æternity

æternity Universe is a recurring blockchain conference organized around the æternity blockchain ecosystem and staged at the CryptoCastle (historically Schloss Burgscheidungen) in Burgscheidungen, Laucha an der Unstrut, Germany. The event brings together blockchain developers, researchers, entrepreneurs, designers and enthusiasts for talks, hands-on developer workshops, panel discussions, networking, and social programming including dinners, music and food. The CryptoCastle venue positions itself as an institution for research, education and development in blockchain, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and sustainable technologies, and additionally hosts exclusive events, a membership program, artist residencies, leadership workshops and retreats, and a hackers lab using æternity blockchain technology.

The third edition, æternity Universe Three, was scheduled for 31 August to 2 September 2023 and was advertised with 50+ speakers, 10+ workshops, 12+ sponsors and 200+ visitors. Its program focused on DeFi, governance and DAOs, tokenomics, staking, DEXes, trading and token sales, and protocol topics such as Hyperchains and state channels, along with scalability, interoperability, security and privacy. The agenda ran conference programming on the first two days and an "UnConference" format with round tables on the final day, with evening dinner and party sessions. The preceding edition, æternity Universe Two, took place 15-16 September 2022 at the same venue and was followed by a hackathon finale on 17-18 September 2022 that had begun remotely on 1 August, with a prize pool of up to $15,000; that edition also featured an immersive VR/AR art and NFT program and recorded talks published online.

The events are tied to the æternity blockchain project, founded in 2016 by Yanislav Malahov, whose public mainnet launched in 2018 and which is supported by the æternity crypto foundation. The protocol's core components are written in Erlang and its smart contracts use the Sophia language. Related ecosystem entities referenced include the Superhero Wallet and the AE coin.

Founding story

The æternity blockchain project behind the conference series was founded in 2016 by Yanislav Malahov, described as motivated by the goal of a fairer Internet supported by scalable, open-source cryptographic software; the æternity public mainnet launched in 2018. Malahov is also identified as founder of the CryptoCastle, the venue that hosts the æternity Universe conferences.

Business model

Revenue and participation are organized around paid conference tickets sold via Eventbrite, sponsorship and partnership packages solicited through the website, and paid accommodation at the CryptoCastle booked separately from tickets. Free camping in the castle gardens is offered to ticket holders, and volunteers receive free participation, meals and accommodation in exchange for two eight-hour shifts.

Ticket sales for the conference and party (Early Bird one-day €50 and two-day €100 through 14 July 2023; regular €100 and €175 from 14 July 2023; late €125 and €210 from 18 August 2023), sponsor and partner packages, and separately booked castle accommodation. On-site payments during the event are made exclusively in cryptocurrency, with AE coins used at the venue.

Traction

The æternity Universe Three site advertised 50+ speakers, 10+ workshops, 12+ sponsors and 200+ visitors, and the 2022 edition ran a two-day, multi-stage agenda with dozens of named speakers from the æternity ecosystem and the wider crypto industry, followed by a hackathon with prizes of up to $15,000.

Latest developments

æternity Universe Three was announced for 31 August to 2 September 2023 at the CryptoCastle, with an agenda covering DeFi, DAO and governance, tokenomics and protocol topics such as Hyperchains, an UnConference day, open volunteer registration and tiered ticket sales.