HTX Genesis Hackathon officially opened in Hong Kong on April 21, bringing together developers, venture investors, founders, exchanges, and public blockchain participants to explore the technical and commercial convergence of AI and Web3. The event is hosted by HTX DAO and B.AI, with TinTinLand and OpenCity serving as co-organizers.
From hackathon to full ecosystem pipeline
Unlike conventional hackathons that mainly focus on coding competition, the HTX Genesis initiative is positioned as a broader ecosystem gateway. Organizers described it as a closed-loop model covering development, incubation, investment, and listing, designed to identify projects with real-world demand, sustainable growth potential, and long-term value.
During the opening ceremony, HTX advisor Justin Sun delivered a virtual keynote on the AI × Web3 trend. He argued that AI agents could gradually replace traditional interfaces and become a key driver of the next phase of Web3. In his view, decentralized applications may shift from manual operations to intent-driven, natural-language interactions, with AI agents handling complex tasks such as cross-chain settlement and transaction execution more autonomously.
$10 million ecosystem fund announced
HTX DAO ambassador Molly unveiled the project’s ecosystem roadmap and announced a $10 million USDT ecosystem development fund. According to her remarks, the fund will prioritize “precision support” instead of broad subsidy distribution. It will be deployed through a three-tier structure: early-stage milestone support, convertible grants for commercial growth, and follow-up incentives for outstanding ecosystem projects.
The ecosystem framework presented at the event includes five major components: HTX as the business and liquidity engine, HTX DAO as the governance core, TRON together with JustLend and SunX as blockchain and DeFi infrastructure, HTX Ventures for capital and incubation, and B.AI for financial infrastructure tailored to the AI agent era.
Program runs through July 2026
The hackathon is scheduled to run from April to July 2026 and is expected to attract around 100 development teams from around the world, with final showcases and selection taking place in Hong Kong. In addition to prize incentives, winning teams are expected to receive multidimensional support from TRON, HTX, and B.AI, including computing resources, technical integration, ecosystem connections, and joint marketing.
Based on the official announcement, HTX Genesis Hackathon is being framed not merely as a developer contest, but as an infrastructure-style platform intended to connect global builder talent with exchange, capital, and ecosystem resources as AI and Web3 continue to converge.