Announcing the UC Berkeley XRPL Hackathon, hosted by Berkeley RDI, Blockchain at Berkeley, and the Lab for Inclusive FinTech (LIFT) with support from XRPL Commons.
This hackathon aims to bring together XRPL developers, students and researchers from Ripple UBRI member universities in the Americas to build and showcase innovative work in Breakthroughs in Decentralization and Web 3.
📅 When: Fri March 14 - Sun March 16, 2025
🌐 Where: In-person - UC Berkeley campus (SCET and Soda Hall, Wozniak Lounge)
👥 Open to: XRPL developers, students and researchers from Ripple UBRI member universities in the Americas
💰 Speaker Invitation: Top team presents their project at Ripple APEX in Singapore (June 2025)
🔍 HACKATHON CHALLENGE
Breakthroughs in Decentralization and Web3 - build an on-chain solution that empowers institutions, businesses, and individuals to create, manage, or exchange digital value while prioritizing accessibility and regulatory compliance. Explore topics like Tokenized Finance, RWA Tokenization, Stablecoins, Liquidity, Custody, Financial Inclusion, Identity Management, and Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB).
🚨 All projects must have at least some transactions on the XRPL layer 1.
AGENDA
| Date | Time | Program Session |
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Friday, March 14, 2025 (Pi Day!) – Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (SCET) |
3:00 PM - 8:00 PM – Workshop and Opening Reception |
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Saturday, March 15, 2025 – Soda Hall, Wozniak Lounge (430-438) |
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM – Hacking Begins! |
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Sunday, March 16, 2025 – Soda Hall, Wozniak Lounge (430-438) |
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM – Hacking Concludes, Team Pitches, Judging, Winners Announced |
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Project Evaluation Criteria
Idea:
Evaluating the uniqueness and innovative nature of your solution, along with its clear value proposition to users or the market.
Implementation:
Assessing the technical robustness of your solution, including code quality, functionality, and proper execution of features.
Presentation / Demo:
Rating how effectively you communicate your project through your pitch delivery, slide design, and live demonstration.
Potential:
Measuring your project's viability for real-world adoption, market fit, and ability to scale into a sustainable business.
🚨 All projects must have at least some transactions on the XRPL layer 1
SUBMISSION
Project submission will happen through our Google Form (coming soon). For more information, see the submission requirements. Here are the following items to ensure that your project is accepted:
- Presentation Slides - Include a link to your presentation slides in PDF format.
- Project Code - Include a Github with an informative README with steps on how to run your project. Externally link any large datasets.
- Documentation - Include project information that describes the findings of your project or how it works.
JUDGES & MENTORS
| Name | Position | LinkedIn Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Wallace | Developer Advocate - Ripple | |
| Abner Pinto | Developer Advocate - Ripple | - |
| Hugh Harsono | XRPL Grants - Ripple | |
| Chenna Keshava | Software Engineer - Ripple | |
| David Bchiri | CEO, XRPL Commons | |
| Marco Neri | Senior Manager, DevRel - Ripple | - |
| Akshay Singh | Developer Advocate - Ripple | |
| Yashash Gaurav | Applied Scientist - Ripple | |
| Karan Rajpal | Berkeley Haas Blockchain Club | |
| Ria Dokania | Berkeley Haas Blockchain Club | |
| Chris Xu | Berkeley Haas Blockchain Club |
ACCOMMODATIONS
All XRPL Hackathon participants are responsible for their own airfare and hotel accommodations. Some hotels close to Berkeley are the Residence Inn by Marriott, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, The Graduate Berkeley Hotel and others listed at Berkeley's lodging guide.
PARKING
We recommend public transportation or staying close by and walking to the campus. Please note that there is no free parking in Berkeley. Metered street parking may be difficult to find and is limited to two hours. Parking tips for visitors can be found here.