Proposal: Scroll zkEVM Hackathon – Accelerating DeFi Innovation on Scroll

Proposals
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Summary

This proposal requests funding from Scroll DAO for the Scroll ZK-Hackathon, an initiative aimed at empowering blockchain and traditional developers to build DeFi and other applications leveraging Scroll zkEVM’s scalable ZK-Rollups. By providing targeted training, hands-on development experience, and post-event mentorship, this initiative will increase developer adoption, drive real-world DeFi implementations, and enhance the Scroll ecosystem.

This program is structured into three core components:

  1. Virtual ZK-Rollup Training Labs – Hands-on Scroll zkEVM and ZK-DeFi workshops.
  2. In-Person zkEVM Developer Bootcamps – Training sessions in key developer hubs.
  3. Scroll ZK-DeFi Hackathon – A hackathon focused on DeFi applications optimized for Scroll zkEVM which will be accessible to developers globally both web2 and web3 based.

Funding Request & Support

  • Total Request from Scroll DAO: $25,000
  • Ethereum Support Program (ESP) Sponsorship: $5,000 (Confirmed for Hackathon Segment)
  • Duration: 3 months

Expected Outcomes

  • 50-100+ developers trained in Scroll zkEVM & DeFi.
  • 10-20 DeFi and other dapp MVPs leveraging Scroll zkEVM developed.
  • Winning projects transition into the DAO DeFi Grant Program for further scaling.

Motivation

Ethereum’s shift towards scalable Layer 2 solutions has made zk-Rollups an important part of the DeFi ecosystem. However, many developers lack practical experience integrating Scroll zkEVM especially in DeFi applications. This initiative addresses this gap by onboarding developers through structured training and hands-on implementation while ensuring that winning projects move forward through Scroll’s existing grant system.

Why This Proposal Matters for Scroll DAO

  • Expands Scroll’s developer base by training new builders in zk-Rollup-based DeFi solutions.
  • Increases Scroll adoption by funding projects that directly integrate with Scroll zkEVM.
  • Strengthens Scroll’s DeFi ecosystem by ensuring that winning projects move into the DAO DeFi Grant Program for sustained growth.

Execution

1. Operational Plan

This initiative consists of three key phases:

Phase 1: Developer Training & Ecosystem Expansion (Months 1)

  • Train 50-100 developers in Scroll zkEVM, ZK-Rollup scalability, and DeFi integration.
  • Conduct three in-person bootcamps (in Lagos, Nigeria) focused on real-world DeFi applications on Scroll.
  • Foster engagement with potential DeFi and other use cases, including NFT, payments and stablecoins.

Phase 2: Scroll ZK-DeFi Hackathon (Early-Stage MVP Development) (Months 2-3)

Hybrid hackathon (online & in-person) focused on Scroll zkEVM DeFi solutions: which may include the following:

  • zk-Rollup Optimized Stablecoins & Payments on Scroll**.
  • zk-Proof-Based Randomness**.
  • Layer 2 Lending & Borrowing Models Optimized for Scroll zkEVM**.
  • Ethereum Support Program (ESP) has committed $5,000** toward the hackathon.

Phase 3: Transitioning Winning Projects to the DAO DeFi Grant Program (Months 3-4)

  • Provide post-hackathon mentorship to winning teams, ensuring that their MVPs are funding ready.
  • Assist teams in preparing DAO DeFi Grant applications to secure funding for further development.
  • Establish a long-term Scroll zkEVM developer community through ongoing technical support and ecosystem engagement.

Personnel & Resources

Past Work:

Research and Education:
We conducted thorough research on Layer 2 solutions and Arbitrum, culminating in the publication of a comprehensive guide to mastering Arbitrum. This includes:

Event Management:

Primary Team Members:

  • Project Lead - Abdulkareem Oyeneye, experienced developer marketer and project manager with a strong background in the web3 space and expertise in identifying technical needs of protocols.

  • Blockchain Engineer - Musa Abdulkareem, a core developer at Nethermind where he focuses on build robust ZK blockchain toolkits for the Starknet ecosystem.

  • Blockchain Engineer - Emmanuel Charles, experienced in Rust, TypeScript, C++, with a focus on blockchain development and quality assurance.

4. Financial Breakdown

Expense Item Cost (USD) Details
Virtual zkEVM Training Labs $5,000 Online workshops covering Scroll zkEVM, DeFi, and ZK scalability
In-Person Developer Bootcamps $12,000 3-5-day bootcamps in prominent tech cities in Lagos, Nigeria
Hybrid Scroll ZK-DeFi Hackathon $10,000 $5K ESP grant, $5K additional funding from Scroll DAO.
Marketing & Community Growth $3,000 Ads, event branding, outreach campaigns
Total Request from Scroll DAO $25,000 Total program cost minus ESP grant contribution

Kindly check here for further budget breakdown

Expected Outcomes:

  • 50-100 developers onboarded into Scroll zkEVM & DeFi development**.
  • 10-20 Scroll-integrated DeFi MVPs created during the training, bootcamp and hackathon program.
  • Winning projects transition into the DAO DeFi Grant Program for continued growth.
  • Active developer community supporting Scroll zkEVM post-event.

