Breez and Partners Launch Time2Build to Fund Bitcoin Lightning Network Development

Executive Summary

Breez, in collaboration with partners including Lightspark and Tether, has launched Time2Build, an initiative to directly fund developers integrating Bitcoin Lightning Network features into open-source projects, targeting sustained adoption and broadening BTC's payment utility.

The Event in Detail

The Time2Build initiative is designed to provide financial incentives to developers for incorporating Bitcoin Lightning Network features into existing open-source projects. This program differentiates itself from traditional hackathons or simple bounties by emphasizing lasting adoption through the requirement that developed code must be accepted by project maintainers. This ensures that integrated features are not merely experimental but reach and benefit active user bases.

Eligible open-source projects must operate under a FOSS (free and open-source license), maintain an active community, and possess a demonstrated real-world user base. Key partners in this initiative include Lightspark, a company focused on the Lightning Network; Tether, a leading stablecoin issuer; and Plan ₿ Network, a Bitcoin education entity. Further incentives, such as special residencies, are provided by DraperU and PlebLab. The initiative leverages the Breez Bitcoin Lightning Network SDK, which offers an end-to-end solution for integrating self-custodial Lightning capabilities into various applications and services.

Financial Mechanics

The prize pool for the Time2Build initiative is funded by Breez and its collaborating partner companies. Developers are compensated specifically for contributions that result in accepted code integrations into existing open-source projects. This funding model is structured to directly translate financial incentives into practical, deployable features that enhance the utility of the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Unlike traditional bounty systems that might reward initial submissions, Time2Build focuses on payments for successful integration and official adoption of features by project maintainers, thereby aligning financial outlays with concrete development outcomes and long-term project viability.

Business Strategy & Market Positioning

Breez's strategy through Time2Build aims to democratize access to Bitcoin's utility by simplifying Lightning Network integration for developers. This approach fosters a self-custodial Lightning-as-a-Service model, enabling developers to build applications without relinquishing control over user assets to third parties. The initiative draws a distinction from generalized open-source funding platforms like Gitcoin Bounties, which often operate on task-specific rewards; Time2Build's emphasis on maintainer acceptance drives deeper, more integrated, and ultimately more sustainable adoption of new features.

Breez's partnership with Lightspark and the integration of Spark, Lightspark's Bitcoin-native Layer 2 infrastructure, within the Breez SDK, strategically positions Breez as a key facilitator for native Bitcoin payments in applications. Roy Sheinfeld, CEO of Breez, has underscored the importance of this collaboration, stating, "We're excited to build on Spark's revolutionary architecture — giving developers a powerful new Bitcoin-native option and continuing to strengthen Lightning as the common language of Bitcoin." This initiative reflects a broader industry trend among infrastructure providers like Breez to reduce developer friction for Web3 technologies, accelerating their mainstream adoption.

Market Implications

The Time2Build initiative is expected to significantly increase developer engagement and the widespread integration of Lightning Network features across a diverse range of open-source applications. This concerted effort is projected to expand Bitcoin's utility as a payment method, potentially leading to a notable increase in transaction volume and enhanced network effects for BTC. By proactively addressing barriers to developer adoption, the initiative is poised to solidify the Lightning Network's role as a primary scaling solution for Bitcoin, reaffirming its original purpose as a transactional currency.

Broader market implications include a potential acceleration of Web3 adoption trends, as more accessible and robust integration tools foster innovation within the ecosystem. Illustrative real-world examples, such as South Africa's Scan to Pay payment processor, which has enabled Lightning Network use in 650,000 merchants, demonstrate the transformative potential. This case exemplifies how the Lightning Network can facilitate low-cost, real-time Bitcoin transactions, reducing processing times from several minutes to mere seconds and transaction costs from dollars to fractions of a cent. The initiative's focus on lasting adoption, ensured through mandatory maintainer approval, mitigates the risk of ephemeral projects, thereby promoting sustainable and organic growth within the Lightning Network ecosystem.

Expert Commentary

Roy Sheinfeld, CEO of Breez, emphasized the critical necessity for developers to integrate Bitcoin functionality into everyday applications. He articulated, "We're excited to build on Spark's revolutionary architecture — giving developers a powerful new Bitcoin-native option and continuing to strengthen Lightning as the common language of Bitcoin." Concurrently, Kevin Hurley, the creator of Spark, highlighted that the strategic partnership between Breez and Spark significantly broadens the existing ecosystem and provides developers with robust, Bitcoin-native tools for innovation.

Broader Context

The Time2Build initiative aligns with the evolving landscape of Web3 development, which increasingly prioritizes scaling solutions, enhanced user experience, and practical utility. Industry forecasts for 2025 project substantial growth in Ethereum scaling solutions (L2/L3), with ZK-based solutions anticipated to become predominant. This broader trend underscores an industry-wide focus on enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of blockchain technologies.

The initiative's emphasis on developer incentives and open-source contributions reflects the growing recognition that community-driven development is pivotal for the sustainable growth of decentralized ecosystems. Such programs are crucial for transitioning beyond theoretical use cases to tangible, real-world applications of cryptocurrency, particularly in payments, thereby fostering a more robust and interconnected Web3 environment. This approach is instrumental in realizing the potential for new business models and economic relations facilitated by Bitcoin's peer-to-peer capabilities.