Grassroots Marketing at ETHDenver 2026

[readymouse]

Grassroots marketing initiative to build Zcash awareness and drive adoption through strategic attendance at major cryptocurrency conferences, hosting educational workshops, and creating meaningful touch points with developers, privacy advocates, and potential users across the global crypto community.

Note: This is one event request from a planned series, scaled down to 3 team members and costs updated to reflect current prices. Full marketing proposal (rejected with feedback): Grant Application - Marketing + Workshops at Global Conferences - #11 by ZCG

**Given the event’s timing in 3.5weeks, I request expedited committee decision to avoid this being a retroactive grant application.**

Project Description

This project extends our proven grassroots marketing approach from DevConnect Buenos Aires (34 new Zcash users, 175+ conversations, 145+ new contacts) to a strategic series of major cryptocurrency conferences throughout 2026. Our team will:

1. Attend and actively engage in

• ETHBoulder (February 13 – 15, 2026)

• ETHDenver (February 17 – 21, 2026)

1. Attend at least 2 side events per day to spread engagement across the ecosystem.

2. Build strategic partnerships with privacy-focused organizations like Web3Privacy Now, Women in Web3, and ZK AV Club.

3. Create content documenting outreach efforts through social media, recordings, and case studies.

4. Develop lasting relationships with developers, influencers, and community leaders.

The initiative focuses on creating multiple touch points with potential users, recognizing that people often need 3+ exposures to new technology before commitment. Each conference provides opportunities for both broad awareness building and deep technical engagement with developers and privacy advocates.

Proposed Problem

Despite Zcash’s technical superiority in privacy-preserving cryptocurrency, awareness remains limited outside core crypto circles. Specific challenges include:

6. Limited Brand Awareness: Many crypto enthusiasts, developers, and potential users have never heard of Zcash or misunderstand its capabilities as ‘just another privacy coin.’

7. Missed Conference Opportunities: Major crypto conferences represent concentrated opportunities to reach thousands of engaged participants, but Zcash presence has historically been limited.

8. Fragmented Touch Points: Users need multiple exposures to new technology before adoption, but current outreach lacks systematic follow-through and sustained engagement.

At a Milady side event in Buenos Aires, one meme t-shirt sporting tech bro stopped me and said, “Zcash? Oh good, I’ve been looking for someone to ask. I know about Monero’s rings but how’s Zcash different?” This exemplifies the awareness gap we aim to address.

Proposed Solution

Deploy a dedicated grassroots marketing team to systematically attend major cryptocurrency conferences throughout 2026, creating structured touch points and educational opportunities:

• Conference Presence: Active participation at 2+ major events with prepared materials, demonstration devices, and engagement strategies.

• Strategic Partnerships: Build ongoing relationships with privacy-focused organizations and influential developers.

• Content Creation: Document activities through social media by welcoming new users and sharing their unified addresses, creating shareable content about Zcash adoption.

• Sustained Engagement: Collect contact information (145+ contacts from Buenos Aires) and maintain relationships beyond initial conference interactions.

This approach was proven successful in Buenos Aires with 34 new users and 175+ conversations. One converted user, a freedom tech advocate and speaker at the Cypherpunk Congress that coincided with DevConnect, told us: “I spoke directly with Zooko about Zcash, and I remained unwilling to install Zashi. But after speaking with you for ten minutes, I am so game to use this.”

Team Information

Project Lead

Name: @readymouse

Role: Lead Community Ambassador and Project Manager

Background: Product Manager with 10+ years experience in technical project management. Active Zcash community member and regular attendee at Boston Zcash meetups and major crypto conferences. Successfully led grassroots outreach at DevConnect Buenos Aires, onboarding 34+ new Zashi users and making 175+ individual connections.

Responsibilities: Event coordination, community outreach strategy, workshop facilitation, budget management, and partnership development.

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylo-mbennett/, ReadyMouse (Mylo) · GitHub, https://x.com/zReadyMouse

Additional Team Members

Name: @fabacab

Role: Technical Educator and Privacy Advocate

Background: Experienced privacy technology educator. Skilled technical workshop facilitator with deep knowledge of Zcash and encrypted money concepts. Has facilitated six workshops onboarding 100+ participants from at-risk communities (sex workers, gig workers, LGBTQIA+ individuals). Made 80+ new connections during Buenos Aires outreach.

