On February 23, 2023, Coinbase launched Base, a Layer 2 blockchain testnet designed to offer developers a secure, low-cost, and user-friendly platform for building decentralized applications (dApps). Since its launch, the Base ecosystem has garnered significant support from the community.
Prior to its release, Coinbase used social media to build anticipation for the new project. A simple blue dot emoji tweet generated buzz on Twitter and piqued the curiosity of the crypto community. Upon launch, the excitement transformed into a robust network of builders working on Base.
To include as many users as possible in the celebration, Base launched a commemorative non-fungible token (NFT) collection called “Base, Introduced,” minted on Zora. With over 485,000 editions and 368,000 unique holders, the collection quickly became one of the largest open-edition Ethereum collections. The community has since been inspired to create other “Introduced” NFTs.
In an effort to educate the public about Base, the team attended ETHDenver, a major blockchain event. Throughout the week, the Base team engaged with over 5,500 people at their hacker house, Home Base, and secured commitments from numerous teams to build on the platform. During the hackathon, 60 teams created projects on Base, with winners including Decent AI, Rhinestone, and Inheritable. The Base team also delivered several talks to inform and engage the audience.
In its first week, Base attracted 18,000 developers who deployed 55,000 smart contracts on the testnet. The platform’s values of inclusivity, decentralization, and interconnectivity have resonated with the community and contributed to its growth. As Base moves towards mainnet in the coming months, the team will continue to work with the community and builders to expand the platform’s reach and achieve its goal of bringing the next billion users onchain.