HackQuest is an online educational platform designed to onboard developers into the Web3 ecosystem through free courses, hackathons, and project-building support. The platform is powered by Open Campus and BuildMoonshot and aims to guide users from beginner-level programming to founding their own Web3 startups. ^[1]

Overview

HackQuest positions itself as a comprehensive ecosystem for Web3 developer education, operating under the slogan "Web3 programming for everyone." The platform's model is built upon three core pillars: learning, building, and community engagement. It provides a structured pathway for aspiring developers, beginning with fundamental concepts and progressing to advanced, practical applications. The platform reports a user base of over 1.2 million developers and claims to be the leading free Web3 developer education platform by traffic. ^{[1] [2]}

The platform's approach combines gamified, interactive lessons with project-based learning to maintain user engagement. Courses are often certified by prominent Web3 ecosystems, allowing users to earn official credentials upon completion. HackQuest tailors its content recommendations to a user's self-identified skill level, offering distinct paths for Web3 newcomers, entry-level developers, experienced programmers, and founders. As of September 2025, the platform reported hosting over 80 hackathons, facilitating the creation of more than 35,000 projects, and organizing over 330 global events. ^[2]

Scott Moore, co-founder of Gitcoin, commented on the platform's accessibility, stating, "Trying to get started in web3 can be hard, but HackQuest makes it significantly easier. I genuinely wish this kind of customizable education existed when I started in the space." Sunny Gao, founder of SegmentFault, distinguished the platform from others by highlighting its community aspect: "I think what makes HackQuest special from Udemy and Codecademy is that it is not just a learning platform, it is also a vibrant and welcoming Web3 community." ^[2]

History

The public launch of HackQuest appears to have occurred around August 2023, the month its official X (formerly Twitter) account was created. ^[1]

On August 11, 2025, the company announced it had raised $4.1 million in a Pre-A funding round. The round was co-led by Animoca Brands and Open Campus. Other participating institutional investors included StepN, Gate Ventures, HashGlobal, HashKey Capital, Bytetrade Lab, Outlier Ventures, KIP Protocol, and OnePiece Labs. The round also saw participation from several angel investors, including Scott Moore (co-founder of Gitcoin), YY Lai, James Zhang, and Paul Taylor. This funding event marked a significant milestone in the platform's development and expansion efforts. ^[1]

In early September 2025, HackQuest acquired BuidlBox, a platform for hackathons and bounty-driven collaboration. BuidlBox was known for its role in major events like ETHDenver and for helping turn hackathon projects into funded startups. The acquisition aimed to combine HackQuest's curated educational resources with BuidlBox's large-scale hackathon operations. Kevin Li, co-founder of HackQuest, stated the goal was to create "an unparalleled platform for developers to learn, build, and launch the next wave of decentralized applications.” ^[3]

Platform Features

HackQuest's ecosystem is structured around three main areas designed to provide a holistic developer journey from education to entrepreneurship. ^[2]

Learning Features

The platform's educational model is centered on interactive and practical learning experiences.

• Interactive and Gamified Learning: HackQuest employs interactive lessons and guided projects coupled with a reward system to enhance user engagement and knowledge retention.
• Certified Courses and Tracks: It offers structured learning tracks and courses that are certified by major Web3 ecosystems such as Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain. Upon successful completion, users can mint official developer certificates to validate their skills.
• Personalized Recommendations: The platform provides customized content suggestions based on a user's declared experience level, categorizing them as a Web3 Newbie, Web3 Developer (Entry Level), Web3 Developer (Intermediate/High Level), or Web3 Founder.
• Online Integrated Development Environment (IDE): A key feature is its built-in online IDE, which allows users to write, test, and deploy smart contracts on-chain directly within the browser-based learning interface. One student, Akshay Shukla, noted, "I think that HackQuest's online IDE is especially beneficial as it allows us to code and deploy smart contracts on-chain concurrently while learning."

These features are designed to lower the barrier to entry for Web3 development and provide a seamless learning curve. ^[2]

Building Opportunities

HackQuest emphasizes practical application and project creation as essential components of the developer journey.

