Week 5: LB x Top Builder Recap
2/3/25 - 2/9/25
Last updated
2/3/25 - 2/9/25
Last updated
Week 5 of PlebLab's Top Builder competition marked a pivotal moment for Lightning Bounties. Not only did we advance to Round 2, but we also had the privilege of learning from industry leaders who shared invaluable insights about building in the Bitcoin space. From mastering UI/UX design with AI tools to understanding startup growth strategies, this week's mentorship sessions and workshops equipped us with practical knowledge to enhance our platform.
Let's dive into the key insights from this week's mentor sessions and workshops:
Austin Kelsay, DevRel at Voltage and Founder/Instructor at PlebDevs, shared his extensive expertise in a dynamic mentorship session focused on Lightning Network development and education. Through PlebDevs.com, Austin has built a content and community platform that uniquely integrates Lightning Network and Nostr, demonstrating practical applications of the technologies he teaches. His enthusiasm for emerging technologies, particularly Open Secret and Nostr developments, showcased the exciting possibilities for decentralized authentication and server administration in Bitcoin applications.
The session dove into practical aspects of Lightning development, with Austin highlighting essential tools like Polar (lightningpolar.com) as the 'Hello World' starting point for Lightning Network development. His recommendations for Lightning applications provided real-world examples of innovation in action - from Zeus to Mutiny Network, and particularly Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) for automated recurring Lightning subscriptions. For Lightning Bounties, Austin's insights about building on adversarial networks while maintaining user sovereignty align perfectly with our mission to create a trustless bug bounty platform.
What particularly resonated with our team was Austin's perspective on how Nostr and Lightning Network complement each other, creating possibilities for authentication and payments that weren't previously possible. His experience both as DevRel at Voltage and building PlebDevs.com offers valuable lessons as we continue developing Lightning Bounties' features and community engagement tools.
Ted Thayer from FeedFilter.AI delivered a thought-provoking session focused on the critical aspects of building and pitching Bitcoin startups. Drawing from his experience with three early-stage startups, Ted emphasized the fundamental importance of thorough market research and understanding user problems. His current venture, FeedFilter.AI, which helps users filter out unwanted content from social media feeds, served as a practical example of identifying and solving real user pain points. For our team at Lightning Bounties, his insights about conducting market research early and often resonated deeply with our mission to make bug bounty hunting more accessible and rewarding.
The session transformed how we view Lightning Bounties' market potential and pitch strategy. Ted's advice to "build your startup deck, then think about removing 90% of your words to condense your value prop" helped us refine our core message: anyone with a GitHub account can earn Bitcoin instantly through open-source contributions. His warning about Bitcoin founders underselling their total addressable market (TAM) hit home - our platform's reach extends to every developer and organization using GitHub worldwide.
Ready to earn Bitcoin for your coding skills or find talented developers to solve your issues? Visit app.lightningbounties.com to start your journey today!
Stephen DeLorme delivered an eye-opening workshop on Bitcoin UI/UX design that demonstrated the power of combining AI tools with traditional design principles. The interactive session showcased how tools like Midjourney can speed-up the design process - what typically takes weeks of UI component development, Stephen accomplished in minutes through well-crafted AI prompts that combined specific requirements with style references.
For Lightning Bounties, learning that ShadCN works seamlessly with AI coding tools like Cursor was a game-changer. As my preferred component library, we initially had concerns about AI compatibility with newer design frameworks like ShadCN. Stephen's demonstrations eliminated these doubts, providing us with a clear pathway to enhance our live coding sessions. We're already implementing these insights as we test AI coding tools, using his workshop as a practical guide to sharpen our development process.
The workshop's emphasis on UI/UX testing strategies, particularly gathering multiple perspectives while making users comfortable with statements like "We are testing the UI/UX, not you," is a statment I'll be repeating when gathering feedback on our own platform.
Branta's appearance on Early Days podcast offered a compelling look into their mission to make Bitcoin transactions safer and more transparent. Founded by Keith, a former Bloomberg veteran, Branta's latest product "Guardrail" addresses a critical challenge in Bitcoin's path to mass adoption: verifying payment addresses and invoices before sending funds. This elegant solution helps ensure users never send payments to unintended destinations, addressing one of the most significant risks in Bitcoin transactions.
Keith's emphasis on solving real problems and his transition from traditional finance to Bitcoin entrepreneurship showcases the opportunities within the ecosystem. Want to learn more about how Branta is making Bitcoin transactions safer?
Lightning Bounties is thrilled and honored to announce our advancement to Round 2 of PlebLab's Top Builder competition! The caliber of projects moving forward with us is truly impressive, showcasing the incredible innovation happening in the Lightning Network ecosystem. Each team brings unique solutions and powerful visions for Bitcoin's future, making this next phase both exciting and challenging.
Click the project cards below to explore what each Round 2 team is building and discover the next wave of Lightning Network innovation.
Want to see Lightning Bounties' journey through Round 1? Check out our "Lightning Bounties Round 1 Recap in 100 Seconds" below for a rapid-fire tour of our key milestones and achievements!
As we move into Round 2 of Top Builder, the competition is fiercer than ever. We're already brainstorming ideas for a 'home run' feature or partnership that would energize the entire PlebDev ecosystem and strengthen our bid for the final five. The caliber of projects advancing alongside us is incredible, pushing us to think bigger and build better.
We want to hear from you! What features would make Lightning Bounties an essential tool in your development workflow? Are you looking to streamline your software bug management with Bitcoin rewards? Whether you're a potential partner or a developer with ideas, reach out to us - we'd love to explore how we can build something amazing together!
Want to see how AI tools can transform your design process? Check out the full workshop below:
Check out the full Early Days interview here:
