ETHGlobal Prague 2025

ETHGlobal Prague just wrapped up, and it was one of those weekends that reminded us exactly why we love being in this space. From catching up with old friends to meeting new builders exploring Rootstock, the energy was buzzing from start to finish.

This year, we teamed up with Talent Protocol, RootstockLabs, and RootstockCollective to host a "Builders Table" - an intimate space for unfiltered conversations. No stage, no mic, just 11 people exchanging ideas that actually matter in the middle of the hackathon chaos. Special thanks to Pedro Oliveira and the Talent Protocol team for sparking this initiative and ensuring it continues.

The Numbers

• Over 600 hackers

• Representing 55 countries

• 217 projects built in just 36 hours
  

The interest in Rootstock was stronger than ever. Developers are clearly excited about how Bitcoin Layer 2s can push DeFi forward, and it showed in the quality of the projects submitted for the $10,000 Rootstock bounty.

The Winners

The bounty was split across four standout projects, each building something unique:

• CashOut: Unlocking instant liquidity for freelancers & SMEs using zk, powered by vLayer

• Acrozz: OptZKBridge - Fastest, cheapest, and safest bridging with an Optimistic ZK Bridge

• Proximity: Proximity-proof protocol and app for wireless smart contract interaction

• PingPay: Micro-payment gateway for API services using x402: internet-native payments

• ZK-Loans: Uncollateralized lending based on cross-chain reputation with zk-proofs

What’s Next

• We can’t wait to see these projects come to life and grow inside RootstockCollective.

• Huge thanks to the RootstockLabs team for the collaboration and great energy.

• Extra shout-out to Rohith Biju for always being such an amazing team player.

• ETHPrague reminded us why community is the backbone of web3: the builders, the experiments, and the friendships formed along the way.

Until the next one.