MasterZ × IOTA Hackathon Crosses the Finishing Line

From 200 Selected Developers to 66 Real Products Built on IOTA

TL;DR:
The European Blockchain Hackathon, powered by MasterZ and IOTA, completed at the end of March. From 200 selected developers, 66 new projects have been built on IOTA. The hackathon's top 5 projects will present live in Berlin, while the top 10 will take part in an acceleration program by MasterZ and AIO Blockchain Lab, while other top projects will be given access to tailor-made acceleration paths.

The European Blockchain Hackathon, powered by MasterZ and IOTA, reached its climax at the end of March, having brought together a new generation of builders to create real-world solutions on decentralized infrastructure.

This hackathon proved to be a structured journey designed to transform developers into builders, while turning ideas into real products.

 From Selection to Execution

The journey began in January 2026, with a rigorous selection process that led to 200 developers being selected from across Europe.

These builders represented a highly international group, coming from countries including Spain, Portugal, Austria, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

In February, participants took part in a series of live training sessions, focused on:

• The Move programming language
• The IOTA Trust Framework
• Building real-world applications on decentralized infrastructure

Building Real Products Throughout March

In March, the hackathon entered its core phase: building.

Participants worked individually and in teams to design and develop real use cases leveraging IOTA’s technology stack.

By the project submission deadline on March 31st, the results were in: 66 new products were successfully built on IOTA.

Each project was evaluated based on:

• Execution quality
• Real-world problem solving
• Technical implementation
• Potential for real adoption

Top 5 Projects

Among all submissions, five projects stood out for their ability to combine strong execution, clear use cases, and real-world impact.

Textile Tracer – Fully verifiable tracing, from factory to closet to recycling: Textile Tracer addresses one of the biggest challenges in sustainability: the lack of transparency in the textile supply chain. By enabling a verifiable digital product passport, it allows every step – from manufacturing to recycling – to be cryptographically proven.

• Strong alignment with upcoming EU regulations
• Built-in incentive mechanism for recycling
• Clear path to real-world adoption

Nplex – Unlocking liquidity in traditionally inaccessible markets: Nplex focuses on the tokenization and fractionalization of non-performing loans, opening access to a market traditionally limited to institutional players.

• Bridges traditional finance and Web3
• Unlocks new liquidity channels
• Built with a strong compliance-first architecture

IOTA Web Guardian – Protecting creators in the age of AI: IOTA Web Guardian introduces a new paradigm where AI systems must authenticate and pay to access content.

• Enables fair monetization for creators
• Introduces a permissioned access layer for AI
• Highly relevant in the current AI-driven landscape

DocuNotary – Making document fraud unscalable: DocuNotary brings blockchain-based notarization to business documents, enabling instant verification and reducing fraud risks.

• Simple and effective solution
• Immediate applicability for businesses
• Strong compliance and audit capabilities

Tangle Gate – Securing access to critical infrastructure: Tangle Gate provides tamper-proof audit trails and identity-based access for critical systems.

• Enterprise-grade security use case
• Verifiable identity and access logs
• Designed for regulated environments

Special Awards

In addition to the Top 5, several projects were recognized for their excellence in specific categories:

• VitalNode:Best B2B Solution
• Portus: Best Solid Team
• InvoiceVault:Simple is Beautiful
• Dead Man's Switch:Best B2C Solution
• SmartLegacy Passkey:Community Award.
• AquaCert: Best Solo Project

What Happens Next

The end of the hackathon marks a new step in these participants’ journey.

The Top 5 projects will be invited to a private event in Berlin, where they will have the opportunity to take their products to the next level and connect directly with the ecosystem.

The Top 10 projects will join a dedicated acceleration program, powered by MasterZ and AIO Blockchain Lab. The program is designed to help teams:

• Bring their product to market
• Close strategic partnerships
• Raise funding

Given the overall quality of the submissions, this opportunity has been extended further: projects in the Top 30 and Top 60 will also have access to tailor-made acceleration paths focused on:

• Go-to-market strategy
• Partnerships
• Fundraising

Final Thoughts

The MasterZ x IOTA European Blockchain Hackathon demonstrated what happens when the right infrastructure meets the right builders.

From 200 selected developers to 66 real products, this initiative highlights the growing maturity of the ecosystem and the ability to build solutions that go beyond experimentation.

The next phase is clear: bringing these projects to market, closing partnerships, and onboarding the next generation of users and investors.