One year ago, XRPL Commons was born out of a clear vision: to empower the XRPL community. To disseminate blockchain education, skills, and knowledge, and foster an environment conducive to success for all those dedicated to addressing real-world issues within our ecosystem.
The inception of Commons took place in early 2023, when we saw an incredible opportunity to make a difference. Our initial idea—a Hacker House in Paris for developers—quickly evolved into a broader ambition of creating opportunities for the global XRPL community.
In just a year, XRPL Commons has made significant strides. We developed 17 university blockchain courses, hosted 20 events with over 850 attendees, and facilitated 15 new partnerships with academic institutions. We have led the community effort of assessing the XRP Ledger’s carbon footprint, and we continue working together with validators and community members on this joint effort to mitigate our collective emissions.
At XRPL Commons, we see ourselves as creators of transformative experiences within the XRPL community, which is a galaxy of smart, dedicated individuals. Our mission is to foster meaningful connections through live interactions like developer training, hackathons, and meetups, enhancing the XRP Ledger ecosystem’s value by connecting current builders and attracting new talent.
Over the past five years, the XRP Ledger ecosystem has evolved steadily, and XRPL Commons aims to support its growth by building on existing achievements. We are excited by the rising maturi-
ty and ambition within the XRPL space, supported by flagship programs like XRPL Grants, the Accelerator, and UBRI, which together can create a powerful network effect.
This year, Commons has scaled from a single vision to a robust and capable team of 15 people, each dedicated to strengthening one of XRPL Commons’ core pillars: Education, Community, Startups, Adoption, and Infrastructure. Our team’s accomplishments are detailed throughout this report. We’ve also focused on building bridges between key players in the ecosystem, such as RippleX, XRPL Labs, The XRPL Foundation (now InFTF), xrp.cafe, or Friipay.
Our next step is to scale our initial program and increase our global impact. We aim to inspire others to engage with the XRPL community and empower them to start community-oriented initiatives locally.
Together, we are building an impactful future for XRPL, driven by collaboration and shared opensource knowledge.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Sincerely,
David Bchiri
Our First Year
APRIL
The grand launch of XRPL Commons during Paris Blockchain Week
• Co-organizing Paris Blockchain Week Hackathon
• First international appearance at Consensus, in Austin, Texas
JUNE
Opening of XRPL Commons Headquarters in the heart of Paris
• Joining Alliance Blockchain France
• Joining University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI)
JULY
Hosting our first in-house developer Training
• Joining the EU program for blockchain education and skills (CHAISE)
• Hosting first conference for the Deans of IUT France
AUGUST
Sponsoring and mentoring the Delft Hackathon in the Netherlands, fostering innovation and collaboration
SEPTEMBER
Sponsoring and participating in APEX, Amsterdam
• Launching an XRPL Course at Sorbonne
• Sponsoring and participating in TUM Blockchain Munich Conference
JANUARY
First XRPL Course at Epita Paris
FEBRUARY
First XRPL Workshop at UC Berkeley
• IUT Chambéry Course Launch
• Membership in Fintech Hubs: La Place Fintech and Finance Innovation
• Participation at ETH Denver and NFT Paris conferences
• XRPL Hackathon in Cyprus with the University of Nicosia
• Launch of Aquarium Residency Cohort #2 (Intellectual Property)
• First Masterclass at Ada Tech School
DECEMBER
First Aquarium Cohort Demo Day and Graduation
• Partnership with UNESCO Chair ITEN to advance blockchain education
• First XRPL Commons “Empowering Women in Blockchain” MeetUp
NOVEMBER
First Decarbonization Webinar in partnership with CCRI
• First blockchain training for professors at Centrale Pédagogique des IUT in Paris
• First XRPL Community Magazine celebration at our HQ
OCTOBER
Launch of the first Aquarium residency cohort (Regeneration)
• First XRPL Course at Epitech
