EthCC returns for its ninth edition in Cannes, and this year the atmosphere is different. With institutional adoption accelerating, new L2s coming online every week, and AI agents entering DeFi, the conversations at EthCC 2026 will shape the direction of the build over the next two years.
Whether you’re a founder preparing to launch, a developer looking to connect with auditors, or an investor evaluating a protocol, here’s everything you need to know to make your journey worthwhile.
TL;DR- EthCC[9] will be held in Cannes, France from March 27 to April 5, 2026
- Side events and hackathons significantly extend the conference week
- For founders raising money, safety conversations are no longer optional
- Social networking at surrounding events is often more important than at the main venue
- There is a way to make money on EthCC by recommending protocols that need auditing
Key dates and logistics
Main conference: March 27-29, 2026
EthCC Week (side events + hackathon): March 27 to April 5, 2026
Location: Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France
The main conference lasts three days, but the real action occurs throughout the week. Side events, developer houses, and hackathons will fill the schedule from the Monday the week before the conference through the following weekend.
Planning matters- Accommodation: Book early. Accommodation in Cannes fills up quickly during EthCC. You can consider looking for Airbnb in Le Suquet (old town) or La Bocca, where the price may be better.
- Transportation: Nice Airport (NCE) is the nearest airport. The train from Nice to Cannes takes approximately 35 minutes. A taxi from the airport costs approximately 80 to 100 euros.
- Budget: Cannes is expensive. Budget between 50 and 80 euros per day for eating out. Coffee at Croisette costs 5 to 7 euros.
EthCC[9] OutlookMain venue agenda
EthCC typically has an agenda for the following topics:
- Protocol engineering: L2 expansion, MEV, account abstraction, cross-chain messaging
- DeFi and Token Economics: Lending, DEX Architecture, Stablecoin Design, RWA Integration
- Security and auditing: vulnerability disclosure, formal verification, application of AI in auditing
- Governance and DAO: on-chain governance, voting mechanism, treasury management
- Developer tools: Foundry, Hardhat updates, testing framework, deployment pipeline
The security agenda is growing significantly every year. In 2025, several conferences focused on AI-assisted auditing and the gap between automated tools and manual review. Expect a deeper dive into agentic security systems and real-time monitoring in 2026.
Surrounding activities worthy of attention
The peripheral events calendar is where the real conversations happen. Please pay attention to:
- Hackathons: ETHGlobal Cannes and smaller chain-specific hackathons usually take place during the week
- Developer House: The Protocol team rents a villa and hosts invitation-only meetings. These are the places where partnerships are built.
- Security Meetups: Trail of Bits, OpenZeppelin and independent auditors often host informal meetings
- Investor dinners: If you’re raising money, the week before and the week after the meeting are the best times to have partner meetings
Pro Tip: Follow the EthCC Luma Calendar for the latest list of surrounding events. New activities will be added daily for the first two weeks of the conference.
For founders: Why security should be on your EthCC agenda
If you are attending EthCC as a founder or protocol leader, the reality is: investors are asking security questions earlier in the process than ever before.
In 2025, many financings failed because the agreements failed to prove their audit readiness. VCs have seen enough eight-figure exploits to view unaudited code as a red flag, not a trade-off.
What should you do before Cannes- Know the status of your audit. Can you clarify what has been audited, by whom, and what remains unresolved? If not, address these issues before the meeting.
- Conduct pre-audit inspections. Tools like Krait can provide you with a free, AI-powered security snapshot of your codebase in minutes. Go to investor meetings with data, not promises.
- Prepare your scope. If you plan to hire an auditor after the meeting, find out which contracts are covered, how many lines of code, and your target timeline. This will speed up every conversation.
What investors will ask
Based on conversations with VCs active in the Web3 space:
- “When was your last audit and who performed it? ”
- “What is your security budget as a percentage of your financing? ”
- “Do you have a bug bounty program? ”
- “What is your incident response plan? ”
If you can answer these questions with confidence, you'll already be ahead of 80% of the projects at the conference.
Social skills that really workbefore meeting- Schedule meetings in advance. Don't expect a chance encounter. Use Telegram, Twitter DM or Luma to schedule a 15 to 20 minute time slot.
- Prepare an opening statement. “We are building [X] on [chain], currently in audit, expected to release in Q2” is better than a five minute explanation.
- Bring your business card or QR code. Physical business cards are still valid at meetings. A QR code linking to your website or presentation is even better.
during the meeting- Skip meetings that can be watched later. Most presentations will be recorded. Use the main venue time for meetings and side activities.
- The corridor track is the main track. Some of the best connections happen in the coffee line, not in the audience.
- Follow up on the day. Send a Telegram message that evening. By the next morning, the other person has met more than 50 people, and your face is blurred.
after meeting- Follow up within 48 hours with specific next steps instead of "nice to meet you."
- Mention specific content from your conversation. This is how you stand out among the 200+ follow-up emails they receive.
