What Was ETHDam 2024?
ETHDam 2024 was the second annual edition of Amsterdam's premier Ethereum privacy and security conference and hackathon, held at Pakhuis de Zwijger (179 Piet Heinkade, Amsterdam-Oost) from 12 to 14 April 2024. Organized by CryptoCanal — an education and events platform committed to cypherpunk values (privacy, sovereignty, and censorship resistance) — ETHDam 2024 focused on Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proof technology, DeFi security, and privacy-preserving blockchain applications. Details sat on the official ETHDam website. With 600+ participants, two conference stages, and a dedicated hackathon programme, ETHDam 2024 brought together the Ethereum ecosystem's most technically rigorous privacy and security builders in the city that is home to some of Europe's most active blockchain development communities.
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Key Themes and Event Highlights
Zero-knowledge proofs and DeFi security dominated the technical agenda — with a hackathon that put participants' cryptographic skills directly to the test.
Event Highlights
- Zero-Knowledge (ZK) technology focus: ETHDam 2024 dedicated extensive conference and hackathon content to ZK proofs — covering ZK-SNARKs, ZK-STARKs, practical ZK applications for DeFi privacy, identity, and scaling. The emphasis on ZK reflected 2024's most significant area of Ethereum technical development.
- Dr. Miguel Prada (Co-Founder, Diva Staking) — presented on liquid staking and DeFi protocol security, exploring how distributed validator technology (DVT) improves Ethereum's decentralization and resilience.
- gmhacker (Immunefi) — from the world's largest blockchain bug bounty platform — spoke on DeFi security vulnerabilities, smart contract auditing, and the ever-growing importance of security-first development.
- Anish Mohammed (Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Panther Protocol) — presented on privacy-preserving DeFi using ZK proofs and confidential compliance — a practical approach to building DeFi that satisfies regulators without sacrificing user privacy.
- Ben Thalman (Sr. Protocol Analyst and Ethereum Specialist, Figment) discussed Ethereum staking protocol analysis and the post-merge Ethereum ecosystem from an institutional perspective.
- Hackathon tracks and partners: The hackathon was supported by OASIS Network, Trail of Bits, Threshold, WAKU, NEAR, PSE (Privacy and Scaling Explorations — Ethereum Foundation) MACI, PSE Bandada, PSE TLSNotary, and dRPC as the official node provider.
- OtterTrack: A unique hackathon track for existing projects with pre-existing code — allowing established teams to showcase new features and receive stage time and judge feedback, creating differentiated opportunities for projects at different development stages.
- Party on April 14: A closing celebration integrated social community building into the formal programme — consistent with CryptoCanal's belief that human connection is as important as technical learning.
How Ethereum and Blockchain Are Growing in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has 14% adult crypto adoption (2.5 million users), 350+ blockchain companies, and Amsterdam as a top EU crypto innovation hub. The AFM and DNB are dual MiCA regulators. ETHDam is powered by CryptoCanal, which began organizing larger blockchain events during Devconnect 2022 (ETHDay and DeFiDay) before launching ETHDam in 2023. The Dutch cypherpunk tradition — rooted in Amsterdam's digital freedom culture — makes it a natural home for privacy-focused blockchain events. For more shows, see CoinGabbar's crypto hackathons hub.
Impact on Ethereum's Privacy and Security Ecosystem
The 2024 programme's ZK focus contributed directly to the growing developer skill base in zero-knowledge cryptography — one of 2024's most in-demand areas of blockchain expertise globally. By combining conference education with a hands-on hackathon and partnerships from Trail of Bits and PSE (Ethereum Foundation's privacy research team), it created one of Europe's most technically rigorous ZK learning environments.
Why Sponsors, Exhibitors and Projects Should Join
- ZK proof companies: ETHDam's 600+ technically rigorous participants represent one of Europe's most concentrated audiences of ZK developers.
- DeFi security platforms: Immunefi's participation signals the alignment between DeFi security and ETHDam's community — ideal for security tools, audit firms, and bug bounty platforms.
- Privacy-preserving Web3: from decentralized identity to private DeFi, ETHDam's audience builds at the most sensitive frontier of blockchain privacy technology.
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Why KOLs, Media and Influencers Attend
ETHDam's technically expert audience and cypherpunk ethos generate authentic, high-credibility content for privacy and ZK-focused crypto media. The Pakhuis de Zwijger venue — a cultural center in Amsterdam's eastern docks — also provides exceptional visual content. Coverage can spread through the crypto press release network.
Why Developers and Participants Join
Ethereum privacy and security researchers join ETHDam for the hackathon's technically demanding challenges, the access to Ethereum Foundation's PSE team, and the rare experience of a European blockchain event that takes zero-knowledge cryptography as seriously as a pure cryptography conference does.
Tickets and PR Offers With CoinGabbar
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How the Event Concluded and What Came Next
ETHDam 2024 closed on 14 April with the closing hackathon presentations and party. ETHDam III returned in May 2025, dedicated to Privacy, Security, and AI — continuing the event's evolution alongside Ethereum's technical frontier. Track upcoming shows on the crypto events calendar and our crypto hackathons page.
Glossary of Key Terms
- CryptoCanal: the Amsterdam-based education and events platform that organizes ETHDam, committed to cypherpunk values of privacy, sovereignty, and censorship resistance — spreading its roots to Rotterdam and Zurich alongside Amsterdam.
- Immunefi: the world's largest blockchain bug bounty platform, connecting DeFi and smart contract protocols with ethical hackers who discover and disclose vulnerabilities in exchange for rewards.
- Pakhuis de Zwijger: a cultural center in Amsterdam's eastern docks area, converted from a 1930s warehouse, known for hosting progressive technology, culture, and social innovation events.
- PSE (Privacy and Scaling Explorations): the Ethereum Foundation's research team dedicated to zero-knowledge proof applications, including MACI (Minimum Anti-Collusion Infrastructure for private voting), Bandada (anonymous group management), and TLSNotary (proving web data authenticity without revealing private info).
- DVT (Distributed Validator Technology): an Ethereum staking innovation that splits a single validator across multiple nodes/operators, improving resilience, decentralization, and resistance to single points of failure — a key focus of Diva Staking.
Disclaimer
This page is for general information only. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. The event described was held in April 2024; future dates may differ. Verify with the official source and do your own research. Crypto assets are volatile.
