Zilliqa Expands Blockchain Accelerator – The ZILHive Odyssey

Asia Blockchain Review
July 9, 2020

In 2019, Zilliqa announced its inaugural blockchain accelerator, ZILHive. In its first edition, five global startups were tasked with building a product over the course of three months, and achieve three critical milestones including the creation of:

  • A minimum viable product (MVP)
  • An Alpha program to gather user-based product feedback, and;
  • A Beta program with the Zilliqa community to kickstart the product’s launch

Teams were given the opportunity to pitch their finished product to venture capital firms, angel investors, and family offices on Demo Day.

The experiences and lessons learnt from the first batch over the past 12 months have helped us to refine, and now relaunch ZILHive to be more than just an accelerator.

Firstly, we realised the tremendous demand for business teams and developers who want to learn how to build applications on Zilliqa’s platform. Thus, technical education will be a focus area for the new ZILHive.

Secondly, we saw the need for ZILHive to provide an end-to-end ecosystem for entrepreneurs to turn their business ideas into reality. As new financial innovations continue to explore the use of blockchain, there is a growing need to support entrepreneurs at different stages of their journey.

In light of these findings, the new ZILHive will consist of three pillars: Education, the Accelerator program, and Grants.

Education

Awareness and upskilling is at the heart of blockchain utility and mass adoption. Zilliqa has created two distinct tracks under ZILHive Education to help individuals with varying developer skills understand how to code on Scilla effectively.

  • Beginner Track: ‘Foundation Course’
  • Advanced Track: ‘Blockchain Developer Course’ and ‘Blockchain for Business Course’

Foundation Course

ZILHive’s ‘Foundation Course’ is an online, self-learning program tailored to equip students and Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) who have little to no knowledge of blockchain technology, with the fundamentals of blockchain using Zilliqa blockchain as the primary medium of learning. To encourage more individuals to kickstart their learning with blockchain, this self-paced course is open to the public at no cost.

The Foundation Course is set to launch in late Aug 2020 and is currently open for pre-registration.

Blockchain Developer Course

ZILHive’s 2-month ‘Blockchain Developer Course’ is designed for web developers who are looking to kickstart their blockchain career. Since its inception in 2017, the Zilliqa platform has advanced beyond the principles behind decentralised software. This course will enable web developers to up-skill and learn how to build decentralised applications on Zilliqa. Applicants must possess working experience with the JavaScript language and basic familiarity with HTML/CSS. Those who enrol and are selected for this course will receive a full, bond-free scholarship.

The second intake for the course will take place between 23 Jul – 3 Sep 2020. Applications will close on 16 July 2020.

Blockchain for Business Course

A business-centric programme designed for Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs), ZILHive’s ‘Blockchain for Business Course’ will introduce blockchain fundamentals and dive into real-world business use-cases of blockchain technology.

Participants will also gain hands-on experience in coding with Scilla. Individuals who enrol and are selected for this course will also receive a full, bond-free scholarship from Zilliqa.

The first intake for this 2-month, part-time course is expected to be held between 19 Aug – 30 Sept 2020.

Grants

To encourage the development and adoption of decentralised applications (dApps) built on Zilliqa, we have set aside a pool of US$5 million to be granted to promising individuals, teams and projects to support them in building tools and applications for the finance industry.

The grant application is open and now on its 7th wave. ZILHive Grants has rewarded more than 70 different projects thus far, with teams spanning across 23 countries.

Accelerator

ZILHive’s Accelerator is now conducted over a 6-month period. This allows teams to work at a more sustainable pace, and in collaboration with our partners. The accelerator is suited for both early and late-stage startups who are already using, or looking to use the Zilliqa protocol to build their blockchain solutions.

The programme will be tailored to each startup’s individual needs. Early stage startups will have access to masterclasses and workshops focused around the fundamentals of building a company. This will include topics like Business Modelling, Legal, and UI/UX Design.

Later-stage startups who are ready to hit the ground running will receive help with ideation and building Proof-of-Concepts (POC) for viable dApps on Zilliqa blockchain. These startups will have the opportunity to work closely with our industry partners to understand their business needs, and learn from the experience of other Zilliqa-based projects. Notable partners in the ZILHive community include Moonlet, Ashlar, Unstoppable Domains, Magic, Xanpool, Switcheo, Torus, and Elliptic.

ZILHive is especially relevant for teams who are looking to develop blockchain applications for the finance industry through innovative applications such as tokenising real-world assets, enabling the issuance of digital identity, or enabling the exchange of goods and services in a digital marketplace.

This upcoming intake for the 6-months long accelerator programme is expected to kick off late August 2020.

Final Thoughts

Finance and its many applications are the bedrock of modern economies – whether it is buying homes, acquiring credit or loans, or supporting a business. Zilliqa is committed to shaping the future of global finance by developing a community where businesses and blockchain developers work hand-in-hand to build more efficient and secure financial infrastructure.

We believe that this new and improved ZILHive can be the forum where ideas and innovations flourish and become a reality.

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