HackerHouseProtocol

Hacker House Protocol, a platform that combines real estate with social media.

Our purpose is to connect hackers around the world, giving them the ability to rent an apartment, co-pay with others, or create a hacker house together. Unlike traditional booking platforms, this is not just about rentals, it’s about building community and helping hackers find the right place to stay for their favorite events or to live temporarily with others in the locations they choose.

Authentication in our platform is privacy-preserving and based on verified NFTs, POAPs, and Talent Protocol Passports, ensuring that only real hackers are part of the network. At the same time, the system is fully DeFi-driven, keeping identity safe while enabling seamless payments.

We’re launching our beta in Argentina to host hacker houses for DevConnect and ETH Global Buenos Aires in November. We already have partnerships with real estate agencies interested in potentially migrating up to 100 apartments from their Airbnb listings once we go live. Our platform will create a clear entry point for real estate agencies into the crypto market.

Our business model is based on a 1–2% booking fee, half the cost of Airbnb. Deposits are placed in staking, generating yield, while allowing us to offer cashback to hackers.

Our roadmap: Looking ahead, for the future we want this experience to be unique, fun, and social. Evolving into immersive, gamified 3D worlds with avatars, filtered servers, and hackers planning their next hacker house together.

This is how we’re building a new rental experience, one that’s decentralized, social, and designed by hackers, for hackers.

Website: https://hackerhouse.app

Presentation Deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1086j3TyvSXLmkPZK3aXF58eYmfiQqNOTiOXxJY7VTq8/

Figma: https://www.figma.com/design/A8k8TI5T4IvaJHZ41b05aY/NYC-Hackathon---FINAL?node-id=0-1&p=f&t=RgqqTm0ksDj1oXCn-0

Repository: https://github.com/Shaivpidadi/hacker-house-protocol

How We Built This

We built a monorepo with three core components that work together seamlessly:

Smart Contracts (Foundry + Solidity)

• Core Logic: HackerHouseProtocol.sol on Arbitrum Sepolia handles listings, reservations, and payments
• Cross-Chain Magic: Integrated Hyperlane's Warp Route for automatic token bridging
• Privacy-First: Encrypted private data (door codes, wifi passwords) stored on IPFS with on-chain verification
• Security: EIP-712 signature verification for gated listings (POAP ownership, etc.)

Data Layer (The Graph)

• Subgraph: Indexes all blockchain events in real-time
• GraphQL API: Provides complex queries for listings, reservations, and payments
• Decentralized: No centralized database needed - everything from the blockchain

Frontend (Next.js 15 + React 19)

• Modern Stack: Latest React features, TypeScript, TanStack Query
• Real-Time: Live data from The Graph subgraph
• Cross-Chain UX: Seamless payment flow that handles bridging automatically

The "Hacky" Part

Cross-Chain Payment Flow: Instead of forcing users to manually bridge tokens, we built an automatic system:

// User pays with ANY crypto from ANY chain
await token.approve(hyperlaneRouter, amount);
await hyperlaneRouter.transferRemote(
  destinationChain, // Arbitrum Sepolia
  recipient,        // Hacker's address
  amount,           // Any token amount
  { value: gasFee } // Interchain gas payment
);
// Automatically bridged and converted!

Why this is clever: Hackers don't need to worry about which chain their crypto is on - they can pay with whatever they have!

Partner Technologies & Benefits

Hyperlane Warp Route

• Problem: Cross-chain token transfers are complex and user-unfriendly
• Solution: Automatic bridging that feels like a single transaction
• Benefit: Users can pay with PYUSD, ETH, or any supported token from any chain

The Graph

• Problem: Blockchain data querying is slow and expensive
• Solution: Decentralized indexing with GraphQL API
• Benefit: Real-time data without running nodes or making direct RPC calls

PayPal USD (PYUSD)

• Problem: Need stable, regulated payment token
• Solution: Real USD-backed token with cross-chain capabilities
• Benefit: Users pay with actual USD value, not volatile crypto

Technical Innovation

1. Encrypted Private Data Pattern: Store sensitive accommodation data (door codes, wifi passwords) encrypted on IPFS with on-chain hash verification
2. Co-Payer Split System: Multiple hackers can pay different amounts for one accommodation
3. EIP-712 Gating: Secure signature verification for exclusive listings (POAP holders, DAO members, etc.)
4. Automatic Bridging: Users think they're paying with their native token, but it's automatically bridged behind the scenes

Impact

This solves real problems for the hackathon community:

• Affordability: Find roommates to split accommodation costs
• Flexibility: Pay with any crypto from any chain
• Community: Connect with fellow hackers before events
• Privacy: Sensitive data stays encrypted but verifiable

The result: Hackers can focus on building, not worrying about accommodation logistics or crypto complexity.