- ‘Hacking Paris’ saw 236 developers from 16 countries come together to explore the next generation of Web3 products in sports for the first time ever at an elite sports stadium.
- The historic event represents the crowning jewel of Chiliz’s recent global developer initiative including previous mini-hackathons held online, and across both Brazil and Poland.
- Chiliz’s ecosystem partners, former players and PSG’s Web3 personnel were also on hand to share with developers their insights into the industry.
Chiliz, The Sports Blockchain, recently concluded its landmark hackathon—‘Hacking Paris’—at leading French football club Paris Saint Germain’s (PSG) Parc des Princes stadium to showcase the next generation of Web3 innovation within sports.
The pinnacle event which brought together over 200 developers from all corners of the globe to compete for $150,000 worth of prizes marks the latest efforts in PSG and Chiliz’s forward thinking partnership having trailblazed the Web3 x Sports space since 2018.
89 projects were submitted ranging across various tracks including Fan Token utility, DeFi and Fan-created monetization platforms. After a series of preliminary rounds, two projects from each category were then carefully selected to be judged by an ‘all-star’ panel of judges from Chiliz’s SportFi ecosystem.
The 12 winning projects will now go on to further develop their initiatives under the guidance of Chiliz mentors to ultimately be incubated into the Sports Blockchain’s ecosystem of over 150 partners.
A Global SportFi Community
Community lies at the heart of blockchain innovation, and its events like Hacking Paris that go beyond competition, showcasing how Chiliz’s multidiverse ecosystem fosters a safe, collaborative, and educational environment where developers can build together as one.
The landmark event brought together all corners of the Chiliz community—from ex-football stars and industry pioneers to educational leaders—offering builders a unique opportunity to explore how clubs and fans can benefit from blockchain technology.
“How cool would it be if clubs could own all the data of their fans,” were the words of crypto trader and former PSG star, Gregory van der Weil in a fireside chat exploring the potential of Web3 in sports alongside Head of PSG Labs, Par Helgosson, and Chiliz Chief Strategy Officer, Max Rabinovitch.
Gregory’s journey with PSG started back in 2012 as he went on to win 12 trophies with the Parisian club, but now he has a new career off the pitch thanks to blockchain, offering participants a unique perspective on the industry.
Also among the panel talks included Chiliz’s Includ3d Accelerator programme which aims to democratize access to blockchain technology, developed alongside leading industry voice, READY, led by Lucy Mills.
Lucy launched the Accelerator’s second edition alongside Felipe Vera from FintSport—the first project directly incubated from the educational programme backed by former Argentine football captain, Juan Pablo Sorin, saying: “There is growing demand in the sport and social impact space to understand and meaningfully apply Web3 tools. We’re excited to expand the program and continue building a global network of purpose-driven creators working to make sport more inclusive, transparent, and community-led.”
Ushering of a New Web3 x Sports Era
This latest installment of Chiliz’s strategic partnership with PSG is only a continuation of The Sports Blockchain’s relentless mission to push the boundaries of Web3 innovation within sports.
With a community that includes over 70 Fan Token partners—such as Manchester City, Juventus, and FC Barcelona—alongside top-tier validators like OKX, PSG, and Animoca Brands, and more than 150 projects, dApps, and services integrated into its ecosystem, Chiliz is perfectly positioned to welcome the next generation of talent to its EVM-compatible Layer-1 chain.
Tomorrow’s foundations have been laid. Now it’s time to build.
