Find your path to the top of the mountain!
Stacks Ascent
Go from code to company on the world's leading Bitcoin layer
Unlock grants, networking opportunities, and ascend to the top with your startup or career on Stacks, the leading Bitcoin L2.
Unlock over $25K in starting grants to build out your career or startup on Stacks and get access to unique networking opportunities that will further your career as a developer or founder in the Stacks ecosystem.
Interface with engineers, designers, and subject matter experts 1-on-1. Leverage go-to-market expertise in developing your brand, marketing, community, and comms to find and connect with your audience.
Climbing with us has its perks. Receive discounts and sponsored travel to exciting networking and hackathon opportunities.
Work with Stacks Ascents partners to market your startup or scale your app through unique tools and programs.
Get Started
All levels are welcome, our Stacks Sherpas will make sure you are mountain-ready!
Your gateway into Stacks development. Getting started is easy, tell us a little bit about yourself and we'll start preparing to welcome you at basecamp!
Unlocks
Unlocks
- Invite to a private developer community
- Tailored getting started content and information
- A helping hand when you need it!
Please note that level requirements and unlocks are subject to change at the discretion of the Stacks Foundation. Changes will be communicated via email to program participants and reflected on this website.
Level 2️⃣: Wayfinder [$1K Grant]
Growing your skills
Requirements
Requirements
- Start and update your progress thread
- Create your Hashnode blog and publish your first Stacks tutorial, have both approved by our Developer Advocate for quality
- 10 days of social posts about your project
- At least 10 valid project commits over 30 days
- Wayfinder Grant [$1K Grant]
- 1:1 call with experts and coaching on what to do next
- Thought leadership content training
Level 3️⃣: Mountaineer [$3K Grant]
Building a reputation
Requirements
Requirements
- Actively building (at least 20 commits) for more than 60 days
- Published 3 Stacks tutorials/thought leadership pieces
- 30 days of social posts about your project/work
- At least 30 valid project commits over 60 days
- Developer Spotlight (X shoutout from Stacks account)
- $3K Mountaineer Grant
- Discount on next Stacks event
- Pitch/messaging and UI/UX design training
Level 4️⃣: Alpinist [$5K Grant]
Launch your career as a Stacks developer
Requirements
Requirements
- Actively building (at least 30 commits) for more than 90 days
- 60 days of social posts about your project/work
- Project published and live on Mainnet
- Demo Day Eligibility
- $5K Pathfinder Grant
- Sponsor travel for next event
- Go-to-market training
Level 5️⃣: Stacks Sherpa [$10K Grant]
Become a pillar of the Stacks ecosystem
Requirements
Requirements
- Actively building (at least 60 commits) for 180 days
- 90 days of social posts about your project/work
- Published 5+ Stacks tutorials/thought leadership pieces
- Proof of market demand (TVL, users, etc.)
- Investor/Company Introductions
- Sherpa swag
- $10K Sherpa Grant
Partners
Through Stacks Ascent, you'll get direct access to a growing list of experts your company will benefit from!
-
Bitcoin Frontier FundBuilding the best community for founders & investors growing Bitcoin adoption with new use cases. -
Draper AssociatesDraper Associates, founded in 1985, is a seed-stage venture capital firm that helps entrepreneurs to drive their businesses to greatness. -
Trust MachinesTrust Machines is a team of engineers, builders, researchers, and operators banding together for one mission: growing the Bitcoin economy. -
Hiro SystemsHiro is a company for developers, built by developers. Hiro provides the leading developers tools for the Stacks ecosystem. -
BitflowBitflow is a leading Runes AMM, raising $1.3 million in pre-seed funding to address fractured liquidity within the Bitcoin ecosystem -
Rise InWith Rise In, 100K+ developers are building their web3 career with free bootcamps and courses in top ecosystems, turning their skills into income.
FAQ
Other important stuff
- Question:Does my application have to be 100% Stacks-based?Answer:No, but it should leverage Stacks in a significant way. This will be up to the discretion of the reviewers, but you can get in touch if you're unsure. A helpful lens could be: "Would this application function and/or be able to provide the same utility to its intended user without Stacks components?". If the answer is yes, it would be difficult to qualify for Stacks Ascent.
- Question:Does my application have to be live?Answer:No, but it should be heading for a launch eventually. We understand things take time and we want to reward you along the way for building. Reviewers have the discretion to eliminate an entry if a path toward being live and available to users is unclear or if they come to believe a developer has no intent to launch.
- Question:Does my project have to be brand new for Stacks Ascent?Answer:No, if you are already building something you can pick up the Stacks Ascent journey from wherever you are. If you've been building for some time, reach out as we can discuss accelerating you through lower levels.
