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Builder Fund

LAB Open Source Builder Fund

Supporting African Bitcoin developers shipping open-source infrastructure across five tracks. Sponsor-matched on Artizen, with $38,000 in the pool today and growing as sponsors join.

$38,000 matching poolFive tracksLive on Artizen
Fund overview

What the Fund is

View the Fund on Artizen

The LAB Open Source Builder Fund is a sponsor-matched capital pool operational on Artizen. It supports African Bitcoin developers shipping public open-source infrastructure across five priority tracks.

Fund activity, grants awarded, and matching pool status are viewable directly on Artizen.

The tracks

Five infrastructure tracks

Grants are scoped to one track and reported publicly.

Track 01
Bitcoin developer tooling
Libraries, SDKs, testing tools, deployment infrastructure, and developer experience improvements for Bitcoin protocol builders working with African use cases.
Track 02
Lightning infrastructure
Lightning Network node infrastructure, routing tools, invoice generation, LNURL implementations, and payment integrations specifically shaped for African contexts.
Track 03
Wallet and payment infrastructure
Non-custodial wallet development, payment gateway integrations, USSD interfaces for Lightning payments, and mobile-first wallet UX designed for African users.
Track 04
Bitcoin data infrastructure
Block explorers, indexers, analytics platforms, on-chain data tools, and open datasets serving African Bitcoin builders and researchers.
Track 05
Bitcoin L2 tooling, including Stacks
Layer 2 development tools, Clarity smart contract libraries, Stacks-specific infrastructure, and bridge tooling connecting Bitcoin L1 to programmable environments.
For builders

How to apply

Steps one and two are both required. Doing only one of them is an incomplete application.

01 · Start here
The official application form
Every applicant must complete this. It captures your project, the track it fits, your milestones and your repository.
Open the application form
02 · Also required
A project proposal on GitHub
Open a proposal in the Builder Fund repository using the Builder Project Proposal template. Applications without one are incomplete.
Open a project proposal
03 · If selected
Your project on Artizen
Selected projects are then asked to post on the LAB Artizen Fund page, which is what puts them in the matching pool.
See the Fund on Artizen

Questions before you start? Write to fund@letafricabuild.com.

What happens next

After you apply

01The LAB review committee assesses fit, technical merit, and expected public benefitREVIEW
02Selected projects post on Artizen to join the matching poolMATCHING
03Selected projects receive grant funding and ongoing LAB team supportFUNDING
04Public reporting through the LAB Publications page and project GitHubREPORTING
Grant requirements
  • Open-source licensing (MIT, Apache 2.0, or comparable permissive license)
  • Public code repository with clear README and contribution guidelines
  • African developer or team as primary contributor
  • Measurable milestones with public delivery dates
  • Progress reporting through Artizen and the LAB Publications page
For backers

How the matching pool works

Sponsor the Builder Fund

Sponsors contribute to the LAB Open Source Builder Fund matching pool on Artizen. Every dollar contributed matches individual grant applications, amplifying builder support and signaling ecosystem confidence.

This is the Fund’s second round, not its first. In Season 6, SmartX Finance raised $31,697 on Artizen in prizes, direct community support and matched funding, with this pool among the matching sources. It was built by the LAB team, its engine is proven on Bitcoin mainnet, and V1 is in audit before public launch.

Round 2 is open now. There are 12 projects in the round as of 1 September 2026, matched from a $38,000 pool. The pool is not waiting for demand, it is meeting it. Current submissions and pool status are live on the Artizen Fund page.

Sponsors receive
  • Named recognition on Artizen and the LAB Fund page
  • Attribution in every grant announcement funded through the pool
  • Access to LAB grantee progress reports
  • Optional participation in the grant review process
  • Priority relationships with funded builders

Supporting the builders shaping Africa’s Bitcoin infrastructure.

Sponsor the FundTalk to us