37 Teams Selected to Join Cohort 2 of the SDG Blockchain Accelerator

The SDG Blockchain Accelerator has concluded its 2025 virtual global hackathon sprint with 37 winning teams selected to join Cohort 2. Over the next four months, these teams will pilot and scale blockchain-enabled solutions designed to tackle some of the world’s most complex sustainable development challenges.

The global initiative is led strategically by UNDP’s Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) in partnership with the Blockchain for Good Alliance, EMURGO Labs, FLock.io, Stellar Development Foundation and Sui Foundation. The Accelerator is made possible through catalytic funding from the Cardano treasury, through Project Catalyst, alongside contributions from other partners.

A Two-Week Sprint to Co-Create Real-World Solutions

Held from 25 August to 8 September 2025, the SDG Blockchain Accelerator Hackathon brought together 50 matched teams of UN Challenge Owners and blockchain Solution Makers from around the world. The teams worked intensively over an 11-day virtual sprint to co-develop solution roadmaps to address real-world issues – ranging from climate finance and carbon markets to humanitarian aid delivery, public sector transparency, digital identity, and inclusive financial services.

Each team pitched their roadmap during a high-energy Demo Day, where solutions were evaluated against criteria such as impact potential, feasibility, scalability, and stakeholder integration.

Breakthrough Solutions Across Sectors

The diversity of solutions emerging from the hackathon demonstrates blockchain’s potential for impact. Following Demo Day, 37 teams were selected to advance to Cohort 2:

From Concept to Pilot: Cohort 2 Begins

During the Accelerator, which runs from September to December 2025, teams will receive:

1. A dedicated program of expert guidance, hands-on technical support, and workshops to refine their prototypes and implementation plans.
2. Opportunities to showcase their progress through UNDP and partner networks – helping attract stakeholders, investors, and additional partners crucial for scaling impact.
3. Access to post-accelerator funding opportunities (pooled across partners) for the most successful pilots, ensuring teams can sustain and grow their solutions beyond the Accelerator.

By the end of Cohort 2, the selected teams are expected to have pilot-ready solutions tested and deployed in real-world settings. Many of these pilots will be hosted by UNDP country offices and local partners, helping to address identified development challenges while generating valuable evidence for wider application and replication across countries, sectors, and even different blockchain platforms.

Towards a New Model of Responsible Innovation

More broadly, the Accelerator marks a shift in how UNDP approaches development challenges – bridging grassroots expertise with frontier technology to deliver real humanitarian and sustainability impact.“The hackathon shows what’s possible when development practitioners and blockchain innovators work side by side,” said Hajdana Imrovic, UNDP AltFinLab Hackathon Lead. “Cohort 2 is where these ideas turn into real-world impact.”

By co-creating solutions with those closest to the problems, and applying blockchain where it truly adds value, the initiative is looking to redefine how systems are built to serve people and the planet .