• The Commons Team travels to Swell (UAE), Permissionless (US), and UBRI (Canada)
• Hosting an XRPL Workshop at Forum Trio
MARCH
Launching an XRPL Course at IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School
APRIL
Paris Blockchain Week: Sponsoring Hackathon and Hosting 4 side events
• Launch of Aquarium Residency Cohort #3 (Decentralized Identity)
MAY
Partnership with Institut Louis Bachelier
• Hosting HAKS by Telecom Paris Hackathon in Commons HQ
• Launching a 3-year paid research collaboration (CIFRE) with Laboratoire Paragraphe and Unesco Chair ITEN
• ETH Rio in Brazil
JUNE
Sponsoring APEX in Amsterdam
• Attending Consensus in Austin, Texas
• First Workshops at IE Business School Madrid and at Ecole 42
• Hosting first XRPL Academic Meetup
JULY
First International XRPL Meetup in Luxembourg
• ETH CC in Brussels
at a
Glance
21 events organized 120 people hosted for in-house XRPL classes
3 cohorts
500+
3 XRPL Community Magazines published
Key Locations of Our Educational Programs
Nationalities of Aquarium Residents
XRPL Meetups and Events
Organized (Previous and Upcoming)
Represented XRPL Commons at International Conferences
Headquartered
in Paris, With a Impact Global
Learn
Making Blockchain Education and Research Accessible
With Vera Radeva, PhD, joining our team alongside Education Director Mathilde Morineaux, PhD, we now have a dynamic duo leading our educational initiatives. As we plan to
120
Over 120 people from around the world benefited from our free, in-house developer training sessions at our Paris HQ.
17
recruit a research-focused team manager by the end of the year, our commitment to expanding blockchain education is stronger than ever.
Developed and launched 17 hands-on blockchain courses for universities, with 10 prestigious universities and business schools, including the Sorbonne and UC Berkeley.
1
In partnership with Chris Dangerfield, we created the Complete XRP Ledger Online Bootcamp on Udemy.
Highlights from Our First Year
Open-Source Knowledge: All our dev training sessions are open-source and available online on our YouTube channel↗, with 65 educational videos published featuring experts from the community.
Blockchain For All: We have extended our educational efforts to university professors and teachers, from both technical and non-technical backgrounds, ensuring that blockchain knowledge is accessible to all.
Global Hackathons: We co-organized, sponsored, and provided technical mentors at 4 international hackathons, including the Paris Blockchain Week Hackathon, Delft TU Hackathon, XRPL Tech Odyssey in Cyprus, and Haks by Télécom ParisSud.
Research Partnerships
Partnering with the UNESCO Chair ITEN to research blockchain’s impact across various industries.
Collaborating with Laboratoire Paragraphe Université Paris 8 and ISAE-Supaero to fund a PhD researcher (CIFRE).
Participating in the Institut Louis Bachelier’s Selection Committee.
Contributing to the EU’s Blockchain Skills for Europe (CHAISE↗) program, adhering to its rigorous standards for blockchain education content creation.
Incubating the Next Generation of Builders and Entrepreneurs
Our flagship program, the Aquarium, is a 12-week in-house residency where talented developers, builders, and entrepreneurs from around the world build impactful projects on the XRP Ledger. A unique
Highlights from Our First Year
Since XRPL Commons launched a year ago, three cohorts have graduated from the Aquarium, and their Demo Days showcase their innovative work. The fourth cohort (DeFi) is currently ongoing.
We’ve incubated 36 residents from 12 different countries, including the US, China, Mexico, Australia, and India.
Each cohort focuses on topics with a real-life impact and encourages innovation to embrace interoperability, sidechains, and new amendments (such as DiD, AMM, and EVM). Past cohorts have explored themes such as Regeneration, Intellectual Property, and Decentralized Identity.
Out of 27 projects launched or continued in the Aquarium, 24 are still active, with two currently participating in the XRPL Accelerator, while others are raising funds or applying for XRPL Grants—an impressive 88% continuation rate.
The program has a highly selective 10-15% acceptance rate.