Responsibilities: Technical workshops, developer relations, privacy education, content creation, community engagement, and technical support.

Socials: @violetrollergirl.com on Bluesky, https://x.com/rollergirlVi

Name: @cos

Role: Developer Connection

Background: Contributed to other chains and coins open source projects but Zcash convert to the private world. Neuroscience background, collaborated with @readymouse have collaborated on AI and data pipeline projects.

Responsibilities: Developer relations, privacy education, content creation, and community engagement.

Socials: https://github.com/Cosmojg, Cosmo G. - Boston Fusion | LinkedIn

Budget

Compensation Costs Justification:

Cost Breakdown:

• Travel Per Person: $2,795 per person

  • Flights: East Coast → Denver: $1,200 per person

  • Hotel: $150 per night per two people (11 nights: $825)

  • Food: $70/per day/pp ($490)

  • Incidentals + Ubers: $40 per day ($280)

  • ETH Denver Ticket: FREE

Team Costs:

• $2,795 x 3 people = $8385

• Swag, Stickers, Business Cards, Info sheets: $500

• Total Estimated Costs: $8,885

• Requested Cost: $9,000

Total Budget (USD): $9,000

I’m going to start booking refundable flights and hotels to lock-in rates as a good steward of ZCG’s funding, to avoid late-notice booking price increases. Funding before the trip would be optimal, but given the time constraints, retroactive is understandable.

User Stories:

• “As a crypto enthusiast at ETHDenver, I want to learn about encrypted money from knowledgeable advocates, so I can protect my financial privacy.”

• “As a privacy-inclined crypto user, I am confused by the ECC dev team quitting news and I’d like clarify on the security and team stability of the protocol.”

Deliverables:

• Conference attendance (February 13-21, 2026) with 3 team members

• 40+ new Zcash wallet downloads

• 200+ documented conversations

• Daily social media documentation on @zReadyMouse Twitter

• Trip report posted to Zcash Community Forums within 1 week of event completion

Acceptance Criteria:

• Trip report includes photos, metrics (downloads, conversations), and new user testimonials

Supporting Documents

• Buenos Aires Crowdfunding: Proposal for Marketing Efforts at Global Conferences - #18 by readymouse

• Full marketing proposal (rejected with feedback): Grant Application - Marketing + Workshops at Global Conferences - #11 by ZCG

[radbro]

Very interesting proposal. Consider zcash merch. Radbro handed out radbro branded prerolls in doob tubes when he attended eth Denver seen here.

[emersonian]

I continue to strongly endorse this team and maintain the belief that it’s essential for Zcash to have a coordinated presence at major conferences, like our competitors do.

Let’s fund this team to be at ETHDenver, and plot a path towards actually having booths and side events at conferences that are further out.

I encourage anyone opposed to this to attend at least one major cryptocurrency conference this year and see how far behind we are at marketing Zcash in-person at events.

[ZCG]

@readymouse ZCG has voted to approve this proposal. Congratulations!

Please lookout for the Forum DM we just sent you FPF with important grant information. Thanks

[readymouse]

Thank you for ZCG for the fast turnaround. I am excited to be able to continue teaching people about zcash. I really believe in the tech, and I appreciate ZCG’s extension of trust for this event.

[radbro]

Congratulations!

radbro

[readymouse]

Hello friends,

@fabacab , @cos and I just got back from our trip to ETHBoulder and ETHDenver in Denver, CO. We wore Zcash shirts and were absolutely overwhelmed with questions and people approaching us at almost every event we attended.

While I was there, I posted each day on my Twitter [https://x.com/zReadyMouse\] the selfies of new Zodl users as well as their u-addresses to welcome them into the community.

Because of a friend we met at ETHDenver last year, and saw through our conferences trips but @fabacab and I got asked to speak about zcash at ETHBoulder. Vi talked about practical usage of Zodl with a live demo and interactive app support. I talked about integrating payment processor options into e-commerce websites, covering from scratch, Zgo, BTCPay’s server + zcash plugin and NOWPayments. As a result of our continued presence at these conferences, both Vi and I were invited to speak ETHConf in the coming months.

