Bitcoin Coast Initiative 🇵🇹

Introduction

For the past three years, we have been orange-pilling the West of Portugal — onboarding merchants, educating the community, and growing a real circular Bitcoin economy.

Now it’s time to take it to the next level.

The Bitcoin Coast Initiative is a recurring 3-month program that brings builders, educators, and Bitcoiners from around the world to live, build, and spend sats together in Caldas da Rainha.

We’re creating a full-stack Bitcoin hub:

• Builder Residency
• National Bitcoin Meetup
• International Bitcoin Conference
• Permanent Bitcoin Space & Shop
• Local partnerships and merchant adoption

“We are building a bridge between two systems — one that is dying and one that is being born.” — Jeff Booth

This is where that bridge becomes real.

Vision

Our vision is to make the West of Portugal a hub for practical Bitcoin adoption — a living example of how Bitcoin empowers communities, builders, and individuals.

A place where:

• Builders innovate using Bitcoin, Nostr, and open-source tools.
• Merchants accept Bitcoin naturally.
• Visitors can live fully on a Bitcoin standard.
• Education, freedom, and community grow hand in hand.

“Bitcoin is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a get-free-slowly scheme.” — Gigi

Builder Residency – “Bitcoin Builders of the West”

What We Offer

• Discount Accommodation & workspace in Caldas da Rainha (in partnership with Prontos)
• Mentorship and technical infrastructure (Lightning nodes, APIs, workshops)
• Integration with local businesses to test real Bitcoin payment flows
• Media visibility and networking opportunities
• Exposure to investors and global Bitcoin companies

What We Expect

• Each builder or team develops a Bitcoin-native project (wallet, plugin, adoption tool, Lightning app, etc.) or similar permissionless software.
• Contribution to the local ecosystem: at least one workshop or onboarding event
• Presentation and demo at the final conference

“Cypherpunks write code.” — Eric Hughes, 1993

We are bringing this ethos to life — build first, talk later.

Program Structure

The program runs two times per year, each cycle lasting three months, followed by a three-month pause for reflection and preparation.

Month	Focus	Key Events / Milestones
Month 1	Onboarding & Community	Builders arrive, orientation, workshops, local merchant onboarding National Meetup #1
Month 2	Product Development	Builder sprints, mentorship, demos, Lightning adoption National Meetup #2
Month 3	Launch & Global Exposure	Final project pitches, conference prep, media, Bitcoin Space activation International Conference & Grant Awards

Bitcoin Space & Shop

A permanent Bitcoin hub in Caldas da Rainha — part store, part classroom, part hangout.

• Hardware wallets, books, nodes, and Bitcoin merchandise
• Education: self-custody, Lightning, privacy, philosophy
• Demo zone: test Lightning payments and merchant POS
• Lounge for community meetups and visitors
• Library of Bitcoin and Austrian economics classics

“Freedom is not something you ask for. It’s something you take.” — Alex Gladstein (HRF)

Partnership with Prontos

We are proud to partner with Prontos, Caldas da Rainha’s innovation and coworking leader — a space built for creativity, collaboration, and meaningful work.

Why Prontos

• Premier coworking hub with spaces at Avenida 1º de Maio and Impact Village
• Community-driven mission focused on regional innovation
• Perfect physical home for our residency, workshops, and hackathons

Together, we make Caldas da Rainha a Bitcoin builder’s paradise — combining purpose, productivity, and freedom.

Events

National Bitcoin Meetup

A one-day event at the end of the first month — a celebration of Portugal’s Bitcoin community.

• Panels & lightning talks
• Merchant showcases
• Live Bitcoin-only market
• Networking sunset gathering by the ocean

International Bitcoin Conference

A 2–3 day event concluding the residency, open to the world.

• Builder demos and live pitches
• Keynotes from Bitcoin thought leaders
• Merchant area: spend sats locally
• Workshops: sovereignty, privacy, Lightning, Nostr, education
• Final night concert or beach celebration

Grants & Awards:

• Bitcoin Coast Grant – best technical project
• Community Choice Award – voted by attendees
• Adoption Impact Award – most effective local integration

“The task of our time is to build parallel structures of freedom.” — Václav Benda

Why Sponsors & Investors Should Join

Sponsors Gain

• Branding across all events, media, and physical spaces
• Year-round visibility across three program cycles
• Alignment with authentic, grassroots Bitcoin adoption
• Partnership with Prontos and regional government visibility
• Exclusive networking with builders and educators

Investors Gain

• Early-stage access to builder startups and prototypes
• Real-world testing ground for Bitcoin business models
• Authentic credibility inside the maximalist community
• Strategic presence in the first functioning Bitcoin region in Europe

“Sound money is the foundation of a free and prosperous society.” — Saifedean Ammous

Why Caldas da Rainha

• Mild climate and year-round sun
• Affordable lifestyle compared to Lisbon or Berlin
• Friendly and safe for families and remote workers
• Surf, nature, and creativity by the Silver Coast
• Bitcoin-ready merchants thanks to 3 years of groundwork

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” — Epictetus

Call to Action

We invite:

• Bitcoin companies to sponsor residencies and grants
• Local government & partners to support logistics and merchant networks
• Builders from around the world to apply for our next cohort
• Educators & community leaders to spread adoption locally

“We’re all just running the code until freedom wins.” — Matt Odell

Together, we’ll make Portugal’s West the heartbeat of Bitcoin in Europe.

Closing

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” — Thomas Jefferson

Bitcoin is freedom in code. The Bitcoin Coast Initiative is how we bring that code to life — in Caldas da Rainha, under the Portuguese sun, with builders, dreamers, and sats.

Live. Build. Spend. Repeat.

with love, Francis 💜