Hoken Tech Shatters Records: Winner of HackerNoon’s Startup 2024!

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Welcome to Hoken Tech.

Our startup was recently recognized as the best startup in the city at HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year 2024, an event that highlights its leadership in the Web3 sector, particularly in blockchain and NFT technologies. This win, announced on April 24, 2025, follows a series of previous successes and reflects the company’s significant impact both locally and beyond.

Overview of the Competition

HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year 2024 is a community-driven initiative that celebrates the most innovative tech startups worldwide. The 2024 edition, which started on October 1, 2024, and concluded with voting until March 31, 2025, saw over 150,000 startups nominated from more than 4,200 cities across six continents and over 100 industries.

 

The total number of votes recorded was 4.3 million, a significant increase compared to the 623,000 votes from the previous year, as noted in an announcement on April 28, 2025.

For the European region, where Bari is located, the data shows 25,900 startups in competition with a total of 88,600 votes cast across 465 cities.

This intense competition highlights the challenge faced by Hoken Tech, which emerged as the winner in Bari with 2,300 votes, as detailed on a page dedicated to the winning cities.

Details of Hoken Tech’s Victory

Hoken Tech’s victory was announced as part of the city results, garnering a total of 2,300 votes in their favor. This is not the first time Hoken Tech has received such recognition: in 2022, it was named the best startup in Bari and ranked third across Europe, and then in 2023, it secured the first position.

Hoken Tech - Best startup 2024

Profile and Innovations of Hoken Tech

Hoken Tech is a startup that leverages the EOS blockchain and NFT technology to offer innovative solutions, particularly for museums and artists, facilitating the quick and frictionless trade of their artworks. Among their innovations are:

  • The first NFT video game for GameBoy, available free of charge at the link Leap to NFT, which promotes ownership of in-game items on the blockchain.

  • Physical NFTs, which combine digital and tangible art.

  • The first portable NFT dispenser, a device that enables decentralized redemption of NFTs without the need for electricity or batteries, making it accessible anywhere.

Our focus on sustainability is evident in our annual CO₂ emissions monitoring, with a current score of 35 toward achieving B Corporation status — an objective that reflects our environmental commitment.

Previous Awards and Recognitions

In addition to the successes at HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year, Hoken Tech boasts a history of international recognition. In 2022, it won two significant awards in the cryptocurrency sector, organized by HackerNoon: “Most Innovative Use of Blockchain Technology” and the “MUT Award” (Most Utilizable NFT), even surpassing The Sandbox in the latter category, thanks to the ease of implementation and offline capability of their NFT dispenser.

Furthermore, CTO Alfredo de Candia received individual awards such as “Best Contributor of the Year in Crypto Trading” and “Best Cryptocurrency Adoption Contributor of the Year” in 2022, and “Best Crypto Journalist 2021” in 2021. These previous recognitions underscore Hoken Tech’s growth trajectory, as the company continues to set standards in the Web3 sector.

Conclusion

Hoken Tech’s victory in Bari in 2024 is a significant milestone that consolidates its position as a leader in the Web3 sector in Southern Italy. With innovations such as the NFT GameBoy video game and the portable dispenser, along with ambitious future plans, Hoken Tech continues to shape the technological landscape while promoting sustainability and digital ownership.

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