From classrooms to hackathons, how builders across India and Turkey shaped the future on Algorand

When the Algorand Developer Program began, it started with a simple belief: real innovation begins with education.

Over the past few months, that belief has turned into a thriving ecosystem of builders, creators, and communities across India and Turkey.

From university workshops to high-energy hackathons, from students writing their first lines of code to founders building scalable solutions, this program became one of the most impactful builder initiatives in web3 this year. 

Here’s what we accomplished together:

🇮🇳 India: Where the Spark Began

India became the foundation of the Algorand builder movement. Between August and September 2025, six community events brought together hundreds of students and professionals who shared one goal: to learn, build, and launch their ideas on Algorand.

Workshops in Hyderabad, Kerala, Delhi, Jaipur, and Bangalore introduced developers to Algorand Standard Assets, smart contract development, and the deployment of decentralized applications (dApps).

A community meetup at Providence College of Engineering connected mentors and newcomers, forming the first Algorand learning network in the region.

The Buildstation in Kolkata then brought more than 100 developers together for 36 hours of nonstop creation, producing 32 prototypes spanning DeFi, gaming, and infrastructure.

Each event turned curiosity into skill. Many participants who joined their first workshop went on to win hackathons only weeks later.

🇮🇳 Bangalore: Hack the Infinite

On September 11–12, 2025, more than 130 developers gathered at The Hub Bangalore for Hack the Infinite, organized under AlgoBharat in partnership with Rise In. Within 36 hours, developers shipped 45 projects across various categories, including AI x Blockchain, Payments, and Technical Excellence. The event featured practical workshops by Algorand mentors Marco Podien and Brian Whippo, turning guidance into action and ideas into live products.

🇮🇳 Kolkata: Culture Meets Code

A few days later, the program arrived in Kolkata, a city known for its creativity and curiosity. On September 16–17, 2025, AlgoHack Kolkata, powered by Algorand and Rise In, hosted over 100 developers who built 32 projects in 24 hours.

The hackathon merged cultural imagination with technical problem-solving. It showed how local creativity can translate into tangible innovation on Algorand.

🇹🇷 Turkey: When Builders Took Over Istanbul

The journey continued west to Istanbul, where creativity met technology. During Builders Week Istanbul, Rise In and the Algorand Foundation brought together more than 45 developers and Web3 innovators for an evening of connection and inspiration. Ideas flowed, collaborations sparked, and the night closed with an exciting announcement: AlgoHack Istanbul, a $10,000 hackathon powered by the Algorand Foundation.

In the weeks leading up to the hackathon, Rise In also launched a dedicated online learning program, where participants learned the fundamentals of building on Algorand. Developers explored blockchain concepts, practiced with hands-on projects, and got ready to bring their ideas to life during the hackathon.

On the first weekend of October, fifty developers gathered again for AlgoHack Istanbul. Over two days, the energy never faded. Teams designed and built 24 decentralized applications from scratch, from DeFi tools and AI-powered assistants to developer SDKs and consumer payment systems.

Together, these moments marked more than just events; they built momentum, community, and a shared vision for the future of decentralized innovation.

Projects That Created Real Value

Every ecosystem grows through ideas, but only a few projects create lasting impact. Across the AlgoHack editions in Bangalore, Kolkata, and Istanbul, several teams stood out for their creativity, execution, and real contribution to the Algorand ecosystem. These projects turned technical innovation into value that will continue to shape how people build on Algorand.

🥇 Apollon – Istanbul Edition Winner ($2,500)

Category: DeFi Oracle and AI Integration
Built by: Protocol Rebels

What it does:
Apollon is a price prediction oracle that improves the accuracy of DeFi strategies by bringing verified, real-world data to the Algorand blockchain. It enhances transparency and reliability across decentralized applications.

Why it matters:
Accurate data is the foundation of decentralized finance. Apollon introduced a new way to connect external data sources with Algorand’s smart contracts, ensuring both trust and precision. It remains one of the most technically advanced DeFi tools developed within the AlgoHack series.

🥈 AlgoTricks – Bangalore Edition Winner ($2,000)

Category: AI x DeFi Infrastructure
Built by: VisionY Team

What it does:
AlgoTricks created an AI-powered DeFi assistant that automates complex financial tasks such as swaps, portfolio balancing, and yield optimization. It gives users an intuitive and accessible way to interact with decentralized finance.

Why it matters:
By merging artificial intelligence with blockchain, AlgoTricks lowers the entry barrier for new users and makes DeFi tools easier to use. It highlights Algorand’s ability to support innovation that balances speed, simplicity, and real-world usability.

🥉 AlgoPay – Bangalore Edition Winner ($2,000)

Category: Payments SDK
Built by: Algopay Team

What it does:
AlgoPay developed a plug-and-play SDK that allows any online business to accept Algorand payments instantly. It offers merchant onboarding, wallet verification, and retail integration in just a few lines of code.

Why it matters:
AlgoPay bridges the gap between traditional and blockchain-based payments. Its simple integration model positions it as a scalable solution for everyday transactions and Web3 commerce built on Algorand.

🏅 Algorand-MCP – Kolkata Edition Winner ($500)

Category: Developer Infrastructure
Built by: Hatif & Team

What it does:
Algorand-MCP is a developer toolkit that provides more than 50 ready-to-use APIs for account management, asset operations, and smart contract execution. It reduces development time dramatically and allows builders to focus on innovation instead of setup.

Why it matters:
Algorand-MCP makes building on Algorand faster and easier. Its open approach inspired other teams to reuse its components during the same hackathon, showing the power of collaborative infrastructure.

🏅 AlgoRun – Kolkata Edition Winner ($500)

Category: Web3 Gaming
Built by: Snehendu Roy & Team

What it does:
AlgoRun is an on-chain gamified betting platform that makes Web3 gaming transparent and community-driven. Every move, score, and result is verifiable on Algorand’s blockchain.

Why it matters:
AlgoRun proved that Algorand’s scalability and low latency can support interactive, real-time gaming experiences. It also showed that blockchain can power not just financial tools but cultural and entertainment experiences as well.

What We Built Together

In just three months, the Algorand Developer Program connected education, community, and innovation in a single, continuous journey.

Behind every number lies a story of curiosity transformed into courage, and courage transformed into code.

A Shared Vision for the Future

From Delhi to Istanbul, one message was clear: Innovation happens when learning meets opportunity.

The Algorand Developer Program has proven that real progress starts with trust in people, mentorship, and open collaboration.

Algorand has shown what it means to be an ecosystem that welcomes everyone. By giving both students and experienced developers the tools and support they need, it has built a foundation that encourages creativity and confidence.

This openness has become the defining strength of Algorand’s community. It has been shown that a blockchain can be more than a network; it can be a home for people who want to build the future together.

About the Partners

Algorand Foundation
Building a transparent, inclusive, and sustainable digital economy powered by blockchain. Supporting developers, startups, and innovators who are shaping the next generation of decentralized applications.

Rise In
A global talent ecosystem connecting over 200,000 developers with leading Web3 protocols through bootcamps, hackathons, and learning programs across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and LATAM.

What’s Next

The journey is only beginning. New cohorts, regional bootcamps, and global hackathons are already being planned for 2026.

What makes this growth so powerful is Algorand’s openness and its willingness to support anyone who wants to build something meaningful. By combining technology with trust and by investing in education and people, Algorand has proven that true innovation grows from inclusion.

This program is more than a milestone. It is a promise. A promise that Algorand will continue to empower builders everywhere to create technology that is fast, fair, and made for everyone.

Because the future of Algorand is not just written in code. It is written by people.