Consensus: dates, who attends, and how founders get in
“Consensus is the world’s largest, longest-running and most influential gathering that brings together all sides of the Digital Assets, Web3 and AI communities.”
- Next edition
- Feb 1–3, 2027 · Consensus Hong Kong 2027 (next chronological edition); Consensus Miami 2027 (also announced) source
- Where
- Miami Beach Convention Center (Consensus Miami 2026); Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Consensus Hong Kong 2027)., Hong Kong, Hong Kong source
- Format
- in-person · 3 days (Miami and Hong Kong 2026; both 2027 editions are announced for three days).
- Tickets
- Miami 2026: $699 USD–$4,999 USD; Hong Kong 2027: $499 USD–$3,499 USD; Miami 2027: $699 USD–$4,999 USD. source
- Startup pass
- Miami 2026 Startup Package: $699 USD. No Startup Package price is published on the Hong Kong 2027 or Miami 2027 accreditation pages. source
- CoinDesk PitchFest
- $20,000 USD grand prize (Miami 2026); the Hong Kong 2026 PitchFest page also published a $20,000 USD first-place prize. source
- Cadence
- Annual; editions have generally taken place in May, with separate Hong Kong and North American editions in 2025 and 2026. The 2027 editions are announced for Hong Kong in February and Miami in May.
- Economic impact
- No figure published for Miami 2026; Consensus Hong Kong 2026 was estimated to generate close to HK$300 million in local economic impact. source
Next edition
| Dates | Feb 1–3, 2027 source |
|---|---|
| Edition | Consensus Hong Kong 2027 (next chronological edition); Consensus Miami 2027 (also announced) |
| Venue | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Hong Kong source |
| Theme | Crypto at Scale; Institutional Integration; Agentic Commerce (2027) |
| Timezone | America/New_York (Miami); Asia/Hong_Kong (Hong Kong). |
| Tickets | consensus.coindesk.com source |
Ticket tiers as published
| Tier | Price | Includes | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Pass source | $699 USD | Pro Pass benefits; exhibition floor, stages, networking and event perks as listed for the edition. | Miami 2026 |
| Platinum Pass source | $1,199 USD | All Pro Pass benefits, Platinum Lounge access, fast-track pickup, early access to the networking app, briefings, speaker meet-and-greets, dining, meeting rooms and curated roundtables. | Miami 2026 |
| Startup Package source | $699 USD | Three Pro Passes and an opportunity to compete in CoinDesk PitchFest, subject to startup accreditation terms. | Miami 2026 |
| Piranha Pass source | $4,999 USD | All Platinum Pass benefits, Piranha Concierge Service, reserved front-row keynote seating, VIP entry to official parties, speaker reception invitation and commemorative gift. | Miami 2026 |
| Pro Pass source | $499 USD | Exhibition floor access for 2027-02-02 through 2027-02-03, stages, summits, networking app with lead capture, Deal Flow Zone, side events and jobs board. | Hong Kong 2027 |
| Pro+ Pass source | $799 USD | All Pro Pass benefits, priority check-in, private lounges and meeting spaces, curated networking, dining, briefings, early networking-app access, fast-track pickup and speaker meet-and-greets. | Hong Kong 2027 |
| Premier Pass source | $3,499 USD | All Pro+ Pass benefits, reserved front-row keynote seating, commemorative gift and invitation to the VIP and Speaker Reception. | Hong Kong 2027 |
| Pro Pass source | $699 USD | Full access to stages, summits and exhibition floor, AI-powered networking app with lead capture, Deal Flow Zone, side events and jobs board. | Miami 2027 |
| Pro+ Pass source | $1,499 USD | All Pro Pass benefits, priority check-in, private lounges and meeting spaces, curated networking, dining, executive roundtables and briefings, fast-track pickup, meeting-room reservations and speaker meet-and-greets. | Miami 2027 |
| Premier Pass source | $4,999 USD | All Pro+ Pass benefits, reserved front-row keynote seating, commemorative gift and invitation to the VIP and Speaker Reception. | Miami 2027 |
How founders get in
CoinDesk described Miami 2026 as a meeting point for founders, protocols and policymakers shaping on-chain infrastructure, alongside allocators, banks and service providers building institutional adoption. It framed the experience as a three-day event for deals, demos and decisions across crypto, finance, technology and policy.
