What started as a creative side project at ETHGlobal 2025 is now gaining real traction—and asking big questions about the future of Ethereum. Livestakes, an emerging prediction market platform, allows users to place bets on which hackathon teams will win. But this isn’t just about gambling—it’s about reshaping how Ethereum-based innovation gets funded.
Livestakes made its debut on the ETHGlobal stage earlier this July, where it was pitched as a tool to help “make hackathon winners make more money.” That’s not just a slogan—it’s the core of their model.
Speaking on stage, Livestakes’ Content Strategist—who goes simply by “Ziz”—explained how the platform creates a completely separate prize pool outside the usual hackathon awards. As users place bets on who they think will win, those funds accumulate into a community-generated pot.
“If the total betting volume hits $100,000, that’s $100K more being allocated to the developers people are backing,” said Ziz.
At the end of each hackathon, 80% of the betting pool goes to the winning bettors, while 20% is given directly to the hackathon team they bet on. The idea is to create a feedback loop that rewards not only the winners, but also the community members who believed in them early.
Livestakes is more than a speculative playground. It’s designed to help early-stage developers raise capital and gain visibility. With only three people behind the project, Livestakes (found at Livestakes.fun) is both lean and bold in its ambition.
What makes it stand out even more is its use of short, engaging videos to promote the developers and their projects—giving bettors and the broader community a deeper understanding of who they’re backing and why it matters.
“It’s the same kind of hype and energy you see in meme markets,” Ziz noted. “But now, we’re channeling that toward real innovation happening at hackathons. More money is coming in, more attention is being paid.”
Livestakes is part of a larger trend. Platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi have already shown how prediction markets can spark interest and capital in niche events. But with Livestakes, there’s a shift: prediction markets are moving from side-stage to center-stage in the Ethereum ecosystem.
By giving users the chance to “vote with their wallets”, Livestakes could fuel developer projects before they win any formal recognition. That financial momentum might help turn lesser-known teams into community favorites—and open doors to future funding rounds or partnerships.
Even Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder, seems to believe in the power of prediction markets. In June, he was rumored to be participating in a massive $200 million raise for Polymarket. That comes after his involvement in its $70 million Series B funding round in 2024.
In the spirit of Ethereum’s decentralized ideals, platforms like Livestakes offer a new paradigm—community-driven funding. Rather than relying solely on judges, grants, or big VC firms, the Ethereum ecosystem might increasingly be steered by everyday users putting their money behind the builders they believe in.
In a world where funding can be unpredictable and exposure is everything, Livestakes might be onto something. The next breakthrough Ethereum project may not just win a prize—it might get there because of a well-placed bet.
For more stories on emerging platforms, innovation funding, and the evolution of Ethereum—keep reading Chainbull.
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