Congratulations on 100k - BTC has come a long way :)
PLUS: Vanderbilt's new research into the BTC ecosystem, Exploring the new Sonic L1, and so much more.
As you might have heard, Bitcoin's been making waves with its all-time highs. 100k mark has ben crossed - welcome to Valhalla.
While everyone's been focusing on the price action, the folks over at Vanderbilt have been diving deep into the BTC ecosystem. They've been exploring how different players in the market are working to bring more utility to the most battle-tested blockchain out there.
Our research team joined forces with the Vanderbilt squad, and together, we've been navigating the ecosystem to better understand the challenges of bringing programmability to Bitcoin and the various approaches being taken. In our report, we explore how Core Chain is using a novel approach called Satoshi Plus. This consensus mechanism combines Bitcoin's Proof of Work with Delegated Proof of Stake and Non-Custodial Bitcoin Staking, creating a symbiotic relationship between Bitcoin and Core Chain that's got us pretty excited.
Our report dives into the intricacies of Core Chain's architecture, tokenomics, and governance model, providing a comprehensive understanding of how this project is pushing the boundaries of what's possible with Bitcoin.
We want to give a special shoutout to Khurshed, Manan, and Rouhan from Vanderbilt for their hard work and dedication in making this research possible. Their efforts exemplify the importance of research in the blockchain space, and we're excited to see what other groundbreaking insights we'll uncover together in the future. 🙌
On a side note - if you and your club are engaging in some cutting-edge research and want to get it featured, shoot us a DM. And this is just the beginning - we have more featured research coming next week from the Giga Brains over at Canada.
Sonic's Genesis Block Drops With a Twist: 90% of Fees Go to Developers
The Layer-1 design space continues to evolve in fascinating ways, and Sonic's recent genesis block introduces an intriguing approach to blockchain economics. Fresh out of the Fantom ecosystem, they're implementing a novel Fee Monetization program that lets developers capture up to 90% of the fees their applications generate - a meaningful step toward sustainable ecosystem development. The remaining transactions follow a more traditional model with 50% burn, 45% to validators, and 5% to the ecosystem vault.
What makes this particularly interesting is the technical implementation. Sonic has developed a gas-consumption tracking system at the virtual machine level, ensuring fair reward distribution based on actual protocol usage. With projections suggesting potential yearly developer earnings of $16.4M at just a fraction of their 900M+ daily transaction capacity, it provides a glimpse into a future where blockchain networks are actively prioritizing solve the age-old question of sustainable value distribution.
XION Mainnet has arrived
Chain abstraction has emerged as a critical evolution in Web3, addressing the fragmented multi-chain ecosystem that has historically deterred mainstream adoption. As blockchain networks proliferated, users faced increasingly complex challenges: managing multiple wallets, navigating different token standards, and executing cross-chain transactions with technical complexity that resembled advanced computer programming.
The vision of chain abstraction is fundamentally about user experience—creating a seamless, invisible infrastructure where the underlying blockchain mechanics disappear from the end-user perspective. XION - a chain purpose built to “make crypto disappear”, takes to mainnet with a unique set of features that propose innovative solutions to Web3's adoption challenges.
By reimagining blockchain infrastructure at the protocol level, the platform introduces key innovations that directly address the friction points preventing mainstream crypto participation:
Chain Abstraction: Enables developers to build user-friendly decentralized applications
Fiat-denominated transactions
Gas abstraction
Simplified cross-chain interactions
Early success includes partnerships with global brands like Uber and The North Face, and consumer applications like EarnOS already onboarding over 100,000 users. The origin story? It begins with the founder burning a Banksy painting—talk about making a statement. learn more and explore their documetation - we’ve also linked a hackathon that they have going on down below.
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.
Unsubscribe anytime – but if something's not hitting different, slide into our DMs first and let us know how we can do better. We're here to build together 🤝
Retro9000, a $40M Grant Program, Rewards Developers Building Avalanche L1s
Retro9000, an up to $40 million retroactive grant program was announced recently as part of Avalanche9000, the largest upgrade to the Avalanche ecosystem. Funded by The Avalanche Foundation, with the goal of rewarding developers for testing and launching foundational ecosystem building blocks on Avalanche, Retro9000 empowers developers to do what they do best – innovate and build.