- Choose Consensus Hong Kong 2027 or Consensus Miami 2027. General attendees register and buy a pass on the relevant official registration page; startup accreditation is a separate, approval-based process.
- Check the 2027 startup criteria: the company must be less than five years old, have received under $5 million in funding, and operate in an eligible blockchain, Web3 or AI area.
- Submit an online startup-accreditation application with the information or investment evidence requested. CoinDesk reviews applications and may approve or decline them. The 2027 startup pages do not publish an application deadline.
- If approved, use the startup programme’s advertised 3-for-1 ticket deal. Hong Kong 2027 also lists a dedicated company profile and access to a private Startup x Investor lounge. No Startup Package price is published for either 2027 edition.
- To enter PitchFest, register as a Consensus Startup first, then submit a separate application through the Startup Portal when the edition’s application is open. The 2026 Hong Kong rules say access was not guaranteed and required the Startup Package; no 2027 PitchFest deadline is published.
- After registering, use the official Consensus app and networking formats such as the Deal Flow Zone, meetups and structured networking to connect with investors and attendees. The Hong Kong 2026 attendee guide describes curated app matches and meeting scheduling.
| Startup programme | For Hong Kong 2027 and Miami 2027, apply online for startup accreditation and await CoinDesk’s approval. The accreditation pages advertise a 3-for-1 ticket deal and a chance to apply for PitchFest; Hong Kong 2027 also includes access to the private Startup x Investor lounge. The completed Miami 2026 Startup Package cost $699 USD and included three Pro Passes and an opportunity to compete in PitchFest. source |
|---|---|
| Startup price | Miami 2026 Startup Package: $699 USD. No Startup Package price is published on the Hong Kong 2027 or Miami 2027 accreditation pages. source |
| Includes | Miami 2026: three Pro Passes and an opportunity to compete in CoinDesk PitchFest. Miami 2027: 3-for-1 deal, a company profile in the event app and a chance to apply for PitchFest. Hong Kong 2027: 3-for-1 deal, a company profile, a private Startup x Investor lounge and a chance to apply for PitchFest. |
| Eligibility | Published 2027 criteria: less than five years old and under $5 million in funding. Miami 2027 lists blockchain, AI and Web3-related categories; Hong Kong 2027 specifies blockchain/Web3 and lists eligible technology areas. Startup accreditation is subject to CoinDesk review and approval. |
| Founder discounts | The completed Miami 2026 Startup Package was a 3-for-1 offer: three Pro Passes for $699 USD. The 2027 startup-accreditation pages also advertise a 3-for-1 deal but do not publish its price. General group codes advertised for Hong Kong 2027 and Miami 2027 offer 5% off groups of 3+, 10% off groups of 5+, and 20% off groups of 10+; these are group discounts, not founder-only discounts. |
| Scholarships / free passes | The event pages link to an Emerge Scholarship, but the cited materials do not state its eligibility, award amount or application dates. The Miami 2027 FAQ also lists Academia among discount categories, without publishing detailed terms. |
| Investor pass | The 2026 Miami and Hong Kong Institutional Summits required separate applications. Investor/allocator admission was complimentary for eligible approved applicants; asset managers applied for paid packages. Service providers needed to sponsor. No 2027 Institutional Summit application is published on the cited pages. source |
| Press | Miami 2026: apply for media accreditation; CoinDesk reviewed applications and notified accepted applicants. Published criteria were professional standing, relevant coverage, previous coverage history and publication reach. The organiser printed an application deadline of 2026-05-02 and limited press passes to one per person. It listed a Press Lounge, embargoed-announcement access, interview opportunities, selected Q&A access and front-row seating. The cited materials do not specify 2027 media-pass criteria or deadlines. |
| Application required | No, tickets are purchased |
CoinDesk PitchFest
| Prize | $20,000 USD grand prize (Miami 2026); the Hong Kong 2026 PitchFest page also published a $20,000 USD first-place prize. source |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | The 2026 PitchFest criteria sought early-stage Web3, AI or blockchain companies/projects that were less than five years old and had raised less than $5 million; applicants first had to register as a Consensus Startup. The 2027 startup-accreditation pages publish similar age and funding thresholds, but no 2027 PitchFest deadline. |