How to make money at EthCC without a booth
Not all EthCC attendees are building protocols or raising funds. Many attendees are consultants, community leaders, or ecosystem players who know the founders or teams personally.
If you know a protocol that is preparing for a launch, expanding to a new chain, or handling a large amount of TVL but doesn’t have a recent audit, there is an easy way to make money using these connections.
Zealynx Referral Program
Zealynx Security has launched a special recommendation program for the EthCC community:
- Each time you successfully recommend a protocol that completes the audit, you will receive a base reward of $1,000.
- Get a commission of up to 20% of the audit value (minimum audit amount $5,000)
- No upper limit on the number of recommendations
The calculation is simple. A successful recommendation is based on a of trial count，meaning taste With1,000 base bonus + $3,000 commission = $4,000 referral fee.
Working principle- Register at zealynx.io/ethcc-referral
- Get your referral link and toolkit including QR code, referral script and talking points at zealynx.io/ethcc-referral/toolkit
- Introduce the protocol to Zealynx (via the form or directly to @vendrell46 on Telegram)
- Get paid after the audit is completed
Zealynx offers Solidity, Solana, Rust, Cairo and TypeScript audits, as well as AI red teaming and DeFi tokenomics reviews. If the protocol writes smart contracts, they are potential recommendations.
Full project details and terms: zealynx.io/ethcc-referral/terms
Zealynx’s activities on EthCC
Our team will be in Cannes throughout. Here are our activities:
- Open offline meetings. If you would like to discuss the security posture of your protocol, plan audit scope, or just chat, please contact: @vendrell46 on Telegram
- Free Krait Scan. Bring your GitHub repository and we'll run our AI audit engine live. No strings attached. Try it yourself first.
- The referral program is active. This program runs throughout EthCC week and beyond.
Web3 developer packing list
Beyond the obvious, here are the items recommended by experienced EthCC attendees:
- Portable Charger: You'll be using your phone all day for scheduling and messaging
- Comfortable shoes: Cannes is great for walking, but you'll be walking long distances between venues
- Sunscreen: Late March is the French Riviera. The sun is very strong.
- A light jacket: nights at the beach can get cooler
- Business card or NFC tag: for quick exchange of contact details
- Your elevator pitch: Rehearsed, 30 seconds or less
final thoughts
EthCC is one of the few conferences where the quality of the conversations is enough to justify the travel. The key is preparation: schedule a meeting early, understand your safety story, and follow up quickly.
If you are building a product that handles user funds, secure conversations are no longer optional. Whether you work with Zealynx or another audit firm, come to Cannes with a plan.
See you in Cannes.
FAQ- When will EthCC 2026 be held?
The main conference will be held from March 27th to 29th, 2026 at the Palais des Cinemas in Cannes, France. Side events and hackathons extend the conference week from March 27 to April 5.
- Where will EthCC 2026 be held?
Cannes Film Palace, France. The same venue as the Cannes Film Festival. The surrounding area hosts dozens of peripheral events, developer houses, and hackathons throughout the week.
- How much does EthCC cost?
Fares vary by tier and time of purchase. Early bird tickets are much cheaper. Most side activities are free or low cost. The daily dining budget is 50 to 80 euros, and a taxi from Nice Airport is 80 to 100 euros.
- Is EthCC worth attending for security professionals?
Yes. The security agenda is growing every year, and hallway conversations with the protocol team are often the starting point for audit collaboration. If you are an auditor or security researcher, EthCC is one of the highest ROI conferences in the field. Multiple conferences in 2026 will cover AI-assisted auditing and agent security systems.
- What should founders prepare before participating in EthCC?
Understand the status of your audit readiness, be clear about your scope (which contracts, how many lines of code), and be prepared to answer investor questions about your security posture. Running a free pre-audit scan using a tool like Krait can provide you with specific meeting data.
- How to make money on EthCC?
Zealynx Referral Program pays a base reward of $1,000 plus up to 20% commission for each protocol referral that results in a completed audit. If you know the founders building on any EVM chain, Solana or other smart contract platform, each referral can be worth thousands of dollars. Register at zealynx.io/ethcc-referral.
Glossary| the term | definition |
|---|
| Audit Readiness | The state of the protocol codebase and documentation in preparation for formal security audits, including frozen code, test coverage, and documented invariants. | | Bug Bounty | A bounty program that incentivizes security researchers to discover and report vulnerabilities before malicious exploitation occurs. | | Incident Response | A structured plan for detecting, containing, and recovering from security vulnerabilities or exploits in real-time protocols. | | Security Posture | The protocol's overall security posture, including audit history, bug bounty programs, monitoring, incident response, and ongoing security practices. | | TVL (Total Value Locked) | Total locked value. The total value of cryptoassets deposited into the DeFi protocol smart contract. |
See full glossary → (https://www.zealynx.io/glossary)
- Original link: zealynx.io/blogs/ethcc-2...
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