PRESS RELEASE.
Geneva, Switzerland, April 1, 2026 — TRON DAO, the community-governed DAO dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet through blockchain technology and decentralized applications ( dApps), participated in the Penn Blockchain Conference 2026 and supported the event’s hackathon, held between March 27–28 at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia. Organized by the University of Pennsylvania’s Blockchain Club, the Conference and Hackathon convened students, developers, and industry leaders.
Empowering Builders Through the TRON Track
TRON DAO began its involvement ahead of the conference with a virtual TRON Track workshop on March 24, introducing hackathon participants to the TRON ecosystem. It also sponsored three bounties totaling up to $3,000 across payments and DeFi product demos, infrastructure integrations, and AI and agentic commerce, with $1,000 awarded per track.
During the hackathon, TRON DAO’s ecosystem development team provided on-site mentorship and hosted a booth for attendees to learn about the TRON network and its latest developments.
TRON DAO’s Thought Leadership Across the Main Stage
The conference program also included participation from TRON DAO, with Sam Elfarra, Community Spokesperson at TRON DAO, joining a panel titled “Building in a New Interoperability Paradigm”. The session was moderated by Sami Ahmed, Professor at The Wharton School, and featured Harrison Ferber, Co-Founder of Maxy, and Nick Spanos, Founder of Bitcoin Center NYC. The discussion examined the role of cross-chain infrastructure in supporting developers, institutions, and users as blockchain ecosystems continue to evolve.
“Interoperability is essential to enabling blockchain systems to operate at scale,” said Elfarra. “On the TRON network, we are seeing how access to high-throughput, cost-efficient infrastructure, combined with connectivity to a broader ecosystem, can support real-world applications. That level of utility is increasingly important in attracting the next generation of developers.”
Recognizing the Next Generation of Builders
TRON DAO concluded its participation by joining the hackathon judging panel and presenting awards. Of the 50 total submissions, 13 projects were built on TRON.
TRON DAO’s participation at the Penn Blockchain Conference 2026 underscores its continued investment in academic and developer communities. TRON DAO has continued the expansion of university collaborations with a growing network of leading academic institutions through the TRON Academy initiative. Institutions include Imperial College London, Yale University, Columbia University, Harvard University, MIT, Cornell University, the University of California, Berkeley, and, more recently, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Dartmouth College, and Princeton University.
For more information about TRON’s initiatives and upcoming events, please visit TRON DAO’s official website.
About TRON DAO
TRON DAO is a community-governed DAO dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and dApps.
Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON blockchain has experienced significant growth since its MainNet launch in May 2018. Until recently, TRON hosted the largest circulating supply of USD Tether ( USDT) stablecoin, which currently exceeds $86 billion. As of March 2026, the TRON blockchain has recorded over 372 million in total user accounts, more than 13 billion in total transactions, and over $24 billion in total value locked (TVL), based on TRONSCAN. Recognized as the global settlement layer for stablecoin transactions and everyday purchases with proven success, TRON is “Moving Trillions, Empowering Billions.”
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