Winners
- Coinbax (2026 (Consensus Miami)) — $20,000 grand prize, Peter Glyman source
- zkME (2026 (Consensus Hong Kong)) — $20,000 USD grand prize source
Judges
- Alasdair Foster, CEO at Bullish Capital Management source
- Augie Ilag, Head of Asia at CMT Digital source
- Richard Muirhead, Co-founder at Fabric Ventures source
- Ella Zhang, Head at YZi Labs source
Meeting investors there
For general attendees, the organiser describes the app as a way to discover attendees, chat and arrange curated one-to-one meetings. The Deal Flow Zone and facilitated formats offer additional ways to meet. The startup lounge is listed for Hong Kong 2027. The separate 2026 Institutional Summits used applications and dedicated LP/GP meeting formats; the cited pages do not establish a 2027 summit programme. source
| Matchmaking | Consensus Official App / AI-Powered Networking App source |
|---|---|
| Formats | Startup x Investor lounge (Hong Kong 2027 startup-accreditation benefit). · AI-powered networking app with lead capture and curated networking; the Hong Kong 2026 attendee guide says attendees can explore attendees, chat and schedule one-to-one meetings. · Deal Flow Zone, meetups, speed networking and guided connections; Miami 2027’s networking page describes structured formats and networking spaces. · Start Up / Investor Meetups, including sessions in the Miami 2026 and Hong Kong 2026 agendas. · Institutional Summit LP/GP one-to-one meetings, dedicated meeting tables, roundtables and a separate networking app (Miami 2026 and Hong Kong 2026). |
| Demo day | Yes |
The full investor list is available to registered attendees; see the official investor page.
Before you go: the hub's cold email to VCs playbook covers the pre-event outreach that fills a meeting calendar, and Causo matches your stage and thesis to the funds in its database so you know who to ask for a meeting.
Who speaks (Most recent completed: Consensus Miami 2026 (2026-05-05–2026-05-07); earlier 2026 event: Consensus Hong Kong (2026-02-10–2026-02-12). Next announced: Consensus Hong Kong 2027 (2027-02-01–2027-02-03), followed by Consensus Miami 2027 (2027-05-04–2027-05-06). The headline speaker list below is the published Miami 2026 lineup; the 2027 homepages highlight past speakers rather than furnishing a complete upcoming lineup.)
- Changpeng (CZ) Zhao, Founder · Binance
- Brad Garlinghouse, CEO · Ripple
- Michael Saylor, Founder & Executive Chairman · Strategy
- Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-Founder of Solana; CEO of Solana Labs · Solana Labs
- Raoul Pal, Co-Founder & CEO, Real Vision; CEO & CIO, EXPAAM · Real Vision; EXPAAM
- Eric Trump, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer · American Bitcoin
- Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer · Cloudflare
- Kevin O'Leary, Chairman · O'Leary Ventures
- Alex Rodriguez, CEO of A-Rod Corp; Co-Chairman of Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx · A-Rod Corp; Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx
- Donald Trump Jr, Co-Founder · World Liberty Financial
- Charles Hoskinson, CEO and Founder · Input Output
- Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy · Morgan Stanley
- Michael Selig, Chairman · U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Arthur Hayes, Chief Investment Officer · Maelstrom
- Patrick Witt, Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets · The White House
- Adam Back, Co-Founder & CEO · Blockstream
- Ashley Moody, Senator · U.S. Senate
- Dan Romero, GTM · Tempo
- Grant Cardone, Founder & CEO · Grant Cardone Enterprises
- Lily Liu, President · Solana Foundation
- Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator · U.S. Senate
- Arjun Sethi, Co-CEO · Kraken
- Zach Witkoff, Co-Founder & CEO · World Liberty Financial
- Jesse Pollak, Founder · Base
- Erik Reppel, Founder of x402 & Head of Engineering · Coinbase Developer Platform
Full lineup: official speakers page.
Notable past speakers
- The Honourable John KC Lee, Chief Executive · Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Lily Liu, President · Solana Foundation
- The Honourable Paul CHAN Mo-po, Financial Secretary · Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Julia Leung, CEO · Securities and Futures Commission
- Changpeng (CZ) Zhao
- Ella Zhang, Head · YZi Labs
- Joe Ngai, Senior Partner & Chairman of Greater China · McKinsey & Company
- Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman · Animoca Brands
- Charles Hoskinson · Input Output
- Richard Teng, Co-CEO · Binance
- Brad Garlinghouse, CEO · Ripple (2026)
- Jeff Roberts, Editor · Fortune Magazine
- Kevin O'Leary, Chairman · O'Leary Ventures (2026)
Sponsors and partners
Full list: official partners page.