The program offers a unique value proposition: developers can transform their innovative concepts into reality with community-backed support and significant financial incentives. Through a transparent, community-driven leaderboard, top projects will be recognized, supported, and rewarded. Participants can showcase their technical prowess while potentially securing substantial funding for their blockchain innovations. Explore the full details below.
BNB Hack 2024 Q4: The Ultimate Battle of Hacker Heroes
The Ultimate Battle of Hacker Heroes is heating up, and we're inviting brilliant minds from across the Web3 universe to take center stage. This quarter's hackathon is your golden ticket to innovation, featuring an incredible prize pool of over $458,000 that rewards creativity and technical prowess.
Fresh faces like Myshell, UXUY, and Simon's Cat are stepping up to fuel student innovation. Big-name supporters like Polyhedra Network, Dora Factory, and THENA are also backing this epic tech showdown. In the first three quarters of 2024, we've already seen: 560+ mind-blowing submissions and 18 outstanding winners. As we close out the year, make sure to finish strong and get those applications in.
XION BELIEVATHON REGISTRATION OPEN
XION, one of the fastest growing L1's making Web3 accessible to all users, is launching the BELIEVATHON.
The BELIEVATHON is a startup competition intended for serious entrepreneurs looking to grow their business idea into a reality, with the opportunity to join XION's incubation program and tap into additional ecosystem support. It will support the next generation of user-friendly Web3 projects launching products utilizing XION’s abstraction stack.
Web3 Jobs & Internships
🔗 Serotonin Web3 Content Manager (Remote)
🔗 Serotonin Web3 Social Media Manager (Remote)
🔗 Coinbase Software Engineer Intern
🔗 Ethereum Foundation, Research Intern
🔗 Monad Summer 2025 Research Intern
🔗 Ethereum Foundation, Software Engineering Intern
🔗 Polymarket, Intern
⚡️ Your Job Search, Optimized
We know how it goes - endless applications, generic responses, and that LinkedIn anxiety. But we've built something different: a system that actually helps you land roles where you'll build meaningful things.
Think of us as your career co-pilots. We'll help optimize your entire process - from resume reviews to interview prep - while sending cutting-edge opportunities your way.
We’re also here to assist you with resume advice, career guidance, interview preparation, networking strategies, and more 👇
Key Thought Leader Highlight: Balaji Srinivasan
Balaji Srinivasan is an investor, founder, and author of the WSJ bestseller "The Network State." As former CTO of Coinbase and General Partner at a16z, he's shaped the crypto landscape through early investments in foundational protocols like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, while backing transformative companies from OpenSea to Replit. His founder journey spans Earn.com (acquired by Coinbase), Counsyl (acquired by Myriad), and Coin Center - each venture pushing the boundaries of what's possible in tech.
With a Stanford PhD and deep technical roots, Balaji has consistently been ahead of the curve - identifying trends years before they emerge and building frameworks to understand them. From predicting COVID's global impact to outlining how digital networks could evolve into new forms of governance, his analyses have repeatedly proven prescient. Today, he's focused on reimagining education through The Network School - a vision that resonates deeply with us at College DAO as we work to build the Network College.
The Final Sprint 🏃♂️
Can you believe we're already wrapping up 2024? As final season descends upon campuses across the network, we know you're all grinding through those last projects and cramming for exams. Take a breath. You've got this.
While you're powering through these last few weeks, here's something to keep you motivated: Christmas, New Years AND ETH Denver is just around the corner, and 2025 is shaping up to be absolutely wild for web3 and our community. We're already cooking up some major moves that we can't wait to share.
But first things first: take care of yourself. Get some sleep. Start those finals prep early. Maybe touch some grass between study sessions. The crypto markets will still be there after your exams (probably up only, let's be real).
For those pushing through final projects and prepping for exams - you've got this.
The Network's rooting for you.