Becoming The Web3 Institute
2023 was a foundational year for the Web3 Institute. Despite the agility required by the market and policy changes, we have managed to establish a locus for Web3 innovation from Ukraine to the EU and across the globe. The Web3 Institute’s activity focuses on three stakeholder groups: Academy, Business, and Government. Thank you to all of our partners!
Why we started the Web3 Institute
- To support and enforce Ukraine’s Web3 for Digital Economy Concept
- To advance collaboration between the public and private sectors with innovative tools for dialogue
- To offer comprehensive programming that supports entrepreneurs and public sector innovation in the Web3 space
- To establish Ukraine as a hub for Web3 research
- To bridge the gap in Web3 education with an ethical and inclusive approach
- To contribute to overall economic growth through Web3 adoption
A Summary of Our Activities in 2023
- Partnered with IEEE and held the Inaugural DLT Forum
- Joined the Plurality Network to helped to translate their book to Ukranian
- Published research “Talk to Founders” with insights from 40+ Ukranian web3 founders
- Developed further the government-supported Web3 education program on crypto literacy
- Supported of the creation of the Sandbox in the Ministry of Digital Transformation
- Contributed to the National Innovation Strategy (to be released by the Ministry of Digital Transformation early 2024).
Now in more details.
Academy: Activity and Highlights
The W3I Academy Team focuses on developing relationships with academic institutions, furthering research from within Ukraine, and bringing educational and training resources to general and specialized audiences.
Basic Course on Crypto Literacy
/w=32,quality=90,fit=scale-down){kind=small}
Since the launch last year we’ve got
- Total students enrolled – 20K
- Students completed module 1 – 2.6K
- Total media outreach Dec 2022 — Jul 2023 – 7M
This year we’ll be adding and extending modules on DeFi, DAOs, Career Opportunities etc. Also we intend to support the creation of students hubs at the main universities. We’re looking for partners and funders for this project, please reach out if you’re interested.
“Talk to Founders” Inaugural Report
/w=32,quality=90,fit=scale-down){kind=small}
The “Talk to Founders” report discussed opportunities, enablers, and blockers with a representive group of Web3 founders in Ukraine. The first instalment of this annual report has already delivered valuable insights and helped to determine the W3I programs that will serve founders.
Last year we were glad to support 1st scientific conference on blockchains and web3 in Ukraine. Thanks to IEEE and Sergii Grybniak many great mind gathered to support Ukraine and advance together the state of the technology. You can find of our team member talks here:
- 00:01:00 Sergiy's Introduction
- 01:10:40 Web3 Institute Intro
- 07:32:54 Web3 Institute Education
- 04:25:34 Eric Glen Weyl & Ria Panina
Plurality & RadicalX movement partnership
The W3I has engaged with multiple platforms and communities to enhance the contribution that Ukraine makes to the global web3 community. This year we are very proud to have engaged with Plurality.network and the RadicalX movement to support events and bring Ukrainian resources into each community. To learn more about Plurality and our contribution to their global publication, see the links below:
Business: Activity and Highlights
The W3I Business Team focuses on supporting the private sector and specifically entrepreneurs in the Web3 space with incubation, acceleration, and serving the public sector in Ukraine. The business team advocates for Ukrainian innovation within the global community and helps to connect communities across Europe and the world. Our regular qualitative research faciliates dialogue between the private and public sector in Ukraine on topics related to Web3.
Innovation Sandbox
The Innovation Sandbox is the first program undertaken by the business team in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation. A sandbox that supports the private sector with offerings that need regulator consideration was a key requirement of the private exposed by “Talk to Founders”. The innovation sandbox will continue to be developed over 2024. We anticipate tackling first projects in Q3/Q4.
Global Mentorship Program
The business team is currently developing a mentorship program that connects Ukrainian founders with relevant teams from around the globe to improve start-up success in Ukraine. The program will gather a rolodex of global leaders in the space and access and matchmaking support will be offered to founders in Ukraine by W3I. Access will begin in Q2 2024.
Government: Activity and Highlights
The W3I Government Team works directly with the Ministry of Digital Transformation to support government initiatives and policy. We participate actively with the Digital Economy team to provide critical perspective on the role the Web3 can play in Ukraine’s digital economy and economic recovery overall.
National Innovation Strategy
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine stated a task in creation of a cohesive innovation strategy for Ukraine. Web3 Sandbox and Education are described there in collaboration with our team. Now it will help to move the project as a part of this strategy. You can find more at https://winwin.gov.ua/en
Policy Makers in the Dialogue
We have been educating and advocating to legislators about the Virtual Assets (VA), Decentralized Finance (DeFi), and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). We have also been creating a public discussion with legislators and businesses about the opportunities that Web3 presents. Check out the panel on Policy and Standard as the Path to Mass Adoption we had on the DLT Forum with
- Oleksandr Bornyakov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
- Ricardo Simoes, Executive Director, INATBA
- Yu Yuan, President of IEEE Standards Association, Director, IEEE Board of Directors
- Oleksandr Kurbatov, Distributed Lab
Thanks again for your support, wish you the best in 2024, Web3 Institute team.