Several residents have won international hackathons with their Aquarium-launched projects, and presented on stage at APEX 2024.
blend of an art residency and a startup incubator, The Aquarium welcomes participants of all ages and backgrounds. Aurélien Burget and Cyrille Bourdeaux ensure that each resident has the best possible experience in Paris.
“The Aquarium was an amazing experience; it made me grow not only as an entrepreneur but also as a person! We’ve experienced everything from workshops with experts to being part of a cohort of grinders, to being able to experience APEX in Amsterdam and even winning a prize at the EasyA Hackathon!”
– Wilfried Scherrer, DiD cohort
Facilitating Realworld Use Cases for the XRP Ledger
Our Adoption pillar is dedicated to driving real-world use cases for the XRP Ledger, positioning XRPL as a top solution for corporates and institutions.
Highlights from Our First Year
Executive Workshops & Summits: We hosted three key events, such as one on EV Charging; a Tokenization Summit with La Place Fintech and France Innovation; and a Real Estate Tokenization workshop in collaboration with Magma, bringing together over 140 experts.
International Conference Participation: We attended 10 conferences, including Consensus, ETH Rio, Permissionless, and Swell, where we spread our mission and facilitated key partnerships.
Tools and Infrastructure
At XRPL Commons, we’re dedicated to enhancing the XRPL ecosystem by hosting top-tier infrastructure across the XRPL Mainnet and sidechains. Our tech team designs and develops products and tools for the community to support trainers, developers, students, and startups.
Our team, led by Luc Bocahut, also leverages its business and product experience to help startups or established businesses onboard onto the XRPL through free consultations and office hours. It works with partners to create integrated solutions that drive better integration experiences and products.
Since the start, our focus has been on developing thought leadership, fostering industry partnerships, and building a robust XRPL investor community.
Industry Partnerships: We consult with dozens of companies from various industries that want to implement XRPL into their products.
XRPL Investor Community: We are on a mission to build and strengthen the XRPL investor network, nurturing links with other incubator programs and investment funds.
Infrastructure Highlights
1 Validator on XRPL Mainnet
1 Validator on XRPL Testnet
1 Validator on EVM sidechain
1 Validator on Xahau
1 Node for Evernode
In progress: Launching a validator for the Root network
Engage
Supporting the XRPL Community
Our Engagement pillar focuses on community-driven initiatives like XRPL Meetups in Europe, the XRPL Community Mag, and online projects like the Ecosystem Map. Led by Head
Highlights from Our First Year
XRPL Community Magazine: Three editions have been published, featuring 14 interviews and contributions from over 30 community members. The fourth edition will be released by the end of the year.
Magazine Launch Parties: For each magazine launch, we gathered prominent community members for a panel discussion and a party.
Empowering Women in Blockchain: Three events were held to unite women and gender minorities in the blockchain community, attracting over 80 participants.”
of Community Engagement Zsofi Borsi, with support from the Events and Content Teams, we work together to create opportunities for the community to connect.
XRPL Meetups: Over 150 participants in Luxembourg, Paris, and Munich, with events in Rome, Vilnius, London, and Ljubljana next.
Ecosystem Map: Over 190 projects on the XRP Ledger showcased↗, fueled by community input.
Social Media Growth: Our combined efforts include over 500 posts, 11,000 LinkedIn page views, and YouTube metrics with 9,083 views, 500 hours of watch time, and 522 subscribers from 65 videos.
About XRPL Commons
Founded in early 2023, XRPL Commons is an independent, non-profit association focused on empowering the global XRP Ledger community.
Through providing education, guidance, and resources for the XRPL community, our mission is to create the conditions of success for startups and developers to thrive in the XRPL ecosystem.
Headquartered in the heart of Paris, France, XRPL Commons is a hub for developers, innovators, researchers, startups, corporations, non-profits, investors, and all game- changers globally who believe in the utility of Web3 for a fairer society.
Our vision for XRPL Commons is to act as a collider, where we listen to the community’s needs, empower its members, facilitate smart connections, and leverage radical innovation.
