Inside Protocol Berg v2: Here's What to Expect

Protocol Berg returns this June with its second edition, Protocol Berg v2, hosted in the historic Colosseum cinema in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg. This edition will be a two-day technical gathering, happening June 12–13, 2025, and bringing together protocol researchers, engineers, philosophers and builders from across the decentralized tech landscape to exchange ideas, share research, and explore the latest in protocol design.

The Concept

For those that don't know, unlike typical industry events, Protocol Berg is non-commercial and it is donation-backed. There are no sponsors, no pitches, and admission is completely free. The emphasis is on meaningful collaboration, honest discussion, and deep technical exploration, not on networking or shilling. Whether you’re neck-deep in distributed systems research or maintaining a peer-to-peer infrastructure stack, Protocol Berg v2 offers a space to connect with others who are building the foundations of the decentralized web.

From the Frontlines: Protocol Challenges and Ecosystem Perspectives

This year, attendees can expect talks and workshops on a range of foundational topics, from consensus protocols and distributed virtual machines, to peer-to-peer networking, open-source governance, and the real-world challenges of running decentralized infrastructure. You’ll hear from the key people and researchers advancing the state of rollups and data availability, developers working on improving client diversity and protocol resilience, and stewards of core infrastructure projects that support thousands of users daily.

A lot of ecosystems will represent! Contributors to Ethereum, Bitcoin, IPFS, Polkadot, Cosmos, Solana and many more, will share updates from the front lines of decentralization in their communities.

The Colosseum, where history meets innovation

The venue itself, a restored 19th-century cinema, adds an old school cinematic charm to the event, with multiple screening rooms converted into stages and workshop areas. Expect back-to-back sessions across two days, where conversations span from low-level protocol tweaks to high-level coordination challenges across ecosystems. We will even have some space for spontaneous whiteboard sessions for those who want to brainstorm (in person) some of the challenges we face in our industry.

Expect some extra surprises!

And that's not all! We have more than just a schedule of talks and workshops, at v2 you will also find some easter eggs around the venue.

Introducing "Bring paper, get paper," where we invite everyone to bring in their favourite research paper (or multiple if you have a few), and there will be a spot set up at the venue where you can swap it for another paper, have some discussions with others and spread the word about it. Additionally, you are free to take one home!

You will also find a "web3 library" at this edition. We will have some books for people to read, comment and explore. This library explores the concept of infrastructure for different angles, from geopolitics, and philosophy, collaborative practices and technology.

Some (especially the younger ones) might have wondered what the weird sounds are in the intro sequence of the first Protocol Berg videos. These are the sounds an old typewriter makes. This is a device used to write e.g. papers before computers existed. At Protocol Berg v2 you can experience this first hand as we will provide a beautiful old typewriter where you can leave anonymous feedback or just write an entry into our guestbook.

We will also have a (thematically fitting) coloring-book and some pens, for when you need to decompress from a heavy talk or just express your creativity. Hopefully, we will have some creative memorabilia for Protocol Berg v2.

Bring your hot takes, Zk AV Club will bring the mic.

The DoD is also joining forces with the Zero-knowledge Audiovisual Club, to bring decentralized storytelling to v2. The Zk Av Club Recording Station will be your space to record interviews, impromptu podcasts, or share your perspectives and ideas. No experience or appointment needed, just come by, and share your story to help shape a collective narrative that captures the spirit of the event!

Protocol Berg v2 is a call to the curious: protocol engineers, infra operators, cryptographers, and anyone committed to building resilient, open systems. Come for the code, stay for the conversations.

We are excited to see you all in a few weeks! To learn more, or explore the full schedule, head to protocol.berlin.

With love from the Protocol Berg v2 team <3