AUSTIN, TX – Last week BCCN3 attended this year’s South-by-Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. An annual event since 1987, SXSW brings the newest music, film, and tech, showcasing the latest in the arts and technological innovations. BCCN3 interviewed several web3 companies at SXSW, many of which were displayed at Polkadot’s exhibit booth. 

Web3 companies at SXSW

Polkadot was a significant representative of the blockchain industry at SXSW, and we interviewed several of their parachain companies. You can hear these interviews and more on our podcast or watch them on our YouTube channel. The following are profiles of three of the Polkadot parachain companies we interviewed.

1. OAK Network

OAK Network ($OAK) provides automated transaction processing and finance infrastructure for web3 to individuals, businesses, and organizations. The platform uses smart contracts to manage recurring payments and tasks.

OAK also provides trustless auto-trading to trigger stop-loss trade orders or place decentralized limits without smart contracts. Using custom parameters, investors can customize their trading strategy. 

OAK automates many other tasks as well. It can execute cross-chain automation through its secure and scalable platform without the user needing to program anything. Its smooth user experience with many applications makes it a standout tool in the blockchain industry.

Our interview episode with David Finkelstein, Chief Vibe Architect at OAK Network, can be found on our podcast and YouTube channel.

2. Nodle

Nodle turns a user’s smartphone into a node, thus building out a mobile blockchain. The platform connects smartphones together using its ‘Nodle Network Protocol’ in a nexus of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices while providing top-level security and privacy for each user.

Device owners are incentivized to use Nodle through its own cryptocurrency, Nodle Cash ($NODL) token. Users earn NODL by contributing to the networking when they connect to various IoT applications in the Nodle ecosystem. The platform’s software development kit (SDK), RESTful APIs, and webhooks make utilization of Nodle easier and broaden its variety of applications, such as relaying data transfers between devices to create automation.

Find our interview episode with Nodl co-founder Garrett Kinsman and VP of Product Management Florent Stroppa, on our podcast and YouTube channel.

3. KILT Protocol

KILT Protocol ($KILT) provides decentralized identity (DID) and verifiable credentials within the web3 ecosystem. KILT solves the problem of identity management by creating a secure, decentralized system that allows users to control their digital identity and data on the blockchain.

KILT Protocol has a unique approach to identity management in that it uses ‘attestations’ to identify and validate user data. Claims about a user's identity or attributes, such as age, address, or employment status, are known as ‘attestations’ and are stored on the KILT blockchain. Trusted third-party validators verify the attestations to prove a user’s identity.

Our interview with Ingo Ruebe, Founder & CEO of KILT Protocol, can be heard on our podcast and YouTube channel.

Blockchain at SXSW

Amidst the calamities of 2022 – the crypto winter, the NFT market crash, the stalling of GameFi – a handful of companies went unnoticed as they buckled down and more fundamental uses for the blockchain. Polkadot is one such company. 

From digital identity protection to automated payments to smartphones as nodes, Polkadot has focused much more on the utility and viability of blockchain apart from digital currencies and art. By utilizing existing technologies and hardware, Polkadot has quickly become a mainstay in the blockchain industry and will doubtless add more unique and innovative projects in the coming years.