Student-led Developer Community “XueDAO” in the World of Web3
In the world of Web3, developers play a crucial role as the core force driving the expansion of the blockchain ecosystem and making the overall ecosystem more vibrant. This year, Taiwan has witnessed the birth of a student developer community called “XueDAO,” which aims to bridge student developers with the Web3 industry and showcase the development capabilities of Taiwanese students to the world through hackathons, workshops, and other activities.
XueDAO was co-founded by Hsu Jui-chen, a recent graduate from the National Chengchi University’s International Business Department, and Lin Po-cheng, a student from the National Taiwan University’s Department of Economics. They are also core contributors to the community.
Hsu Jui-chen had previously interned at traditional financial companies such as DBS, E.Sun Bank, and BlackRock. However, compared to the conservative traditional financial industry, Hsu Jui-chen is more interested in the open, decentralized world of Web3. In 2021, she co-organized the first Blockchain Youth Forum in Taiwan with her friends and later joined the National Taiwan University FinTech Research Society (NTUFC) as a core member.
Lin Po-cheng, who was also a core member of the NTUFC, has a deep interest in economics, finance, and development, with “DeFi” (Decentralized Finance) being one of the Web3 tracks he loves to research. As a developer, Lin Po-cheng has participated in hackathons such as ETH Taipei and Gen3 Solana Taiwan Hacker Campus. Both he and Hsu Jui-chen, as blockchain technology enthusiasts, hope to promote more student understanding of the potential of blockchain and explore related career opportunities.
Hsu Jui-chen (right), a recent graduate from the National Chengchi University’s International Business Department, and Lin Po-cheng (left), a student from the National Taiwan University’s Department of Economics, are the co-founders of XueDAO and core contributors to the community.
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Showcasing the Development Potential of Taiwanese Students to the World
Despite their young age, Hsu Jui-chen and Lin Po-cheng have already participated in many Web3 international exhibitions and events, including IVS Kyoto, Token 2049, and the education program “Plan B summer school” co-founded by stablecoin issuer Tether and the Swiss town of Lugano.
These eye-opening exhibition and event experiences have been instrumental in the birth of XueDAO. Lin Po-cheng mentioned that during these events, they noticed that international student communities had a high level of professionalism and activity, while Taiwanese student communities focused more on popular science education. “Popular science is important, but in terms of student communities, it is relatively saturated. We need to break out of the bubble. Taiwan lacks student-led organizations to promote the developer culture,” said Lin Po-cheng.
Hsu Jui-chen recalled a conversation with a Web3 industry veteran, where they discussed how Taiwan has yet to become a place where international Web3 resources flock, and the “lack of development capabilities” is one of the reasons. This made Hsu Jui-chen realize the importance of establishing a developer community and believe that through hackathons and other activities, Taiwan’s development talent can be showcased.
She especially wants the world to see that Taiwanese university students already possess excellent development skills. Thus, XueDAO was established this year with the slogan “Show the world that Taiwanese Students can BUIDL,” with the ambitious goal of bringing more resources to Taiwan.
XueDAO’s Three Main Activities
XueDAO’s activities mainly revolve around three aspects: learning, building, and connecting.
For learning, XueDAO holds co-learning days every two to three weeks, where members share the latest technologies and research findings and engage in discussions. Additionally, XueDAO has research groups that focus on in-depth learning and discussions in specific areas. Hsu Jui-chen mentioned that these types of activities have seen an increasing number of participants. Since its launch in March this year, the number of participants has grown from less than 10 to around 20 per session.
In terms of building, XueDAO members actively participate in various hackathon events and plan to organize a student-exclusive hackathon called “CONNECT” at the end of June this year. Lin Po-cheng shared that students have achieved excellent results in hackathon events, and this platform is an excellent opportunity to showcase the stories of Taiwanese student developers.
Finally, XueDAO is dedicated to facilitating connections between students and the industry. The workshops, lectures, and offline gatherings organized by XueDAO invite industry experts to share their insights and career experiences, creating opportunities for interaction between both sides. “Through observation, we found that it is challenging for university students to imagine what it is like to work in the Web3 industry. We hope that XueDAO can bridge the gap between students and the industry,” said Hsu Jui-chen.
In the interview, Lin Po-cheng and Hsu Jui-chen emphasized that not only programmers but also product managers who focus on strategy and planning and those who take on the role of presenting projects on stage are all key members of a development team.
They stressed that “XueDAO is an organization without boundaries or school restrictions and needs to encompass talents of all kinds.”
