Add DePIN Summit

content/blog/depin_summit_recap/index.md

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+---
+id: depin_summit_recap
+title: "From Vision to Reality: DePIN Comes Alive in East Africa"
+image_caption: DePIN Summit Recap
+description: A powerful week of community, collaboration, and real-world impact as decentralized infrastructure takes root in East Africa.
+date: 2025-07-11
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart]
+  tags: [decentralization, event, why]
+  categories: [decentralization, event, why]
+extra:
+    imgPath: depin_summit_recap.png
+---
+
+*Recapping an incredible DePIN Summit 2025: Africa Edition. Thanks to [EV3](https://ev3.xyz/) for bringing DePIN Summit to East Africa, [Share](https://www.share.inc/), [Singularity Venture Hub](https://www.singularityventurehub.ai/), our own team, all of the organizers, venues, various staff and execution teams, speakers, and participants for being a part of this. Thanks as well to [Proof of Coverage](https://x.com/Proof_Coverage) for some of the photos included in this post. Others are my own (see if you can spot the quality difference\!).*
+
+Over the course of a powerful week in East Africa, DePIN enthusiasts, builders, founders, investors, government stakeholders, and dreamers from around the globe gathered for DePIN Summit 2025, a one-of-a-kind gathering that brought decentralized physical infrastructure to life through conversation, community, and concrete impact.
+
+The summit unfolded in two acts: Mombasa, Kenya and Zanzibar, Tanzania, with some joining for a closing journey to Arusha and sticking around Zanzibar to further solidify discussions and work towards tangible outcomes.
+
+# **Part I: Mombasa**
+
+![][opening.jpg]
+
+### **Sunday June 29: Day Zero: Arrival & Alignment**
+
+As the sun set over the Kenyan coast, founders, speakers, and project leads touched down in Mombasa. The [Share](https://share.inc) team, on-the-ground co-organizers of the first leg of the summit, hosted an informal gathering at their HQ, setting the tone for what would be a high-trust, high-purpose summit experience.
+
+### **Monday June 30: Day One: Learning from the Ground Up**
+
+![][bridge1.png]
+
+We visited two [Bridge International Academies](https://www.bridgeinternationalacademies.com/) where students and teachers are already engaging with digital learning through tablets, despite having a shaky power supply and not having an internet connection on-site. Currently, staff use a single smartphone to upload daily progress.
+
+Share will soon equip the school with unlimited WiFi access, using its innovative technology to support and elevate the quality of student learning. It’s a powerful initiative, and one that rightly earned them praise for turning bold vision into real-world impact.
+
+*We’re thinking the obvious – and we’re exploring with the Share team how we can support in bringing ThreeFold nodes to Mombasa to ensure these schools will not have just have their connectivity, but that their own capacity as well.*
+
+![][bridge2.png]
+
+During our visit, some students showed off local song and dance while others even prepared and performed spoken word poetry on the theme of the Internet while. Later, that evening, a community dinner allowed conversations to deepen among builders, speakers, and local partners.
+
+![][giraffe.jpg]
+
+*Do you spot our tall friends in the background? An epic photobomb and overall experience at [Nguuni Nature Sanctuary](https://www.nguuninaturesanctuary.org/).*
+
+### **Tuesday July 01: Day Two: Build on the Beach & Dine on a Dhow**
+
+As a pre-summit kickoff, [**Beach & Build**](https://lu.ma/4gcze4zw?tk=C6ULfS) offered a relaxed afternoon on the Mombasa shoreline, designed for connection, collaboration, and casual networking, setting the tone for the week ahead.
+
+Later in the evening, we enjoyed “DePIN on Deck,” aboard a traditional Swahili coast dhow boat. With stunning coastal views, fresh seafood, and vibrant conversations, guests enjoyed a relaxed, intimate setting to connect and unwind.
+
+### **Wednesday July 02: Day Three: DePIN Summit Launches**
+
+The first official summit day featured a full agenda of talks, demos, and showcases. Hosted at the headquarters of [Swahilipot Hub](https://www.swahilipothub.co.ke/), a foundation focused on nurturing youth talent through tech, arts, and entrepreneurship, the summit opened with EV3 and Share explaining why and why now for the summit to be held in Africa and introducing Share as a project.
+
+![][mombasacrowd.jpg]
+
+The audience included mostly students and local and international entrepreneurs and founders. ThreeFold co-founder Florian Fournier delivered a keynote on the future of decentralized internet in East Africa.
+
+![][flomombasa.jpg]
+
+*Florian spoke about the ThreeFold story and showed off one of the original ThreeFold nodes (perched on top of the podium).*
+
+The other projects that gave keynotes included [DeCharge](https://decharge.network/), [Arkreen](https://www.arkreen.com/), [Titan](https://www.titannet.io/), [Element Pay](https://www.elementpay.net/), [Onocoy](https://onocoy.com/), [WeatherXM](https://weatherxm.com/), [RealityNet](https://www.realitynet.xyz/), [Pickspot](https://www.pickspot.net/), [Qualoo](https://www.qualoo.io/), [Natix](https://www.natix.network/), and more.
