporting 0xDay, we’re not only investing in a platform but in the future of decentralized learning, verified professional growth, and a connected global community of developers. As 0xDay continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, we’re excited to be part of their journey to empower tech talent and revolutionize how skills are built, verified, and celebrated in the blockchain space.
Looking forward to 🚀🚀 with 0xDay!!
About 0xDay
0xDay is a deep-tech platform engineered to revolutionize the hackathon ecosystem by standardizing self-driven skill development and creating verifiable professional profiles on-chain. With a decentralized calendar that aggregates hackathons, coding challenges, workshops, and industry conferences, 0xDay completes the feedback loop in a developer’s journey from learning to building impactful solutions. The platform’s core components, such as 0xCalendar and 0xCampus, attract a diverse community of tech talent and academic institutions, facilitating continuous learning and engagement. Through strategic use of $DAY tokens for ecosystem incentives and governance, 0xDay is building a connected, resilient developer network that drives skill-building and innovation across blockchain ecosystems.
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About Pivot
Pivot is a global venture accelerator firm dedicated to the Web 3.0 industry, created by founders, for founders. Pivot’s selected startups are focused on milestones & are not bound to periodic curriculum-based programs. Founded by Anshul Dhir, a 3x founder in the Web 3.0 space, and mentor and investor in over 50 companies in Web3. Pivot is being supported by some great founders & Angels in this industry including Polygon, Delphi Digital, Blockchain Founders Group, Liminal, Biconomy, BitsCrunch, Tegro, Router, QuickSwap & more. We are also supported by Tier 1 ecosystems such as BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, ICP, Manta Network, Mantle apart from many VCs, launchpads, Exchanges & many more.
