Be Honest - How many Cookies did you eat at the Eigen Games?
PLUS: Eigen Games Recap, a deep dive into interwoven rollups, the open metaverse and so much more.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you put 80 of the sharpest student builders in a hotel known for its quirky pop-art decor, throw them into an intense, multi-day hacking marathon, and surround them with some of the biggest names in Web3 — well, welcome to The Eigen Games at ETHDenver. It was loud, it was chaotic, and it was absolutely legendary.
Let’s start with the most important part: the cookies. Confused? Let me break it down for you. The front desk at The Curtis Hotel was basically an infinite cookie generator. Amidst all the hacking, you could just stroll up, no questions asked, and get a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. 24-hour cookie service — absolutely perfect for the first-ever Eigen Games.
Now, about the hacking. We took over The Curtis, transforming it into a living, breathing hacker house —10 days of deep-dive workshops, speaker sessions, and relentless building. The energy was unreal. Teams tackled Parallel EVM execution, DePIN infrastructure, AI deepfake detection, and next-gen benchmarking tools, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on EigenLayer and beyond.
But this wasn’t just another hackathon. Investors, founders, and industry veterans weren’t just there to spectate — they were in the trenches with us, giving feedback, stress-testing ideas, and watching some of the most promising innovations take shape in real time. Here’s the full list of all submissions for you to check out.
Post-hacking, we wrapped it all up with a closing ceremony that was a true celebration of brilliance — bringing together engineers, dreamers, and degens over great food, unmatched vibes, and some of the most unforgettable moments of ETHDenver.
We want to take a moment to congratulate all of you on your hard work — you represented your universities at the highest level and built some of the most insane projects we’ve ever seen. Seriously. And if that wasn’t enough, the fact that we went on to crush the ETHDenver hackathon just proves what we already knew — the talent in the student space is next level.
That said, we’re back from a much-needed break — after the absolute madness of The Eigen Games, we had to take a moment to recharge and reset. But don’t worry, we’re back in action. Today, we’re diving into some of the most exciting developments in Web3 — Initia’s interwoven rollups, LAMINA1’s vision for the open metaverse, and the evolution of blockchain infrastructure powering the next wave of digital economies. Let’s get into it.
A protocol for the open metaverse
Okay, here’s some wild lore: the person who coined the term "metaverse" in Snow Crash— yes, that Snow Crash — has been building a blockchain custom-built for it. Neal Stephenson, alongside Peter Vessenes and Rebecca Barkin, has launched LAMINA1, a Layer 1 blockchain designed specifically to support an open, interoperable, and creator-driven digital world. Unlike today’s metaverse platforms, which are largely centralized and fragmented, LAMINA1 aims to establish persistent digital ownership, cross-world interoperability, and decentralized economic models that enable digital spaces to function more like real economies.
LAMINA1 is structured to address some of the fundamental challenges of metaverse development. It integrates on-chain identity, decentralized storage, and digital rights management, ensuring that users retain control over their assets across different virtual environments. The network introduces Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS), providing standardized tools, SDKs, and infrastructure to simplify the development of immersive, interactive spaces. By enabling high-fidelity assets, real-time AI interactions, and composable virtual environments, LAMINA1 supports a framework where users, developers, and applications can seamlessly interact without being restricted to a single platform.
Beyond infrastructure, LAMINA1 is also rethinking metaverse economies. It incorporates native payment rails, tokenized incentives, and smart contract-based monetization models, allowing creators to earn directly from their contributions without intermediaries. This approach contrasts with existing platforms that monetize primarily through control over digital assets and marketplaces. By aligning incentives between developers, users, and virtual economies, LAMINA1 aims to create a self-sustaining metaverse — one that is decentralized, interoperable, and truly owned by its participants.
Check out our Events section today for details on an upcoming workshop hosted by Michigan Blockchain, featuring Rebecca Barkin, CEO of LAMINA1.
