urbe.eth – Building Rome’s Web3 Hub
Summary
urbe.eth began as a small Discord group for a few friends passionate about Web3. In just over a year, it became the go-to builder community in Italy, organizing regular meetups, launching a major hackathon, and showing up across Europe as a tight-knit, mission-driven crew. Their ethos: no speculation, only tech and collaboration.
What You’d Need to Try This
- A core group of 3–4 committed organizers
- A community platform (like Discord or Telegram)
- A clear boundary: no speculation, just learning and building
- A recurring IRL format (monthly talks, casual meetups, etc.)
- A vibe of experimentation: open calls, self-organizing teams, collective ownership
Repeatable Tactics
- Start small and personal – The first meetups were just friends sharing beers and interesting conversation.
- Decide everything together – From the name to meetup formats, early members voted and participated directly.
- Stick to a purpose – No price talk, only building. This created a clear culture from the start.
- Build reputation systems – Soulbound tokens and Discord roles helped recognize commitment.
- Grow through presence – Traveling together to Web3 events helped build bonds and visibility.
- Anchor the rhythm – Monthly urbetalks created a repeatable, community-driven meetup format.
Core Technologies & Tools
- Discord – community coordination and discussion
- Soulbound Tokens (SBTs) – non-transferable tokens issued as proof of attendance and used for community roles and reputation
- Twitter & LinkedIn – outreach, visibility, and network building
- Solidity Programming Language – for small experiments like the Urbe Arena game
- Notable mentions: Akasha Hub Barcelona (event partner), universities (for workshops)
Learn More
- Original story on Paragraph: Read it here
- urbe.eth on Twitter: @urbe_eth
- ETHRome 2023 aftermovie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn-zTA9lEy8