Thank You – CATS 2026 Hackathon Day | NextChain Hub Ethiopia

Thank you to all teams and participants who joined us for the in-person hackathon session. Teams pitched their ideas, received valuable feedback, and took important steps toward refining their projects for CATS 2026.

We encourage teams to continue using the NextChain Hub space anytime to collaborate, iterate, and strengthen their solutions. Refinement is part of the journey.

We’ll be sharing a project update form soon for teams to submit progress and improvements.

📌 Key Dates

January 6 – Local NextChain Hub winners announcement

January 9 – Announcement of the top 5 teams advancing to the global stage


Thank you for your commitment, collaboration, and continued effort throughout this action-learning journey.

—
NextChain Hub Ethiopia
CATS 2026

📍 NextChain Hub Space — Open for Teams

Teams are welcome to use the NextChain Hub space anytime to work on their projects, collaborate, and refine their submissions.

If you need a place to:

Work with your team

Refine your project

Discuss feedback and next steps

Prepare for submissions

📌 Location:
In front of Bellevue Hotel
Star Building, 2nd Floor

🗺 Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/oz1Dg3eTh5tK9FAE6

Feel free to reach out before coming if you need support or access.

—
NextChain Hub Ethiopia

📌 CATS 2026 — Project Update Submission

As we move into the evaluation phase of CATS 2026, all teams are required to submit an updated status of their projects.

Please complete the project update form using the link below:

🔗 Project Update Form:
https://forms.gle/Rgt31AzEGWmdLdZRA

This update will help us:
Track your current progress
Support documentation and evaluation

Prepare for local and global announcements
📅 Key Dates
January 6 – Local NextChain Hub winners announcement
January 9 – Global top teams announcement

Teams are encouraged to submit even if their project is still being refined.

Thank you for your continued effort and commitment.
—
NextChain Hub Ethiopia
CATS 2026

New year. New momentum.

2026 is a defining year for AfroChain and NextChain — where community turns into ecosystem, learning turns into building, and ideas turn into on-chain reality.

This year, we scale African innovation, empower builders, and shape the future of Web3 from Africa to the world.

Let’s build the next chapter.
🚀🌍

🏆 NextChain Hub – Top 3 Teams Announced

We’re proud to share the Top 3 teams from our hub after evaluation:
🥇 The Great African Run
🥈 Kirar
🥉 MuluCard

These teams stood out for their clarity, Cardano alignment, and real-world impact.

📢 Next update:
Tomorrow, we will announce the Top 1 project selected to represent our hub in Kenya, after final confirmation from the evaluators.
Stay tuned. 🚀

🏆 WE HAVE A WINNER!

After final evaluation results from our evaluators, The Great African Run has been selected as the #1 project from NextChain Hub 🚀

🥇 Full trip to Kenya – fully sponsored
🌍 Competing with top hub winners at the regional summit
⚡ Representing Ethiopia’s innovation on a global stage

Built on Cardano and rooted in Africa’s legendary running culture, The Great African Run stood out for its real-world impact, clarity of vision, and strong execution.

This is more than a win for one team —
it’s a win for our hub, our developers, and our ecosystem.

👏 Huge congratulations to the team.
The journey continues.
#NextChainHub #CATS #Cardano #AfricanInnovation #Web3Africa

🔥 Something big is loading…
The future of African Web3 talent is almost here.

Build. Connect. Get hired.
NextChain Hub — Coming Soon

Africa is building. We’re showing up. 🔥
Catch the AfroChain team at Africa Tech Summit and Cardano Africa Tech Summit.

Let’s network, exchange ideas, and unlock what’s next for Africa’s on-chain future. 🌍

Ethiopia is entering a new digital era.

Blockchain.
AI.
Finance.

AfroChain 2026 is coming.
With institutional workshops and executive roundtables, we’re building more than a summit — we’re structuring Ethiopia’s digital economy conversation.

1,000+ curated attendees.
Global fintech, AI, and Web3 leaders.
Market entry.
Policy dialogue.
Real partnerships.

This is not just another tech event.
This is positioning.
Stay ready.
#afrochain2026 #Blockchain #AI #Fintech #Ethiopia #DigitalEconomy

AfroChain 2026 is taking shape.

This is more than an event.
It’s a structured gateway into Ethiopia’s emerging digital economy.
Blockchain.
AI.
Finance.

Workshops with institutions.
Closed-door executive roundtables.
A curated summit bringing builders, founders, policymakers, and global ecosystem leaders together.

If you’re exploring Africa’s next serious market — this is where the conversations begin.
#AfroChain2026 #BlockchainAfrica #DigitalEthiopia #FintechAfrica #AIinAfrica

Web3 and AI are not separate revolutions.
They’re converging into a new digital architecture.

