NFT.NYC 2023 may not have boasted the same wild energy as previous years, but the Web3 community is still going strong.

With the spotlight now on authentic artists and builders, the focus has shifted from pump-and-dump schemes to more substantial projects that redefine the Web3 landscape. The community has become the beating heart of the Web3 world. So, let's dive into the most noteworthy highlights and trends from NFT.NYC 2023, showcasing the conference's standout moments and ideas.

Source: Game Developers Conference

Expo hall at DCentral 2022

Over 3,000 DeFi and NFT builders and fans showed up to celebrate the growth of Web3 at DCentral, a two day conference in Downtown Miami. Despite the bear market, the event carried a positive sentiment. Although there were fewer attendees compared to years prior, we witnessed more diverse voices even more passionate and focused on creating real value and  achieving Web3 mass adoption. 

A line of demarcation has been forming in the world of cryptocurrency. On one side, speculators and gamblers play the markets only for profit. The tone of their social media posts fluctuates, jubilant when prices soar and fearful when they fall. On the other side is a group of technologists, entrepreneurs, and pragmatic believers. They recognize that while a financial renaissance may be within reach, it won’t be achieved without a sustained and collective effort for years to come. The second group is the one that showed up in droves this weekend.

A little over a week ago, we joined over 5,000 attendees at Permissionless in Palm Beach. Despite the state of the markets, the conference was filled with interesting talks, demos, enthusiasm, and excitement about what’s to come with Web3. Here are just a few highlights from this excellent event.

Devcon5 is upon us and coincides with Japan Blockchain Week — happening now! We’re sad not to be attending, but for those of you in Osaka for the annual Ethereum gathering, here is a curated list of events, talks and workshops that we would love to attend if we were there. There’s a great mix of programming for developers, researchers, infrastructure operators and more. As a UX Designer I was excited to see several product design and user experience-oriented talks.

Interested in emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence? What about environment-focused technologies related to recycling or reducing carbon emissions? If so, the MIT Enterprise Forum Startup Spotlight is happening next week in Boston and you won’t want to miss it. We’re excited Esprezzo has been selected to participate! Here’s what to expect.

This past Tuesday evening we held our latest blockchain education event, The Disruptive Power of Blockchain in Business, at General Assembly’s Boston campus. While our previous events covered introductory topics such as Blockchain 101 and An Introduction to Crypto Trading, this panel discussion focused on the real world business applications of blockchain technology that are impacting traditional business processes today. Not tomorrow, not five years from now, but today.