🟣ETH Sofia 2025
In September 2025, ETHSofia took place in Sofia, Bulgaria and used Thrilld as its official networking app. In this case study, we evaluate the impact of Thrilld. One takeaway: we came to the realisation that the app can serve the very purpose of gathering attendees’ questions for on-stage speakers!
Background
“Designed for those pushing the boundaries of decentralized technology…” This year, ETHSofia featured presentations and discussions on AI & blockchain, DeFi, RWA & tokenization, scaling, trading tech, and Web3 security. The event brought together builders, founders, researchers, investors, devs, and crypto enthusiasts to learn, build and ponder the future of Web3 and Ethereum. Attendees left with new ideas and practical insights, for example: how are institutions and businesses entering crypto and building strategic reserves?
ETHSofia took place at Sofia Tech Park, located at the foot of Vitosha mountain in the western part of Bulgaria. Sofia is the capital and largest city of the country and offers cultural museums and ancient landmarks. For a crypto event, Sofia is a strategic destination: 6.1% of Bulgarians own crypto, among the highest adoption rates in Eastern Europe. There is also a large talent pool (200K+ software engineers), ranking Bulgaria among the top 5 globally per capita in IT talent. Established in 2016, ETHSofia is one of the oldest crypto meetups in the Balkans, enabling a long-standing Web3 community in the region.
Thrilld was the official networking app for the conference, facilitating communication, connection and event info to further enable attendee participation. Alexandra Overgaag, founder and CEO of Thrilld Labs, was present onsite representing the company and was one of the MCs.
Over the two days there were numerous keynotes and panel discussions by speakers from Ledger, Binance, the Ethereum Foundation, Bitget, Liberland, RedStone, Rings Protocol, Pashov Audit Group, and others. Talks added value to both the main and side stages, where additional keynotes and workshops took place. There was also a multi-day hackathon with a generous prize pool thanks to sponsors and partners.
The Outcome
ETHSofia 2025 hosted over 200 hackers and 500+ attendees across hackathon tracks, using Thrilld as the official networking app. Below are outcomes and considerations from using Thrilld at the event.
At ETHSofia, Thrilld linked individuals with similar interests to connect and chat. Key challenges the team faced:
Onboarding/device issues
A few attendees experienced technical difficulties during onboarding. These likely arose from individual device settings or device-specific bugs that our development team had not encountered before. Thrilld aims to be compatible with all phones, so occasional device-specific issues can occur.
Onsite staffing
The team was light on-site; Alexandra was often on stage as MC. With a large audience, there’s a strong need for effective communication and a sufficiently staffed booth to support attendees.
Overall, ETHSofia 2025 was a success. Thrilld was well represented in pre-event announcements and on the event website. The ETHSofia organizing team proactively promoted the app onsite, providing strong visibility with banners at the entrance. Testimonial
Vlad Dramaliev, founder of ETHSofia, said about Thrilld Labs and the MCing:
"Thank you for being part of ETHSofia ! You were amazing on stage! Born to do it. And thanks Thrilld Labs for the app support!"
From the hackathon to world-class keynotes and panels, ETHSofia 2025 contributed to decentralized innovation, knowledge exchange and networking across local and European builders. Thanks to the organizing team for their support and cooperation. Thrilld Labs hopes to return for ETHSofia 2026.
The Future
ETHSofia was the biggest event in Bulgaria to adopt Thrilld. The conference organizers were welcoming and receptive, which contributed greatly to the experience for attendees, partners and sponsors.
Key takeaways for future partnerships:
Visibility onsite, in addition to pre-event promotion, is essential. Formalizing visibility and promotion with partners helps ensure attendees know a networking app is available.
The app can serve to gather attendees’ questions for on-stage speakers — an additional use case discovered during the event.
Thrilld Labs is thrilled to continue powering Web3 events worldwide, one connection at a time! About Thrilld Labs
Thrilld Labs builds Thrilld, a networking app that helps Web3 professionals find each other, talk business, and build human connections—online and at industry events. Thrilld Labs is also building a decentralised app that lets event organizers sell tickets and enhance attendee engagement.
About ETHSofia
ETHSofia is Bulgaria’s flagship crypto event exploring Ethereum technology and blockchain innovation. It brings together top builders, founders, researchers, investors, and enthusiasts to empower Web3 talent and foster community.
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