Building Web3 culture in Ukraine: Rostyslav Bortman’s mission

Sensible contracts. In 2016, my professor on the college got here to me and supplied me a subject for my thesis – ‘Sensible contracts on Ethereum’ or one thing like that. I agreed. Since then, I couldn’t tear myself away from Solidity and Ethereum – I used to be utterly taken by the ideas of decentralisation and the absence of intermediaries.

At starters, there are alternative ways to contribute: to construct a profound product with a great basis that can go mainstream and have a direct influence on the event of Web3, or to be a developer in a staff that builds the way forward for Web3, or to contribute to open-source communities.

In fact, among the many cool groups in Web3, you possibly can usually discover Ukrainian builders who construct cool issues in a staff, and that’s very cool. Nonetheless, we don’t see an enormous variety of Ukrainians creating merchandise that go mainstream. We nonetheless have to work on this.

I feel that the Ukrainian Web3 neighborhood is simply beginning to develop. Because the organiser of the biggest hackathon in Ukraine, I can say that we nonetheless have a number of work to do on the tradition of constructing startups. Persons are centered on incomes cash and don’t need to take dangers, categorical no need to construct one thing of their very own, as a result of outsourcing supplies stability. 

My staff and I intend to vary this – to construct a tradition of hackathons within the nation, as a result of I’m satisfied that this is likely one of the simplest methods to point out builders that constructing your individual product is superior. It should take time for folks’s mindsets to vary, and for Ukrainians to start out influencing international blockchain growth with their merchandise.

In fact they’ll. The Web3 market is international, and it doesn’t matter wherein nation it’s constructed. To begin with, the product use case, UX, is vital. Anybody who makes a cool product that folks want can compete on this market. 

‘Construct one thing folks want. Construct a lifeless easy expertise,’ – Jesse Pollak.

International Ledger. I additionally like Trustee Plus – it’s easy, handy, and solves the issue of shopper funds. HackenProof.

It’s also vital to notice that the idea of success is totally different for many individuals, so I’m solely talking concerning the ones I personally like.

We have now been organising meetups since 2021. We have now already held about 25 totally different occasions. We have now collaborated with BNB Chain, Scroll, Diia training, and plenty of others. You may see all our occasions right here – kyivethereum.com.

Not too long ago, we organised ETHKyiv, which was attended by Vitalik (Buterin) and three different folks of the Ethereum Basis (and plenty of different friends of assorted cool Web3 protocols). We managed to get such giants as EtherFi, Scroll, Intmax, Zero1, Circles, The Graph Builders Dao, and others as sponsors. Additionally, 123 hackers visited the placement offline and took half within the hackathon.

We raised $8000 for the FPV-drones for the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF). And all this regardless of the warfare.

I consider that the technique of creating native communities around the globe is the precise one, as a result of solely native leaders, not the worldwide Basis, can have the best influence on folks from particular international locations.

The function and affect relies upon not on me, however on the neighborhood. I alone can do little, however we’re doing every little thing in our energy to create beneficial circumstances for the event of the Ethereum neighborhood in Ukraine – collect cool founders, visionaries, and leaders.

Let’s begin with the unhappy stuff. I’m the one and solely organiser of ETHKyiv 2024 (with my Kyiv Ethereum staff, in fact). Sergiy Sevidov was formally a co-organiser, however, in reality, he didn’t fulfil his duties and didn’t take any half within the organisation of this occasion. Subsequently, calling him one of many organisers could be unfair to the staff that was concerned within the organisation.

Sadly, it turned out that he controls the ethkyiv.org area and social media, wherein our staff made completely all publications associated to the ETHKyiv hackathon. He refuses to surrender the social media and the area (though he has nothing to do with Ethereum in Ukraine and did nothing to develop it, his solely aim is to make use of the ETHKyiv title), as a result of he desires to carry a few of his personal occasions there and declare ETHKyiv 2024 as his personal to promote it to sponsors and companions. My staff and I’ve already turned this web page and created new social media.

