EthCC 2026 Networking Intelligence Briefing

Executive Summary

EthCC[9] takes place March 28 - April 4, 2026 in Cannes, France with 201 curated side events analyzed for business development opportunities. This briefing covers confirmed registrations, high-value networking events, and strategic intelligence on key players.

Event Themes: Institutional DeFi dominance (37+ events), Real-World Assets (RWA) tokenization, privacy infrastructure, AI-crypto convergence, and payments infrastructure.

Registration Summary: Successfully registered or pending approval for 8 high-value events including DeFi Day (Aave/JPMorgan/Circle), WalletCon, Starknet Party, and Trader Summit.

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Registration Status

| Event | Date | Status | Action Required | |-------|------|--------|-----------------| | DeFi Day | Mon Mar 30, 1PM | ✅ Confirmed | Verify ric@staex.io confirmation email | | Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup | Mon Mar 30, 12PM | ✅ Confirmed | Check inbox for details | | WalletCon Cannes 2026 | Tue Mar 31, 12PM | ✅ Confirmed | Full-day conference pass secured | | 🇫🇷 ETHCC Château Happy Hour | Mon Mar 30, 8PM | ✅ Confirmed | Halborn/Guardrail/Orbs/iExec venue | | Starknet Party | Tue Mar 31, 9PM | ⏳ Pending | Check ric@staex.io for approval | | Trader Summit by Kickoff.fun | Wed Apr 1, 8PM | ⏳ Pending | 40 attendees, markets focus | | Private Garden Party | Thu Apr 2, 4PM | ⏳ Pending | Infrastructure/privacy, 33 attendees | | Wine & Web3 Growth | Mon Mar 30, 8PM | ⏳ Pending | VC networking, 30 attendees |

Skipped (Paid Events):

• Proof of Liquidity ($170) - High institutional value, consider purchasing
• TokenizeThis Cannes ($29) - RWA focus
• Family Offices Summit ($1) - Institutional investor gathering

Failed/Sold Out:

• Builder Nights Cannes (MetaMask/Linea) - No register button found
• DeFi in the Sky 3.0 - Event full (37 attendees)
• Founder x VC Happy Hour - Registration closed

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Day-by-Day Intelligence

Day 1: Saturday, March 28

Priority Events:

| Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 11:30 AM | 👹 BEAST MODE zkEVM Day | A | Open | Privacy/ZK infrastructure builders, zkEVM proofs | | 12:00 PM | Rayls Hackathon | B | Open | RWA/Institutional focus, smaller group (20) |

Key People to Meet:

• zkEVM/Privacy builders - Attending BEAST MODE. Topic: Ethereum scaling via zero-knowledge proofs, privacy infrastructure developments.

Schedule Recommendation:

• Morning: Arrive Cannes, settle accommodation
• 11:30 AM - 7:00 PM: BEAST MODE zkEVM workshop (technical depth, smaller group of 16)
• Evening: Rest before Sunday's packed schedule

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Day 2: Sunday, March 29

Priority Events:

| Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 2:00 PM | Institutions Onchain | S | Open | DeFi/Institutional convergence, 26 attendees | | 7:00 PM | The Gate [CANNES] | A+ | Open | Tori, Delphi Ventures & RockawayX - top VCs | | 8:00 PM | Investors Meetup by Hybrid Capital | A+ | Open | VC/Institutional focus, 26 attendees | | 10:00 PM | The Cannes Digital Assets House | A | Open | RWA specialists, 24 attendees |

Key People to Meet:

• Delphi Ventures team - Attending The Gate party. Recent focus: AI agents, DeFi infrastructure. Talking point: Their portfolio company strategies for 2026 institutional adoption.
• RockawayX investors - Co-hosting The Gate. Talking point: European crypto VC landscape, CEE expansion.
• Hybrid Capital LPs - At Investors Meetup. Focus: Early-stage DeFi and infrastructure funds.

