Bitcoin
layer
2s.
Ethereum
restaking.
Interoperability.
AI.
DePIN.
Next-generation
cryptography.
These
are
just
a
handful
of
the
cutting-edge
blockchain
tech
topics
on
the
agenda
at
CoinDesk’s
Consensus
2024
conference,
which
runs
Wednesday,
May
29,
through
Friday,
May
31,
in
Austin,
Texas.
For
blockchain
developers,
it’s
red
meat.
For
others,
it
may
sound
unfamiliar.
For
everyone,
including
those
somewhere
in
between,
the
three
days
are
packed
with
opportunities
to
learn
about
the
hottest
crypto
tech
on
Bitcoin,
Ethereum,
Solana,
Cosmos
and
XRP
Ledger
–
from
the
world’s
top
experts.
We
took
a
spin
through
the
agenda
to
identify
stages
and
sessions
likely
to
interest
blockchain
developers
and
people
interested
in
the
technology.
In
general
there
are
six
broad
categories
of
relevant
programming:
-
Panel
discussions
and
on-stage
interviews
–
mostly
on
the
Mainstage,
Town
Square
and
Money
Reimagined
Stage. -
Protocol
Village:
We
give
blockchain
projects
a
dedicated
time
and
venue,
and
they
plan
the
content. -
Workshops:
What
it
sounds
like.
People
who
know
what
they’re
talking
about
try
to
explain
important
topics
to
smart
people
who
show
up. -
AI
Summit:
Discussions
on
what
blockchain
can
do
for
crypto
and
AI,
and
vice-versa. -
Startup
Village:
Where
the
PitchFest
takes
place,
along
with
sessions
on
subjects
that
blockchain
project
founders
need
to
know. -
Side
Events:
Some
official,
many
unofficial.
Panel
discussions
The
overall
Consensus
agenda
is
pretty
sprawling.
In
terms
of
the
blockchain
tech
highlights,
the
following
would
represent
our
picks.
Wednesday:
1:45
p.m.
(Mainstage):
Joe
Lubin
of
Consensys
discusses
Ethereum
with
Consensus
Chair
Michael
Casey.
2:45
p.m.
(Mainstage):
Emin
Gün
Sirer,
CEO,
Ava
Labs,
the
primary
developer
of
Avalanche,
joins
a
panel
on
what
blockchain
can
do
for
AI,
and
what
AI
can
do
for
crypto.
3
p.m.
(Town
Square):
Bryan
Bishop,
early
Bitcoin
coder
(and
now
a
Bitcoin
Improvement
Proposal
editor),
discusses
the
early
days
on
a
panel
with
other
crypto
OGs.
12:45
p.m.
(Mainstage):
David
Marcus,
former
head
of
the
Facebook/Meta
Diem/Libra,
talks
about
Lightspark,
his
digital-payments
startup
based
on
Bitcoin’s
Lightning
Network.
1:15
p.m.
(Mainstage):
Sergey
Nazarov,
co-founder
of
Chainlink,
talks
about
his
project’s
work
with
the
global
banking-payments
network
Swift,
in
a
panel
moderated
by
CoinDesk’s
Sam
Kessler.
4:15
p.m.
(Town
Square):
John
Adler,
co-founder
and
chief
research
officer
of
Celestia
Labs,
and
Austin
Federa,
head
of
strategy
for
Solana
Foundation,
discuss
whether
modular
or
monolithic
blockchains
are
the
better
way
to
scale.
10
a.m.
(Money
Reimagined
Stage):
MakerDAO
co-founder
Rune
Christensen
discusses
where
DeFi
is
headed.
10:40
a.m.
(Mainstage):
Raj
Gokal,
co-founder
and
president
of
Solana
Labs,
discusses
the
network’s
future
and
the
upcoming
release
of
the
Firedancer
software
designed
to
improve
performance.
11
a.m.
(Money
Reimagined
Stage):
Helium
CEO
Abhay
Kumar
speaks
on
a
panel
about
the
future
of
“decentralized
physical
infrastructure
networks,”
or
DePIN
(formerly
referred
to
as
Internet
of
Things,
or
IoT).
11:30
a.m.
(Mainstage):
Casey
Rodarmor,
the
developer
who
almost
single-handedly
created
the
two
most
impactful
protocols
launched
atop
Bitcoin
in
the
past
two
years
–
Ordinals
and
Runes
–
talks
about
what
comes
next
and
his
vision
for
the
oldest
and
largest
blockchain.
11:45
a.m.
(Money
Reimagined
Stage):
CoinDesk’s
Margaux
Nijkerk
leads
a
discussion
on
liquid
staking
and
restaking.
12
p.m.
(Town
Square):
AMA
with
Casey
Rodarmor
12:15
p.m.
(Startup
Village):
Injective
co-founder
Eric
Chen
discusses
his
vision
for
the
future
of
finance.
3
p.m.
(Money
Reimagined
Stage):
Gauntlet
co-founder
Tarun
Chitra
speaks
on
a
panel
about
“de-risking
DeFi,”
from
preventing
smart-contract
bugs
and
rug
pulls
to
dealing
with
treasury
management
strategies
and
audits.
Protocol
Village
For
blockchain
developers
and
VC
investors,
this
is
probably
where
you’ll
end
up
spending
a
lot
of
time.
10:30
a.m.
XRP
Ledger
11
a.m.
Avalanche
12:30
p.m.
Chainlink
1:30
p.m.
Solana
2:45
p.m.
NEAR
3:45
p.m.
Stellar
10:30
a.m.
Ethereum/L2s
half
day.
1:30
p.m.
Bitcoin
half
day.
10
a.m.
Panel
session
on
appchain
stacks.
11:30
a.m.
Panel
session
on
zero-knowledge
proofs.
12:30
p.m.
Coinbase
security
with
Jeff
Lunglhofer,
CISO
1
p.m.
Sei
1:30
p.m.
Cosmos
(on
“Bitcoinization)
2
p.m.
Microsoft
Workshops
11:30
a.m.
Alchemy
Engineering
Lead
Rohan
Thomare
talks
about
“building
the
next
killer
dapp”
and
“how
to
simplify
Web3
user
experience
with
account
abstraction.”
1:30
p.m.
Marcin
Kazmierczak,
co-founder
of
RedStone
Oracles,
gives
a
crash
course
on
“Pull
vs.
Push
Oracle.”
3:30
p.m.
Blockdaemon
CEO
and
founder
Konstantin
Richter
talks
about
how
institutions
can
navigate
the
evolving
landscape
of
restaking.
4:30
p.m.
Akash
Network
founder
Greg
Osuri
explains
how
“decentralization
is
saving
AI.”
1:30
p.m.
Solana
head
of
developer
relations
Jacob
Creech
explains
“how
to
build
consumer
apps
on
a
blockchain.”
AI
Summit
AI
Summit
–
10:10
a.m
to
3:30
p.m.
on
Friday,
Gen
C
Stage.
A
day
of
sessions
devoted
to
the
intersection
of
crypto
and
AI,
with
speakers
including
Tezos
co-founder
Arthur
Breitman
and
Morpheus
contributor
Erik
Vorhees.
Startup
Village
On
Thursday
and
Friday,
Startup
Village
is
where
the
PitchFest
semifinals
and
finals
are
taking
place.
The
winner
will
be
announced
at
1:20
p.m.
on
Friday.
On
Wednesday
and
in
between
the
PitchFest,
there
are
sessions
scheduled
on
crypto
VCs;
securing
funding;
how
to
win
pitch
competitions;
Web3
and
decentralized
identities;
and
Web3
gaming.
