Make Bitcoin Money Again
February 27, 2025 | Denver, CO
About
Bitcoin promised peer-to-peer digital cash. But scaling it to billions of users? That's where things get stuck. The Lightning Network came close, but integrating it is a developer's nightmare.
Spark changes this. It's a Bitcoin L2 that combines the best of both worlds: Lightning-fast transactions without running nodes, true self-custody without channel management, and native support for both BTC and stablecoins. All secured by Bitcoin itself.
What makes Spark exciting to build on:
- Instant settlement with almost zero fees
- Simple APIs that integrate in minutes, not months
- Scale to millions of users without sacrificing decentralization
- Be natively interoperable with L1 and Lightning
- Build with both BTC and stablecoins natively
Spark is launching soon, and to celebrate we're hosting a hackathon in Denver. We're looking for developers who are ready to be among the first builders on Spark. During the hackathon, you'll have access to the Spark team and engineering resources to build groundbreaking money apps, create products that actually solve problems, and do the unthinkable with Bitcoin.
Limited seats available. Registration link below.
Schedule
Morning Session
- 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM: Registration & Breakfast
- 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM: Opening Keynote - Technical Overview of Spark Beta & SDK.
- 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Hacking Begins
Afternoon Session
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Lunch (Fuel)
- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Hacking
- 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Project Presentations
- 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Judging & Awards
- 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM: Networking Reception
Prizes
- 💰Cash Prizes
- 1st Place: $5,000
- 2nd Place: $3,000
- 3rd Place: $2,000
- Custom Spark Beta Access
- More to come
Judging Criteria
- Addresses an acute problem which can be one of your choice or from the prompts provided
- Creativity
- Functionality/Performance
- Bonus Points: Integration with other Bitcoin/Lightning protocols and services
Ideas for Hackers
- Build a Bitcoin enabled Venmo
- Build AI agents with Spark wallets
- Instant miner payouts with native BTC on Spark
- BTC-reward affiliation platform
- Bitcoin-based loyalty programs and games
- Spark-powered chrome extension
- Yield-bearing token with BTC rewards
- Trustless bridge with other crypto systems
- LRC-20 trading marketplace
Speakers and Judges
- Ari Ramdial - CEO of Guap
- Zhen Lu - Head of Engineering for Spark
- Kevin Hurley - Inventor of Spark
- Ethan Marcus - CEO of Flashnet
- More coming soon...
Important Details
What You Need
- Laptop & dev environment
- Testnet Bitcoin (we'll provide)
- Ideas (or come find some)
- Either JS or Rust experience
- You on the 27th
What We Provide
- Boilerplate code for common integrations
- Direct access to Spark engineering team
- Testing environment & credentials
- Food & drinks all day
- High-speed internet
- Debugging support
- Power outlets (lots of them)
- Swag
Registration
Seats are limited and going fast. Register now here.
Questions? Hit up @buildonspark.