+
+# **Part II: Zanzibar**
+
+![][zanzibarreg.jpg]
+
+### **Thursday July 03: Day Zero: Crossing to Zanzibar**
+
+Some speakers and attendees took a chartered flight from Mombasa to Zanzibar, bringing the summit spirit over the Indian Ocean to Spice Island.
+
+![][charter.png]
+
+We were joined by new attendees and warmly welcomed with a sunset session to set intentions for the second leg of the summit.
+
+### **Friday July 04: Day One: Public Infrastructure Meets Policy**
+
+The first official day of the Zanzibar summit was held at the Madinat Al Bahr. The event brought together global builders and Zanzibar's local ecosystem, including Eng. Shukuru Awadh Suleiman, Director General of [Zanzibar Communication Corporation](https://zictia.go.tz/) (ZICTIA), our partner on the ground on the island.
+
+ThreeFold co-founder Kristof De Spiegeleer started with a presentation on ThreeFold and what it enables in East Africa and beyond.
+
+![][kristofkeynote.png]
+
+There were also presentations from WeatherXM, Arkreen, Natix, Reality, Qualoo, [Peaq](https://www.peaq.xyz/) (ThreeFold partner), DeCharge, Share, Swahili Pot, and [Africa Amini Life](https://www.africaaminilife.com/en). Along with that, we had:
+
+- **Investment Panel**: Investing in DePIN, featuring Dylan, Rapolas, and Volt  
+- **Ecosystem Panel:** Flora ([Sahara Ventures](https://saharaventures.com/)) and Msechu ([Serengeti Angels](https://serengetiangels.com/)) outlined challenges and opportunities across the region, hosted by Sal of EV3
+
+![][panel.jpg]
+
+Towards the end of the day, Kristof was joined on stage by Eng. Shukuru Awadh Suleiman of ZICTIA to discuss the collaboration between ThreeFold and the government of Zanzibar.
+
+![][znzcollab.jpg]
+
+Following a long but inspiring day, the guests enjoyed Swahili BBQ with live music and with local artist [Tryphon Evarist](https://www.musicinafrica.net/directory/tryphon-evarist).
+
+![][tryphon.png]
+
+### **Saturday July 05: Day Two: Demo Day & Closing Ceremony**
+
+At the historic Mbweni Ruins, DePIN builders showcased their hardware, software, and product experiences. Florian led a visit to the land of [Dunia Cyber City and Zanzibar Free Zone](https://ourworld.tf/ventures/).  
+
+![][demoday.jpg]
+
+*WeatherXM deployed some of their hardware in Kenya and we’re working on getting a station live here in Zanzibar\!*
+
+Builders from around the world presented real-world solutions for emerging markets.
+
+![][lightdao.jpeg]
+
+Later, the community gathered with [Light DAO](https://lightdao.one/) for a thought session with Kristof and Florian, followed by a closing celebration with local music and performances to honor both global innovators and the communities they serve.
+
+![][dcma.png]
+
+*Students from the [Dhow Countries Music Academy](https://www.zanzibarmusic.org/) in Stone Town, Zanzibar performed and brought summit attendees on stage to participate.*
+
+# Part III: Arusha
+
+![][arushacrew.jpg]
+
+Following the summit, a group of 35 attendees traveled to Arusha for a post-summit visit to experience authentic Tanzania. The trip included a safari and time with the Maasai tribe at one of their lodges, as well as a visit to a local school where students received tablets on their first day back. Both the lodge stay and the school visit are part of the Africa Amini Life project, with a portion of the lodge proceeds helping to fund the school, medical clinics, and other key local institutions.
+
+![][maasai.png]  
+![][schoolvisit.png]
+
+*ThreeFold and Africa Amini Alliance are working to collaborate to bring further digital inclusion to even the most remote communities in Tanzania.*
+
+Then, nearly twenty of us returned to Zanzibar to reunite with other summit attendees and ground the ideas and discussions from the summit into tangible next steps.
+
+# Final Reflections
+
+What an unforgettable experience. We were honored to co-host this landmark event along with EV3 and Sahre, and deeply proud to have showcased a diverse range of groundbreaking DePIN projects while spotlighting Africa as a powerful hub for emerging technology and innovation.
+
+From Mombasa to Zanzibar to Arusha, we saw the DePIN vision become real.
+
+We didn’t just talk about decentralized infrastructure.
+
+We lived it.
+
+Onward! Together we build.
+
+*More to share and more to come as concrete outcomes develop.*