Watch the Official 2025 Verified Hacker House: New Delhi Recap Video

Just a month ago, our second Verified Hacker House lit up New Delhi with pure ZK energy — building on the roaring success of our first edition in Ho Chi Minh City.

After the epic Vietnam Hacker House in August, we knew we had to level up. From September 22–30, we transformed a vibrant Delhi venue into a buzzing hub of builders, coffee, authentic Indian cuisine, and relentless innovation.

With incredible partners Self.xyz and Phala, alongside zkVerify and Horizen, we extended hacking time from 48 to 80 hours (thanks to community feedback!) and welcomed 24 hackers who delivered 12 groundbreaking projects.

The Scene: Delhi Heat Meets Hacker Spirit 🌶️

In the heart of Delhi — surrounded by the city’s chaotic charm and fragrant food stalls — our Hacker House became a creative crucible.

Days began with steaming coffee and technical workshops, followed by plates of spicy chaat, buttery naan, and other Delhi delicacies tailored to our hackers’ tastes. The vibe? Electric. The mission? Push ZK innovation to new heights.

Workshops That Sparked Innovation ⚙️

Phala Workshop (led by Dylan Kawalec, DevRel at Phala)
Dylan brought the heat with a session on Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), exploring how to build privacy-first apps using Phala’s tech. From autonomous AI agents to secure computation, the demo showed how Phala and zk can power a more private Web3.
Bonus points to Dylan for running a midnight session to keep the energy alive.

Self.xyz Workshop (led by Kevin Lin, Integrations Engineer at Self)
Kevin dove deep into the Self protocol, unpacking its architecture and showcasing real-world integrations. The highlight: Aadhaar card verification, a groundbreaking feature that lets users prove identity without exposing personal data — a huge step forward for privacy-preserving applications.

80 Hours. 24 Hackers. 12 Projects. Infinite Creativity. 💡

For 80 intense hours, builders coded, collaborated, and caffeinated their way through projects that stretched the limits of zero knowledge.

Submissions spanned reputation protocols, privacy-first social platforms, ZK-based games, wallet recovery systems, MEV protection tools, and more. Whiteboards overflowed with diagrams, Excalidraws filled with ZK circuits, and late-night debates about privacy echoed through the room.

🏆 The Winning Projects

Combined Track (Horizen & zkVerify)

zkRL – A reputation-based lending protocol using ZK proofs for trustless, privacy-preserving credit.
zkSignals – A platform for sending anonymous signals within verified groups, enabling secure communication without leaks.

Horizen Bounty

Block Hacker – A ZK-based game where players hack blocks, prove everything, and hide nothing — gamifying privacy in a whole new way.
Arthavia – A wallet security protocol introducing a “Freeze Card” for crypto wallets. Powered by Phala’s TEE, zkVerify proofs, and smart contract policies, Arthavia offers emergency controls, travel mode, and guardian approvals without compromising privacy.

zkVerify Bounty

MEV Buster – A dark-pool DEX tackling DeFi’s $1B+ MEV problem. By concealing trades from the mempool, it prevents front-running and sandwich attacks, ensuring private, verifiable trading for all.

Phala Track

Obscura – A ZK-based encrypted dark-pool AMM for private DeFi trading.
Null ID – A zero-knowledge verification layer that combats bots by proving organizational email affiliation without revealing data — keeping Telegram, Discord, and X communities safe.
zkQuest – A trustless, ZK-powered bounty platform that uses on-chain escrow and ZK email proofs to eliminate centralized verification and fraud.

The Finale: Pizza, Proofs, and Privacy 🍕

On September 29, we wrapped up with a lively pizza party for all 24 hackers — fueling the night with cheesy slices, spicy toppings, and cold drinks in true Delhi style.

The celebration doubled as a toast to the zkVerify Mainnet Launch (September 30). Hackers swapped ideas, shared visions for the next wave of ZK innovation, and toasted to a new era of verifiable trust.

What’s Next 🚀

With 24 hackers, 12 projects, and one unforgettable city, the New Delhi Hacker House set a new bar.

The lessons from Vietnam helped us level up this edition — and we’re already planning what’s next: new cities, new partners, and more builders ready to bring Zero Doubt to life.

Want in on the action?
Follow us for updates and get ready to hack at the next Verified Hacker House.

Learn more about our ecosystem partners:
👉 zkVerify
👉 Horizen
👉 Self.xyz
👉 Phala

See you at the next one. 🔥