How to build the Filecoin network in more ways

Professionalism and focus, win-win cooperation

Around the world, thousands of individuals and teams are investing their energy, talent, and resources to make Filecoin a vital component of the Internet’s evolving infrastructure.

As we’ve seen over the past few weeks on HackFS, the products and services these teams are building are truly revolutionary (see our summary post for more information). HackFS alone has inspired over 130 projects powering the decentralized web.

The month-long hackathon, co-hosted by Protocol Labs and EthGlobal, attracted more than 470 hackers from 50 countries across 19 time zones. This summer’s Spark University Hackathon, a six-week virtual hackathon hosted by Encode Club, attracted 50 teams from universities around the world to build on Filecoin. The winner of the challenge will be announced on August 31.

To keep this momentum going, we’re working with other Web3 leaders to create more opportunities for developers to build and showcase their projects. Taken together, these new programs are part of Filecoin Ignite, whose mission is to build a strong, sustainable Web3 community before mainnet launch.

Keep reading to learn more about how you can get involved in two new initiatives designed to foster the development of the next generation of the web: the Filecoin Launchpad Accelerator and Filecoin APOLLO.

Filecoin Launchpad Accelerator

Apply now for the Filecoin Launchpad Accelerator, powered by Tachyon, a program designed to provide 20 teams with twelve weeks of funding, mentorship, benefits, and programming around business and blockchain-specific problems.

The initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of Filecoin within the Ethereum and DeFi ecosystems and attract web developers who want to leverage the benefits of decentralized storage.

Launchpad, which culminates in a Demo Day, will provide teams with post-program fundraising support. Teams will be able to leverage access to the ConsenSys and Protocol Labs networks and expertise, from entrepreneurs and legal advisors to pioneering technology researchers. Each team will receive $80,000 in investment.

The cohort will focus on startups building more open, interoperable, and programmable tools, infrastructure, and applications for the distributed web through IPFS and Filecoin. There’s still time to get involved — applications close on August 28th! If you have any questions, you can join the #fil-ignite-launchpad channel on the Filecoin Slack.

Filecoin Apollo

Looking for more ways to get involved? Apply for APOLLO, a 6-week incubator-only program designed for Filecoin entrepreneurs and makers to build investable businesses. Co-hosted by Protocol Labs and Gitcoin, APOLLO launches on September 1st and will provide 150+ talented builders with the opportunity to become trailblazers for the Filecoin and Web3 ecosystem. Applications close on August 28th.

APOLLO is designed for projects building Filecoin infrastructure, early Filecoin startups, and other interested builders. Together we will share ideas, great learning materials, and build time around our ideas to build a better future.

Special thanks to all the community organizers, including the teams at Gitcoin, TachyonEthGlobal, and Encode Club, for bringing this community together and helping onboard so many new contributors. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Filecoin and Web3 ecosystems!

If you have any questions, you can join the #fil-ignite-apollo channel on the Filecoin Slack.

We look forward to continuing our collaboration with web3 builders through these programs and more!