Student-led Developer Community “XueDAO” in the World of Web3
In the world of Web3, developers play a crucial role as the core force driving the expansion of the blockchain ecosystem and enriching the overall ecology. This year, Taiwan has witnessed the birth of a student developer community called “XueDAO,” dedicated to bridging the gap between student developers and the Web3 industry through hackathons, workshops, and other activities, and showcasing the development prowess of Taiwanese students to the world.
XueDAO’s co-founders and core contributors are Hsu Jui-chen, a recent graduate from the National Chengchi University’s Department of International Business, and Lin Po-cheng, a student in the National Taiwan University’s Department of Economics.
Hsu Jui-chen had previously interned at traditional financial companies such as DBS, E.SUN Bank, and BlackRock. However, compared to the conservative traditional financial industry, Hsu Jui-chen is more interested in the open, decentralized world of Web3. In 2021, she co-organized the first-ever Blockchain Youth Forum in Taiwan and later joined the NTU FinTech Club as a core member.
Lin Po-cheng, who was also a core member of the NTU FinTech Club, has a deep interest in economics, finance, and development, with “DeFi” (Decentralized Finance) being one of the Web3 tracks he passionately researches. As a developer, Lin Po-cheng has participated in hackathons such as ETH Taipei and Gen3 Solana Taiwan Hacker Campus. Both he and Hsu Jui-chen, as blockchain technology enthusiasts, hope to promote more student understanding of the potential of blockchain and explore related career opportunities.
Hsu Jui-chen (right), a recent graduate from the National Chengchi University’s Department of International Business, and Lin Po-cheng (left), a student in the National Taiwan University’s Department of Economics, are the co-founders of XueDAO and core contributors to the community.
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Showcasing the Development Potential of Taiwanese Students to the World
Despite their young age, Hsu Jui-chen and Lin Po-cheng have already participated in numerous Web3 international exhibitions and events, including IVS Kyoto, Token 2049, and the “Plan B summer school” educational program co-founded by stablecoin issuer Tether and the Swiss town of Lugano.
These eye-opening exhibition and event experiences have been instrumental in the birth of XueDAO. Lin Po-cheng notes that during these events, they noticed the high level of professionalism and activity in many international student communities, while Taiwanese student communities tend to focus more on popular science education. “Popular science education is important, but for student communities, it is already relatively saturated. We need to break out of that circle. Taiwan is lacking student-led organizations to promote developer culture,” says Lin Po-cheng.
Hsu Jui-chen recalls a conversation with a Web3 industry veteran, where they discussed how Taiwan has yet to become a place where international Web3 resources flock, and “insufficient development energy” is one of the reasons. This realization led Hsu Jui-chen to see the importance of establishing a developer community and believe that through organizing hackathons and other activities, Taiwan’s development talent can be showcased.
She especially wants the world to see that Taiwanese students already possess excellent development capabilities. Therefore, XueDAO was founded this year with the slogan “Show the world that Taiwanese Students can BUIDL,” with the ambitious goal of bringing more resources to Taiwan.
XueDAO’s Three Main Activities
XueDAO’s activities mainly revolve around three aspects: Learning, Building, and Connecting.
For learning, XueDAO holds a co-learning day every two to three weeks, where members share the latest technology and research findings and engage in discussions. Additionally, XueDAO has research groups that delve into specific domains for in-depth learning and discussions. Hsu Jui-chen states that the participation in these types of activities has been increasing, with the number of participants growing from less than 10 to around 20 per session since it started in March this year.
In terms of building, XueDAO members actively participate in various hackathon events and plan to host a student-exclusive hackathon called “CONNECT” at the end of June this year. Lin Po-cheng shares that students have achieved excellent results in hackathon events, and this platform is an ideal opportunity to showcase the stories of Taiwanese student developers.
Lastly, XueDAO is committed to facilitating connections between students and the industry. The workshops, lectures, and offline gatherings hosted by XueDAO invite industry experts to share their expertise and career experiences, creating opportunities for interaction between both parties. “Through observation, we found that it is difficult for university students to imagine what it is like to work in the Web3 industry. We hope that XueDAO can bridge the gap between students and the industry,” says Hsu Jui-chen.
In conclusion, Lin Po-cheng and Hsu Jui-chen emphasize that not only engineers with programming skills can join the developer community, but product managers who focus on strategy and planning, as well as roles that involve presenting projects, are also key members of the development team.
They emphasize that “XueDAO is an organization without boundaries or school restrictions and needs to encompass a diverse range of talents.”
