Share this article

Ethereum IoT Project Wins $100k in Dubai Blockchain Hackathon

A startup building an ethereum-based platform for IoT applications has won $100,000 at a blockchain hackathon in Dubai.

Updated Sep 11, 2021, 1:05 p.m. Published Feb 14, 2017, 6:10 p.m.
Dubai

A startup building an ethereum-based platform for IoT applications has won $100,000 at a blockchain hackathon in Dubai.

Project Oaken was awarded the top prize during a presentation at the World Government Summit, a Dubai government-sponsored event focused on smart governance held this week in Dubai.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

Unveiled in late November, the Blockchain Virtual GovHack was aimed at promoting blockchain-based solutions for advancing smart city applications. The initiative was organized by AngelHack, with support on the technology side from ethereum startup ConsenSys.

Project Oaken was one of three finalists presented during the event’s awards ceremony. According to the event’s organizers, 131 projects were submitted, encompassing more than 1,000 total participants. In the end, nine were shortlisted. Two other teams – Team Land Registry and Health Blocks – also made the final round.

In its official pitch for the competition, Project Oaken modeled the use of smart contracts to automatically pay for tolls, driving a Tesla as a test vehicle.

As the startup explains:

“The Tesla tells the toll gate that it wants to pay the toll, causing the toll booth to trigger a smart contract transaction. The toll booth takes the raw Tesla data and communicates it the the blockchain in the form of an IDFS hash.”

While the hackathon is concluded, that doesn't mean that Dubai is finished with blockchain.

Last week, government agencies within Dubai announced an expansive trade finance-focused blockchain trial, being conducted in partnership with IBM. Also involved are Banco Santander and NBD Emirates, two banks have that also worked with the tech in the past.

That project – as well as other trials focused on the digitalization of government services – is part of a broader push to explore blockchain within Dubai, as showcased by the government-backed Global Blockchain Council.

Image via World Government Summit

More For You

Pudgy Penguins: A New Blueprint for Tokenized Culture

Pudgy Title Image

Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.

What to know:

Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.

The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.

More For You

Bitcoin, ether extend declines as leverage unwind accelerates: Crypto Markets Today

Digitally altered photo of a dollar bill (Ryan Quintal/Unsplash, Modified by CoinDesk)

Crypto markets fell further overnight as bitcoin and ether extended losses, metals tumbled and liquidation pressure hit leveraged traders across derivatives markets.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin and ether extended declines as the crypto market compounded Thursday's selloff.
  • Silver and gold also fell, adding to broader market weakness alongside a firmer dollar.
  • Crypto liquidations hit $1.8 billion, while bitcoin dominance slipped as traders rotated into riskier altcoins.