Schedule Recommendation:

• 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Ethereum Communities Collective Get-Together (casual networking warmup)
• 2:00 PM - 12:00 AM: Institutions Onchain (stay for 2-3 hours, prime institutional contacts)
• 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM: The Gate party (critical VC networking)
• 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM: Hybrid Capital Investors Meetup (overlap with The Gate, prioritize based on conversations)

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Day 3: Monday, March 30 [HIGHEST PRIORITY DAY]

Priority Events:

| Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 10:30 AM | Policy Roundtable: MiCA | A+ | Open | Token taxonomy, banking under MiCA - regulatory intelligence | | 12:00 PM | Quantum Qafe Coffee | A | ✅ Registered | Tectonic, Sushi, Hack VC, Halborn - 35 attendees | | 1:00 PM | DeFi Day | S+ | ✅ Registered | Aave + JPMorgan + Circle + Mastercard + Fireblocks | | 4:00 PM | Family Offices Summit | S | Paid ($1) | Michelin dinner, 36 VIP institutional investors | | 5:00 PM | Proof of Liquidity | S+ | Paid ($170) | Yield Network + Ink + Funders VC, 37 attendees | | 8:00 PM | Builder Nights Cannes | S | Failed reg | MetaMask/Linea/TRON/iExec - 71 attendees (LARGEST EVENT) | | 8:00 PM | 🇫🇷 ETHCC Château Happy Hour | A+ | ✅ Registered | Halborn/Guardrail/Orbs/iExec, stunning Riviera château | | 8:00 PM | Wine & Web3 Growth | A | ⏳ Pending | VC networking, 30 attendees | | 8:30 PM | Founder x VC Happy Hour | S | Failed reg | 38 attendees, peak founder/investor mixing |

Key People to Meet:

1. Corey Cooper (Circle) - Developer Relations lead

   • Recent: Circle partnered with BNY and Standard Chartered in June 2026 for institutional USDC custody
   • Talking point: "How is Circle's institutional custody partnership with Standard Chartered changing bank behavior around stablecoins?"

2. JPMorgan Kinexys team - DeFi Day speakers

   • Recent: Launched JLTXX tokenized fund on Ethereum (May 2026), expanding to Base and Solana
   • Talking point: "What drove JPMorgan's decision to move from permissioned chains to public Base for tokenized products?"

3. Fireblocks partnerships team

   • Recent: 26 SEC filings reference Fireblocks by name in 2026; FalconX and Pepperstone integrations
   • Talking point: "How are custody requirements evolving for institutions post-MiCA implementation?"

4. Mastercard Crypto Partner Program team

   • Recent: Launched program with 85+ partners (Binance, PayPal, Ripple) in March 2026
   • Talking point: "Which use cases in your partner program are seeing fastest institutional adoption?"

5. Baillie Gifford digital assets team

   • Recent: Launched BAGEY, UK's first native tokenized fund on Ethereum/Solana (June 2026)
   • Talking point: "Why did you choose dual-chain deployment (ETH + SOL) for BAGEY vs single-chain?"

6. Sam Elfa (MetaMask/Builder Nights) - IF you can access Builder Nights

   • Recent: Led cross-chain commerce discussion at Builder Nights
   • Talking point: "How are wallet-native payment rails changing the infrastructure stack for Web3 commerce?"

Schedule Recommendation:

• 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM: Policy Roundtable on MiCA (critical regulatory intelligence)
• 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Quantum Qafe Coffee (overlap, drop in for 30 min networking)
• 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM: DeFi Day at Palais des Festivals (ANCHOR EVENT - stay all day)
  • Key sessions: JPMorgan on institutional DeFi, Circle on stablecoin infrastructure, Mastercard on payments
  • The Rollup Co will interview speakers - approach for BD connections
• 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Consider Family Offices Summit ($1 ticket) - Michelin dinner with 36 institutional LPs
• Evening Strategy: You have 3 overlapping S-tier events at 8PM+
  • Option A (Technical/Infra): Château Happy Hour → Builder Nights if accessible
  • Option B (VC Focus): Wine & Web3 Growth → Founder x VC Happy Hour (if you can get in)
  • Recommended: Château Happy Hour (confirmed access) → Network there → Attempt Builder Nights walk-up

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Day 4: Tuesday, March 31 [INSTITUTIONAL DEFI DAY]

