Dec 1, 2021

7 min read

Agent Dev Academy: Everything You Need to Know

A structured, fast-track program that teaches Python devs how to build autonomous, crypto-native off-chain services

Update: There’s a new Agent Academy experience! Academy v2 is a self-paced learning program with the option, on completion, to apply for a more intensive, cohort-based Builder Track. The updated Academy materials can be found here.

The Academy is a short training program which fast-tracks ambitious Python devs into high-impact crypto contributors. Graduates form the early community of developers on Autonolas. Autonolas is a platform which enables a new generation of flexible, robust and sovereign crypto applications. The Academy runs once a month — apply for the next cohort.

What is the Academy?

The Academy is an opportunity to join an ultra high-potential dev community in its nascency, as a founding member. It’s a personalized, tailored experience for ambitious developers. Whether you’re coming from zero knowledge about crypto development or itching for the next advancement in fundamental infrastructure, by the end of the Academy you’ll be able to deploy high value, if simple, functioning autonomous services.

What does it involve?

The Academy is a ~6 week program. It runs once a month. The program requires 8–10 hours per week. Roughly 4 of those hours are taught classes. The rest of the time is mentored exercises and project work. The group is small — less than ten people. We do this to maximise your learning.

Who should apply?

We’re selecting for ambitious developers who are either:

In crypto and looking to push its infrastructure to the next level
Outside crypto and looking for a shortcut in

At this point, we require participants to have strong Python skills. In the future, as our libraries mature, less-experienced developers will be welcome. In addition, the platform can and likely will be extended to other programming languages. But, for now, strong Python skills are a must.

Applicants with the following will be viewed favorably:

Familiarity with using DeFi
Machine Learning experience
Strategy building in quantitative finance

Your Instructors

Meet the expert guides who will help accelerate your impact in crypto, should you join us. The Agent Dev Academy is led by two of the leading engineers at the cutting edge of multi-agent systems and crypto.

8baller

8baller has been involved in the crypto space since 2014. He has a background in traditional finance and strong interest in technology. He has an undergraduate degree in Banking Practices and Management, and a master’s in Data Science. The topic of his dissertation was “The Development and Deployment of Agent-Based Traders in Cryptocurrency Markets”. 8baller is an avid Hackathon enterent; he has taken first prize in competitions from FTX, Diffusion 2019, in particular for his work on agent-based systems. Here are his Twitter and Github profiles.

David Minarsch

David is one of the co-creators of an open-source framework for creating intelligent, autonomous software agents which natively interact with blockchain protocols. He/Autonolas believes this innovation will unleash true financial autonomy for the general public. He has spearheaded and brought much of the momentum which multi-agent systems currently enjoy in the blockchain space. David is CEO and co-founder of Valory, the company which created Autonolas. He has a PhD in Applied Game Theory from the University of Cambridge and is an alumni of Entrepreneur First, Europe’s premier startup incubator. Here are his LinkedIn, Twitter and Github profiles.

Why participate?

Autonolas will be successful if its agent devs are successful. So we’ve structured the program to bring you maximum benefit:

Get guided towards making an immediate impact in crypto — crypto’s a massive, complicated place. Our product-led approach means that we can guide you right from day one towards making a contribution that the market and end-users value.
Future-proof your skills — blockchain protocols are growing more and more dependent on off-chain/middleware services. Invest in a skillset which will be in high demand for decades
Build future revenue for yourself — Autonolas is a composable, incentivized environment. We aim for the platform to directly pay component creators when their components are used in production services. Components built during the program can produce passive future revenue streams.
Build your profile — if you permit, Autonolas will individually spotlight your involvement and promote your work to the world
Connect with other smart people — have fun and find other talented individuals to build with
Take a seat on a rocket ship—join as a founding community member of Autonolas

Why Build on Autonolas Longer Term?

We’re on a Mission to Build the Best Developer Experience in the World

Developer Experience (DX) is often described in terms of what you feel when working with a particular library — its documentation, interfaces, reliability, ecosystem etc. But there’s a higher-level context to a DX that has never, prior to crypto, been possible to make meaningful headway towards improving. That higher-level context revolves around how you actually work:

What is the financial upside to your work?
How do you ensure a predictable income stream?
How are you guided towards working on the most valuable things?
How are you recognized when you do quality work?
Who owns the code you create?
Who dictates how that code is used and licensed?

In short, we’re interested and working hard on improving the economic and social elements of the Developer Experience, and we believe we have the technical and economic architecture to deliver a meaningful improvement here. Ultimately, our aims are to create a DX which hits the following points:

Enjoy the flexibility, recognition and ownership of open source…
…with the upside of crypto entrepreneurship…
…and the predictability and guidance of traditional employment.

All of this while leveraging your familiar skills, starting with Python, and using some of the coolest, most novel tech you’ve ever seen.

Testimonial from an Academy participant 👀

Take a Seat on a Rocket Ship (What is Autonolas?)

Autonolas enables a new category of crypto application which is more sophisticated and autonomous than existing ones.

Why is Autonolas necessary? On-chain protocols are limited by the technical design of smart contracts. This forces developers to create significant chunks of their applications “off-chain”. Off-chain development is broken, though. This has led to a class of decentralized apps which are duct-taped together .

Autonolas is a solution to this problem that is plaguing crypto developers. Autonolas is an integrated platform which enables developers to compose these off-chain services in a crypto-native, autonomous way. For now, this makes it possible to build middleware staples such as oracles, bridges and keepers in a more robust and composable way. But, as time goes on, the combination of proactivity, arbitrary complexity, and rich data and functionality, means that Autonolas services will turbo boost crypto applications forward into uncharted territory.

Want to have a look at some code or documentation? Don’t worry, we’ll be releasing it/open-sourcing it gradually over time. Join us on Twitter or Discord to hear more.

What stage is the project at?

Autonolas is built by Valory. Valory is a well-funded startup, founded by a set of seasoned engineers, cryptographers and product people. The company is a distributed team of ~15. Valory has already deployed a proof of concept on the Autonolas platform — a live and running oracle (reach out for details) — and has made significant progress on a decentralized finance product.

Learn more

Here are learning resources for those of you interested to dive in deeper:

How do I apply?

Not a dev or not ready to commit yet? Support Autonolas by posting this article on Twitter or sharing it with a friend who might be interested.