Stats:

• +51 new Zodl (formally Zashi) downloads

• +275 Individual interactions talking about ZEC (measured in # of “Protection is ZECsy” condoms given out)

• +54 new contact entries in my phone

• +87 new contact entries in @fabacab ’s phone

• +41 new contact entries in @cos ’s phone

• Attended 19 side events, including Aztec’s Privacy Meetup and Aleo/Miden’s Privacy Salon.

• Attended 2 main events (ETHBoulder and ETHDenver)

• @readymouse presented “Private Payment Processors” at ETHBoulder

• @fabacab presented the practical usage of Zashi at ETHBoulder

Impact Summary

@fabacab and I onboarded 34 new Zodl users in our 10 days in Buenos Aires, by adding @cos we onboarded 50 new Zodl users in 9 days.

* Supporting Financial Privacy Education for At-Risk Communities

Connections of Note:

Bitvavo (https://bitvavo.com): Bitvavo is the largest European spot exchange, and at the Aleo/Miden Privacy Salon @fabacab connected with their listing manager. The manager has been trying to get in contact with someone at the Zcash company for some time, as she had concerns about ZEC’s compliance and regulation but also because she wants to list ZEC. @Fabacab spent over an hour discussing the technical aspects of transparent vs shielded addresses, as well as onboarding her to the Zodl (formally Zashi) wallet. The listing manage left the event excited about connecting with a zcasher and hopes to continue the collaboration. Connection details were forwarded to @paulbrigner , to hopefully bring Zcash to the European spot exchange markets.

Event Collaboration Connections:

1. WebZero + Berlin Blockchain Week

2. Bitrefill + Zcash at Exxxotica

3. Paris Blockchain Week

1. Webzero: We met the webzero team at ETHDenver last year, and then saw them again at Permissionless NYC, devConnect Buenos Aires and now here again at ETHDenver. Roman, Zoe, and Darcio are the main organizers and they are excited about the idea of a Zcash x Webzero co-hosted event, potentially during Berlin Blockchain Week in June as it’s their home base. Webzero consistency hosts quality networking events across the globe, and the production team is very data-driven with participation metrics.

2. Bitrefill: The gift card off ramping service would love to partner with Zcash for a booth at a future event. Zcash as the payment method/on-ramp, Bitrefill as the off ramp. @fabacab suggested Exxxotica Chicago to target the adult industry as a space that could benefit from encrypted money for payments with a natural collaboration of Bitrefill for the off-ramp. Lawrence at Bitrefill was particularly excited and willing to explore a collaboration.

3. Paris Blockchain Week (https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/): @cos connected with the hackathon sponsor coordinator for the Paris Blockchain Week hackathon and he was super excited to see Zcash representatives. He would love to have Zcash sponsor a bounty or in someway participate in the event. (We currently do not have bandwidth to support this event, but if someone wants to pick up with thread we can make introductions.)

Speaking Invitations:

• ETHConf during a privacy panel discussion (@fabacab + @readymouse )

• Chris Rios’s podcast from Power Down Semiconductors, Inc.

• Tony Chung at Blockmedia

• The Defi Professor podcast

• Pump Pals

All of these speaking opportunities are a result of our in-person relations built over multiple conferences. We will be following up on these speaking opportunities, as our time and energy allows.

Strategic Event Portfolio

1. DevConnect Argentina - November 17-22, 2025 (Complete!)

• First-ever “Ethereum World’s Fair” with global developer community

• Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #2 by Web3Privacy Now + ETHBuenos Aires

  → Impact: +34 New Zashi users, and +175 personal conversations about Zcash

2. ETHDenver – 17 - 21^st February 2026 (Complete!)

• Continue outreach, marketing and developer relation effort at largest free Ethereum event with 18,000+ attendees and major hackathon component

  → Impact: +51 New Zodl users, and +275 personal conversations about Zcash

3. ETH CC + ETHGlobal Cannes, France - March 2026 (Current Ask)

• Europe’s longest-running Ethereum conference (10,000+ attendees) with strong community focus and collaborative atmosphere

