We went to the big Hadera Hashgraph party at SXSW so you wouldn’t have to

How long are you willing to wait to get into a party?

Unveiled this week as a paradigm shift in cryptocurrency technology, Hedera Hashgraph kept the publicity rolling with a party at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Friday afternoon. Curious crypto enthusiasts started forming a line outside the venue shortly before the posted 1 p.m. start time, but unknown technical or logistical issues kept the would-be attendees at bay for an additional 35 minutes. People were grumpy!

No big deal—Hedera Hashgraph is in the cryptocurrency business, not the party planning business. When the crowd was finally let inside from the Texas heat, morale improved in no time. There was a sponsor providing free tequila, a DJ mixing beats, and cryptocurrency executives to be stalked and interviewed. Despite the bumpy start, things felt right.

We spotted Hedera co-founder Mance Harmon in attendance, perpetually mobbed by eager conversationalists. We managed to chat up Jordan Fried, Hedera’s vice president of Global Business Development. He not only filled us in on the proper pronunciation of Hedera (it’s “huh-DARE-uh”), but teased some news to be released in coming weeks: “We’ll make a formal announcement with details soon, but we’re planning to partner with an accelerator program in Asia,” he said.

Asia seems an unlikely place to continue developing a next-generation cryptocurrency technology. China is an outspoken buzzkill on this stuff and wields major regional influence. However, Fried counts this particular totalitarian government’s policies as an exception to the rule. He generally finds Asia to be a place ripe for cryptocurrency, and is heartened at the positive crypto news lately coming from the southeast of the continent.

As they are the new cool kid in high school, we’ll continue paying attention to Hedera Hashgraph, its soon-to-be-revealed activity in Asia, and its company parties, whether they start late or on time.