Worldcoin price

everyone keeps talking about replacing hackathons with accelerators to drive more adoption in web3. but i think both are broken. i’ve been seeing this take more and more on x and telegram lately. people suggesting hackathon budgets should go into accelerator-type programs instead. i’ve been thinking the same since last year at ethcc, but the real issue goes deeper than just switching formats and shifting budgets. quick recap where this is coming from. last year, many new l2s attempted to compete with larger players like base & polygon by taking the accelerator route. unable to match the top-funnel reach, they instead focused on supporting a few promising teams to raise funds and develop use cases directly on their chain. at the time, it made sense. these programs were straightforward. find founders with strong decks, help them raise millions, and get products out that could drive on-chain volume. but now, even that model feels outdated. just backing founders and hoping something sticks isn’t working anymore. we need to go deeper and ask what use-cases are actually worth building. especially after five years of noise, hype, and underdelivering projects. i remember when crypto had actual industry-level blockchain use-cases in mind. a lot turned out to be features, not real value props, but the ideas were: - supply chain: food traceability, anti-counterfeit - digital identity: verifiable credentials, academic certificates - iot: decentralized networks, industrial security - social and content: decentralized social media, music platforms - payments and finance: cross-border remittance, stablecoins in high-inflation economies, trade finance, ad rewards - enterprise and public: humanitarian aid coordination, public record integrity despite the buzz around blockchain startups with visionary goals, most haven't cracked the product-market fit code. sure, there are standouts like world, which has attracted millions and stands as a top web3 success story outside the typical chain framework (even though it's now a chain). beyond world and the payments and finance sectors, true triumphs in blockchain use-cases are rare. while high-profile projects like walmart's ibm food trust network, microsoft's nhs healthcare staff ids, and mit's blockchain diplomas made headlines, they often feel more like pr exercises than genuine success stories sparking widespread industry adoption. since ai lead the new investment bubble we haven't seen any enterprise business focusing on these use-cases outside of finance anymore. so why bring this up? because this is why i originally got into crypto. it wasn’t just about digital currency. it was about web3. an internet people own. apps on blockchains. something more. but that vision hasn’t materialized. and when i look at how ai is getting massive traction by simply turning existing saas into ai-powered tools that actually make money, i have to question where web3 really stands. so what now? back to my main point. we need to rethink how we grow. and by "we" i mean every chain. they have the resources to shape the direction of the entire space. hackathons aren't working. accelerators aren't enough either. we need a better plan. instead of every devrel, ecosystem lead, and growth team chasing the next hyped strategy to funnel money in, here’s what should happen: 1. figure out what use-cases you should build. the chain is just infra. now build actual products on top. don’t just hope others do it. 2. do your research. look at markets, past failures, opportunities. think like a VC & founders. then prioritize. 3. pick the most obvious, high-impact use-cases. for example, cross-border remittance and stablecoins in inflation-heavy economies. act like a venture studio, not an accelerator. the studio does the research and finds founders to execute. learn from openai. ai has been a part of technological evolution for years. major players like google possessed the capabilities to create something akin to chatgpt, yet it was openai that took the decisive step to launch a groundbreaking product. this singular move reshaped the landscape. blockchain projects must emulate this approach: develop tangible products, clearly demonstrate their value, and generate revenue. by doing so, they can catalyze growth and innovation within their ecosystems. it’s not just about having the technology; it’s about translating it into real-world applications that achieve product market fit. the infrastructure is there. the capital is there. the talent is there. what’s missing is ownership of execution. chains need to stop outsourcing the vision. if you believe in the future of web3, build it. don’t just fund it and hope something sticks. look at smaller protocols to see why this strategy works. they don't have massive budgets like big chains. running lean, they quickly learned that standard top-funnel tactics don't create sustainable impact. when funds dwindle, founders get creative, maximizing impact with minimal resources. this is where the venture studio concept emerged and accelerators took shape. underfunded protocols often pioneer strategies out of necessity. chains need to adopt this mindset, move past comfort zones, and focus on building and executing real products. in 10 years in crypto, smaller teams have consistently led with top marketing and growth strategies, optimizing spend brilliantly. for inspiration, look at them. they always lead the next iteration of strategies before the big players with money see and adopt them. we can’t afford another cycle of hype with no follow-through. if we want to see web3 succeed, chains need to lead by example and ship real products that solve real problems. that’s how we move from potential to impact.