Measuring Success:

  • Hackathon engagement metrics.
  • Developer retention rate post-training including active contributors to Scroll projects.
  • GitHub repo activity for Scroll zkEVM-based projects.

Conclusion

The Scroll zkEVM Hackathon is a sustainable initiative designed to onboard new developers, expand Scroll’s ecosystem, and produce fundable DeFi MVPs. With ESP co-sponsoring the hackathon segment and Scroll DAO funding developer training and post-hackathon mentorship, this initiative ensures that Scroll’s ecosystem receives high-quality DeFi projects that integrate directly with its infrastructure.

Also, with the DAO DeFi Grant Program, this initiative serves as a pre-selection mechanism for high-potential projects, ensuring that Scroll DAO receives funding-ready applications from top developers.

1 Like
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Hi @DappsoverApps. Thanks for sharing your proposal idea. I have a few clarifying questions:

  • Would this hackathon be exclusive to Scroll or as part of a series of hackathons where other protocols are involved?
  • Is the grant from ESP confirmed? Was it positioned as an ETH hackathon, zk one, or a Scroll specific one?
  • Are these 50-100 developers already in your community or you would recruit new members to join?
  • Do you already have experience working with Scroll or would you need support in terms of developing and delivering the content? Have you collaborated with or partaken in any existing Scroll related activities?

Looking forward to hearing your answers and what the community thinks.

2 Likes
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Hi @eugene. Thank you so much for your questions. Below are the answers to them:

Yes, the hackathon will be exclusive to Scroll. However, we may allow participant to leverage cross-chain integration from other EVM protocols, giving room for freedom and creativity in their project while primarily building on Scroll.

The initial focus was on onboarding new zk-SNARK projects and training developers on ZK technology leveraging the EVM. The ESP confirmed to support the initiative with the expectation that a ZK protocol in the Ethereum ecosystem (Scroll) takes the lead.

  • While we have onboarded over 100 developers from previous projects with NEAR and Arbitrum, we won’t want to limit the participants to our current community members. We will make participation open to everyone globally (especially the hackathon) and maximize our reach through strategic offline and online campaigns.
  • We have a strong team of experienced EVM and ZK engineers, whose expertise is highly transferable to Scroll zkEVM. While we haven’t led a Scroll-specific initiative yet, we have actively engaged in both online and in-person Scroll events, gaining familiarity with its ecosystem.

We hope we have been able to clarify. Kindly let us know if you have more questions.

Thank you.

1 Like
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Thanks for the added information. I would recommend joining one of our upcoming governance calls, especially those focused on grants, and we’d be happy to give you some time to present your idea there.

Otherwise, we’ll wait to see what folks think via forum responses.

2 Likes
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Thank you for your response @eugene . We will be available for the governance call tomorrow. Looking forward to presenting our proposal. Thank you.

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Thanks @DappsoverApps for the proposal. Seems like a great initiative to me, especially with the DAO’s focus on regional hubs. Budget is very fair as well. I would encourage to work with the foundation for non-financial support as well, speaker, marketing, etc., especially if the focus is on deploying on Scroll.

1 Like
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Thank you so much for your input @bitblondy ! We would definitely work closely with the foundation as you have mentioned. Currently, we are having a closer look on where and when to kickstart the program with a local node activation afterward.

Thank you once again for going through the proposal. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

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Generally speaking, this feels good.

The vertical focus is great. Generalist programs provide underwhelming results. I don’t think Scroll should be focusing on DeFi though. PayFi is a more interesting target for Scroll (and currently prioritised by the grant program being proposed) that requires less having big liquidity (where Base, Arbitrum, etc will outcompete Scroll).

Hackathons are notoriously bad at providing real use cases. Participants tend to come up with ideas last minute, no market research, and no solid team formation. That leads to most hackathon projects being abandoned. Web2 stats show that a whopping 75% of winner abandon their projects!

As such, we have developed in RnDAO a research phase pre-hackathon, to identify promising use cases so that the work is not wasted. And also (now a live program with Arbitrum) a post-hackathon program to do proper customer research and validation.

It would be great if we don’t repeat the mistake in Scroll of organising hackathons where no value is generated (see last comment for suggestions)

who’s ESP? what’s their agenda?

So is the hackathon primarily IRL? Hybrid in which sense? This really needs to be clarifed throughout the proposal and the audience/positioning refined accordingly.

Given the low cost of the project, this is fine-ish. However, without connecting this to subsequent programs, 99% of the value is lost in our experience researching venture pipelines and ecosystem development and running our own hackathon.
A key mitigation factor here is for Scroll to get direct access to the list of participants. Without a mailing list, group, or otherwise transferring developers as leads for other programs, this hackathon is currently not worth doing IMO.