Builder Update #35: Punks, Unichain Grants, UHI7

community news

from art project to defi meta: v4 makes liquidity expressive. and @rhynotic (tokenworks) is pushing what’s possible, with projects like punkstrategy. launched last week, punkstrategy is an automated protocol designed to get exposure to cryptopunks, forever. how it works: 10% of every $pnkstr trade is stored in the protocol. when there’s enough fees in the pool, the machine buys a floor punk. that punk is relisted at 1.2x the price, and when it sells, the eth is used to buy and burn $pnkstr.

within days, punkstrategy reached timeline velocity and $20m+ volume. right now, it’s one of the top 5 hooks by volume. and over the coming days, tokenworks will expand punkstrategy with nftstrategy, with deployments opening up to 5 new collections.

pre-audit scanning: we're expanding the uf security fund with automated pre-audit scanning tools through areta market. working with olympix, octane, almanax, and sherlock, teams can catch vulnerabilities early before audits. the scans integrate directly into the uniswap hook incubator with special rates and streamlined workflows.

dme is live: by bootnoode, dme is reducing dashboard fatigue for lps with actionable real-time alerts directly to telegram. get wallet summaries, out-of-range positions, and uncollected fees notifications. just paste your address - no apps to install or wallet connection needed.

liquidity that works harder: also noteworthy from the community, vii finance is a new credit-based market making protocol that allows lps to earn lending interest on top of swap fees, and borrow against their positions to create more efficient strategies. built with uniswap v4 and euler v2, the new protocol is designed to give users more flexibility, and more ways to put capital to work. check out the docs here. note: this hook is unverified. 

uhi7 is coming: i guess what we’re saying is that it’s time to lock in and ship your first hook. the uniswap hook incubator is designed to help builders speedrun v4, with access to expert mentors, community events, and up to $40k in rewards for capstone projects. applications for the next cohort close on september 29th, but the async course is open forever. 

acceleration vs velocity: the atrium academy team recently expanded their programming to include a 6-week product accelerator for defi teams. with the pilot wrapped, eshita shared key takeaways from working with cohort 1’s founders and mentors: including strategies for effective liquidity design, ecosystem partnerships, and user-first positioning. 
bunni bounty: bunni’s recent exploit demonstrates how complex accounting logic can create vulnerabilities for teams. this week,the timeless foundation launched a 108-eth reward to encourage tips that lead to the bunni protocol attacker's arrest and the return of all stolen funds.

builder stories: areta

security audits are crucial, but they're not the only tool projects need. without proper preparation, teams rush into audits with basic vulnerabilities, costs balloon, and auditors get distracted from finding critical edge cases.

through our work on the ufsf, we've learned that full-stack security is essential - projects need security tools at all stages of development, from code to post-deployment. to break it all down, areta market launched pre-audit scans with olympix, octane, almanax, and sherlock. we talked it through with sid from the areta team: 

security is a continuous process
"while crypto hacks due to code exploits have seen a downtrend in recent times, exploits from other attack vectors (e.g., access control exploits) are growing. it is important to ensure that projects have access to a diversified range of security tools."

embedding security mindset early
"lots of v4 hook projects are early stage and it is important to embed security into their mindset from the very beginning... pre-audit scans are a great way to ensure that projects build with security in mind.”
building security from day one
"we wanted to offer them access to tools that automate audit-level findings during development and catch issues early, ensuring that by the time code reaches audit, it's already been battle-tested. if teams rush into audits, without fixing basic vulnerabilities, audit costs can blow up, and auditors might get distracted from finding critical issues. basically, a lot of resources can get wasted."

you can just build things (on unichain)

congrats to the wave 4 unichain grant winners! unichain retro grant and infinite hackathon awards recognize builders with impact across the defi ecosystem. here’s a look at the top projects:

retro grant winners:
revoke.cash: your wallet’s new best friend, basically. revoke.cash reduces wallet exploits by giving users the ability to revoke smart contract permissions, solving the problem of ‘indefinite approvals’ that are often exploited in scams and wallet drains. since integrating with unichain at launch, the chain sees approximately 4,000 monthly active users performing revokes. built by rosco.

super dca: a v4 hook that cuts swap fees to 0% for long-term dca orders, which can potentially out-perform traditional exchanges by optimizing for long-term trading strategies. it aims to deliver additional revenue for operators compared to legacy "take-rate" models while posting slippage tighter than traditional exchanges. built by michael and raphael,
rigoblock: backgeooracle. a v4 hook that unlocks manipulation-resistant price feeds that actually work. it delivers a manipulation-resistant oracle: enabling real-time price calculations, and providing a secure, decentralized standard for onchain price feeds. currently, 17 price feeds are active, with 20,000 swaps executed (including 11,000+ on unichain), and the hook has secured approximately $400,000 in tvs for rigoblock smart vaults across seven chains. built by gabriele.

p0p0x: a bot for automated moderation in the Uniswap Discord. since p0p0x’s launch, there have been zero successful scam reports, protecting thousands of community members from fraud and maintaining the server's integrity as a trusted space for our users and builders. Built by.p0p0x.

uniderp: a v4 hook that enables no-code meme token launches. each meme token is deployed with single-sided liquidity on v4, giving full market exposure from day one. to date, uniderp has launched 772 tokens, connected 10,000 wallets, maintained 2,681 active wallets, generated $1,336,370 volume on uniswap v4, and processed 480,921 transactions. built by lan.

infinite hackathon winners:

quid: stablecoin basket trading. quid serves as an alternative to the usdc<>eth pool that allows trading different stablecoins against eth. it provides a basket of different stablecoins so users can swap any major dollar for eth, while solving lp pain-points including single-sided liquidity deposit and withdrawal, sandwich attack concerns, and price range management for optimal gains. quid utilizes a custom router that interfaces directly with the v4 pool manager and the v3 router for support. the stablecoin basket is supported by bonds through their 6909 standard extension. built by richard and david.

signals: explores bonds as an under-utilized primitive for builders and dao members. the protocol addresses the liquidity cold start problem in marketplace-based protocols by serving swappers who want low fees and tight spreads, lps who want high yield, and the bond market that wants a place to buy and sell bonds with deep liquidity. the protocol is compatible wherever uniswap is deployed. built by arnold, james, vijay, and peyman.
async swap: enables asynchronous swaps for users on uniswap through a v4 hook that optimizes transaction ordering rules. the project targets swappers and fillers from institutions with large swap orders that can be impacted by mev while trading on amms. the team proposes transaction ordering rules for amms through asynchronous swaps and permissionless fillers, addressing the core problem where dexs leak mev to block builders and searchers. built by meek msaki and jiasun lia.

upcoming events:

let’s build, new delhi: to kick off ethglobal new delhi, we’re hosting a pre-hackathon workshop with akindo. connect with v4 teams, get hands on mentorship, and get rewarded. rsvp, and then join us at ethglobal starting on october 26. hackers can win up to $10k for projects built with v4 hooks.