“The ₿OSS program was intense, fast‑paced, and fun. It changed my life.” Chuks

Meet Chuks, a software engineer from Lagos 🇳🇬, one of the outstanding 2025 ₿OSS alumni whose journey embodies what the program is all about: growth, contribution, and impact.

With over eight years of experience building and maintaining complex software systems, Chuks joined the BOSS Challenge eager to expand his understanding of Bitcoin and Lightning Network development.

The program helped him dive deep into open‑source collaboration, system architecture, and critical protocol work, areas that now define his career.

Since graduating, Chuks has contributed extensively to key Bitcoin and Lightning open‑source projects, including Lightning Dev Kit (LDK), LDK‑Node, and SimLN, where his improvements have strengthened code reliability, testing infrastructure, and payment protocols.

He’s also building PeepsWire, a Lightning‑powered video calling application showcasing how Bitcoin can drive real‑world innovation.

Today, Chuks continues to work full‑time in the ecosystem through the @nprofile1q... starter grant, accelerating his work on BIP 353 integration (Human‑Readable payment addresses) and improving simulation tools that help developers test and advance the Lightning Network.

Chuks’ journey started with the ₿OSS program, and now continues through funded open‑source work that’s shaping the future of Bitcoin engineering.

Ready to begin your open‑source journey? Applications for the 2026 ₿OSS Challenge, by Chaincode Labs, are open.

This structured, hands‑on program helps new developers take their first steps into Bitcoin open‑source, gain mentorship, and build a path toward sustainable, funded careers, just like Chuks did.

🗓️ Applications close: December 31st, 2025
🗓️ Program starts: Week of January 12th, 2026

📝 Apply for the 2026 cohort: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/chaincodelabs/jobs/4067627009

🔗 Learn more about the program: https://blog.btrust.tech/btrust-builders-chaincode-labs-partner-again-for-the-2026-boss-challenge/

“The ₿OSS challenge really helped me think deeply about Bitcoin and learn more about it and open‑source development.” Rita, 2025 ₿OSS alumna.

Meet Rita, a Lagos🇳🇬‑based software developer and one of the 2025 ₿OSS alumni.

Before joining the program, Rita already had over three years of experience building and improving fintech and logistics solutions. But her time in the ₿OSS program became a turning point.

Through the program, she deepened her understanding of Bitcoin technologies and the Lightning Network, contributing to major open‑source projects like LDK Node, Warnet, and CircuitBreaker; critical components that underpin the scalability and resilience of @nprofile1q... grantee, Rita is continuing her work full‑time on LDK Node and Warnet, focusing on improving transaction lifecycle management, payment tracking, and developer tools to make Bitcoin infrastructure even more reliable and user‑friendly.

Rita’s journey is a great example of what’s possible through the BOSS Challenge, created by Chaincode Labs. This is a structured, hands‑on program designed to help developers start building open‑source Bitcoin projects and grow into funded contributors.

Ready to build your own Bitcoin story? Applications are ongoing for the 2026 BOSS cohort. If you’re a developer passionate about learning, contributing, and building for Bitcoin, this is your chance.

🗓️ Applications close December 31, 2025
🗓️ Program starts the week of January 12, 2026

🔗 Learn more about the program: https://blog.btrust.tech/btrust-builders-chaincode-labs-partner-again-for-the-2026-boss-challenge/

📝 Apply for the 2026 cohort: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/chaincodelabs/jobs/4067627009

Meet Shammah Agwor, one of the 2025 BOSS alumni, a passionate software engineer from Port Harcourt, Nigeria 🇳🇬, who has steadily grown into an active Bitcoin open‑source contributor.

Shammah’s journey began long before joining the BOSS program. With a background in security engineering and years of experience in backend systems, he discovered his true calling in Bitcoin open‑source development.

Through the program, he deepened his work in Rust‑Payjoin, a privacy‑enhancing Bitcoin project focused on improving transaction privacy and disrupting common input ownership heuristics.

Today, Shammah continues to contribute full‑time to Bitcoin open-source. His work on Rust‑Payjoin includes major improvements like metrics collection for adoption tracking, caching mechanisms for performance, and better code structure for maintainability, all critical to strengthening Bitcoin’s privacy layer and reliability.

Shammah’s ongoing impact as a @nprofile1q...‑funded grantee reflects what’s possible for African developers who take that first step into the ₿OSS ecosystem.

Ready to start your own Bitcoin open‑source journey? Applications are now open for the 2026 ₿OSS Challenge, in partnership with Chaincode Labs.

This is your chance to gain hands‑on experience, mentorship, and a pathway into the global Bitcoin open‑source community, just like Shammah did.

🔗 Learn more about the program: https://blog.btrust.tech/btrust-builders-chaincode-labs-partner-again-for-the-2026-boss-challenge/

📝 Apply for the 2026 cohort: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/chaincodelabs/jobs/4067627009

A week after the @nprofile1q..., we’re still feeling the excitement. 🙌🎉

This year was especially meaningful as we were recognized as the African Bitcoin Project of the Year, a huge honor we're grateful to the @nprofile1q... team for.

Some of our community members also hosted workshops, we connected with builders from across the world, and the sessions throughout the conference were incredibly insightful. The conversations opened up fresh perspectives and sparked exciting ideas.

We’re grateful to @nprofile1q... for the chance to be part of it, and we’re already looking forward to the next one.

Till then, we keep building 🚀

#ABC25 #ABC2025

Thank you so much! This means the world to us.🥹🧡 From the bottom of our hearts, we're grateful.

To our builders, faculty, chaperones, mentors, and the entire community, this award is yours. We wouldn't have achieved this without your dedication, belief, and hard work.

We're honoured to keep building for, and with, all of you. 💪🚀

@nevent1qqs...

We recently had the pleasure of participating in the 2025 #BtrustGathering in Mauritius🇲🇺.

Our faculty, several alumni, now @nprofile1q... grantees, and top students from the 2025 pathways were all represented.

Our program lead, Stephanie Titcombe, walked attendees through our 2025 program report, highlighting achievements like the program redesign (https://pathways.btrust.tech/) and the strengthened support plan for builders in the BOSS program.

We also spent time collaborating with builders and Global South programs to explore ideas that will help us refine and elevate our work going into 2026.

It was great finally meeting people we’ve only worked with online and reconnecting with familiar faces.

Looking forward to the work ahead. 💪

We’re excited to partner with Chaincode Labs once again for the 2026 BOSS (Bitcoin Open‑Source Software) Challenge. 🚀

The ₿OSS Challenge is a structured, hands‑on program designed to help developers take their first steps into Bitcoin open‑source development.

Here’s how it works:
🔸 Month 1: A fully guided, hands‑on learning experience featuring coding exercises, mentorship, and technical discussions led by Bitcoin open‑source contributors.
🔸 Months 2 & 3: Top performers continue with advanced mentorship and project work through Chaincode Labs, while other participants engage in partner‑supported pathways to keep learning and building.

This program has already helped developers across Africa launch into meaningful open‑source careers. Several participants from the 2025 cohort are now Btrust-funded grantees contributing full‑time to Bitcoin and Lightning projects.

If you’re a developer ready to learn, build, and contribute to Bitcoin open‑source software, this is your opportunity.

🗓️ Applications are ongoing until December 31st, 2025.
🗓️ Program starts the week of January 12th, 2026.

Learn more about the partnership and program in our latest blog post: https://blog.btrust.tech/btrust-builders-chaincode-labs-partner-again-for-the-2026-boss-challenge/

👉 Apply to join the 2026 ₿OSS Challenge cohort here: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/chaincodelabs/jobs/4067627009