NEAR Protocol Growth
Challenge
The task was to create a go-to-market strategy to launch a NEAR Balkans Cluster across Southeast Europe. The goal was to build an educational infrastructure to motivate entrepreneurs to build their products on NEAR. The primary target was the Balkan Region, including Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Solution
A series of activities was defined to grow a blockchain community. These included a commercial showcase for products, an incubator, grants, meetups, conferences, and educational certifications in local languages. We engaged local early-stage incubators and accelerators to position the Hub as the primary contact for blockchain initiatives. We formed partnerships with technical universities to create a NEAR-powered blockchain curriculum, educational programs, hackathons, and case studies to develop a new generation of developers.
Results
The collaboration increased the number of weekly active wallets in the market by 30% and established a local language academy with certification. A four-month NEAR Balkans Summership program involved seven interns, which bolstered the regional talent pool. The NEARby events attracted over 3,000 attendees, and the initiatives led to the creation and incubation of two products: Tekuno and Pathfinder. This strategy accelerated NEAR Protocol’s adoption in the Balkans and laid a foundation for the region’s blockchain community.
Want fresh marketing stories in your inbox?
Get the weekly email that makes you a marketing genius.
Stay informed and inspired, for free.