Priority Events:

| Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 10:30 AM | Institutional Bitcoin Breakfast | A | Open | 17 institutional attendees, Bitcoin strategy | | 11:00 AM | Real-World Asset Summit | S | Open | Full-day RWA conference, 27 attendees | | 12:00 PM | WalletCon Cannes 2026 | S | ✅ Registered | Payments/onchain finance, Circle confirmed | | 1:00 PM | Lido Day | A+ | Open | Institutional staking, full-day conference | | 6:00 PM | Proof of Liquidity | S+ | Paid ($170) | Evening session, sunset cocktails, deal flow | | 6:00 PM | ETHCC Networking Mixer | A+ | Open | Fabric Ventures & NextBlock, AI/VC/DeFi | | 8:00 PM | ETH CC VIP Institutional Soirée | S | Open | RWA/Institutional focus, 22 attendees | | 9:00 PM | Starknet Party | A+ | ⏳ Pending | 41 attendees (largest evening event) | | 9:00 PM | House of AI: After Dark | A | Open | AI/DeFi convergence, 26 attendees |

Key People to Meet:

1. Sylvia K. Durach (Atomiq Labs CEO) - WalletCon speaker

   • Recent: WalletCon focusing on payments infrastructure
   • Talking point: "What are the biggest UX gaps preventing wallet adoption by non-crypto users?"

2. Ink Chain team (Kraken L2) - Proof of Liquidity co-host

   • Recent: Partnership with Optimism for OP Enterprise (Jan 2026), Chainlink oracle integration, 10M+ Kraken users
   • Talking point: "How is Kraken's 10M user base being onboarded to Ink, and what's the activation rate?"

3. Yield Network / Funders VC - Proof of Liquidity organizers

   • Recent: Hosted oversubscribed editions in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, focused on institutional deal flow
   • Talking point: "What deal structures are you seeing for institutional liquidity deployment in Q3-Q4 2026?"

4. Fabric Ventures partners

   • Recent: Active in AI x crypto investments
   • Talking point: "Which AI-crypto primitives do you think will attract institutional capital first?"

5. Starknet Foundation team

   • Recent: Launched Bitcoin staking on Starknet with 100M STRK incentives (2026), payment app support program
   • Talking point: "How is the trustless BTC staking product differentiating vs wrapped BTC solutions?"

Schedule Recommendation:

• 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM: Institutional Bitcoin Breakfast (prime institutional contacts)
• 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM: WalletCon (ANCHOR EVENT - confirmed registration)
  • Focus: Circle presentation, Atomiq Labs, payments infrastructure sessions
  • Network during afternoon happy hour
• 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM: ETHCC Networking Mixer (Fabric/NextBlock) - drop in if WalletCon winds down
• 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM: ETH CC VIP Institutional Soirée (RWA specialists)
• 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM: Starknet Party (if approved - 41 attendees, great casual networking)

Alternative: If willing to invest $170, Proof of Liquidity (6PM-12AM) is the single highest ROI event for institutional deal flow and LP connections.

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Day 5: Wednesday, April 1 [PRIVACY & AI DAY]

Priority Events:

| Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 11:00 AM | Hack Seasons Conference | A | Open | RWA/DeFi/VC, 16 attendees | | 1:00 PM | Investor x Founder Beachclub | S | Open | 28 VC/founder attendees, intimate beachfront | | 1:00 PM | THE LOCAL: Rooftop Brunch | S | Open | Founders, Funders & Friends, 28 attendees | | 6:00 PM | OpenClaw Cannes Meetup | A | Open | AI/DeFi/Infrastructure, 30 attendees | | 7:00 PM | Infinite Privacy Cocktail | A+ | Open | ZCash, fhenix, ZiskVM (Jordi Baylina), Miden | | 8:00 PM | DeFi in the Sky 3.0 | S+ | ❌ Full | SOLD OUT - 37 attendees, rooftop venue | | 8:00 PM | Trader Summit by Kickoff.fun | A+ | ⏳ Pending | 40 attendees (largest evening), markets focus | | 9:00 PM | Proof Of Liquidity VIP Dinner | S+ | Invite | Yield/INK/Funders institutional dinner |

Key People to Meet:

1. Jordi Baylina (ZiskVM) - Infinite Privacy event

   • Recent: zkSNARK pioneer, Polygon co-founder, working on ZiskVM
   • Talking point: "How does ZiskVM's architecture compare to existing zkEVM approaches for privacy?"

