# 🌟 Special NEARCON2023 Edition of the Horizon Newsletter! ## A Visual Recap of Horizon’s HZN Founder Days  Horizon made a significant impact at NEARCON23 with two days of exclusive programming for our HZN1 founders and NEARCON attendees. Here's a recap of the exciting events and announcements! --- ## Day 1: Founders Retreat Highlights ### Global Livestream & Watch Parties  Events were streamed live, with watch parties worldwide, including a special one hosted by our friends at [NEAR Vietnam Hub](https://near.org/near/widget/ProfilePage?accountId=nearvietnamhub.near). ### BitHappier Wellness Session   [BitHappier](https://near.org/near/widget/ProfilePage?accountId=bithappier.near) founder and HZN member, Akshay Gupta, led a session on meditation and happiness, exploring the brain's role in achieving well-being. ### Leadership Insights  Executive Coach, [Eric Abensur](https://www.abensurconsulting.com/), provided an in-depth talk on leadership and team dynamics. ### playEmber Fireside Chat  CEO Hugo Furneaux of [playEmber](https://playember.com/) shared his journey with Horizon’s Laura Cunningham, discussing pivotal moments he’s faced, product-market fit, and valuable lessons learned. ### GCRX Deep Dive with Joyce Yang  [Joyce Yang](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yonghuanyang/) from [Global Coin Research](https://globalcoinresearch.com/) delved into Web3 investment opportunities through GCRX, fielding questions from HZN founders about fundraising. ### "Best" Marketing Insights from Martin Best  A charismatic lecture revealing NEAR's upcoming campaigns and their strategic approach. ### Tech Lead Meetups  HZN Founders met with Horizon's tech leads for code reviews and system design feedback. ### Horizon / HZN1 Dinner  We finished the busy day dining with our incredible HZN1 cohort members, learning even more about each other while feasting on some of the best food Lisbon has to offer. --- ## Day 2: Founders Forum Highlights ### Decentralization and Compliance Panel  Day 2 kicked off with a panel featuring Anja Blaj, William Depoorter, Christina Fraziero, and Julian Leitloff gave valuable insights on the regulatory challenges Web3 startups face and tips on how to navigate them. ### Roundtable Workshops Hosted by NEAR Foundation's legal, finance, and people teams. Attendees got one-on-one time with experts from NEAR Foundation: #### HR Strategies for Growth  Kem Boggs, NEAR Foundation's Chief People Officer, along with her team discussed effective team building and HR challenges. #### Cap Table Management  Philipp Suarez and Philipp Styger shared insights on building a trustworthy cap table and common pitfalls. #### Web3 Legal Considerations  Anelda Dempster and Davin Basi from NEAR Foundation provided key legal insights for Web3 founders. ### Movers and Shakers Founder Mixer    An opportunity for social networking, convivial libations, creative collaboration, and Horizon swag! --- ## Other Exciting Announcements ### Backdrop Hackathon Partnership  #NEARHorizon has partnered with #BackdropBuild for a 4-week hackathon that kicked off earlier this month. ### HZN1 Demo Days  Scheduled for December 6-7. Witness the profound progress of our HZN1 founders in the #HZNLearningFellowship as they showcase their projects. RSVP here: [Demo Days RSVP](https://shortlink.near.foundation/hzn1-demo-days) ### Launching HZN2  Our next Equity-Free cohort is just around the corner! Take your startup from idea to launch. Apply now at [hzn.super.site](http://hzn.super.site). ### NEARCON23 Recap on Twitter Space Horizon's Founder Experience Manager Lindsay K and HZN1 member Anna Stoilova who founded Rogues joined SockCheck.ETH (@PowerFullApe) to discuss NEARCON23, NEAR Horizon projects, and more. ### Fridays are for Founders  Join our weekly Founder Fridays sessions featuring AMAs, 1:1 guidance, Product walkthroughs, and more! [RSVP to Join](https://shortlink.near.foundation/horizon-office-hours-rsvp) --- ### Stay tuned for more updates and exciting developments from Horizon. We're committed to empowering founders and innovating in the Web3 space! 🚀 **Follow us on Twitter @nearhorizon for the latest news and updates!** [Horizon - Shaping the Future of Web3](https://hzn.xyz) *Your Horizon Team*