Looking Beyond Ethereum

BlockDevs and Asia Blockchain Review welcome Kakao’s Blockchain Subsidiary Ground X to Manila

Manila, Philippines — While they were made popular in developer circles through Ethereum, smart contracts were actually first proposed by the notable industry personality Nick Szabo in 1994. Yet it was Ethereum that kickstarted the days of decentralized applications (DApps) and the implementation of smart contracts in the most diverse applications, making Ethereum a household name in the crypto industry and the preferred platform for countless blockchain projects to build on in the past few years.

Ethereum is widely considered the mother of smart contract platforms, which is why in Manila, the crypto community took a closer look at the topic in a get-together of students, developers, and enthusiasts on the weekend. What else is there besides Ethereum? Who are the newcomers seeking to develop and innovate the space?

The Organisers

Since starting out in 2018, BlockDevs has hosted 17 meetups and two hackathons and established itself in the Philippine crypto space as the destination for software developers and those that aspire to be, as well as for enthusiasts curious to earn new insights into the technical side of the blockchain industry. Founded by an international team of blockchain developers, software architects, and token and software engineers, BlockDevs is backed by the experience and expertise of its team and fuelled by the growing developer community in the Philippines.

Asia Blockchain Review is a media and community initiative that regularly supports events and activities in the blockchain scene around the continent. Active in eleven countries in Asia, Asia Blockchain Review seeks to connect enthusiasts on a larger scale by hosting workshops, discussions, and conferences in collaboration with local organisations and communities. Asia Blockchain Review is no stranger to the Philippine community, having worked with BlockDevs in the past on the launch of their first hackathon in Manila.

The Event

For the special occasion, the organisers invited KiJun Sung and Minjee Kim, representatives of event sponsor Ground X , to share their insights with about a hundred attendees to the meetup. Ground X is the blockchain arm of Korean tech giant Kakao, the largest mobile platform in the country counting over 50 million users. As such, Ground X aims to drive blockchain work at Kakao through its public blockchain Klaytn, which Senior Manager KiJun Sung presented in Manila. Minjee Kim talked about Ground X’ efforts in using their technological capabilities for social impact projects such as initiatives for disaster relief.

Introducing another blockchain platform for smart contract deployment was BlockDevs co-founder Amadeo Brands who presented IOST , a young project that, over a short course of time, has made a name for itself and its approach to speed within the network which it calls “Proof of Believability” (PoB). IOST’s consensus algorithm uses a reputation-based sub-token system which enables actors in the network to build a reputation based on their past contributions.

BlockDevs also gave the stage to two winners of the recent Decentralized Innovation Startup Hackathon (DISH) 2019 who took the opportunity to talk about the projects they worked on during the hackathon, namely iSchool and InforMefy.

The packed audience room at BlockchainSPACE during the event speaks volumes for the growing interest in the technological background and potential of the blockchain industry. This is in large thanks to the work of communities like BlockDevs who have been volunteering and growing their meetups from small get-togethers to large events over the course of just a year, and thanks to initiatives like Asia Blockchain Review that build cross-country bridges and introduce projects to an international audience.

Grassroots community work like this is at least as underestimated as it is important for the development of the space. Therefore, we are happy to help spread the word and shine a light on the groups and individuals that inform, educate, and create opportunities in their city.

Looking Beyond Ethereum