The blockchain ecosystem is abuzz with celebrations marking the ten-year milestone of Ethereum’s initial coin offering (ICO). This landmark event, which catalyzed the transformation of decentralized finance, started gaining momentum in 2014 when co-founder Vitalik Buterin introduced Ethereum at a Bitcoin conference in Miami.

The Genesis of Ethereum

On July 22, Ethereum embarked on its ICO journey, successfully raising over $18 million worth of Ether. Since then, Ethereum has evolved dramatically, influencing numerous sectors and spawning a vibrant Web3 community eager to celebrate its achievements.

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Tokyo Hosts Grand Ethereum Celebration

Cy Li, the director of EDCON and De University of Ethereum—a nonprofit focused on blockchain education—shared with Cointelegraph that Ethereum’s decade-long journey will be celebrated at EDCON 2024. Scheduled from July 24-30 in Tokyo, Japan, this event promises to be a convergence of past and future Ethereum milestones.

Prominent figures such as Ethereum co-founders Joe Lubin and Vitalik Buterin, alongside original ICO participants and Ethereum Foundation core team members, are slated to speak. Li emphasized that the event will connect Ethereum’s revolutionary history with its ambitious future, delving into themes like interoperability, open-source development, and community building.

Tokyo, recognized for its evolving crypto-friendly regulatory environment, was chosen as the event location to underscore the region’s growing status as a blockchain hub. Two years ago, the University of Tokyo further cemented this status by introducing metaverse courses, making Tokyo an ideal setting for this significant celebration.

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Ethereum Enthusiasts Gather in San Francisco

Ken Fromm, managing director of BuildETH, conveyed to Cointelegraph that San Francisco-based Ethereum companies will commemorate the ICO anniversary with a special birthday celebration. Organizations such as BuildETH, CookBook, Dabl Club, SKALE Network, Quantstamp, and DoraHacks will host events on July 22.

San Francisco, renowned for its open and social atmosphere, remains a favored locale for tech innovators. Despite the exodus of some Web3 developers post-COVID-19, the city continues to be a hub for blockchain companies.

Noelle Becker Moreno, CMO of blockchain development firm Edge & Node, revealed that their House of Web3 will host a happy hour in collaboration with The Graph and Crypto Mondays. This event aims to unite the Web3 community in celebrating Ethereum’s significant milestones and reflecting on its transformative impact.

The Future of Ethereum

While celebrating a decade of Ethereum’s ICO, industry participants anticipate further advancements. Fromm expressed a desire for enhanced account access and control for individuals and organizations within the network. He highlighted the need for improved trust protocols to better identify reliable applications and protocols.

Additionally, Buterin recently mentioned the potential for artificial intelligence to detect bugs in Ethereum-based code, addressing one of Ethereum’s current technical challenges.

This global celebration not only honors Ethereum’s pioneering journey but also sets the stage for its continued evolution, as the community looks forward to more innovative breakthroughs in the blockchain space.