- Question:What if my project has raised money?Answer:If you have raised more than $500,000 related to your project, you are not eligible. This program is intended to fund independent developers and small teams as they get started in the Stacks ecosystem.
- Question:What if I stop coding or get distracted from my journey for a while?Answer:It's no problem, you can reconnect with us when you're ready and begin working once again. However, please keep in mind that unlocking certain levels does require consistency, and missing those could mean you need to start over to get back on track toward the next level.
- Question:Can I use multiple emails or identities to participate?Answer:No! Ultimately, this is just a headache for both of us as all participants need to complete KYC for any payouts anyway. No method of participating under different identities will be tolerated and we maintain the discretion to disqualify you if we suspect you’re doing this, even without definitive proof. Please play nice and be respectful to this amazing cohort of developers :).
- Question:Do I need to make any purchases to be eligible?Answer:Absolutely not. Entry is free, along with all the education you might need to get to the point where you're able to participate. Our team reserves full discretion to disqualify participants and there will be no appeals process. Put simply, if we feel you're trying to cheat the system or spirit of the Stacks Ascent, we can disqualify you. Don't make us do it ;)
- Question:I have another questionAnswer:
STACKS DEVELOPER CODING CONTEST
OFFICIAL RULES
By Stacks Open Internet Foundation, Inc (“Stacks Foundation”)
- ENTRY. To enter, each participant (“you”) is required to work on its project and submit eligible code. If your project has raised more than $500,000.00 USD to date, you and/or your project is not eligible to enter into this contest. For eligibility to enter into this contest, Stacks Foundation (or “we, us”) is looking for a “meaningful” code commit that meets one or more of the criteria set forth under https://stacks.org/code-for-stx. Stacks Foundation will determine whether a code commit is “meaningful” in our sole discretion. Code must be open-source and publicly available via Github. You receive one entry for every valid code commit. There is no limit on the total number of entries.
- OPEN-SOURCE CODES: To enter, you agree that all code, copyrightable material, notes, records, drawings, designs, inventions, improvements, developments, discoveries you submit to this Contest are and shall become public data and / or open-source codes.
- WINNER SELECTION. Stacks Foundation will select winner(s) from valid code commit entries at random. Whether or not submitted codes qualify as valid code commit are determined by Stacks Foundation in its sole discretion, based in part on the criteria as applied to the submissions and any other criteria we deem fit. You will be informed about the eligibility and prize draw via email or any other communication method Stacks Foundation determines in its sole discretion. Failure to respond within a reasonable time, as determined at our sole discretion, will result in forfeiture of prize. The return of any prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected. All income taxes resulting from acceptance of prize are the responsibility of winner. By entering this contest, you accept and agree to these Official Rules. All federal and state laws apply.
- TERMS. Fill in all the required information on the entry form below. You will receive an entry for every meaningful code commit. You may submit multiple entries.
- PRIZE: One selected winner each month will win 2500 STX, with up to 75 other entries receiving 100 STX.
- ELIGIBILITY: Except for residents of Arizona, this contest is open to individuals who are eighteen (18) years of age and older as of the date of the contest begins.
- LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: By entering this contest, entrants waive all right to, and holds us harmless from, any claim, liability, loss, damage (including punitive, incidental, and consequential damages), or expense (including attorneys' fees) arising out of or in connection with participation in this contest or the acceptance, use, or misuse of any prize. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. We will not be responsible for: late, incomplete, or incorrect entries; an entrant's failure to receive prize notices due to entrant's spam, junk e-mail, or other security settings or for entrants' provision of incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information; technical, hardware, or software malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete, garbled, or delayed electronic communications whether caused by the sender or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or used in this contests; by any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in this contests; or any typographical, technological, or other error in the publishing of the offer, administration of the contests, or announcement of the prize. In the event a dispute arises as to the identity of a potentially winning entrant, entries will be declared made by the address on the online entry form.
- IP OWNERSHIP: You agree that all code, copyrightable material, notes, records, drawings, designs, inventions, improvements, developments, discoveries and trade secrets conceived or made as a result of participation in this Contest are and shall become public data and / or open-source codes.
- CHOICE OF LAW AND FORUM: Entrant agrees that all matters arising out of or relating to this contest and these Official Rules are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Delaware, without giving effect to any of its conflict of laws provisions. Entrant further agrees that any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of or relating to this contests and these Official Rules shall be brought exclusively in the applicable federal or state courts located in Delaware.
- PRIVACY: Information submitted with an entry is subject to the Privacy Policy stated on https://stacks.org/privacy. To read the Privacy Policy, click here.