2024: The Year Crecimiento Took Flight
Crecimiento is not a company or a single initiative—it’s a movement.
The Spark of an Idea
In early February, a few conversations sparked an ambitious idea: What if Argentina became the crypto capital of the world? Argentina is uniquely positioned for this role. It’s home to one of the world’s most vibrant crypto communities, shaped by years of financial challenges that have driven people to embrace innovation and new systems. Combined with its talented builders and a global reputation for creativity, the country offers the perfect environment to lead a new wave of crypto adoption.
Argentina has long been a hotspot for crypto innovation. From the Voltaire House and Ethereum Buenos Aires meetups in 2018 to ETHLatam in 2022, where over 5,000 Argentinians gathered, the country has cultivated a vibrant and resilient community. By early 2024, the momentum was undeniable. Builders and dreamers were meeting daily during muBuenos pop-up city, exchanging ideas and laying the groundwork for what came next. In late April, a group of global crypto leaders visited Buenos Aires, adding fuel to the fire. By May, the vision of Crecimiento—a movement to make Argentina the crypto capital of the world—was born.
A Movement for Builders, Powered by Community
Crecimiento is not a company or a single initiative—it’s a movement. It brings together people and organizations united by a shared goal: to bring prosperity to millions by growing Argentina’s crypto ecosystem and supporting startups that solve real problems. Why a movement? Because change on this scale requires more than isolated efforts—it needs a community-driven approach that brings together builders, companies, and organizations around a shared mission.
This vision quickly gained support from key local players like Lemon, Belo, QuarkID, Ripio, and many others. International partners such as Protocol Labs, zkSync, Avalanche, Solana, and Worldcoin also leaned in strongly to help bring the vision to life. Today, hundreds of incredible projects and individuals are contributing to Crecimiento, making it a truly global effort.
Aleph Pop-Up City: Crecimiento’s first big success
In August, we hosted Aleph Pop-Up City, a week that redefined what community-driven innovation looks like. The numbers were incredible: 3,000 attendees, 300 hackers, 100 ZK students, and 70 startups. But the real story was the energy—the shared belief that Argentina could lead the future of crypto. Over 300 activities, most organized by the community itself, turned Buenos Aires into a hub of creativity and connection.
One of the highlights of Aleph was Regulation Day, a pivotal moment for aligning key stakeholders on the future of crypto in Argentina. Builders, legal experts, and policymakers came together to discuss how Argentina could lead with a regulatory framework that balances innovation and stability. The event featured critical conversations about fostering trust, enabling growth, and creating a supportive environment for startups. Regulation Day became the biggest public-private web3 event, foster of dialogue and progress, that had ever happened in Argentina and demonstrated how Crecimiento could drive not just innovation but also thoughtful policy-making.
Aleph Pop-Up City also drew attention from key political leaders, including Demián Reidel, Chairman of the Council of Advisors of the President of Argentina Javier Milei, former President Mauricio Macri, and Jorge Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires. Roberto Silva, President of the Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV), not only joined Regulation Day but participated of a vibrant regulatory panel, highlighting the regulator 's engagement with crypto' s potential. Their visits underscored the growing recognition of crypto’s role in driving economic transformation in Argentina. Aleph wasn’t just about innovation—it became a bridge connecting builders, policymakers, and the broader community.
The Next Steps: Building Support Structures
After Aleph, our first huge success, it was time to re-organize and build the support structures needed to channel all the energy and excitement Crecimiento created into real impact for Argentina's tech and startup ecosystem. Crecimiento’s vision is very ambitious: bring 5 to 10 million people on-chain through great products and startups; make Argentina’s tech startup ecosystem 10x larger and better by providing funding, infrastructure, and support; and contribute to a clear and flexible but robust regulatory framework to support sustained growth and confidence for startups (which includes the creation and set up of a Regulatory Multiagency Sandbox and a Special Economic Zone).