Initia and the Interwoven Economy
Web3 development today is complex, with fragmented chains, liquidity silos, and interoperability challenges. Initia addresses these issues by integrating a Layer 1 blockchain with application-specific Layer 2 rollups, creating a system where chains natively interact. Using the OPinit Stack, Initia enables developers to deploy rollups across EVM, MoveVM, and WasmVM environments while leveraging Celestia’s DA layer for scalable data availability. The result is a modular network where security, execution, and liquidity are coordinated at the L1 level, reducing reliance on external bridges and middleware.
Initia also introduces an Interwoven Economy, aligning incentives across the ecosystem. The Vested Interest Program (VIP) rewards participants — including users, developers, and validators—who contribute to network growth, while Enshrined Liquidity allows staked INIT tokens to function as a liquidity hub. This mechanism provides rollups with built-in liquidity and security, simplifying cross-chain transactions and enhancing capital efficiency. By integrating these economic incentives at the protocol level, Initia seeks to create a system where applications can scale without facing liquidity fragmentation or complex incentive structures.
Backed by a $14M Series A from Theory Ventures, Initia is developing tools to improve the user and developer experience, including InitiaScan, Wallet Widgets, and cross-chain identity solutions. With features like native USDC support, instant bridging, and flexible execution environments, Initia aims to make blockchain infrastructure more accessible, allowing developers to build interoperable applications without the constraints of traditional rollup models.
For the Students, By the Degens ⚡️
Skip the lecture, catch the alpha. 3k+ students trust us to transform frontier tech research/information into bite-sized technical insights. This is your go-to for the weekly 5-minute power-up on frontier tech.
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Lamina 1 Workshop with Michigan Blockchain
Here's an exciting opportunity tonight to connect with the CEO of Lamina1. Hear from the leader behind the team building the open metaverse and get firsthand insights into how blockchain and the creator economy are going to collide and unlock a trillion-dollar opportunity and ecosystem.
She'll also share her insights on fundraising, navigating the VC world, and the business challenges of running both a decentralized lab and protocol.
With 20+ years in tech and entertainment, her career spans executive roles at MSG Sphere and Magic Leap, where she developed immersive experiences with partners like HBO, Warner Bros, and Alibaba. This emerging tech executive and startup veteran brings her creative writing background to her current work building a digital content platform, making her journey from words to Web3 a refreshing departure from typical tech stories.
Kudos to Michigan Blockchain for putting this together - always on the ball with bringing the best opportunities to our community.
Job Opportunities
Interstate Internship Roles
1 - Engineering Interns
Interstate is hiring Engineering Interns to help build advanced Ethereum infrastructure, focusing on sequencing and preconfirmation tech.
You'll work on low-level protocol development, optimizing sequencing systems, and contributing to open-source projects alongside experienced Ethereum engineers.
Ideal candidates are proficient in Rust, Go, or Solidity, understand Ethereum core development or blockchain protocols, and are passionate about decentralized infrastructure and MEV.
2 - Chief of Staff Intern
Interstate is hiring a Chief of Staff Intern to support key operations as the company scales.
You'll work directly with leadership on fundraising, operations, communications, and event planning—gaining a high-level view of running a high-growth crypto startup.
Ideal candidates are highly organized problem solvers with strong communication skills, an interest in crypto and startups, and the ability to multitask in fast-paced environments.
Even More Internship Roles
Legal Intern – Apply Here | Orderlynetwork
PhD Internship Program – Apply Here | Nethermind
Agentic Internship Program – Apply Here | Nethermind
Investor Relations Intern – Apply Here | Nearfoundation
Junior Data Engineer – Apply Here | Figment
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We already miss you <3
Looking back, ETH Denver and Eigen Games wasn’t just another event — it was one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had at CollegeDAO and a defining moment for our community.
But don’t worry — this was just the beginning. We knocked it out of the park on the first run, and we’re only going bigger from here. We’re scaling up, running it back soon, and expanding in ways that will take this to the next level. At this pace, we just might give university programs a run for their money ;)
That being said, we hope you got back to campus safely and are back grinding out the rest of the semester. As for us? We’re already looking ahead to summer, planning our next initiative, and thinking about how we can make it even bigger and better.
Until then, keep hustling, keep grinding, and keep building. We’ll see you next week.