Tucked between sun-drenched beaches and winding cobblestone streets, Startup House brought Starknet’s most ambitious founders together for five unforgettable days on the French Riviera. Founders from around the world converged on Startup House to hone their products with expert guidance from Starknet mentors. Each day was a blend of focused strategy sessions, personalized coaching, and vibrant community moments.
It all culminated with the highly anticipated Demo Night. What follows is a look back at the week’s most memorable moments and how Demo Night offered a compelling glimpse into Starknet’s future.
Inside Startup House
The energy at Startup House was palpable. Starknet Foundation’s immersive retreat — designed specifically for early-stage Starknet teams — offered founders support on business model design, user acquisition, go-to-market strategy, and more. Founders also worked with mentors on sharpening product pitches and gained valuable exposure to the broader Starknet ecosystem.
Throughout the week, participants benefited from regular mentor check-ins, expert-led workshops, and dedicated time and space to refine their builds without distraction.
Take a quick look at the energy from Day 1 in this highlight video. From beach games to onboarding talks, Startup House was buzzing with collaboration and creativity.
The Startup House soiree day-by-day
Each day at Startup House brought new ideas, shared insights, and moments of real connection. Here’s how it all played out.
Day 1: Team check-in and a sunset gathering
Startup House opened with a warm welcome on the French Riviera. Founders checked in, settled into the hotel, and kicked off the week with a group talk that set a tone of focus, ambition, and collaboration.
At dusk, teams gathered on the beach for icebreaker games and pizza as the sun set. The mix of mentorship and Mediterranean ease made for the perfect opening scene.
Day 2: Lights, camera, transactions
With Day 1 setting the scene, Day 2 saw teams dive straight into the work. Gnana’s go-to-market strategy session gave founders a fresh lens on product positioning and growth. From there, teams rolled into their first structured mentor check-ins, filled with fast-paced, actionable feedback.
Between working sessions, meals became moments for reflection and connection. The day closed with a group dinner and easy conversation, creating a new community of founders and developers. It was a day of sharpening, clarifying, and building momentum.
Day 3: The plot thickens
By Day 3, the pace picked up and the stakes were rising. Omar’s session on pitching pushed founders to find the heart of founders’ product stories. The spotlight was on clear messaging, sharp delivery, and cutting the fluff.
Mentor check-ins gave space to refine that messaging even further. Dylan’s afternoon talk zoomed out, helping teams assess whether they were ready for investment and what to do next. The atmosphere was focused but expansive, with teams preparing to own their niche and narrative.
Demo Night: The final cut for Starknet’s brightest stars
Startup House wrapped with Demo Night, an electric finale showcasing the standout teams of the week. Finalists were announced that afternoon, setting the stage for a night of polished pitches, real products, and bold ideas from Starknet’s rising stars. Held in the main hacking room, builders stepped into the spotlight to share what they’d created.
Demo Night rolled out the red carpet to the wider Starknet and Web3 communities, with everyone in attendance witnessing what’s next on Starknet. After the final pitches, everyone gathered on the hotel terrace for dinner and relaxed conversations. It was the perfect curtain call for a week of hard work, connections, and business breakthroughs.
Grug’s Lair, Ponziland, ForgeYields, Caddy Finance, Curvy, and StarkPay showcased their projects on Demo Night. Each team had four minutes to present, with confirmed attendance from top partners and technical leaders from Starknet Foundation, Open Zeppelin, Alchemy, Chainlink, and StarkWare. The winners of Demo Night were:
- 1st Place – ForgeYields and Curvy
- 2nd Place – StarkPay
ForgeYields enables chain-agnostic, one-click access to the highest ETH-USD-BTC risk adjusted yields, while Curvy is a privacy-first protocol for secure, fast, and compliant crypto payments. StarkPay is a privacy chain supporting EVMs, Solana, and Bitcoin, as well as a DeFi portal for users and payment provider for businesses.
But each one of the participating teams at Startup House demonstrated why it’s the preeminent launchpad for Starknet’s next wave of innovation.
We can’t wait to see where these founders go next!
