QuickNode Accelerator - AcadChain

We’re excited to spotlight AcadChain, a visionary team building the modular education layer for Web3. Backed by over 40,000 learners and 30+ university partnerships, AcadChain is redefining how knowledge is earned, verified, and rewarded on-chain. Their zk-powered protocol enables verifiable learning, AI-driven tutoring, and gamified educational experiences—all governed by a community-first ethos. With products like Decentraclasses, BlockDevs, and InstaLearn already live, AcadChain is laying the groundwork for a decentralized future where credentials are interoperable, learning is personalized, and education becomes a composable building block for the blockchain ecosystem.

Q & A with AcadChain 👇

1. Who are you, and what’s the mission behind AcadChain?

We are the AcadChain team—a collective of educators, blockchain engineers, cryptographers, and product builders—united to rewire how learning, credentials, and reputation operate in a decentralised world. Drawing on deep expertise in zk-proof systems, smart-contract development, and learner-centric UX, we’ve architected AcadChain as a Layer-3 rollup on Arbitrum Orbit purpose-built for education workloads.

Our mission

• Open, interoperable education layer: Deliver the Acad Protocol, a plug-and-play infrastructure that any platform, universities, boot camps, or peer-to-peer tutors can integrate to issue, verify, and exchange on-chain credentials.
• Privacy-first credentialing: Employ zero-knowledge proofs so learners prove skills & achievements without revealing sensitive data.
• AI-powered, gamified pathways: Embed AI agents for personalised learning journeys and gamification modules that reward real-world skill acquisition with on-chain tokens & NFTs.
• Community-driven governance: Empower learners, educators, and institutions to co-govern curriculum updates, scholarship DAOs, and protocol parameters through on-chain voting.

Backed by products like DecentraClasses (Learn-to-Earn), BlockDevs (live cohort hosting), and InstaLearn (AI tutor)—and adopted by 40,000+ learners and 30+ university partners—we’re on a path to become the “Ethereum of education,” making credentials a universally composable primitive in Web3.

2. What drew you to QuickNode’s Rollup Accelerator, and how has it shaped your journey so far?

We were drawn to QuickNode’s Rollup Accelerator for its razor-sharp focus on scalability, developer tooling, and ecosystem growth—three pillars vital to launching AcadChain and the Acad Protocol. Their performance-driven deep dives into Arbitrum Orbit rollup design perfectly matched our goals for zk-powered credential issuance and real-time learning verification.

How it’s accelerated our journey

• Technical roadmap sprint: Mentor-led workshops helped us optimise block orchestration and proof-validation latency, cutting our development cycle by weeks.
• SDK ahead of schedule: Hands-on guidance accelerated the delivery of our credential-minting and verification APIs.
• GTM & holistic chain launch: Strategic feedback on go-to-market positioning, pilot planning, and end-to-end launch workflows ensured we’re mainnet–beta–ready.

In short, QuickNode’s accelerator has been instrumental in transforming AcadChain from concept to a production-ready education rollup.

3. What’s been the highlight of your experience in the accelerator over the past few weeks?

The clear standout has been the hands-on technical mentorship from the QuickNode team—they worked side-by-side with us to optimise our Arbitrum Orbit rollup for zk-credentialing, streamline our deployment pipeline, and fine-tune block orchestration and proof-validation latency. That deep collaboration turned weeks of guesswork into days of progress.

Equally impactful was cohort collaboration: swapping ideas with fellow rollup teams and ecosystem builders sparked new integrations—think AI-tutoring agents, scholarship DAOs—and reaffirmed that a community-first approach is critical to scaling decentralised education.

4. What key milestones have you hit during the program, and what lessons have stuck with you?

Key milestones we’ve hit

• AcadChain testnet launch: Deployed our Arbitrum Orbit–based rollup with end-to-end zk-powered Proof-of-Learn NFT minting and on-chain verification.
• zk-PoL NFT integration: Rolled out credentialing across DecentraClasses, BlockDevs, and InstaLearn, enabling verifiable learning records.
• Institutional pilots: Secured commitments from universities and DAOs to issue and validate on-chain credentials in live cohorts.

Lessons that have stuck

• Community co-creation is critical: Early educator feedback and developer contributions ensure features solve real needs and drive adoption.
• Scalability is holistic: It’s not just TPS or latency—it’s designing flexible modules and governance that evolve with diverse learning models.
• Rapid iteration uncovers insights: Frequent testnet releases and SDK sprints surface edge cases early, guiding smarter design.

End-to-end readiness matters: Technical polish must pair with GTM playbooks, partner enablement, and pilot operations for a successful launch.

5. What’s next for AcadChain, and how do you plan to make waves in Web3?

• Full-Stack Modular Education Layer: We’re evolving the Acad Protocol into a plug-and-play suite—SDKs for credential issuance and verification, AI agents for personalised learning pathways, and on-chain governance modules for DAOs.
• ACAD ID Rollout: Launch our unified, zk-powered learner identity system across partner platforms, enabling seamless cross-chain profile and reputation portability.
• Scale Proof-of-Learn NFTs: Drive universal credentialing by minting 100K+ Proof-of-Learn NFTs through universities, bootcamps, and enterprise upskilling partners.
• DAO-Powered Governance: Empower stakeholders—learners, educators, and institutions—to co-govern curriculum updates, scholarship funds, and protocol upgrades via on-chain voting.

How will we make waves in Web3?

We’re building the rails for verifiable, on-chain learning so that any dApp, DAO, or protocol can seamlessly issue, verify, and reward educational outcomes as a composable primitive. By combining zk-proofs, AI tutors, and community-driven governance, AcadChain will transform education into a universal building block for the decentralised ecosystem.

Check them out at https://acadchain.xyz and follow along on X: @AcadChainHQ.