2. OpenClaw team - Multiple EthCC events

   • Recent: Focused on on-chain infrastructure and AI integration
   • Talking point: "What are the biggest infrastructure bottlenecks for AI agent on-chain execution?"

3. Kickoff.fun team - Trader Summit organizers

   • Recent: Building markets infrastructure
   • Talking point: "How are on-chain perpetuals evolving vs CEX offerings in 2026?"

Schedule Recommendation:

• 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Investor x Founder Beachclub OR THE LOCAL Rooftop Brunch (choose one - both are 28-person intimate VC events)
  • Recommendation: Beachclub (more casual, longer duration for deeper conversations)
• 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM: OpenClaw Meetup (30 attendees, AI focus)
• 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM: Infinite Privacy Cocktail (overlap, prioritize if privacy/ZK is strategic)
• 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Trader Summit (if approved - 40 attendees, markets networking)
• 9:00 PM+: If invited to Proof of Liquidity VIP Dinner, prioritize this over all else

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Day 6: Thursday, April 2 [WIND-DOWN DAY]

Priority Events:

| Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 11:30 AM | Pragma Cannes | A+ | Open | Infrastructure/DeFi/Institutional, 23 attendees | | 2:00 PM | Cointelegraph Connect | A | Open | Media networking, 23 attendees | | 4:00 PM | Private Garden Party | S | ⏳ Pending | Infrastructure/privacy, 33 attendees, exclusive venue | | 6:00 PM | DeFi Founders Club | A+ | Open | 20 DeFi founders, intimate group | | 7:00 PM | Pre-afterparty: Cheese & Wine | A+ | Failed reg | ChainSecurity & Frankencoin, 31 attendees | | 9:30 PM | Private DeFi Soiréee | S | Open | 24 DeFi specialists, exclusive |

Key People to Meet:

1. Halborn team - Multiple EthCC events (Château Happy Hour, Quantum Qafe)

   • Recent: Partnerships with Fuze (June 2026), The Big Whale (April 2026), focus on institutional security
   • Talking point: "How are security requirements changing for institutions under MiCA compliance?"

2. Orbs team - Château Happy Hour co-host

   • Recent: Launched V5 upgrade for Agentic AI trading (June 2026), Orbs Institutional offering, $14B processed
   • Talking point: "What execution infrastructure changes are needed for AI agents to trade on-chain securely?"

Schedule Recommendation:

• 11:30 AM - 8:00 PM: Pragma Cannes (full-day infrastructure conference)
• 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Private Garden Party (if approved - 33 attendees, exclusive villa venue)
• 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM: DeFi Founders Club (smaller, intimate DeFi founder group)
• 9:30 PM - 12:30 AM: Private DeFi Soiréee (caps off the week with core DeFi community)

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Day 7: Friday, April 3 [RECOVERY DAY]

Priority Events:

| Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 1:00 PM | ETHGlobal Finalists Brunch | A+ | Open | 10 top builders, VC connections | | 1:30 PM | WAIB Summit Monaco Brunch | A | Open | AI/DeFi/Institutional, Monaco preview |

Schedule Recommendation:

• Morning: Sleep in, process contacts, send follow-ups
• 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: ETHGlobal Finalists Brunch (small, high-quality builder group)
• Afternoon: Depart Cannes or extend for personal time

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Top 10 Founders & Executives to Meet

1. Corey Cooper - Developer Relations & Ecosystem Marketing, Circle

• Why: Circle partnered with Standard Chartered (first G-SIB) and BNY for institutional USDC custody in June-July 2026
• What they're building: Institutional stablecoin infrastructure, direct bank integration for minting/redemption
• Conversation starters:
  • "Standard Chartered is the first G-SIB offering USDC minting - what objections did they have initially?"
  • "How does Circle's bank partnership strategy differ in EU vs US post-MiCA?"
• Where to meet: DeFi Day (confirmed speaker), WalletCon

2. JPMorgan Kinexys Team - Institutional DeFi Division

• Why: Launched JLTXX tokenized fund on Ethereum (May 2026), expanding to Base and Solana for institutional cash
• What they're building: Public blockchain tokenized funds, Project Guardian with MAS
• Conversation starters:
  • "What changed internally at JPM to greenlight public chain deployments vs permissioned Onyx?"
  • "Which institutional clients are most eager for on-chain fund exposure?"
• Where to meet: DeFi Day (confirmed speaker)

