Breez, in collaboration with Lightspark, Tether, and other key players in the Bitcoin industry, has recently launched Time2Build, a global developer challenge and hackathon aimed at integrating Bitcoin payments into open-source software. This exciting initiative boasts a prize pool of $25,000 in Bitcoin along with opportunities for residencies at prestigious institutions like Draper University and PlebLab. Supported by Plan B Network, Fulgur Ventures, and Geyser Fund, Time2Build seeks to drive sustainable adoption of peer-to-peer money in applications used by millions.
The unique aspect of Time2Build is that developers are required to incorporate the Breez SDK, a free, open-source toolkit for self-custodial Lightning Network payments, into existing open-source projects. Unlike traditional hackathons, submissions must be merged into production by project maintainers to ensure a lasting impact. Projects eligible for participation must utilize free and open-source software licenses, have active communities, and cater to real-world users.
Running from October 7 to November 15, 2025, with a merge period extending until December 16, 2025, and winners set to be announced on January 8, 2026, the challenge has attracted over 40 developer communities from regions across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America. Partners such as Plan B Network, Fulgur Ventures, Geyser Fund, Draper University, and PlebLab are actively involved in promoting the hackathon and hosting meetups to engage participants.
According to Roy Sheinfeld, CEO of Breez, “There’s never been a better time to build on Bitcoin. Developers now have the tools to bring peer-to-peer money to anyone, anywhere, anytime. This finally unlocks the transfer of value, just as the internet unlocked the transfer of information.” The launch of Time2Build aims to ignite the creation of the next generation of open-source applications that leverage the power of Bitcoin.
The Breez SDK simplifies Lightning integrations by supporting protocols like Bolt11 and LNURL-Pay without relying on third-party dependencies. This addresses previous complexities in Bitcoin development and enables seamless value transfers similar to internet data flows. Kevin Hurley, co-founder and CTO of Lightspark, expressed enthusiasm for the challenge, stating, “Bitcoin’s potential as a programmable, global money is finally within reach, and it’s developers who will take it the rest of the way.”
Developers interested in participating can register at time2build.dev or reach out to Danny Stagg at danny@breez.technology. Time2Build presents a unique opportunity for developers to showcase their skills, drive innovation in the Bitcoin ecosystem, and unlock new use cases for Bitcoin across the globe.