Achieving this vision means impacting millions of lives, which requires thousands of builders creating innovative startups and thousands more people supporting them. This is hard. We knew from the start that what we are building is ambitious, and with that comes the reality of setbacks. There have been moments when we moved too quickly, made mistakes, or underestimated the challenges ahead. As Ben Horowitz says, “The struggle is where greatness comes from” . The path hasn’t been smooth, but we’ve embraced the struggle as part of the journey. Every mistake has been a lesson and an apology, and every challenge an opportunity to improve. We’re not perfect, but we’re learning to do better every day, and our commitment to Crecimiento’s vision has never been stronger.
Empowering Startups and Builders
Startups are at the heart of Crecimiento’s mission. Through initiatives like the Startup Track at Aleph Pop-Up City, regular events at the Crypto Cowork, hackathons, and Hacker Houses, Crecimiento has created spaces for builders to connect, innovate, and grow. Founder School is launching to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the tools to turn ideas into scalable businesses, while the Creci x GPC Accelerator is being designed to launch in March 2025 to provide startups with funding, mentorship, and growth opportunities. Together, these initiatives are creating a pipeline of high-impact startups, laying the groundwork for Argentina to become a global hub for innovation.
Paving the Way for Regulatory Progress
Regulation has been a cornerstone of Crecimiento’s mission to create a thriving and stable ecosystem for builders and startups. In 2024, Crecimiento worked closely with national and city governments to advance initiatives like the proposed Multi-Agency Regulatory Sandbox (presented with Argentina Fintech Chamber - CAF) and the workings and development with experts of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). These efforts have fostered dialogue with regulatory authorities, laying the groundwork for policies that balance innovation and long-term stability.
The Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV) played a key role, participating in Regulation Day and collaborating on frameworks to support crypto innovation. At the city level, Buenos Aires included Crecimiento in its Innovation Sandbox program, further cementing its role in shaping the local tech ecosystem. Discussions with legislators also focused on creating a supportive environment for startups through forward-looking policies and training programs.
Partnerships with organizations such as the Cámara Argentina Fintech (CAF) amplified these efforts. Through initiatives like Regulation Day and collaboration with academia and the private sector, Crecimiento continues to drive progress toward a sustainable and innovative crypto ecosystem in Argentina. Notably, Bob Haywood provided invaluable guidance on the design and implementation of the proposed Special Economic Zone, helping shape a framework that could position Argentina as a global leader in crypto innovation.
Aleph de Verano: Closing the Year with Impact
In December, we closed the year with Aleph de Verano, a two-week pop up city, but most important a moment to celebrate everyone making Crecimiento such a transformative reality. Over 1,500 participants came together for a hybrid hackathon with 250 builders, a ZK Bootcamp, dozens of side events, and talks from more than 100 global speakers. Vitalik Buterin’s visit was a highlight—his presence reaffirmed that the world is watching what’s happening in Argentina.
But Aleph de Verano was more than just an event—it was an opportunity to connect and reconnect, set the stage for an incredible 2025, and strengthen the bonds that tie us to Crecimiento. Builders, founders, and supporters came together not only to collaborate but to deepen their shared commitment to the movement and its vision. The relationships forged during these two weeks remind us that Crecimientis biggest strength is the collective of amazing people supporting it.
The Momentum Is Real
As 2024 comes to a close, Crecimiento is no longer just an idea—it’s a movement with real momentum. Thousands of builders, founders, and supporters have rallied behind our mission, putting Argentina on the global map as a leading hub for crypto and tech innovation. Over 20,000 people have participated in Crecimiento events, programs, and hackathons this year alone. The world is watching, and our community has never been stronger. But this is just the beginning.
Looking Ahead: Time for Season 3
The journey so far has been one of remarkable progress and learnings. 2025 is the year to double down. We’re ready to take Crecimiento to the next level. The road ahead won’t be easy, but this community has already shown it’s capable of achieving the extraordinary.
We've never been more ready.
Thank You
To everyone who contributed to this journey: thank you. Crecimiento isn’t something we do—it’s something we build together. What we’ve achieved in 2024 is just the start, and we’re proud to stand alongside such an incredible community.
Here’s to an even bigger 2025.
Let’s keep growing 🔅