Startups there
Alumni the organiser highlights
- TransCrypts (2025) — 2025 Consensus Hong Kong PitchFest winner; the organiser says it later secured a $15M seed round led by Pantera Capital. source
Programme
| Tracks | Miami 2026: Anchorage Digital Mainstage, Convergence Stage, Frontier Stage, Spotlight Stage, Workshop Stage and CoinDesk Live Studio; published summits were Capital Markets, Global Bitcoin and Policy & Regulation. Content topics included AI, DeFi & Trading, Payments, Privacy, Stablecoins and Tokenization. · Hong Kong 2026: Auros Mainstage, Convergence Stage, Frontier Stage, Spotlight Stage and Exploration Stage; published summits included Future of Finance, AI & Robotics, Global Bitcoin and Asia Macro, alongside deep dives such as Privacy & Trust, Stablecoins, Advanced Trading, Tokenization and Digital Culture & Ownership. · Hong Kong 2027: the organiser’s announced themes are Digital Assets at Scale, AI and Agentic Economy; a detailed agenda/track list is not yet published on the cited page. · Miami 2027: the organiser’s announced pillars are Crypto at Scale, Institutional Integration and Agentic Commerce; a detailed agenda/track list is not yet published on the cited page. source |
|---|---|
| Side events | Miami 2027 Pro Pass benefits include hundreds of side events. The 2026 agendas also list official meetups, workshops, parties and partner events; Hong Kong 2026 included an official opening party and afterparty. The cited pages do not publish a complete 2027 side-event programme. |
| Awards | CoinDesk PitchFest’s Miami 2026 grand prize was $20,000; CoinDesk reported Coinbax as the winner. At Hong Kong 2026, zkME Technology won the $20,000 PitchFest prize. |
| Hackathon | The Miami 2026 agenda described a hackathon where developers build with leading protocols, with funding at stake. The Hong Kong 2026 agenda described a developer hackathon with a chance to secure funding and listed EasyA’s Consensus Hackathon. No 2027 hackathon details are stated on the cited event pages. |
| Call for speakers | Miami 2027 speaker submissions use an online application and are reviewed on a rolling basis. The organiser says accepted speakers receive a complimentary Speaker Pass; travel and lodging are not included. The page gives no fixed submission deadline. source |
| Official app | Consensus by CoinDesk |
Past editions, as published
| Edition | Dates | Attendees | Investors | Startups | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 — Miami · Miami Beach source | May 5–7, 2026 | 15,000 attendees (2026) | — | PitchFest winner: Coinbax; $20,000 grand prize (2026) | recap · video |
| 2026 — Hong Kong source | Feb 10–12, 2026 | 11,000 registered attendees (2026) | — | PitchFest winner: zkME Technology (2026) | recap · report · video |
| 2025 — Toronto · Toronto source | May 14–16, 2025 | 14,771 attendees (2025) | — | — | recap · report |
| 2025 — Hong Kong · Sold-out debut (2025) source | Feb 18–20, 2025 | Sold-out debut; numeric attendance not stated in the cited official release (2025) | — | PitchFest winner: TransCrypts (2025) | recap |
| 2024 · Austin, Texas source | May 29–31, 2024 | — | — | — | |
| 2023 · Austin, Texas source | — | 15,000 attendees (2023) | — | — | |
| 2022 · Austin, Texas source | — | 20,000+ attendees (2022) | — | — | |
| 2021 · Virtual source | — | — | — | — | |
| 2020 · Virtual source | — | — | — | — | |
| 2019 source | — | — | — | — | |
| 2018 source | — | — | — | — | |
| 2017 source | — | — | — | — | |
| 2016 source | — | — | — | — | |
| 2015 · New York City source | — | 500 guests (2015) | — | — |
Cities: New York City (2015 inaugural edition; the planned 2020 physical gathering was converted to virtual); Virtual (2020–2021; 2020 used the Consensus: Distributed branding); Austin, Texas (2022–2024); Toronto and Hong Kong (2025); Hong Kong and Miami (2026); Hong Kong and Miami (announced for 2027)
Formerly: Consensus: Distributed (the virtual 2020 edition; not a permanent renaming)
Who attends
| Breakdown | Miami 2026: more than 70% of attendees were at VP level or higher (organizer-published); Hong Kong 2026: participants were split nearly 50/50 between Asia and the rest of the world. source |
|---|---|
| Geography | Miami 2026 event page: over 100 countries (published event-page figure); Hong Kong 2026 post-event report: over 122 countries and regions, with participants split nearly evenly between Asia and the rest of the world. source |
| Roles | Founders, Investors, Corporates, Developers, Policy & government, Press |
Official links and socials
In the press
- Coinbax wins PitchFest grand prize at Consensus Miami (2026) — CoinDesk (2026)
- Recapping Consensus Hong Kong (2026) — CoinDesk (2026)
- Consensus Miami Day 1: Sights and sounds (2026) — CoinDesk (2026)
- What to Expect at Consensus Toronto (2025) — CoinDesk (2025)
- State of Crypto: Consensus Toronto regulation highlights (2025) — CoinDesk (2025)
- TransCrypts wins PitchFest at Consensus Hong Kong (2025) — CoinDesk (2025)
Prepare for it
- How to cold email VCs — book the meetings before you land.
