Now dominant in crypto, Solana community gathers in Istanbul

Solana Crossroads kicked off today in Istanbul, and Solana builders decamped from around the world to Turkey

article-image

Solana and AlexAnton/Shutterstock and Adobe modified by Blockworks

share

This is a segment from the Lightspeed newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


One of the best parts of traveling is getting to meet new people, unless you’re traveling to a crypto conference. 

Solana Crossroads kicked off today in Istanbul, so a number of Solana builders decamped from New York and San Francisco to sip stale coffee halfway around the world while talking with the same people they see at Solana events in New York and San Francisco. Many attendees stopped by the Step Finance-sponsored community conference on their way to Dubai for TOKEN2049 next week before shipping off to New York City for Solana Accelerate in May.

Crypto itself may still be struggling to find product-market fit, but crypto conferences seem to have inelastic demand. 

After a year of explosive growth for Solana, Crossroads attendees didn’t seem too concerned with other ecosystems. Some complained that the yearly Ethereum conference ETHDenver talked too much about Solana and other ecosystems. At Crossroads, it almost felt like those other smart contract ecosystems didn’t exist. 

Solana teams hawked their wares on the conference’s expo floor. I held a prototype of the Solana Seeker phone. It wasn’t production-ready, so all I could really do was look at a promotional display on the screen, but I can now vouch for the fact that its casing exists, at least. 

The internet filtering startup DoubleZero had some conference buzz. One Solana founder said market makers offered up their connection with the network as a way to pitch their services. 

I caught DoubleZero co-founder Austin Federa near the media room and asked him some vague question about the state of high-throughput blockchains.

“Imagine if the sun disappeared,” he began before explaining the importance of being able to broadcast data.

While Crossroads is filled with many of the usual suspects, a number of locals showed up as well. 

“I’ve been impressed with frankly just the number of local Turkish people who’ve shown up,” Framework Ventures partner Brandon Potts said. “A lot of the conversations with locals I’ve had are just practical ones around stablecoins and like, ‘Hey … which one should I hold?’”

I chatted with a Turkish Solana developer who filled me in on the history of the land. He told me that coins were invented in Lydia, an ancient kingdom located in modern day Turkey. His father collects coins, he added.

“You collect coins, too. Shitcoins,” his friend shot back.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Cover Chart.png

Research

The tokenization wave has arrived for trading cards, with protocols like Collector Crypt and Phygitals leading the charge. By tapping into the same dopamine loops that made Pop Mart’s Labubu blind boxes a phenomenon, their gacha mechanics show how TCGs can thrive in a crypto-native setting. Yet with razor-thin margins, limited product differentiation, and hype-driven cycles, building a lasting moat is a challenge. In my latest report, I share insights from the Collector Crypt and Phygitals teams on the opportunities and risks shaping onchain TCGs and what comes next for them.

article-image

Acquisition of Copium Capital’s strategies strengthens Barter’s offering, but raises questions about solver concentration

article-image

The company says the acquisition strengthens its push to simplify DeFi for consumers

by Blockworks /
article-image

Cboe Futures Exchange aims to introduce long-dated crypto contracts under US regulatory oversight

by Blockworks /
article-image

Client engineers and coordinators earn far less than researchers, despite playing key roles in network stability

article-image

One of the new hires was formerly FTX’s global head of payments

article-image

Tempo’s announcement reignites debates over Ethereum fast finality and whether corporate chains can ever be truly neutral