3. Sylvia K. Durach - CEO, Atomiq Labs

• Why: Leading WalletCon, focused on payments and wallet infrastructure
• What they're building: Next-gen wallet UX and payment rails
• Conversation starters:
  • "What's the biggest UX gap preventing wallet adoption by traditional fintech users?"
  • "How should wallet providers balance self-custody vs managed services for institutions?"
• Where to meet: WalletCon (confirmed speaker)

4. Ink Chain Leadership (Kraken Layer 2)

• Why: Partnership with Optimism OP Enterprise (Jan 2026), Chainlink integration, connecting 10M Kraken users to DeFi
• What they're building: Institutional L2 with compliance tooling, one-day withdrawals roadmap
• Conversation starters:
  • "What's the activation rate from Kraken CEX users to Ink L2?"
  • "How is sequencer-level compliance tooling architecture different from app-layer compliance?"
• Where to meet: Proof of Liquidity (co-host), multiple Ink-sponsored events

5. Yield Network / Funders VC Team

• Why: Hosted oversubscribed Proof of Liquidity events in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, institutional deal flow specialists
• What they're building: Curated institutional liquidity matching, supply-side (allocators) to demand-side (L2s, RWAs)
• Conversation starters:
  • "What ticket sizes are family offices deploying to DeFi protocols in 2026?"
  • "Which sectors are seeing strongest institutional demand - RWA, staking, or perps?"
• Where to meet: Proof of Liquidity events (multiple sessions Mon-Wed)

6. Stani Kulechov - Founder, Aave Labs

• Why: Aave Horizon reached $550M in institutional RWA deposits, launched Stable Vaults (July 2026), "Aave Will Win" governance
• What they're building: Institutional DeFi suite, permissioned RWA markets, fintech stablecoin vaults
• Conversation starters:
  • "How is Aave Horizon's permissioned model affecting protocol decentralization discussions?"
  • "What drove the Blockdaemon partnership for institutional Earn Stack integration?"
• Where to meet: DeFi Day (Aave is primary host)

7. Starknet Foundation Team

• Why: Launched Bitcoin staking with 100M STRK incentives (2026), payment app support program, BTCFi expansion
• What they're building: Trustless BTC staking on L2, institutional BTC yield via Re7, APAC expansion
• Conversation starters:
  • "How does Starknet's trustless BTC staking compare to Babylon's architecture?"
  • "What's the institutional uptake on Re7's BTC yield strategy?"
• Where to meet: Starknet Party (Tue 9PM, 41 attendees)

8. Baillie Gifford Digital Assets Team

• Why: Launched BAGEY, UK's first native tokenized fund on ETH+SOL (June 2026), £286B AUM firm
• What they're building: Multi-chain native tokenized funds, targeting 7% yield on short-duration corporates
• Conversation starters:
  • "Why dual-chain (ETH+SOL) vs single-chain for BAGEY distribution?"
  • "How are UK regulators responding to native on-chain OEICs vs wrapped securities?"
• Where to meet: DeFi Day, institutional events

9. Orbs Team - Infrastructure & Institutional Trading

• Why: Launched V5 upgrade for Agentic AI (June 2026), Orbs Institutional for trading desks, $14B volume processed
• What they're building: On-chain execution infrastructure, Committee Sync across 10+ chains, AI agent trading
• Conversation starters:
  • "What execution latency improvements did V5 achieve vs V4?"
  • "Which trading desks are using Orbs Institutional and what's their primary use case?"
• Where to meet: Château Happy Hour (co-host), institutional events

10. Halborn Leadership - Blockchain Security

• Why: Partnerships with Fuze, The Big Whale, Hedera (2026), institutional security advisory
• What they're building: Qualified custody security, institutional advisory programs, threat intelligence
• Conversation starters:
  • "How are MiCA requirements changing your custody security audits?"
  • "What's the most common security gap you find in institutional DeFi deployments?"
• Where to meet: Château Happy Hour (co-host), Quantum Qafe Coffee (co-host)

