Nearly 1,000 developers packed into the Consensus Miami EasyA hackathon over the weekend, building products that leaned heavily into one theme: AI agents. The multi-day event drew coders from ecosystems as varied as Base and Solana, and included participants from tech giants Microsoft and Google.
Record turnout for a focused build
Organizers said the turnout of roughly 1,000 developers made it one of the largest hackathons at Consensus Miami this year. The room was split between blockchain-native builders and engineers who normally work on cloud or AI infrastructure. Most teams formed around a single idea: autonomous software agents that can execute tasks on behalf of users.
The presence of developers from Microsoft and Google underscored how crypto hackathons are pulling in talent from traditional Big Tech. Those engineers brought experience in large-scale distributed systems and machine learning, which they applied to blockchain-based agent frameworks.
Base and Solana ecosystems represented
Builders from the Base and Solana ecosystems made up a visible portion of the participants. Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2, attracted developers working on agent-to-agent payment rails. Solana’s contingent focused on high-throughput agent coordination, a strength of that network. Neither ecosystem dominated, but both showed up with dedicated tooling and mentorship.
Google and Microsoft sent individual engineers who joined teams rather than sponsoring. That loose corporate involvement meant the hackathon retained a grassroots feel even with big-name logos in the room.
What the teams actually built
Nearly every project that reached the demo stage involved an AI agent of some kind. A handful built agents that manage crypto portfolios based on natural-language instructions. Others created agents that automate decentralized exchange trading or monitor on-chain data for anomalies. A few teams experimented with multi-agent systems where agents negotiate with each other to execute complex workflows.
The focus on AI agents reflects a broader industry shift. Developers at the hackathon said they see agents as the next interface layer for blockchain applications—replacing traditional front-ends with conversational or autonomous programs that handle user intent directly.
No clear winner yet
Judges evaluated projects on technical sophistication, novelty, and potential real-world use. Prizes were awarded but the organizers did not release a single grand-prize winner. Instead, multiple teams received grants and invitations to accelerator programs. The lack of a single champion left some attendees wondering which approach to AI agents—if any—will gain lasting traction.
The hackathon wrapped Sunday evening. Several teams said they plan to continue development, and at least two are considering forming companies around their agent prototypes. The question now is whether the energy from Miami will translate into products that survive beyond the demo stage.
