AKASHA Around The World #3

AKASHA Around The World is a monthly dispatch covering our growing network of innovation hubs. While each hub charts its own course, all share core values of community empowerment and decentralized growth.

🇮🇹 Rome: The Urbe Hub Grand Opening

On February 15, the Urbe Hub officially opens in Rome, becoming the beating heart of Italy’s web3 ecosystem.

This space will be a home for builders, developers, and web3 enthusiasts, offering coworking opportunities, hackathons, and community-driven projects.

Featured Speakers at the Grand Opening:

• Mihai Alisie (Ethereum co-founder & AKASHA founder) will be discussing the vision of interconnected physical hubs, a concept that has been close to our hearts for over a decade, that is currently seeing a powerful post-pandemic reawakening.
• QJ (Director of the Ethereum Community Fund) will be sharing her experience building successful hubs worldwide.
• Lorenzo Patuzzo (Founder of AKASHA Barcelona) will be sharing the valuable lessons learned from building the first web3 hub in Barcelona, and managing it for 7 years.
• Other web3 actors including Matteo Tambussi (SpaghettETH) and Morand Alex (ETHBologna) will be speaking too.

📍 Location: Largo Dino Frisullo, 00153 Roma, Italy

🇮🇹 Introducing Urbe Village: A Pop-Up City Around ETHRome

The Urbe team is taking web3 hackathons to the next level with Urbe Village, a 2-week pop-up city blending co-working, learning, and community-building.

What are Pop-Up Cities?

Pop-up cities are temporary urban spaces designed for co-working, co-living, and immersive experiences. They typically run for a few weeks or months, creating high-density hubs for collaboration. Urbe Village follows in the footsteps of the Zuzalu movement, which pioneered the concept of temporary communities in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Urbe Village will:

• Feature a structured schedule with ETHRome at its core 💻
• Include Urbe Campus Bootcamp for new developers 📚
• Host deep-dive workshops and meetups 💡
• Blend blockchain events with Rome’s cultural experiences 🍝

🇪🇸 Barcelona: What’s Happening Next?

February marks the launch of a new edition of Barcelona’s Cultural Program, bringing young innovators into the AKASHA Hub for an interdisciplinary challenge focused on citizen activism.

• On February 13, we’re celebrating World Free Software Day with the Barcelona Free Software community. Expect discussions, workshops, and insights into open-source technology. Get your free ticket here.

New collaborations are fueling our mission:

• Fanfalab Project: Connecting architecture, urbanism, design, and citizen participation, this initiative will gain momentum as Barcelona prepares to be the World Capital of Architecture in 2026. Our role? Amplifying their impact.
• Singa’s IV Edition of the CONEXUS Program: Focused on immigrants and refugees looking to start businesses and build networks, this program will run from February to July 2025 at the hub.

We’re honored to support these initiatives, which bring people together to exchange ideas and build something meaningful.

Each AKASHA Hub is a unique node in a global network dedicated to empowering communities and spreading decentralization. Whether you’re in Barcelona, Rome, or beyond, there’s a place for you in this movement.

Want to get involved? Reach out at [email protected] ✉️

See you at the hubs! 👋