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Networking Strategy

Best Events for Investor Conversations

S-Tier (Highest Quality LPs/VCs):

1. Proof of Liquidity (Mon-Wed, $170) - Curated allocator/founder matching, sunset cocktails
2. Family Offices & Investors Summit (Mon 4PM, $1) - Michelin dinner, 36 institutional investors
3. Investor x Founder Beachclub (Wed 1PM, Free) - 28 attendees, intimate beachfront setting
4. The Gate (Sun 7PM, Free) - Delphi Ventures, RockawayX, Tori co-hosting

A-Tier: 5. Hybrid Capital Investors Meetup (Sun 8PM) 6. Fabric Ventures & NextBlock Mixer (Tue 6PM) 7. THE LOCAL: Rooftop Brunch (Wed 1PM) - 28 founders/funders

Best Events for Technical Founders

S-Tier:

1. Builder Nights Cannes (Mon 8PM) - 71 attendees, MetaMask/Linea/TRON/iExec
2. DeFi Day (Mon 1PM) - Aave-hosted, JPMorgan/Circle technical sessions
3. WalletCon (Tue 12PM) - Payments infrastructure, developer-focused

A-Tier: 4. OpenClaw Cannes Meetup (Wed 6PM) - 30 AI/infrastructure builders 5. Pragma Cannes (Thu 11:30AM) - Infrastructure/DeFi conference 6. Stateless Summit (Wed 11AM) - Infrastructure/security/optimization

Best Events for Casual Networking

Highest Signal-to-Noise:

1. Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup (Mon 12PM) - 35 attendees, casual coffee setting
2. Château Happy Hour (Mon 8PM) - Stunning venue, drinks, 33 attendees
3. Starknet Party (Tue 9PM) - 41 attendees, largest evening party
4. Trader Summit (Wed 8PM) - 40 attendees, markets community

Dinner/Intimate Events (Best for BD)

Exclusive/High-Value:

1. Proof of Liquidity VIP Dinner (Wed 9PM) - Invite-only, Yield/INK/Funders
2. Family Offices Michelin Dinner (Mon 4PM, $1) - 36 institutional investors
3. Private DeFi Soiréee (Thu 9:30PM) - 24 DeFi specialists
4. Lido Institutional VIP Dinner (Wed 9:30PM) - Institutional staking focus

Open/Confirmed: 5. Pre-afterparty: Cheese & Wine (Thu 7PM) - ChainSecurity/Frankencoin, 31 attendees 6. DeFi Founders Club (Thu 6PM) - 20 DeFi founders

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Logistics & Event Clustering

Geographic Considerations

Most events cluster in 3 zones in Cannes:

1. Palais des Festivals - Main EthCC venue

   • DeFi Day (Mon)
   • Main conference (Tue-Thu)

2. Beachfront/Carlton Area - Most evening parties

   • Château Happy Hour (short walk from Palais)
   • Multiple rooftop parties

3. Villa/Hill Events - 10-20 min from center

   • Private Garden Party
   • Various exclusive dinners

Travel Times:

• Walking between Palais and Carlton: 10-15 min
• Taxi to hill villas: 10-20 min
• Evening events often provide shuttles (check confirmation emails)

Daily Time Blocks

Monday Mar 30:

• Heavy all-day commitment (DeFi Day 1PM-9PM)
• Evening has 3 S-tier overlapping events at 8PM
• Recommend: Stay at DeFi Day until 7PM → Château Happy Hour 8PM → Attempt Builder Nights 10PM

Tuesday Mar 31:

• WalletCon all-day anchor (12PM-8PM)
• Evening better distributed (6PM mixer → 8PM soirée → 9PM Starknet party)

Wednesday Apr 1:

• More flexible, brunch/lunch options
• Evening concentrated on Trader Summit + dinners

Thursday Apr 2:

• Wind-down day, fewer conflicts
• Good for 1-on-1 meetings arranged earlier in week

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Pre-Event Action Items

Immediate (Before Departure):

