Announcing the Devfolio Ethereum India Fellowship

Since organizing the first edition of ETHIndia back in 2018, Devfolio has been continuously driving the Ethereum ecosystem forward in India. Today, we're thrilled to double down on our efforts and  announce the Ethereum India Fellowship, a 4 week mentor-led program to help Web2 developers make the transition to Web3. Applications to the fellowship are now open. Read on to learn more!

Being at the forefront of the hacker movement in India, we're always amazed by the kind of developer talent we come across every day. From ML/AI to the cutting edge of web development these developers are equipped with the latest tools and frameworks in their arsenal and are looking forward to taking on the challenge of building a better world through tech.

Roadblocks to learning Blockchain

Blockchain is one of the most exciting frontiers in the tech world that has emerged in recent years. For a vast majority of developers though, it's something they hear a lot about but are not too sure about what to make of it or know where to begin their development journey. Some of the issues with current learning channels are:

• Academic coursework on blockchain in universities is mostly abstract or focused on theoretical concepts.
• Training institutes cover superficial material, often charging a substantial fee for freely accessible information.
• Online courses and resources are often one-way conversations which do not provide essential feedback to the aspiring blockchain developers about their progress.

The opportunity in Blockchain

Providing the right environment and resources to emerging talent can do wonders. And at Devfolio, we've experienced this first-hand. InstaDApp, and Incento both projects born at Devfolio hackathons, are now runaway hits in the crypto ecosystem with a stellar lineup of investors. Devfolio powered student-run hackathons have also seen a large number of developers get their first shot at building on blockchain at 100+ hackathons across the country.

Enabling the next wave of Web3 Developers

With the Devfolio Ethereum India Fellowship, we are thrilled to enable the next wave of Web3 developers make the transition from Web2, with Ethereum. Ethereum has the most vibrant and helpful community in the ecosystem. We are glad to have the leading minds in the community join in, to mentor the first fellowship cohort personally to fill in the gaps that other learning channels leave behind.

This feedback loop will equip fellows with the tools they need to start making impactful contributions to the ecosystem. By the end of the program, exceptional projects built by the participants would be evaluated for funding through continuity grants.

Meet the Mentors

The mentors have been drawn from core research teams at the Ethereum Foundation and leading Ethereum companies in the world.

• Aditya Asgaonkar: Blockchain Researcher, Ethereum Foundation
• Lakshman Sankar: Blockchain Researcher, Ethereum Foundation
• Vaibhav Chellani: Independent researcher, Ex-Lead Blockchain Engineer (Matic Network)
• Arpit Agarwal: Technical Lead (Matic Network)

How does it work?

1. Fill out this application form to make your case to join the fellowship. Schedule a remote interview with the mentors once you receive your conditional acceptance and get invited to the fellowship cohort.
2. Work closely with the mentors to learn and build your skills over four weeks. The fellowship will include designated coursework, peer learning and mentor feedback sessions along with a significant project building component. The estimated time commitment is 40 hours per week.
3. Demonstrate significant progress in your Web3 skills to successfully graduate from the fellowship and become part of the Ethereum ecosystem. Submit your projects for evaluation for continuity grants.

Timeline

• Applications begin: 6:00 PM IST | 15 May 2020
• Applications end: 6:00 PM IST | 26 May 2020
• Interview Invites sent: 6:00 PM | 27 May 2020
• Interviews: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM IST | 28-29 May 2020
• Final cohort results announced: 6:00 PM IST | 30 May 2020
• Program Starts: 6:00 PM IST | 01 June 2020
• Program Ends: 6:00 PM IST | 28 June 2020

Apply now: https://forms.gle/UHqsYtUqBGDcJGhs9

Did we miss anything? Reach out to us at [email protected]

Update: The first cohort of the program kicked off on 8 June!  The overwhelming response led to an extended selection process shifting the original timeline by a week. Being the pilot edition with a limited number of mentors, only a few candidates could be accepted. Non acceptance in the current edition means either the candidates is on the right path already or needs some more dev experience. We're thrilled by the response that we have received and will be announcing the next cohort soon :)