Crunch February Recap: Major Product Milestones, ETHDenver Wins & a Huge Announcement Coming!
Crunchers, February at Crunch was filled with milestones, momentum and major moves!!!
From ETHDenver to spotlight interviews, February was a powerhouse month for Crunch. We hosted events with 100+ brands, saw Jean Herelle featured across top podcasts, Peter Cotton spoke at Oxford Mathematical Institute on computational finance, wrapped up Broad Institute Crunch 1 with the top 10 winners, and welcomed a wave of new Crunchers.
Get yourself a coffee and lets get into the deets!!
Broad Institute Crunch 1 Wraps Up: Celebrating Our Top Performers!
The first Crunch in partnership with Broad Institute has officially come to a close, marking a major milestone in decentralized ML competitions. Best performers outperformed internal benchmark that we were monitoring. It’s another victory for collective intelligence and the crowd!
Check it out here 
Leaderboard
Next Up: Crunch 2 & 3 are still running!
We need you in the next phases. Ready to take on the challenge?
Join Crunch 2
Join Crunch 3
Ongoing Competition Update: DataCrunch
As always the ongoing momentum in DataCrunch is unmatched. The latest leaderboard is live and can be accessed here DataCrunch Leaderboard. Again, we strongly encourage all participants to use our model naming feature.
Mid+One Challenge Wraps up on Sunday, March 16th at Midnight
You asked, we listened—Mid+One is extended for one more week! 
→ Final submissions now close on March 17th, Midnight UTC
→ $10K USDC Bonus in PHASE+1
This is your last chance to outsmart the market, fine-tune your model, and maximize your PnL. Attack the mid-price, lock in your best submission, and make it count!
Submit now: Mid+One Competition
DePIN + AI Summit: A Defining Moment at ETHDenver
If you missed the DePIN + AI Summit at ETHDenver, you missed one of the most forward-thinking conversations in the space. From privacy-first AI to L1/L2 integrations, GTM strategies, and the next wave of AI adoption in DePIN every discussion was packed with raw insights and unfiltered truth about where we’re headed. But don’t worry, we’ve posted all the highlights, key takeaways, and full recaps on X & YouTube.
CrunchDAO Elevating the Solana Ecosystem at ETHDenver
The Solana Community Ecosystem Summit, hosted by CrunchDAO was a high-impact gathering of Solana’s top builders, investors, and thought leaders, driving key conversations on the future of DeFi, DePIN, AI, RWA, L2s, and more.
We tackled the biggest challenges and opportunities in Solana’s ecosystem, from staking and restaking to AI infrastructure and privacy solutions. The event featured leading voices from Solana Foundation, Brevan Howard, Eclipse, Pyth, EigenLayer, io.net, Nillion, Delphi Digital, and more.
Catch all the action on X and YouTube, dropping SOON!
Le Quant Club de Bengaluru is Back & We’re Just Getting Started!
After nearly a year, Le Quant Club de Bengaluru returns with its first IRL AI/ML quant meetup, bringing together top minds in machine learning and quantitative finance. This session, featuring Peter Cotton & Jean Herelle, dives deep into Hierarchical Portfolio Optimization and Schur Complementary Allocation, bridging ML with real-world financial strategies. The momentum is back, and it won’t stop here.
Stay tuned for the next lineup.
Talks & Interviews
Jean Herelle on CrunchDAO’s Vision & Decentralized Intelligence w/ Peter Abilla
CrunchDAO is a new category in decentralized predictive intelligence. In a deep-dive conversation with Peter Abilla, Jean breaks down how CrunchDAO is building a two-sided market for AI-driven finance, where data scientists, quants, and ML engineers can monetize their skills through distributed ML competitions.
This episode covers everything from privacy-enhancing technologies in data sharing to how CrunchDAO coordinates talent, ensures data quality, and unlocks new financial insights. If you’re curious about the future of decentralized research and AI-powered market intelligence, this is your sign.
Catch the Full Episode.
Web3, Machine Learning & The Future of Collective Intelligence
Jean Herelle joined Lam from Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship to discuss how CrunchDAO is pioneering decentralized intelligence, leveraging machine learning, privacy-enhancing tech, and Web3 coordination to reshape AI-driven finance. From rewarding data scientists to the future of AI agents in decision-making, this episode explores what’s next for Web3, ML, and DePIN.
Watch the Full Interview.
Jean Herelle on The Defiant: The Future of Decentralized Intelligence
At #ETHDenver, Camila Russo from The Defiant interviewed Jean Herelle on how CrunchDAO is transforming data science through collective intelligence and decentralized machine learning. They explored what sets CrunchDAO apart, how it ensures diverse and accurate predictions, the future of decentralized AI, and its expansion beyond finance.
Go Binge The Full Chat!
Breaking Down Hierarchical Risk Parity with Dr. Peter Cotton
At Oxford Mathematical Institute, CrunchDAO’s CSO Peter Cotton took a deep dive into the hidden mathematical connections between Hierarchical Risk Parity and Markowitz portfolio construction. The session explored how quant finance is evolving, what this means for real-world trading strategies, and why machine learning is redefining portfolio optimization.
Full Paper Here
Upcoming: Peter Cotton at Columbia MAFN 2025 Future of Portfolio Management Conference
Peter Cotton will be speaking at the Columbia Mathematics of Finance (MAFN) 2025 Future of Portfolio Management Conference.
Peter will dive into real-time crowd-enhanced data feeds, algorithmic trading insights, and how CrunchDAO is transforming portfolio management by leveraging collective intelligence and decentralized machine learning.
March 5, 2025
Columbia University
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of the leading minds in quant finance.
CrunchDAO at Open AGI Summit: The Future of Models
At the Open AGI Summit, CrunchDAO’s CSO Peter Cotton joined Myshell.ai, OpenMind, and moderator Topology.vc to explore how AI models are evolving and what this means for decentralized intelligence and machine learning.
Watch the Full Discussion
What’s Next for CrunchDAO?
The momentum doesn’t stop here. Stay tuned for:
→ New Quant Club Meetups – More deep dives into ML, quant finance, and decentralized intelligence.
→ ETHSF & Digital Asset Summit – CrunchDAO is gearing up for major conversations and collaborations at these key events.
→ New Product Updates & Whitepaper – Big leaps forward in our ecosystem.
→ And… a VERY exciting announcement coming soon! 
Stay locked in, you won’t want to miss what’s next 
— The Crunch Crew