We aim to sustain the community by connecting the corporate industry to startups and bringing in new talents through education, creating a virtuous loop. We are called Commons because we believe in the power of XRPL to contribute to the common good. By providing a space for different individuals from the ecosystem to come together and bounce ideas, we can collectively shape a common history for XRPL.
We are building the Commons for the XRPL community, the Web3 community, and the world.
About Our Programs
Besides supporting already existing community-led initiatives, XRPL Commons takes an active role in putting the “Commons” into XRPL.
Our programs are built on the following pillars:
Learn Education
Build Startups and Developers
Adopt Corporate Adoption
Engage Community
Sustainability
Sustainability of the XRP Ledger
We are paving the way for sustainability within the XRPL community. To this end, we have partnered with Crypto Carbon Ratings Institute (CCRI) to assess the XRP Ledger’s carbon footprint. This initiative is timely given the recent EU regulations mandating specific disclosure under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. Real-time findings are available on our website↗
The next step is mitigating the protocol’s emissions. This is a joint effort, strategized by the XRPL Sustainability Members Club. This working group brings together climate-conscious community members to coordinate efforts to reduce, remove, and offset our collective footprint. The group’s first meeting was held at APEX 2024, and validators and community members can still join the initiative.
Education and transparency are also key pillars of our approach. To this end, we have organized two comprehensive Decarbonization Webinars and a Breakout Session at Apex 2024, all of which are available for replay on our YouTube channel.
In addition to coordinating the community’s sustainability efforts, we are committed to measuring and mitigating our own corporate carbon footprint. In collaboration with Greenly, we assess the impact of our operations, including our employees’ sustainability habits.
In our first year, our total annual emissions amount to 322 tCO₂e. The top three emission categories were services and purchases, travel and commute, and product purchases (see Chart below). We are also proud of maintaining a fully vegetarian office, significantly reducing the emissions associated with our food and drink consumption. Additionally, given our location in Paris, we prioritize train travel over flying for business trips whenever possible, taking advantage of Europe’s rail network.
Our commitment to sustainability is ongoing, and we will continue to take proactive steps to minimize our environmental impact while contributing to a greener future for the blockchain industry.
Diversity and Inclusion
Today, only 13 % of Web3 founding teams include women, while the gap worsens to 7 % among founders.3
At XRPL Commons, we are conscious of the gender gap in blockchain and deeply committed to fostering diversity and gender equality within the tech space.
Our team is composed of over 60% women, with more than half of them holding senior-level roles. We are dedicated to creating a workplace where gender equity is not just a goal but a reality.
Our programs, including the Aquarium Residency and Developer Trainings, are designed with a strong emphasis on gender and geographical diversity. We carefully select topics and create conditions that attract and support participation from all genders and regions. For instance, 9 out of 16 residents were women in our Intellectual Property Aquarium cohort. In total, more than 50% of our residents so far came from international backgrounds, including over 25% from Asia and South America.
We also prioritize diversity in our community engagement initiatives. Each issue of our Community Magazine features projects with positive social, cultural, or economic impact, including those led by women or gender minorities. We regularly invite
projects from the Global South, such as IndigiDAO, to share their insights with our Aquarium residents.
In our academic partnerships, we focus on making blockchain education accessible to students from diverse backgrounds. We offer courses at institutions like the Ada Tech School, designed to support women in tech, and Sorbonne Paris Nord University, where we enhance blockchain knowledge for students in the cultural and creative industries.
In December 2023, we launched our “Empowering Women in Blockchain” initiative. This series creates an inclusive space for women in Web3. In our first event, we showcased discussions with associations like HerDAO and Women in Web3. During Paris Blockchain Week 2024, we hosted a “Female Founders Dinner” in collaboration with Thousand Faces and Women in AI. We aim to continue building a true funnel of opportunities for women and other underrepresented groups in the XRPL and broader blockchain community, and always on the lookout for collaborations with likeminded organisations or initiatives.
What’s Next for Commons?
