NEARCON ‘23 Lifts Off: Start Your Journey into the Open Web
NEAR FOUNDATION
November 8, 2023
Lisbon is about to light up as NEARCON ‘23 kicks off in the heart of the city. The stars are aligned for Day One to kick things off in spectacular fashion with a wide array of sessions, speakers, and activities you won’t want to miss.

Doors open at 9:00 AM for breakfast, so make sure to head on over bright an early, grab a bite with your fellow NEARCON-goers. And stay connected throughout the conference with Calimero Chat for private, decentralized comms on the NEAR blockchain.

So start off the most iconic NEARCON yet and catch some of the most intriguing and impactful happenings on what promises to be an epic first day of NEARCON ‘23.

Can’t miss speaker sessions 
Speaker stages ramp up at 10:45 AM until 5:30 PM, so set your alarms for an invigorating start to NEARCON ‘23 with sessions that promise to shape your understanding of the open web and the NEAR ecosystem.

NEAR: The Open Web Stack (2:00 PM – 2:30 PM at Layer 1 Stage). Join Illia Polosukhin, CEO of NEAR Foundation and NEAR co-founder, as he shares his strategic vision on what’s next for the NEAR ecosystem.
Regulating the Open Web (1:40 PM – 2:00 PM, Layer 1 Stage). Michael Casey from CoinDesk and NEAR Foundation COO Chris Donovan take a forward-thinking look at regulatory headwinds and regional approaches to open web regulations.
Innovations in AI, Account Abstraction, and NFTs Today (3:00PM – 3:15 PM, Layer 2 stage). If you’re into the intersection of AI and NFTs, Nate Grier of Mintbase’s talk is one you won’t want to miss.
Marketing Through Web3 Mechanisms at DevHub and Beyond (4:15 PM – 4:30 PM,
Block Zero Stage). Shardog’s Joe Spano shares how the open web provides unique opportunities to create relationships while allowing users to retain control and privacy.

More speaker highlights
The Interop Future (11:30 AM – 12:00PM at Layer 1 Stage). An in-depth panel including Aurora founder Alex Shevchenko, and Mariano Sorgente of a16z will dive into  NEAR’s critical role in driving open web interoperability.
Unstore Your Data for the AI Revolution (11:20 AM – 11:40AM at Block Zero Stage). Don’t miss Jonathan Bryce and Polina Aladina from OnMachina as they delve into the future of data and AI, exploring new ways of working with unstructured data.
Anjali Young’s Web3 Advertising Revolution (1:15 PM – 1:30 PM, Layer 2 Stage). Dive into the world of advertising and the open web with Anjali Young from Collab.Land. She’ll illustrate how Web3 is redefining brand-customer relationships through community engagement, NFTs, and token-gated communities.
Richard Muirhead’s Vision of the Open Economy (4:30PM – 4:45 PM, Layer 1 Stage). Fabric Ventures’ Richard Muirhead presents a compelling vision of 2023’s open economy, discussing the profound impact of token economics and the massive impact of AI on decentralized economies.
Conclude your day enriched with insights from these thought leaders of the open web, and get revved up for the evening networking and festivities.

Hackathon and HZN1 in full force
There’s also tons of activity for builders, founders, and developers during Day One. Things kick off at 9:00AM with the all day HZ1 Retreat for Founders. It’s an invite-only event so if you’re on the list, get ready for a full day of jumpstarting your vision supported by the best open web experts until 5:00PM.

And then there’s what promises to be an epic Hackathon. Make sure you’re registered, submit your projects, and join your fellow builders over at the Hacker HQ. Get the full low-down over at the official NEARCON ‘23 Hackathon webpage, and kick things off with a full day of hacking and B.O.S building.

Finally, there’s the invite-only Validator Session at Hacker HQ from 1:00-4:00PM, so if you’re registered for that don’t forget to check it out and participate.

Must attend side events
SailGP Happy Hour (5:45 – 7:00 PM, SailGP Lounge, Layer 2 Stage): Wind down from a dynamic day of sessions and celebrate the community spirit of NEARCON ‘23 with one of the pioneers of Web3 and fan engagement..
Opening Night Party (8:00 PM, Pavilhão Carlos Lopes): Don’t miss Day One’s biggest networking event, sponsored by Cosmose AI and BitGo, where the energy of NEARCON ‘23 will be on full display under the Lisbon stars.
Shout out to the Day One sponsors
A heartfelt thanks to our sponsors that highlighted Day One of NEARCON ‘23:

SailGP
BitGo
Cosmose AI
PlayEmber
Aurora Labs
Day One of NEARCON promises to be an amazing kick off to an iconic gathering of minds, builders, and creators in the open web. From interoperability and cryptonomics to drinks and brainstorming well into the night, make sure to mark your calendars for all of the notable speakers and sessions that will make Day One a simply can’t miss.