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Congratulations to Joshua Duho Kim, who was named one of the ten finalists at the October ETHGlobal Hackathon in San Francisco. Kim, a Computer Science student, was recognized for his solo development of an app that uses the Story blockchain protocol to mint IP licensing terms for digital content.

Kim has competed in several local hackathons in the past and done well – he and a friend got second place at HackWestern in 2021 – but this was his first time at ETHGlobal. He spontaneously decided to go only a day before the competition, buying a plane ticket using Aeroplan points, staying in “the last available bed” at a local youth hostel, and putting together his entire project alone when he couldn’t find a team that shared his interest in the Story protocol.

“It was one of the highest highs I’ve had in so long,” he says. “I just had a great time, and it was so affirming after I’ve dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome in the past.”

Kim’s app, “VVLDrizzy,” was inspired by a friend’s experience with intellectual property a few years ago. “One of my friends posted a TikTok of a hole in the window of a TTC train, with the Tokyo Drift music in the background, and it went semi-viral,” he says. “News outlets reached out asking to report it, but he didn’t get any profit from that video even though he created it.”

Kim was curious about how he could usethe  Story protocol to help protect intellectual property and allow content creators to directly profit from their work. The app he developed allows creators to secure their content with a digital watermark and accompanying licensing code that interested parties can use to pay directly for sharing rights, streamlining the content sharing process and putting money in creators’ pockets.

While VVLDrizzy is designed to make creators’ lives earlier, the app’s development came with its own complications. This was his first time building on the blockchain, and because he was hacking solo, Kim had to be awake and working for more than twenty-four hours, building components from scratch and debugging them, then putting together his own pitch materials earlier than his competitors who could share the load. Fortunately, he had a unique advantage over many app developers: when he ran into an issue with Story protocol, he could run over to the company’s booth and ask questions directly!

After pitching his project to judges, Kim passed out on a beanbag chair, waking only to find out that he had been chosen as a finalist and was supposed to have headed backstage for the final ceremony thirty minutes earlier. He frantically ran backstage and arrived just in time to receive not only a finalist designation but also a sponsor prize from Story.

“The whole thing was just such a surreal experience,” he says. “I’m so grateful that I was able to visit San Francisco and to compete alongside so many talented people – and I’m grateful to my mom, who was the one who convinced me to go last minute!”

Kim’s advice to his fellow students is to take risks and be open to new experiences, even if they can be uncomfortable. “Do more hackathons, put yourself out there, and ask for help from older students and alumni who are doing the kind of things you want to do,” he says. “Oh, and if you’re ever at Pier 39 in San Francisco – try the sourdough!”