Hacking in Goa

I've always imagined college as a whirlwind of spontaneous adventures—late-night escapades with friends, impromptu road trips, and the kind of carefree days that movies love to romanticize. But my reality took a different turn, and instead of chasing that classic college dream, I found myself diving headfirst into something far more exhilarating: Hacker House Goa, a Web3 hackathon that felt like a rollercoaster of innovation and intensity.

Getting selected was no small feat. With over 5,000 participants vying for a spot, our team, McQuade, pushed through the rigorous submission process, and when we got the green light, it was a rush like no other. But there was a catch—our semester exams. Somehow, Melvin Salvius, Meeka Simson, and I managed to power through those grueling tests and board our flight just in time. It was my first time flying, and as the plane ascended, so did my excitement. Watching the world shrink below me, the tiny buildings, the clouds beneath us—it was like a metaphor for the adventure that lay ahead, full of limitless possibilities.

Day 1: A Storm of Ideas

The moment we touched down in Goa, it was game on. We arrived at the venue by 5 pm, barely unpacked, and plunged straight into brainstorming. The room buzzed with ideas, each more ambitious than the last. We finally whittled it down to three:

1. A decentralized platform for those areas where AI falls short—like empathy, critical thinking, or legal advice—things that only human touch can master.
2. A platform to connect up-and-coming musicians with directors, offering new talent a chance to shine in the spotlight.
3. A decentralized marketplace for buying and selling royalties.

The debate was intense, but in the end, we chose to build the royalty trading platform. It felt like the perfect blend of innovation and real-world application, with the potential to make a significant impact.

Day 2: Diving Deep

On the second day, we turned our attention to the nitty-gritty details of royalties—how they operate, the intricacies of the market, and how we could bring something fresh to the table. The stakes were high, and we knew we had to stand out. With that in mind, we decided to integrate the powerful tools offered by our hackathon sponsors: Diamante Blockchain, The Graph, and Garden Finance. Armed with this knowledge, we mapped out a comprehensive blueprint for our platform, visualizing everything from the core features to the user experience.

Day 3: Building the Dream

Choosing Vite as our framework was a no-brainer. Its ability to seamlessly integrate with Web3 tools made it the ideal foundation for our platform. With our Figma designs as our guide, we started bringing the concept to life. Every line of code was a step closer to our vision, and by the end of the day, our platform’s user interface was taking shape, pixel by pixel.

Day 4: The Heart of the Machine

With the frontend ready, it was time to breathe life into our platform through integrations. First up was the Garden Finance SDK, which enabled us to offer BTC to WBTC swaps—essential for our royalty transactions. The speed was impressive, with swaps completing in just 30 seconds, perfectly aligning with our need for quick, reliable transactions. Next, we turned to the Diamante Blockchain, known for its security and scalability, ensuring our platform could handle complex royalty transactions without breaking a sweat.

Day 5: The Final Push

The last day was a race against the clock. Our focus shifted to The Graph, a tool that promised real-time tracking and querying of transactions across the blockchain. It was the missing piece that could elevate our platform to the next level. But time wasn’t on our side, and despite our best efforts, we couldn’t fully integrate it before the deadline. Still, we submitted our project, knowing that we had given it our all.

Hacker House Goa wasn’t just our first Web3 hackathon—it was a transformative experience. It wasn’t about just coding; it was about pushing boundaries, embracing challenges, and evolving as a team. Even though we didn’t achieve everything we set out to, the knowledge we gained, the connections we made, and the memories we created made it all worthwhile. This journey was a testament to what’s possible when you dare to dream big and dive into the unknown.