XRPL Commons exists in order to create the conditions for success for builders, developers, entrepreneurs, and researchers in the blockchain ecosystem.
Our vision for the XRPL ecosystem is holistic, embracing interoperability and collaboration between different parts of the community. We believe that truly unique ideas come alive when people with different skill sets and lived experiences come together.
What we’re looking forward to accomplish in 2024/2025
Educational Initiatives
Startup Programs
Tech and Infrastructure
Beyond further improving and expanding our existing projects, XRPL Commons is also taking an active role in providing infrastructure and participating in the community goveranance, and enabling others in the community to establish XRPL Hubs all over the world.
Corporate Adoption
Community Engagement
To expand our educational offerings and be recognized as a learning center, provide additional professional training sessions, and collaborate more closely with research labs.
Create sustainable businesses through the Aquarium and new startup programs that use XRPL to address real-world needs, while providing funding opportunities for viable projects and helping existing companies onboard the technology.
We will run significantly more infrastructure, including an access cluster. We are launching dedicated applications for teachers, hackathon participants, and developers. We’re working on a community news site and enhancements to our Ecosystem Map.
Position XRPL as the trusted choice for corporates and to create a vibrant XRPL VC community.
Make XRPL-related content available in multiple languages, expand our reach beyond Europe to serve the global community, and contribute to community governance.
Meet Our Team
David Bchiri President
A software engineer turned entrepreneur, David has spent 15 years building tech communities in Paris and San Francisco. A blockchain enthusiast, he excels at building bridges and organizing communities.
david@xrpl-commons.org
Aurélien Burget Residency Director
Aurélien is a tech entrepreneur with 15 years of experience. He is a startup mentor and founding member of Graines d’Entrepreneurs, focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship, and blockchain.
aurelien@xrpl-commons.org
Vera Radeva Hadijev
Academic Program Manager
With a PhD in Political Science, Vera bridges social and technical realms to improve equality. She is a teacher at Sciences Po Paris and has worked with the OECD and Plan International.
vera@xrpl-commons.org
Fanny Brakchi
Experience Manager
Fanny manages the Aquarium resident experience, overseeing logistics and ensuring a productive atmosphere for innovation and project development.
fanny@xrpl-commons.org
Luc Bocahut
Product Director
&
Solutions Architect
Luc, a technical and financial executive, has managed a global hedge fund and holds degrees from the Sorbonne and EDHEC. He has served as a CTO, CFO, and COS, with a focus on crypto and AI.
luc@xrpl-commons.org
Cassie Hirsh Content Director
Cassie is a polyglot and media creator with experience in San Francisco, Berlin, and Paris. She specializes in content creation, and on leveraging technology for social impact.
cassie@xrpl-commons.org
Mélanie Damour
Strategic Initiatives Director
Mélanie, with 8+ years in strategy consulting in Europe and Africa, leads initiatives to promote blockchain technology and drive innovation at XRPL Commons.
melanie@xrpl-commons.org
Darius Tumas
Principal Infrastructure Engineer
Darius designs and manages XRPL Commons’ infrastructure, ensuring optimal performance and security with 15 years in software engineering.
darius@xrpl-commons.org
Mathilde Morineaux
Education Director
Mathilde, PhD, leads Research and Education initiatives at XRPL Commons. Research fellow at CEMTI and teacher at Sorbonne, she is specialized in Internet governance.
mathilde@xrpl-commons.org
Zsofi Borsi
Head of Community Engagement
Zsofi has previously worked in political reporting for the European Commission and the OECD. She is also the founder of Lazy Women, a feminist media and community.
zsofi@xrpl-commons.org
Cyrille Bourdeaux
Aquarium Program Manager
Cyrille, with over 8 years of experience in Silicon Valley and Paris, drives innovation and fosters collective intelligence in XRPL Commons’ Aquarium Residency.
cyrille@xrpl-commons.org
Elisa Bailly
Senior Events Manager
Elisa, an art director turned NFT expert, transitioned into Blockchain and has managed over 80 events for the Web3 ecosystem.
