DIMO @ Consensus 2024 Recap

Howdy, partner! This past week, the web3 industry gathered in Austin, Texas for the ninth annual Consensus conference hosted by CoinDesk. Every year, the event is a celebration of big ideas and creative projects, and there certainly was no shortage of DePIN!

A few members of the DriveDIMO team made the trip down south to spread the word on the world’s first open mobility network. Read on to learn more about all the DIMO happenings from a week in the wild web3 west.

Gen C Demo Area

Hundreds of projects gathered on the expo floor, and DIMO was excited to be one of them. The team was thrilled to activate in the Gen C Demo Area, where a group of projects got to demonstrate the power of decentralized hardware devices.

Joe Bender & Karina Popovich from the DriveDIMO team were on-site and sharing how vehicle data is misused by car manufacturers and drivers should have power over who gets access to their data. Passerbys got to go hands-on with the two hardware devices, AutoPi & Macaron, and developers were particularly curious about the recently launched DIMO Developer SDK.

License Plate NFT

To commemorate the occasion, DIMO launched a limited edition NFT on Base for attendees to collect. Available through Zora, this spinning license plate lets collectors add a keepsake to their NFT portfolio while also signaling their support for automotive autonomy. At the demo area, there was an IYK disc that directed anyone who scanned with their phone to the Zora minting page. Over 170 were minted, and DIMO is already planning some future variations to the license plate. Keep your eyes peeled at future events to collect them all…

DePIN Degen Happy Hour

There have been a lot of trends in crypto throughout the years. DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and other sectors have all pushed the space forward and spawned a host of new experiments. However, DePIN has proven to be one of the most collaborative and synergetic ecosystems in the history of web3. Physical infrastructure adds an entirely new variable to the blockchain equation, and DePIN projects are prioritizing working together and interoperability to achieve novel solutions.

A large number of those projects came together to sponsor the DePIN Degen Happy Hour, hosted by the Unleashing DePIN podcast. Friends from IoTeX, Peaq, FOAM, and many other DePIN projects packed into the venue for good food, great conversation, and a competitive Super Smash Bros. tournament.

IoTeX R3AL WORLD

IoTeX also brought back their R3AL WORLD series in Austin for an afternoon of informative talks and forward-thinking panels. Similarly to EthDenver, it was a fantastic forum that brought together DePIN builders and users alike.

DriveDIMO CTO Yevgeny Khessin joined a panel to share learnings from building one of the most adopted DePIN projects. Joined by representatives from Helium, Geodnet, and Noodle Network, Yev talked about how teams shouldn’t be afraid to build consumer apps that users integrate into their daily lifestyle.

IoTeX has posted the video in its entirety over on X if you’d like to hear the whole conversation.

The Gallery by Helium Mobile - Deep Dive on DePIN 

During the main conference, Helium Mobile set up shop at a relaxing side venue they called The Gallery. Yev joined another panel deep diving on DePIN with a handful of builders that have years of experience developing hardware solutions. Moderated by Shawn Cheng, a partner at ConsenSys Mesh and investor in DIMO, industry leaders from WeatherXM, Helium, and FutureBit shared valuable advice that any future DePIN founder should keep in mind.

Consensus Day 3 Panel - Hardware for the People

On the final day of the conference, DIMO co-founder Alex Rawitz took to the Money Reimagined stage for a rockstar panel discussing how DePIN physical infrastructure is hardware made for the people. Joined by subject matter experts from Helium, Hotspotty, and Youbi Capital, Alex planted the open mobility flag and asserted his thesis that a decentralized vehicle network is better for drivers than big auto corporate silos.

De:PIN Day Austin

Finally, to close out the week of festivities, Yev stopped by de:pin day hosted by Fluence DAO. This was their third time throwing the event, with the previous two being at EthDenver & EthBerlin. In a burgeoning sector, it’s critical to get builders in the same room to swap stories on all the successes and roadblocks encountered when engineering DePIN platforms. During the panel, Yev shared learnings from years of experience in the automotive industry and the approaches DIMO has for tackling engineering hurdles. Be sure to register for the Brussels stop if you’re heading to EthCC.

There’s nothing more uplifting than seeing some DIMO diehards out in the real world, and them showing off their car in DIMO Mobile. All of the inventive decentralized tech at crypto conferences only reinforces the resolve to build a more transparent & equitable transportation industry.

Next up, DIMO co-founders Alex Rawitz and Rob Solomon will be heading to Brussels, Belgium in early July for the seventh iteration of the renowned EthCC conference. See you there!

Check out the DIMO @ Consensus 2024 Highlight Reel