What do incubators and accelerators really mean? Interest. According to them, bear markets are for builders and the bitcoin ecosystem is getting ready to get started. Lightning Network’s success is the biggest catalyst. This little engine was mocked but became a crucial part of the El Salvador story. Nowadays, the Lightning Network is the bitcoin ecosystem’s absolute star and one of the reasons some money is pouring in.
The three accelerators and incubators that this article will consider couldn’t be more different from each other, but they share the bitcoin-only ethos. A skewed interest in the Lightning Network. There are many options, from a Jack Dorsey funded initiative to an elite corporate opportunity to a handful of technically-minded individuals who have opened their doors under the banner of Bitcoin. Pick your poison, there’s probably an accelerator for you here.
TBD’s Open-Source Incubation Programme
The Jack Dorsey-funded organization that’s working in the decentralized bitcoin exchange TBDex can probably help your bitcoin project. The organization recently made public their announcement The TBD Open Source Incubation Program, but there’s not much practical info on it yet. “TBD Incubation projects are managed by community contributors. They advance the decentralized web and accelerate development and adoption of the Web5 platform,” the company wrote.
They did specify that the program was focused on Open-Source projects and said that TBD will “soon be announcing our first Incubation project!” The announcement also promised that “when projects reach maturity, they may apply to be promoted out of Incubation into a central project,” so the TBD program might turn into an accelerator over time.
Source: BTC/USD tradingview.com| Source: BTC/USD on TradingView.com
Lightning is the exclusive focus of The Wolf Startup Accelerators
It is The corporate one. The deluxe version is available. It’s run by “Stone Ridge, owner of an alternatives asset manager that has raised more than $40B since inception and parent of bitcoin company NYDIG.” Among other things, they offer, “transportation to NYC and lodging for the duration of the 8-week program are included from anywhere in the world.” The program is exclusively focused on the Lightning Network.“Wolf accepts applications from individual founders and small teams at the pre-seed idea stage up through those ready for a Series A financing round.”
Introducing Wolf: The first startup accelerator focused exclusively on lightning ⚡️. Learn more or apply at https://t.co/MC9fJATOt4 #Bitcoin #Lightning pic.twitter.com/2vQ7SoMheI
— 🐺 Wolf ⚡ (@_WolfNYC) October 26, 2022
Additionally, developers who are selected receive a $250K guarantee for seed funding so they can fully focus on the project. Also, “at the end of each program, one team will be chosen by a panel of judges to receive an additional $500K in funding.” That, plus all the knowledge you and your team can collect in those eight weeks.
The Pleb Lab Coworking/ Accelerators
In contrast, Pleb Lab can be found here “a co-working / accelerator in Austin, Texas at the heart of the financial district. We support outstanding projects and teams in several ways.” They are bitcoin-only, with a focus on “the Lightning Network – an essential step towards decentralized finance.” Their other focus is free and open-source development, “ The FOSS ethos is at the center of what we do here at Pleb Lab.”
What is the Pleb Lab accelerator? They:
-
“Working directly with Bitcoin & Lightning startups”
-
“Granting workspace among other brilliant Bitcoin developers at Pleb Lab”
-
“Providing startup advisory and mentoring”
-
“Providing business development, marketing and strategy”
Pleb Lab can be found in the center of Austin’s growing bitcoin scene. It seems that one of the best things about Pleb Lab is being in the same room as other bitcoin developers working on similar issues to yours. You might be able to see, all of them help one another. There are no prizes and this isn’t a contest.
Charts by TradingView| Charts by TradingView