The Web3 × AI ecosystem has 6 key layers:

1️⃣ Decentralized Infrastructure — community-driven compute & storage
2️⃣ Data Fabric — user-owned, privacy-preserving data
3️⃣ Foundation Models — large AI models as the base layer
4️⃣ Domain Models — industry-specific AI (finance, healthcare, legal)
5️⃣ Smart Contracts — programmable, AI-driven automation
6️⃣ Applications (DApps) — real-world user interaction

Together, these layers create a system that is decentralized, intelligent, and programmable.

For emerging markets like Ethiopia, this stack isn’t optional — it’s strategic.

AfroChain 2026 explores this convergence across Blockchain, AI, and Finance.

#AfroChain2026 #Web3AI #BlockchainAfrica #AIinAfrica #DigitalEthiopia

Where is Ethiopia?

Circle — the company behind USDC — is expanding into Kenya through its Circle Payments Network (CPN), connecting banks, fintechs, and crypto platforms for:
⚡ Real-time payments
🌍 Cross-border transfers
🏦 Merchant settlements
💼 Treasury operations

This is not “crypto hype.”
This is infrastructure.
USDC → KES rails.
Cleaner. Faster. Regulated.
Africa is not waiting anymore.
Kenya is positioning itself as stablecoin-ready infrastructure.

At AfroChain, we’ve been saying this from day one:
Blockchain is not speculation.
It’s financial rails for the next decade.

With Digital Ethiopia 2030 pushing blockchain adoption, Ethiopia cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while our neighbors integrate stablecoins into payment systems.

The opportunity? – Cross-border trade
– Diaspora remittance flows
– Merchant liquidity
– On-chain settlement rails for African startups
The question isn’t if stablecoins will power Africa.
The question is:
Who builds the infrastructure first?
#AfroChain #USDC #Stablecoins #DigitalAfrica #BlockchainAfrica

AfroChain 2026 expands.

Roundtable Talks.
Institutional Workshops.
Blockchain. AI. Finance.

This is where policy, technology, and capital meet.
Addis Ababa.
#AfroChain2026

AfroChain 2026 is not just a summit.
It’s where Ethiopia’s digital future meets the world.

Addis Ababa will host a powerful gathering of builders, institutions, investors, policymakers, and global tech leaders shaping the next era of Blockchain, AI, and Finance in Africa.

AfroChain is designed as a full ecosystem experience — creating the space where ideas turn into partnerships, investment, and real market opportunities.

What AfroChain brings together:
• Institutional Workshops with global experts and industry leaders
• High-Level Roundtable Talks with key ecosystem players and policymakers
• The AfroChain Summit connecting blockchain, AI, and finance innovators
• Investment & Partnership Opportunities linking global capital with Ethiopian innovation
• Clear Market Access Pathways for companies entering Ethiopia’s fast-growing tech ecosystem
• Builders, Startups, and Developers driving the next wave of African innovation
• Visit Addis Ababa Experiences welcoming global guests to explore Ethiopia’s culture, innovation hubs, and opportunities

AfroChain is building the platform where technology, capital, policy, and talent converge.

If you're shaping the future of technology, finance, or innovation in Africa,
AfroChain 2026 is where you need to be.
📍 Addis Ababa
AfroChain Summit 2026
Connecting Ethiopia’s Digital Future
#AfroChain2026 #BlockchainAfrica #AI #Fintech #Web3Africa #EthiopiaTech

Something important is happening in Ethiopia that many global tech companies are still missing.

Through Digital Ethiopia 2030, the country is building the foundations of a digital economy:
digital identity, unified payment systems, national data exchange, and emerging technologies like blockchain and AI powering services across sectors.

What makes this moment different is that the strategy explicitly calls for international partnerships and private sector innovation to scale these technologies and attract digital investment.

For global tech and Web3 companies, this creates a clear entry point:
build solutions, partner locally, and participate in shaping one of Africa’s fastest-evolving digital ecosystems.

This is exactly why initiatives like AfroChain exist — to bring global builders, investors, and innovators directly into Ethiopia’s growing tech ecosystem.

The real opportunity in emerging markets isn’t just adoption.
It’s being part of the infrastructure while it’s being built.
#DigitalEthiopia2030 #AfroChain #AfricaTech #BlockchainAfrica #InnovationAfrica

Ethiopia is planning a 3,000-seat BPO hub.

But the future of outsourcing is changing.
It’s no longer just call centers.
The next generation of BPO will be powered by AI, blockchain, fintech, and digital infrastructure.

And globally, there is a shortage of professionals in these emerging technologies.
Developers.
AI engineers.
Blockchain builders.

Countries that build this talent will lead the next digital economy.
This is where AfroChain comes in.
Through institutional workshops, roundtable talks, and the AfroChain Summit, we are bringing together global tech companies, financial institutions, startups, and policymakers to help build Ethiopia’s emerging tech ecosystem.

The opportunity is not just BPO.
It’s building Africa’s next hub for AI, blockchain, and fintech talent.
Addis Ababa.
#AfroChain #AI #Blockchain #DigitalEconomy #Fintech