Code NYC Hackathon: The Builders, The Wins, The Future
September 8, 2025
TL;DR Code NYC brought together 250 builders who shipped 46 projects using Coinbase Developer Platform. The event drove record usage across CDP products, with standout projects spanning payments, agents, GameFi, and gasless swaps.
Code NYC wasn’t just another hackathon, it was a launchathon! It showed what happens when builders get their hands on Coinbase Developer Products and run with it. We hit all-time highs in adoption, broke our own social engagement record, got featured in Bloomberg and saw projects that looked more like startups than demos. Four teams grabbed the grand prize, plenty of others shipped creative, usable apps, and the energy in the room proved the CDP community is committed to onchain payments.
What Went Down
We had 250 sign-ups with a waitlist of 100+ those who got in packed into The Bogart House in Brooklyn, a multi-floor venue with jaw dropping views of NYC. Builders shipped 46 projects across 4 Coinbase challenges.
The metrics lined up with the vibe. CDP WADs hit an all-time high, x402 usage jumped and we had a +90% in API calls. It was the biggest usage week we’ve ever had.
And about the swag! The skateboards were a hit. We’re already working on getting more made so more of you can ride away from the next event with one.
Grand Prize Winners
Four teams took home the grand prize, each showcasing a different way builders are using CDP to power real applications. From journalism to gaming to payments, these projects went beyond demos and showed what’s possible onchain.
Aemula — Decentralized Journalism
Independent journalism onchain. Aemula built one-click USDC guest checkout, a Base Mini App via MiniKit, and used CDP Server Wallets for subscription management. It’s a great example of how CDP can be woven into tools people actually use.
Toolkit.dev — Agents That Pay
Toolkit.dev is an agentic chatbot that makes money and pays it forward. Using x402, Embedded Wallets, Onramp, and Server Wallets, it automatically monetizes tool calls and routes revenue back to contributors. It’s a glimpse at how agents can go from hobby projects to revenue-generating products.
Chibi Smart Contracts — SQL-Powered GameFi
Chibi replaced old-school blockchain scans with CDP SQL APIs. The result? Real-time, low-cost data queries for GameFi projects — the kind of infra that makes leaderboards, stats, and live gameplay data possible.
1Shot Gas Station — Gasless Swaps
1Shot Gas Station makes “I don’t have gas” a thing of the past. Using x402 authorizations and relayers, it lets users swap into native gas tokens across 100+ EVM chains — even if they’re starting with nothing.
Other Winners
Gingham POS/Wallet ($2,500) — A point-of-sale wallet for real-world payments. View Project
Snap Coffee ($1,000) — Pay for your latte in crypto. View Project
Assessment.fyi ($2,500) — Onchain assessment tools. View Project
Wish ($1,000) — A playful take on onchain wishes. View Project
FOMO Killer ($2,500) — Tools to help traders slow down and make smarter moves. View Project
Avow ($1,000) — Safer DeFi with better verification. View Project
Arboretum ($2,500) — Sustainability-focused onchain apps. View Project
Secure Transport for x402 ($1,000) — Security layer for x402 transactions. View Project
What’s Next
Code NYC confirmed something we’ve all felt building up: when you give talented builders the right tools, they ship products that are ready for market.
We also heard you, Builders. You asked for better docs and clearer error messages, and we’re making that a priority. You asked for the Embedded Wallet SDK to be open-sourced and passkey support added, and we’re working on it. And you told us more Base MiniKit representation would’ve been helpful, we’re already planning deeper Base integration at the next event.
Next stop: we’ll see us at DevConnect. Stay tuned for more on that soon!
Thanks to everyone who showed up, shipped, and gave us honest feedback. We’re here for all of it and we’re so happy that you’re here to Build with Us.
Ready to jump in? Start building with CDP
