TBD Hackathon Winners: Block, Inc, the global technology company focusing on financial services, has announced the winners of the highly anticipated TBD Hackathon.
The competition was designed to foster innovation, creativity, and technological advancements in payments across Africa.
The grand prize winner, Emmanuel Kufre, built Blink, a decentralized wallet application that processes freelancers’ payments.
The event, held in collaboration with the Africa Bitcoin Conference, challenged developers to create novel payment solutions leveraging tbDEX, TBD’s open-source money protocol.
Below is a full list of the BD Hackathon Winners and the solutions they’re building:
1. Blink: Decentralized Wallet for Freelancers
Emmanuel Kufre’s Blink emerged as the $15,000 in BTC grand prize winner with its innovative decentralized payment processor for freelancers. The app enables freelancers to accept global payments seamlessly, addressing a critical need in Africa’s $28 billion gig economy. Blink is currently in beta testing across five countries and impressed judges with its focus on empowering freelance professionals.
2. tbDEX Go: Simplifying Payments for Travelers
Andrew Glago and Eloke Ikiliagwu’s tbDEX Go secured the second prize of $10,000 in Bitcoin. This application connects Africa with a local payment solution tailored for travelers and tourists, bridging the gap in financial accessibility for international visitors.
3. Igbigi: Private and Instant Money Transfers
Achego Tamunobelema and Fabari Agbora’s Igbigi claimed the third prize of $5,000 in Bitcoin. The app enables users to perform instant app-to-bank and app-to-app money transfers while prioritizing privacy, offering a secure and efficient alternative to traditional payment systems.
Judges of the hackathon included Aaron Suplizio, Tech Partnerships, TBD; Adewale Abati, Staff Developer Advocate, TBD; Angie Jones, Head of Developer Relations, TBD; Ari Coleman, Product Manager, TBD; Chris Maurice, CEO, Yellow Card; Ebony Louis, Developer Advocate, TBD; Kirah Sapong, Senior Software Engineer, Square; Rizèl Scarlett, Staff Developer Advocate, TBD; Tania Chakraborty, Senior Technical Community Manager, TBD; Tony Tom, Head of Product, TBD; and Will Wilkinson, Head of Policy, TBD.
Follow us on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates. Send tips to editorial@techtrendsmedia.co.ke
