The Algorand EasyA Harvard Hackathon showcased how far blockchain developer tooling has advanced. Over 100 students from top U.S. universities—Harvard, Brown, Wharton, and Wesleyan—gathered to build decentralized applications using Algorand. Hosted by EasyA, the world’s largest Web3 education app, the event demonstrated the power of Algorand’s latest tools, including native TypeScript and ARC-19 NFTs.
Held over a 36-hour sprint, students developed real MVPs, received mentorship from Algorand Foundation developers, and competed for investor attention. Projects like Percival—a social prediction market built on TikTok virality—emerged from idea to pitch-ready in just a weekend. As Dom from EasyA explained, “Hackathons are a great place for people to come together… and launch ideas on blockchain.”
🏆 Algorand x EasyA x Harvard | Innovation Meets Ivy League
— Generation Infinity (@GenfinityIO) October 8, 2025
What happens when the world’s biggest blockchain education app partners with the world’s most elite university on the ALGO Network?
THE FUTURE GETS BUILT.@easya_app @AlgoFoundation @Harvard pic.twitter.com/lNhLKrstEd
Developer Experience on Algorand: Why Tools Matter More Than Ever
Before AlgoKit, Algorand development involved custom tooling and a steep learning curve. Now, developers can write smart contracts in familiar languages like TypeScript and Python. According to Gabe from Algorand’s Developer Relations team, “We didn’t have native TypeScript and Python to write smart contracts,” referring to their last hackathon experience before releasing AlgoKit 3.0.
The impact was clear. Students built end-to-end functional applications, integrated clean UI elements, and refined their pitch decks within the hackathon window. Tools like ARC-19 NFTs—upgradable metadata standards—allowed for dynamic staking and prediction logic. Additionally, atomically grouped transactions enabled multi-party payouts within a single transaction, enhancing app efficiency.
Percival, for example, used atomic transfers to reward creators, winners, and the protocol simultaneously. This structure would be difficult on Ethereum without Layer 2 scaling. On Algorand, it worked out of the box.
Spotlight: Percival – Social Prediction Markets Powered by Virality
Created by Nelson from Wesleyan and Abby from Harvard, Percival allows users to bet on whether short-form videos will go viral. Users can share TikToks through their native share sheet, then place a small bet on whether the video will cross a certain view threshold.
The bets are pooled in a pari-mutuel format, and users who correctly predict the outcome win a share. Creators earn a fixed percentage of the total volume wagered on their content, giving them an incentive to participate. “It’s effectively you’re scrolling on TikTok, and you can find a pre-viral video and share it,” Nelson explained.
To maintain authenticity and avoid manipulation, the team capped each prediction pool at $100 per video. Abby added, “Buying views, buying followers, is an option on all social media platforms… but we kind of do the math and we decided… it doesn’t really make sense financially.”
They plan to onboard creators natively to Percival’s platform over time, granting them API access for deeper integrations and verified view counts. For now, the app leverages TikTok and Instagram’s massive distribution to drive discovery.
🥇 ($3,000) Love commenting first on a post you know's going to go viral?
— EasyA 🤳📱 (@easya_app) September 8, 2025
These Harvard undergrads built a way for you to invest early in viral posts.
If it goes viral, you win big. All powered by their unique NFT and trading mechanics built on Algorand 💰 pic.twitter.com/CjJj6LzHUQ
SocialFi, Financial Entertainment, and the Attention Economy
Phil from EasyA described Percival as a natural evolution of finance and social media. “It blurs the lines between a lot of different things,” he said, “there’s a bit of trading… but it’s also gamified… and there’s elements of betting.” Unlike earlier Web3 projects that attempted to rebuild social networks from scratch, Percival meets users where they already are—on TikTok, Instagram, and X.
This reflects a broader shift in Web3 thinking. Instead of replacing Web2, developers now integrate blockchain logic into existing user flows. Prediction markets like Polymarket or Kalshi live on custom UIs. Percival, however, uses familiar apps as entry points, removing friction and improving adoption potential.
The underlying concept—treating user attention and engagement as real-world assets—mirrors current trends in tokenized data ownership. With micropayments and creator royalties enabled by Algorand’s fee structure, projects like Percival align with the thesis that social capital can become on-chain value.
The real innovation is going to come from those companies that are going to be blockchain-first… not existing companies integrating blockchain into their workflows.
Onboarding New Builders: Why Universities Are Becoming Web3 Launchpads
EasyA’s educational strategy includes hackathons, app-based learning modules, and university partnerships. The Algorand Foundation supports this with developer outreach, real-time feedback loops, and continued engagement post-event. Nelson noted that after winning, “a lot of VCs [are] reaching out, a lot of engineers and people that want to work on the product.”
Abby’s large Instagram following also revealed an opportunity: most creators aren’t involved in Web3 due to complexity. She explained, “Honestly, it is really the initial learning curve and step into opening up a crypto wallet.” Percival plans to abstract that friction by offering fiat on-ramps and crypto-native reward options side-by-side.
Dom emphasized the broader context: “The real innovation is going to come from those companies that are going to be blockchain-first… not existing companies integrating blockchain into their workflows.” Hackathons provide a startup-friendly environment for launching these kinds of experiments.
Policy, Ecosystem Growth, and the Road Ahead
The Algorand Foundation is also expanding its U.S. presence in response to a more welcoming regulatory environment. Dom and Phil recently visited the SEC to discuss frameworks for innovation and startup growth. “The sentiment has really changed in the U.S.,” said Dom, pointing to Commissioner Hester Peirce’s willingness to engage with builders.
This aligns with the appointment of Nick Bugalis, former XRPL core engineer, as Algorand’s new CTO. The foundation’s 2025 roadmap includes continued focus on developer experience, modular security, and quantum resistance. Gabe concluded, “We’re going to see a sort of Cambrian explosion of use cases… and Algorand has to be ready for that.”
Looking forward, the next major hackathon will take place in London on October 18–19. The EasyA app already offers on-demand Algorand learning modules, allowing students anywhere to begin building before the event starts.
We're heading to London in October with @algodevs and @easya_app!
— Algorand Foundation (@AlgoFoundation) September 28, 2025
After a successful hackathon at @Harvard with 45 projects launched on Algorand, we’re back at it in the UK’s capital.
Sign up below. pic.twitter.com/urBi2ia831
Conclusion: What 36 Hours on Algorand Revealed About the Future of SocialFi
The Algorand EasyA Harvard Hackathon highlighted the convergence of blockchain scalability, real-world applications, and creator incentives. Projects like Percival demonstrate how blockchain can support prediction markets, creator monetization, and data tokenization without demanding users leave the platforms they already enjoy.
Rather than trying to disrupt social media, builders used Algorand’s tools to integrate prediction markets into existing behavior patterns. By focusing on mobile-first flows, embedded attention, and programmable incentives, hackathon participants advanced a new type of user experience—one that prioritizes familiarity over abstraction.
If current trends continue, Ivy League builders like Abby and Nelson won’t just win hackathons. They’ll shape how decentralized protocols enter everyday consumer products.
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