EasyA x Polkadot Hackathon startup lands a spot at Y Combinator

Meet Gecko Sec, a team of "gigabrains" emerging from the EasyA hackathon circuit, is heading to the Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator. 

Gecko Sec helps Web3 developers code securely without the headache of ineffective tools or one-off security tests that quickly lose relevance. The team is particularly focused on supporting projects on Polkadot , addressing one of the biggest challenges in Web3. The importance of security audits in the industry is underscored by the millions spent monthly on security checks alone.

Founded in 2005, California-based Y Combinator has built a strong reputation for helping startups grow, with nine of its companies scooped up by Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL ) and seven by Facebook (NASDAQ:META ). 

Reflecting on their journey, Jeevan Juttla, who previously worked at Binance as a Security Engineer, credited EasyA with helping them take the leap from hackathon participants to Y Combinator-backed founders. 

Artemiy Malyshau added: “What started off at an EasyA hackathon has led to us getting backed by Y Combinator. Big shoutout to Phil and Dom for pushing us out of our comfort zone and getting us here!” 

EasyA has become a launchpad for Web3 talent. It claims to have educated over 100,000 developers on the Polkadot ecosystem. At the EasyA x Polkadot hackathon in London, the app selected over 400 developers to participate, which it says led to the creation of 56 startups. 

Following the London event, EasyA hosted a second Polkadot hackathon at Harvard University, where over 300 developers launched 55 games, leveraging NFTs on Unique Network’s parachain. The event featured a $20,000 prize pool and a guest appearance by INDY500 racer Conor Daly.

EasyA's alumni are said to have founded startups valued at over $3 billion and secured funding from top venture capital firms. Cognition AI, a company founded by EasyA hackathon winner Walden Yan, hit a $2B valuation in April. Walden originally pitched his idea for DALLE on the blockchain at an EasyA hackathon at Harvard in 2022.

Source: Investing.com