Base Global Buildathons Offered 100 ETH in Prizes

Rather than focusing exclusively on DeFi, Base challenged participants to create onchain applications addressing problems in their local communities or to use existing onchain technology to bring real-world activities onchain.

The initiative was followed by Base community events across several major cities, extending the network's developer outreach into regional markets.

Base Took Its Builder Program Global

Base Around the World focused on four major regions:

• Africa

• India

• Southeast Asia

• Latin America

Base said these markets represented an opportunity to support developers building applications around the specific needs of their communities.

At the time of the announcement, Base said 74% of onchain builders lived outside the United States, highlighting the increasingly international nature of blockchain development.

Each regional buildathon used a broad challenge: developers could create an onchain application addressing a local problem or use existing blockchain infrastructure to bring a real-world activity onchain.

That gave participants significant flexibility over the applications they could build.

100 ETH in Total Prizes

Base allocated a combined 100 ETH prize pool across the regional competitions.

Each region received 25 ETH, with multiple winners eligible to receive prizes depending on the results of their respective buildathons.

Individual awards ranged from approximately 3.125 ETH to 12.5 ETH, including contributions connected to Talent Protocol.

Base also offered opportunities beyond the ETH prizes, including exposure through its ecosystem and connections with other builders and members of the Base team.

The competitions were managed through Devfolio and were subject to individual regional participation rules.

What Developers Could Build

Base deliberately kept the buildathon prompt broad rather than restricting participants to traditional DeFi projects.

Suggested areas included localized social applications, ecommerce platforms, educational resources, creator tools and applications designed to improve access to the onchain economy.

Developers could also create community-focused infrastructure or applications designed to bring existing economic and social activities onchain.

The approach gave teams room to identify local problems first and then determine whether blockchain infrastructure could provide a practical solution.

For Base, this strategy could help broaden the range of applications built on the network beyond purely crypto-native financial products.

Base Followed Buildathons With Regional Events

The online buildathons were followed by a series of regional Base community events.

The schedule included events in:

Buenos Aires — October 29
Nairobi — November 4
Bangalore — November 7
Bangkok — November 12
Singapore — November 18
Manila — November 20

Jesse Pollak was scheduled to participate remotely in the Buenos Aires event, while several of the other locations featured in-person gatherings.

The events provided developers with another opportunity to connect with the Base ecosystem after participating in the regional buildathons.

Base Around the World — Regional Event Schedule

Builder Growth Remains Central to Base's Strategy

Although Base Around the World was launched in 2024, international developer expansion remains part of Base's broader strategy.

Base's 2026 Mission, Vision and Strategy identifies three major priorities: building global markets, scaling payments and stablecoins, and making Base a home for builders.

According to Base, the network processed more than $17 trillion in stablecoin volume during 2025, spanning 26 local currencies and 17 countries.

Base also says it funded more than 50 teams through Base Batches during 2025.

Its builder strategy includes developer programs, infrastructure and other initiatives designed to make it easier for developers to launch applications and businesses onchain.

Base Expands Cross-Chain Infrastructure

Base's developer ecosystem is also becoming more connected to other blockchain networks.

One major development is the Base-Solana Bridge, which has launched on mainnet.

The bridge uses Chainlink CCIP alongside Coinbase infrastructure to enable assets to move between Base and Solana.

Developers can use the infrastructure to integrate SOL and SPL tokens into applications built on Base, creating another route for liquidity and assets from the Solana ecosystem to interact with Base applications.

The development supports Base's broader ambition of building an interconnected onchain economy rather than operating as an isolated blockchain ecosystem.

Why Regional Builder Programs Matter for Base

Regional buildathons can help Base expand the number and variety of applications built on the network.

Developers in Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America may encounter different challenges around payments, ecommerce, financial access, education and creator monetization.

Allowing builders to focus on those local requirements can produce applications that differ from products developed primarily for established crypto markets.

For Base, the longer-term opportunity is turning these developer communities into sustainable applications capable of attracting users and economic activity onchain.

The strategy also aligns with Base's broader focus on global markets, stablecoin payments and developer infrastructure.

What to Watch Next for Base

Base's current strategy continues to place significant emphasis on builders, global markets and onchain applications.

Developer programs such as Base Batches provide another route for early-stage teams to access ecosystem support.

Cross-chain infrastructure such as the Base-Solana Bridge could also expand what developers can build by giving applications access to assets and liquidity originating on other networks.

At the same time, Base's focus on payments and stablecoins could create additional opportunities for developers building applications around commerce and financial infrastructure.

Conclusion

Base Around the World expanded the network's developer outreach across Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America, with regional buildathons offering a combined 100 ETH in prizes.

The competitions ran from September 27 to October 13, 2024, followed by regional events across Buenos Aires, Nairobi, Bangalore, Bangkok, Singapore and Manila.

While the initiative originated in 2024, its focus on international developers remains aligned with Base's current strategy around builders, global markets, payments and stablecoins.

With Base continuing to support developers while expanding interoperability through infrastructure such as the Base-Solana Bridge, global builder participation remains an important part of the network's broader onchain strategy.

• Base — Base Around the World Announcement

• Base — 2026 Mission, Vision and Strategy

• Base — Base-Solana Bridge Mainnet Announcement

• Base — Official Blog