As Bittensor continues to mature from an experimental network into a full intelligence economy, the quality of its next wave of subnets matters more than ever.
That reality is reflected in the judging panel assembled for the Opentensor Foundation x HackQuest Bittensor Subnet Ideathon, a competition designed to surface subnet designs with real incentive logic, economic coherence, and long-term viability.
While the Ideathon provides the framework, it is the judges who will ultimately shape which ideas move forward.
A Panel Built for Mechanism Design, Not Hype
Subnet design on Bittensor sits at the intersection of cryptoeconomics, distributed systems, and real-world markets. Evaluating those designs requires more than surface level technical knowledge.
The Ideathon’s panel brings together protocol builders, subnet operators, investors, and ecosystem strategists. Each judge evaluates submissions through a different but complementary lens.
a. Cameron Fairchild: The CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of Latent Holdings and former core contributor at Opentensor. With firsthand experience in Bittensor’s protocol design, Cameron brings a rigorous technical lens to subnet architecture and mechanism soundness:
b. Sami Kassab, a Managing Partner at Unsupervised Capital, a liquid-fund focused exclusively for the Bittensor ecosystem. His perspective is expected to bridge incentive design with capital efficiency and long-term subnet viability.
c. Chris Zacharia is the founder of Bitstarter and CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of Macrocosmos. Known for scaling infrastructure subnets and data pipelines, Chris is expected to evaluate ideas through the lens of ecosystem fit and execution realism.
d. Gavin Zaentz is co-founder of Leadpoet, a decentralized sales intelligence engine already operating on Bittensor. His experience building a production subnet offers practical insight into what works beyond theory.
e. Mason Levey: the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of BT Labs. With a strong focus on applied engineering and tooling, Mason is expected to evaluate feasibility, architecture clarity, and implementation paths.
Brief Overview of the Subnet Ideathon
The Bittensor Subnet Ideathon is structured as a two stage competition.
a. Round I focuses on subnet design, mechanism logic, and market rationale. No deployment is required at this stage.
b. Round II advances selected teams to a testnet hackathon where designs must be implemented and demonstrated.
Seven teams will advance from Round I, with opportunities for cash prizes, accelerator participation, and potential $TAO-based investment.
Why the Panel Matters
Bittensor is no longer short on ideas. It is increasingly selective about which ideas deserve emissions, attention, and integration.
By assembling judges who understand protocol design, live subnet operations, capital allocation, and ecosystem growth, the Ideathon sets a high-bar for what qualifies as a serious subnet.
In many ways, this panel represents the network’s evolving standards. Not every idea will pass, but the ones that do are likely to define where Bittensor goes next.
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