• Hackathons: The platform serves as a hub for developers to participate in hackathons, such as the "Tech Fairness Hackathon," allowing them to apply their skills in competitive environments, earn rewards, and gain feedback on their work. ^[1]
• Project Development Pathway: HackQuest outlines a step-by-step process for builders, encouraging them to start with an idea, form a team, initiate a project, join hackathons, and ultimately become a founder. A feature to help users find teammates was listed as "Coming Soon."
• Founder Support: For users who advance to the entrepreneurial stage, a dedicated portal is available to provide resources and support for launching a startup.

This focus on building helps bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world implementation. ^[2]

Community Engagement

Community is a central pillar of the HackQuest ecosystem, facilitating collaboration and peer-to-peer learning.

• Co-learning Camps: The platform organizes free, two-week-long, instructor-led camps that foster a collaborative learning environment among peers. Potter, co-founder of Ethsign and a mentor at these camps, described HackQuest as "truly a public good and education infrastructure for Web3."
• Global Events: HackQuest actively organizes and promotes a variety of global events, including developer meetups, bootcamps like the Solana MCM Founder’s Bootcamp, and university tours to engage with the developer community worldwide. ^[1]
• Advocate Program: A dedicated program rewards community members for sharing their experiences and contributing to the platform's growth by onboarding new users and creating content.

These initiatives aim to create a supportive and active network for developers at all stages of their careers. ^[2]

Course Offerings

HackQuest provides a variety of courses that cater to different skill levels, with a strong emphasis on foundational knowledge for beginners alongside some advanced topics. ^[2]

Core Courses

• Web3 Basics (Beginner): An introductory course covering the fundamental concepts of Web3, including blockchain technology, decentralized applications, and common use cases.
• Solidity 101 (Beginner): An entry-level technical course focused on the Solidity programming language, which is primarily used for writing smart contracts on Ethereum and other EVM-compatible blockchains.
• Introduction to Rust (Beginner): This course teaches the essential concepts of the Rust programming language, such as ownership, data types, control flow, and error handling, which are crucial for development on ecosystems like Solana and Eclipse.
• Move 101 (Beginner): A foundational course on the Move programming language, covering its core components like packages, modules, and data types.
• Decentralized Social Dapp (Beginner): A project-based course that guides users through building a simple Web3 social application on the Linea network, utilizing smart contracts and the Thirdweb development platform.
• AI Crypto Chatbot (Advanced): An advanced course focused on building a cryptocurrency market AI assistant. It involves using Gaia nodes and creating customized Large Language Model (LLM) workflows.

Ecosystem-Specific Learning Tracks

In addition to individual courses, HackQuest collaborates with Web3 foundations to create dedicated learning tracks. For example, in May 2025, the platform launched the "Eclipse Learning Track" in partnership with the Eclipse Foundation. This track was designed to teach developers the fundamentals of the Eclipse ecosystem, the Rust programming language, and the Anchor framework. The curriculum included practical projects such as launching NFTs, creating meme coins, and building CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) decentralized applications. Upon completion, participants earn a certificate co-issued by Eclipse and HackQuest. ^[1]

In August 2025, HackQuest partnered with 0G (Zero Gravity), a decentralized AI Layer 1 chain, to launch the 0G Learning Track. This initiative was created to provide developers with the tools and knowledge to build applications in the decentralized AI sector. The curriculum covers 0G's modular blockchain infrastructure, its high-throughput data availability layer, and SDKs compatible with AI frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch. Similar to other ecosystem tracks, participants can earn a co-issued HackQuest x 0G Developer Certificate upon completion. ^[4]

Partnerships and Investors

HackQuest has established a broad network of collaborations with over 100 Web3 ecosystems, venture capital firms, and community organizations. ^[2]

Strategic Backers and Investors

The platform is strategically powered by Open Campus, an ed-tech protocol, and BuildMoonshot. Open Campus was also a lead investor in the company's $4.1 million Pre-A funding round, alongside Animoca Brands. Other notable investors include StepN, Gate Ventures, HashGlobal, HashKey Capital, Bytetrade Lab, Outlier Ventures, KIP Protocol, and OnePiece Labs. ^[1]

Ecosystem Collaborations

A notable partnership was announced in August 2025 with 0G Labs and TinTinLand to launch a six-month developer growth program targeting Chinese-speaking regions. The initiative aims to onboard over 3,000 developers into the 0G ecosystem by providing localized education and community support. As part of the collaboration, HackQuest is responsible for creating a Chinese-language learning path, including online boot camps and other educational resources tailored for the region. ^[5]