• Concurrent ETHGlobal hackathon in Cannes creates dual opportunity for advocacy and technical demonstration

• European venue expands Zcash touch points beyond North America and strengthens relationships with EU-based privacy advocates

4. Exxxotica Chicago – April 10-12, 2026 (Current Ask)

• Adult industry professional trade show and conference with 20,000 - 30,000 attendees

• Potential collaboration with Bitrefill for a joint booth

• Strong values alignment with privacy focused industry

• Optional: Daily seminar/workshop opportunity with upgraded booth package + sponsorship

5. BTC Vegas - April 27-29, 2026 (Future Vision)

• Premium Bitcoin conference with tickets ranging $1,999-$7,777

• High-net-worth individual attendance ideal for institutional outreach

• Interactions outside the ETH community, and across the larger web3 space

6. Consensus Miami - May 5-7, 2026 (Future Vision)

• North American flagship crypto event with 15,000+ expected attendees

• Miami’s crypto-friendly environment; perfect culmination event to demonstrate 6-month momentum

• Potential opportunity to co-host a lunch + learn workshop with WebQ to present practical usage of Zodl and intro to privacy technologies

6. ETHConf + ETHGlobal NYC – June 8-10 (Future Vision)

• Premier East Coast Ethereum event in crypto’s financial capital with strong developer and institutional presence

• ETHGlobal hackathon component attracts top-tier builders and offers opportunity to demonstrate Zcash tooling to fresh cohort of developers

• Potential speaking opportunities via connections made at devConnect Buenos Aires + ETHDenver

• Home base for us.

7. Berlin Blockchain Week – June 14 -20 (Future Vision)

• Potential event collaboration with WebZero

8. Permissionless NYC – June 24-26^th (Future Vision)

• Home base for us.

9. Exxxotica Minneapolis, MN – June 26-28 (Future Vision)

• If the booth goes well in Chicago, IL consider higher sponsorship/seminar package for MN.

10. Exxxotica Edison, NJ – October (Future Vision)

11. Exxxotica Miami, FL – Dec (Future Vision)

We deeply appreciate the community grant committee’s support of our work and contributions.

[fabacab]

Thank you @readymouse for the write up!

I just want to underscore and reiterate how absolutely convinced I am that competent and consistent in-person presence at events like these in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem AND ALSO EVENTS OUTSIDE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY BUBBLES is critical to creating a positive narrative around Zcash and what it can do.

The interest from others is there, but videos and articles online are just not enough. People need face time with community members who can speak simply and knowledgeably, and ideally from personal experience, about these topics, as we can.

I lost count of the number of times people expressed relief and outright joy at seeing @readymouse, @cos, and myself in person when they realized we were able to help them understand and use Zcash IN PERSON.

We further noticed and nurtured many untapped opportunities (the above write up is just a summary). It was a very productive event! I’m hopeful that this momentum can be harnessed to effective ends with the continuing support of the broader Zcash community.

[readymouse]

We have submitted the grant request for the next potential marketing opportunities: Marketing at ETHCC + Exxxotica, Chicago

[pacu]

Thanks for the report! Let me know how I can support you folks with your recent connections and partnership exploration!

[readymouse]

Updates!

RE: Webzero. @fabacab and I are in continued conversations about Berlin Blockchain week, and we will be getting on a call this week to shape out what a collab event might look like. Venues, costs, etc.

RE: Blockmedia. We talked to their team about marketing services in Korea. This wasn’t so much speaking invitation, as formal marketing on their platforms including translation services, posting to their channels and followers. This is not something that I feel like I can pursue on behalf of zcash, but will happily forward connections to other folks at Zodl or elsewhere who want to look into this.

RE: Bitrefill. I have followed up with Bitrefill about co-hosting a booth in April and the proposal is in our next grant application. Bitrefill seems excited by this collaboration potential. I think this is a valuable space for zcash being the on-ramp and checking account, and Bitrefill is the off-ramp for everyday users who need groceries, uber, etc without KYCing into the Payy card.