- The 12-slide seed deck — what to have ready when a partner says "send me the deck".
- Pitch Deck Roaster — a slide-by-slide pass before you submit to CoinDesk PitchFest.
- Accelerator deadlines — the application windows that open around the event.
Sources
Every fact above was read from one of these official pages on Oct 7, 2026:
- apps.apple.com/us/app/consensus-by-coindesk/id6740991237
- consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com
- consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/pitchfest
- consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/register
- consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/register/startup/terms/ ; https://consensus.coindesk.com/register/startup/terms
- consensus-hongkong2025.coindesk.com
- consensus.coindesk.com
- consensus.coindesk.com/agenda
- consensus.coindesk.com/agenda/sponsor/-10102
- consensus.coindesk.com/agenda/sponsor/-coindesk-data
- consensus.coindesk.com/agenda/sponsor/-cointracker
- consensus.coindesk.com/agenda/sponsor/-morgan-stanley-2
- consensus.coindesk.com/faq
- consensus.coindesk.com/institutional-summit
- consensus.coindesk.com/institutional-summit ; https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/institutional-summit
- consensus.coindesk.com/networking ; https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/attendee-essentials ; https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/register/startup/terms/ ; https://consensus.coindesk.com/institutional-summit ; https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/institutional-summit
- consensus.coindesk.com/pitchfest
- consensus.coindesk.com/pitchfest ; https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/pitchfest
- consensus.coindesk.com/press
- consensus.coindesk.com/register
- consensus.coindesk.com/register
- consensus.coindesk.com/speaker-application/-id/0
- consensus.coindesk.com/travel
- consensus2025.coindesk.com
- consensus2026.coindesk.com
- consensus2026.coindesk.com/speakers
- events.coindesk.com
- events.coindesk.com/; https://consensus2026.coindesk.com/agenda-at-a-glance; https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consensus-hong-kong-2026-concludes-with-11-000-attendees-driving-the-global-dialogue-on-finance-and-digital-assets-302687440.html
- play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brella.consensus&hl=en_US
- coindesk.com/business/2026/02/12/zkme-technology-wins-usd20-000-pitchfest-prize-at-consensus-hong-kong
- coindesk.com/business/2026/02/13/recapping-consensus-hong-kong
- coindesk.com/business/2026/05/05/consensus-miami-day-1-sights-and-sounds
- coindesk.com/business/2026/05/07/coinbax-wins-usd20-000-pitchfest-prize-at-consensus-miami-for-stablecoin-compliance
- coindesk.com/consensus-hong-kong-2025-coverage?page=6
- coindesk.com/consensus-toronto-2025-coverage/2025/05/13/what-to-expect-at-consensus-2025
- coindesk.com/policy/2025/05/17/state-of-crypto-consensus-toronto-2025-reg-highlights
- coindesk.com/videos/consensus-hong-kong-2026
- coindesk.com/videos/consensus-miami-2026
- prnewswire.com/news-releases/consensus-2025-wraps-in-toronto-with-eric-trump-302458221.html
- prnewswire.com/news-releases/consensus-hong-kong-2026-concludes-with-11-000-attendees-driving-the-global-dialogue-on-finance-and-digital-assets-302687440.html
- youtube.com/@coindesk
- x.com/CoinDesk/status/2052519234572288319