Over the last year, the Uniswap Hook Incubator (UHI) has onboarded hundreds of experienced Solidity developers to build v4 hooks. Today, we’re excited to announce a $1,200,000 grant to Atrium Academy to support its expansion, with new educational resources and an ongoing developer event series.

The Uniswap Hook Incubator (UHI) has become a foundational resource for the Uniswap Protocol developer community, providing hundreds of developers with a free, hands-on, and intensive introduction to developing v4 hooks. By participating in UHI, builders gain a deep understanding of the Protocol, gain experience building a number of hooks over the course of the cohort, and get the opportunity to work directly with an influential network of engineers, VCs, and industry leaders. The Uniswap Foundation covers tuition costs for enrolled students, ensuring that this invaluable resource is open and accessible to skilled Solidity developers everywhere.

Over the past year, UHI graduates have driven our community forward, through innovative projects that push the boundaries of what’s possible with hooks. To continue this vital initiative, we are excited to announce a grant of $1,200,000 to Atrium Academy to support the expansion of the Uniswap Hook Incubator, allowing for four additional cohorts and a suite of new educational resources designed to empower more developers and expand the v4 universe.

Year One: Growing the Surface Area of v4 Innovation

In March 2024, the Uniswap Foundation provided a $600,000 grant to Atrium Academy to launch the UHI. Across the first three cohorts, the program attracted over 1,200 applicants and onboarded more between 100 to 150 developers per cohort across over 50 countries. From the first two completed cohorts, 138 developers graduated and built 91 hooks for their final capstone projects, ranging in creative functionalities. The third cohort is currently in flight, with 165 participants. In the first two cohorts, the retention rates were notably high at an average of 55%, which surpasses the typical completion rates of 20% observed in comparable edtech programs. Some teams from these cohorts, like Semantic Layer, have advanced their projects beyond the Uniswap Hook Incubator and secured venture capital funding. Among the distinguished alumni are individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, such as Kaili Wang, Engineering Lead of Circle Research, and Fahad Saleh, a finance professor at the University of Florida and founder of the CBER forum.

Feedback from UHI graduates has been overwhelmingly positive. "This program has been a turning point in my professional career in DeFi. Besides learning new concepts in this industry, I have discovered new passions that have significantly impacted both my professional and personal life," shares Berenu, a graduate from the first cohort. She adds, "I am very grateful for having made the decision to apply to this program, and I recommend it to anyone in the DeFi industry."

Another notable graduate and winner of the hookathon for the Unicast hook, Gordon Liao, Chief Economist at Circle, reflects, "The Uniswap Hook Incubator was an extraordinary experience that enabled me to delve into the capabilities of Uniswap v4—a completely open platform that empowers anyone in this community to participate and innovate."

Year Two: Expanding Developer Support, and Impact

As Atrium Academy enters its second year, we are excited to double down on Atrium Academy, and the talent it has brought to the Uniswap community. The program will scale to meet the diverse needs of our growing builder community, offering new resources for Uniswap v4 and Unichain developers:

• Self-Paced Courses: Tailored for developers who prefer flexible learning schedules, this course includes comprehensive materials, office hours, and hands-on projects.

• Step-by-Step Guides: These newly developed materials, nested within Uniswap v4’s docs, offer detailed tutorials on essential concepts of Uniswap v4, ensuring developers can easily navigate and master the platform.

• Live Weekly Events: A dynamic schedule of public events will be available to all developers interested in Uniswap v4 and Unichain. These events range from educational workshops and guest AMAs to project showcases, fostering a vibrant learning and networking environment.

• Live Incubator Cohorts: The next four cohorts are scheduled to begin on January 23rd, April 24th, July 17th, and October 9th of 2025. Apply here.

“Every playbook is dynamic. Running the Hook Incubator has taught us the importance of continual improvement and maintaining integrity. Everything can always be better.” Says Bhaumik, co-founder of Atrium Academy, in a recent interview with the UF team. He continues: “Every aspect of the program, from orientation to the final demo day, is an opportunity to enhance value… Our team meets daily to discuss key metrics, feedback, and experimental strategies to ensure we’re remaining true to our core values: maintain integrity over the unknowns, and design for the ecosystem.”

With this follow-on grant, the Uniswap Foundation reaffirms its dedication to empowering developers and enriching the Uniswap community. We look forward to seeing the new heights our talented cohorts will reach with these enhanced educational resources and the innovative solutions they will bring to DeFi.