Now, to reply your query:

I consider that hackathons have a direct influence on the event of Ethereum in Ukraine, as a result of I feel that builders are the primary asset of the ecosystem. That’s the reason our most important mission is to onboard Ukrainian builders to Ethereum. As for conferences, I can’t reply as a result of my most important focus is on builders.

There was an unbelievable quantity of difficulties, however this could be a narrative for an hour. There have been a number of issues with contractors and the quantity of coordination, communication, administration of all the main points, corresponding to on Taikai community and elsewhere, involvement of sponsors, hackers, judges and audio system, and media publications. This story deserves a separate publication.

Base has an excellent influence on Web3 as a result of they’re creating a tradition of builders round them and selling the message that constructing is cool. They’re centered on creating shopper apps, which is the precise factor to do, in my view, and I feel that’s Base is the place we’re going to see a number of cool improvements in Web3.

I’m an ETH Maxi, so it’s exhausting for me to consider that. There are such a lot of new and fascinating issues taking place in Ethereum on daily basis that I merely don’t have sufficient time to observe different ecosystems. 

Nonetheless, I feel that different blockchains are more likely to take some market share, however Ethereum will stay the undisputed chief. For me, Ethereum’s rules are nearer to my coronary heart. That’s why I’m right here, and most people in the neighborhood are right here as effectively. And I feel that’s what makes Ethereum the very best.

Presently, shopper funds are one of many largest points which can be a precedence within the trade, together with, for instance, Base (I wrote about it right here). I don’t assume that DeFi will substitute centralised banking within the coming years, however I feel that step-by-step, it would change into extra handy and common, the variety of customers will develop, and strategically, sooner or later, we can have some hybrid methods with the power to utterly abandon conventional centralised banking if crucial.

I don’t assume we are going to see a Solana ETF within the close to future. There are goal causes for this. 

Firstly, the SEC (US Securities and Trade Fee – writer’s notice) considers Solana a safety. Secondly, the funds personal 12% of SOL (or extra, I don’t know the precise determine, however it’s a important drawback). Thirdly, if we speak concerning the basic path to ETFs (as was the case with BTC and ETH), Solana nonetheless wants 2-3 years to go all the best way. 

As for different property, I feel that the cryptocurrency market has to change into rather more mature first, as a result of now all these memecoins and property with no which means and billions of {dollars} in capitalisation look very unusual.

NFTs aren’t going wherever, however not the NFTs that everybody has heard about in 2021. NFT is a token commonplace that shall be and is already being actively utilized in RWA (Actual World Belongings). They are going to tokenise every little thing they’ll with NFT. From actual property to objects in digital worlds and video games. I don’t know what is going to occur to NFT monkeys.

Account abstraction, SocialFi, decentralised messengers, shopper apps (together with fee apps), cross-chain interoperability, GameFi.

I consider it is extremely vital. So far as I do know, the scenario in Ukraine just isn’t excellent. 

I would love to see us transfer quicker and have extra enthusiasm. If anybody desires to run Solidity programs, keep in mind that we’ll at all times assist you. Come, let’s speak. 

I like the instance of Argentina – they’ve built-in Ethereum and Solidity into the college curriculum in Buenos Aires. I feel we must always transfer on this route – I’ve already texted to a number of of my buddies on this subject.

Construct one thing that folks want. Construct lifeless easy experiences. Create functions that folks use, that’s all. They (lots – writer’s notice) will come to you. Sometime, freedom of speech will change into a vital side, taking a look at what is going on on the planet now. So I feel that the demand for decentralisation, safety, and censorship resistance will develop.

This can be a very tough query. I feel there shall be a number of functions that can go mainstream and customers is not going to even know that they’re Web3-based. I feel that in this time, the primary UX issues shall be solved and we will discover killer use instances within the trade. I feel we are going to see the identical mass adoption within the subsequent 10 years.

I’m eager on the rules of decentralisation, censorship resistance, self-custody, and so on. I wish to take away belief from the place it shouldn’t stay. I wish to take away intermediaries and automate the circumstances in sensible contracts. I consider that that is the long run, and we’re transferring in the precise route usually. I like being concerned on this, and I’m grateful for it. 

Persons are additionally motivating. Such a focus of extremely sensible, open-minded folks could be very incentive.