Detroit Blockchain Collective brings together crypto enthusiasts, builders, and innovators at Crypto Connect on Wednesday, February 25 at HopCat in Royal Oak. This gathering creates real momentum through authentic face-to-face connections that fuel Detroit’s growing blockchain ecosystem.
Lighting talk from Aztec DevRel Josh Crites, “Zero to ZK: Learning Aztec with AI as Your Copilot”.
🎉 This mixer is for everyone who wants to connect with Michigan’s crypto community. Crypto Connect is your space to meet face-to-face, exchange ideas, and strengthen the relationships driving innovation locally.
🎙️ In the featured builder talk from Josh Crites, you’ll learn how AI copilots can help developers navigate fast-moving, complex ecosystems including Aztec Network — a privacy-focused Ethereum Layer 2 — and accelerate learning and building across emerging tech stacks. It outlines practical workflows, compares tools like Claude Code and Codex, and highlights key repositories and MCP servers for managing context and staying up to date.
About the speaker
Josh Crites is a seasoned educator, developer advocate and senior software engineer with years of experience helping developers master technical foundations. He has taught thousands through his work with ConsenSys and Celo, and now as a DevRel at Aztec. Josh designs learning experiences that empower devs to explore complex technologies through practical experimentation. His workshops bridge the gap between theory and application, making cutting-edge concepts tangible and usable for builders at every level.
Following our builder talk, join us for a fun evening of connection, conversation, and community with builders, founders, investors, professionals, and those shaping Detroit’s evolving blockchain ecosystem. Meet the people behind the projects, and connect with others contributing to the growth of Web3 in Michigan.
Attendees will meet founders, investors, developers, and Web3 professionals actively shaping Michigan’s onchain future. The evening features a spotlight presentation from a local builder revealing what’s being created right here in Detroit, offering direct insight into projects emerging from the community.
Complimentary drinks—beer, cocktails, wine, and non-alcoholic options—await those who sign up with Stand With Crypto. The spotlight talk provides a window into local innovation, followed by open networking time to dive deeper into conversations, form partnerships, and build lasting connections.
Discussions flow naturally across DeFi, tokenization, infrastructure, policy developments, and emerging blockchain trends. Whether reconnecting with familiar collaborators or meeting someone new, attendees become part of the network driving Web3 forward in Southeast Michigan.
🗓 Wednesday, February 25, 2026
🕔 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
📍 HopCat
430 S Main St · Royal Oak, MI
✨Founded in 2024, the Detroit Blockchain Collective was created to foster blockchain innovation in Michigan through grassroots community and education.
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