1. ✅ Check emails for ric@staex.io - Confirm all registered events sent confirmation
2. ⚠️ Consider purchasing Proof of Liquidity ($170) - Highest ROI for institutional networking
3. ⚠️ Attempt Builder Nights registration - Reach out to MetaMask/Linea on Twitter for access
4. 📧 Email Family Offices Summit - $1 ticket for 36-person Michelin dinner is exceptional value
5. 📱 Download Luma app - Most events use Luma for check-in and updates

Pre-Conference Research:

1. LinkedIn prep - Connect with confirmed speakers (Corey Cooper/Circle, Sylvia Durach/Atomiq)
2. Twitter follows - Aave Labs, Starknet, Ink Chain, Halborn, Orbs for real-time event updates
3. Prep talking points - Print this briefing's "Key People" sections for each day
4. Business cards - Bring 100+ (or digital alternative)

During Conference:

1. Morning routine - Check Luma for same-day event changes (common at crypto conferences)
2. Overlap strategy - Don't feel obligated to stay at full-day events for 8 hours; strategic popping in/out is expected
3. Follow-up discipline - Input new contacts into CRM same-day with context notes
4. Telegram/Signal groups - Many events create chat groups day-of; join for real-time networking

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Sources & References

Event Data & Analysis:

1. Cryptonomads EthCC 2026 Side Events
2. EthCC Official Agenda

Institutional Partnerships & News:

3. TRON and MetaMask Builder Night
4. MetaMask Builder Nights Overview
5. Starknet Bitcoin Staking Launch
6. Starknet Payment Applications Program
7. Proof of Liquidity Event Details
8. Ink Ecosystem Maple Finance Partnership

DeFi Day & Aave Intelligence:

9. DeFi Day Speaker Announcement
10. Aave 2026 Roadmap
11. Aave Blockdaemon Partnership
12. Aave Stable Vaults Launch

Circle & Stablecoin Infrastructure:

13. BNY Circle Partnership
14. Standard Chartered USDC Access

JPMorgan Blockchain:

15. JPMorgan JLTXX Tokenized Fund
16. JPMorgan Institutional DeFi Strategy

Fireblocks:

17. FalconX Fireblocks Integration
18. Fireblocks Canton Network Integration

Mastercard Crypto:

19. Mastercard Crypto Partner Program
20. Binance, PayPal, Ripple Join Mastercard

Baillie Gifford:

21. Baillie Gifford BAGEY Tokenized Fund
22. Baillie Gifford Solana/Ethereum Strategy

Kraken Ink:

23. Ink Optimism Partnership
24. Ink Mainnet Launch

Halborn Security:

25. Halborn Fuze Partnership
26. Halborn Big Whale Partnership

Orbs:

27. Orbs V5 Upgrade
28. Orbs Institutional Launch

Lido:

29. Lido 2026 Strategy
30. Anchorage Digital Lido Integration

Family Offices:

31. Family Office Crypto Allocations 2026
32. Family Office Investment Trends

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Final Recommendations

Must-Attend Events (Already Registered):

1. DeFi Day (Mon 1PM) - Institutional heavyweights, stay 1PM-7PM minimum
2. WalletCon (Tue 12PM) - Full-day infrastructure conference
3. Château Happy Hour (Mon 8PM) - Confirmed access, stunning venue
4. Quantum Qafe Coffee (Mon 12PM) - 35-person casual warmup

Must-Attend Events (Pending/Purchase):

5. Proof of Liquidity ($170) - Highest ROI for institutional LP connections
6. Starknet Party (Tue 9PM) - If approved, 41 attendees
7. Trader Summit (Wed 8PM) - If approved, 40 attendees, markets focus

Strategic Additions:

8. Family Offices Summit ($1) - Exceptional value for 36-person Michelin dinner
9. The Gate (Sun 7PM, Free) - Delphi Ventures/RockawayX, top-tier VC access
10. Investor x Founder Beachclub (Wed 1PM, Free) - 28 intimate attendees

Backup Options if Primary Events Fall Through:

• Institutions Onchain (Sun 2PM)
• Private Garden Party (Thu 4PM, if approved)
• DeFi Founders Club (Thu 6PM)
• Private DeFi Soiréee (Thu 9:30PM)

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Prepared by: AI Event Intelligence Analyst
For: Business Development Professional attending EthCC[9]
Report Date: July 29, 2026
Event Dates: March 28 - April 4, 2026
Location: Cannes, France