ETH Denver 2025

This year, Gladiator returned to ETH Denver, and once again, it was an incredible journey. The mission was a little different this time, but the mindset remained the same—take every opportunity you can. Huge thanks to Mike Smith for instilling that in me. And an enormous shoutout, with mountains of gratitude, to Russell Castagnaro for his unwavering support throughout the entire experience.

The Journey Begins

The trip kicked off with an early morning flight from NYC to Denver, grabbing my builder pass, and settling in for the days ahead. It was a whirlwind start, running on little sleep but fueled by excitement. Here are some snapshots from the journey:

Gladiator x Bufficorn Buidle Brigade

The big announcement this year? ETH Denver’s Bufficorn Buidle Brigade officially joined Gladiator, and we were given every opportunity to showcase the project. We had the honor of exhibiting for a full day at the Blockchain Arcade, presenting with BV Ventures, and taking the main stage as a Buffitank Pitchfest finalist. Each of these moments was an exciting and valuable milestone.

At the arcade, we welcomed familiar faces, met new friends, and introduced Gladiator to families eager to experience the game in person. The enthusiasm was overwhelming! We ran a few on-site tournaments, handed out merch, and gave away small prizes—by the end of the day, my entire stock of Cosmic Muffin stickers was gone.

Finding Balance

I found a beautiful spot near Cheesman Park in Denver—conveniently close to key ETH Denver events. My goal was to stay healthy, socialize, build, and meet fellow creators. Each day started with solitude, mobility work, and a sunrise run—setting the right tone before diving into the action.

The Buidl Hub & Hackathon

Spending time in the Buidl Hub was a priority. Being surrounded by creative energy is where I thrive. While I wasn’t chasing bounties this time, I made sure to add Gladiator to the hackathon stack—building on the vision of evolving the project year after year.

Side Events & The Heart of ETH Denver

Beyond the main event, ETH Denver is surrounded by side events, hacker houses, parties, and gatherings. Knowing how important these moments are for networking, I made a point to venture out early in the trip, meeting incredible people and having some fantastic conversations. But at the end of the day, I was drawn back to the core of ETH Denver—the builders and Bufficorns.

The Future of Gladiator

With Gladiator’s growth, the business plan and long-term vision are now top priorities. The platform has expanded steadily, driven by genuine relationships with creators I admire and those who have supported me in person.

As you may have seen in the recent announcement, I’ve prioritized working with other people’s collections first. This aligns with the heart of Web3 and the gaming community in this space. I’ve coined a new term for the project: Total Playable Tokens (TPT)—a metric representing Gladiator’s compounding growth as more collections join the platform.

With Ethan’s Mecha Chaotic Bedlams, Vinyl’s Buns, Bufficorns, and my collectibles, we’ve hit 18,444 TPT—a number that will only grow. The variety of gameplay that will emerge from these integrated IPs is incredible.

Next Steps

The next move? Raising funds and onboarding more creators. If you (or someone you know) has an NFT collection and wants to bring it into Gladiator TCG, let’s connect.

I had the chance to pitch Gladiator on the main stage at Buffitank Pitchfest, and I’m excited to share that moment with you. Check out the video below to see the vision for Gladiator and what’s coming next!

Buffitank Pitchfest Video

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Thank you for being part of this journey. The future is bright!