Build for MiniPay: Applications for Celo Camp Batch 9 Are Now Open!
Ready to elevate your path as a Web3 founder? Take the next step in your journey by applying to Celo Camp, the virtual accelerator and mentorship program designed for founders building innovative solutions on Celo.
Celo Camp (Batch 9), also known as the “MiniPay Launchpad 2.0,” will run from:
May 27th to July 25th 2024.
The application deadline is May 6th.
After the success of Celo Camp Batch 8 (“The MiniPay Launchpad”), we are thrilled to continue our dedication to empowering founders to build dApps for MiniPay in Celo Camp Batch 9 with the support of the Celo community. MiniPay, the self-custodial stablecoin wallet built on the popular Opera Mini browser in Africa, enables users to send and receive quick and inexpensive digital transactions on their mobile phones.
Launched on September 13th, 2023, MiniPay is ultralight at 2MB and hosts more than 2 million users across Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya with rollouts expected in new regions across Africa (read more about MiniPay’s unique features here).
Why Join Celo Camp?
Established in 2020 through a collaboration between Upright and the Celo Foundation, Celo Camp is committed to assisting founders in developing their mission-driven ideas into impactful ventures on the Celo blockchain. To date, camp alumni have processed an estimated $1B+ on Celo and have secured $250M+ in funding from leading tech investors, such as Polychain, Electric Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Flori Ventures, among others. Web3 founders developing mobile-first solutions in payments, decentralized finance (DeFi), on-/off-ramps, gaming, and more, are invited to apply!
Past Celo Camp participants include impactMarket (Batch 1), which has distributed $3M+ in Universal Basic Income (UBI) funds; HaloFi (Batch 3), which has helped 15,000+ users save more than $4M in crypto through offering financial savings challenges; Fonbnk (Batch 4), which enables users across Africa to on-ramp into stablecoins via prepaid airtime; and, Kotani Pay (Batch 1), which has processed over $23M in payments and transactions in Africa.
“Celo Camp has been one of the best things that has happened to BitGifty. The camp has really elevated both myself as a founder and my project, BitGifty. I have also connected with amazing builders and mentors with the possibility of potential collaborations. The future for BitGifty is looking very bright,” says Adedolapo Adeagbo, CEO of BitGifty (Batch 8 Grand Prize Recipients).
Why Build With Celo?
Celo is a mobile-first and EVM-compatible blockchain network that’s an emerging L2 built for the real world and designed for fast, low-cost payments worldwide. The Celo ecosystem consists of a decentralized, proof-of-stake blockchain technology stack (the Celo Platform), the CELO native token, several Mento stable assets (cUSD, cEUR, cREAL, eXOF) and native USDT and USDC that enable anyone to use digital assets. Launched on Earth Day in 2020, the open-source Celo mainnet supports 1,000+ projects by developers and creators located around the world.
For more about Celo, visit celo.org.
MiniPay Launchpad 2.0: Celo Camp Batch 9 Details
Celo Camp welcomes applications from founders at any stage of their startup journey. Founders who are developing innovative mobile-first solutions for MiniPay and are aligned with Celo’s mission of promoting prosperity for all are encouraged to apply!
Applications are open to teams from any geolocation targeting MiniPay users across Africa. Currently, MiniPay is live in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana!
Use Cases
Although the possibilities for innovative solutions are limitless, some examples of projects we are looking for include the following themes:
- Your project utilizes stablecoins, has mass adoption potential, and is easy to understand for non-crypto users.
- Income Generation: microwork, gig work, earning stablecoin yield, saving/budgeting, loans.
- Payments & Commerce: payments to businesses, utility payments, web widgets for payments, ride share, rewards programs, gift cards/coupons, remittance, P2P payment settlement, receiving global payments.
- Gaming: any game genre with real entertainment value, arcade, adventure, strategy, hyper casual, mobile first.
- Infrastructure: wallet integrations, on/off ramps, Fiat Connect integration, swaps.
Your project theme is not exactly on this list? Feel free to surprise us with different use cases!
Schedule
The Camp features two stages:
Stage One: Pre-Camp (April 9th — May 22nd, 2024)
Interested teams are invited to learn more about the program and submit their applications by May 6th on the Celo Camp website. Virtual events (e.g., Twitter/X Spaces and group info sessions) are also hosted for Celo Camp applicants and the wider Celo community.
After reviewing all applications, up to 60 teams are invited to pitch their projects to mentors from the Celo ecosystem and Upright to secure a spot in Celo Camp. Between 15 to 30 participants of Celo Camp Batch 9 will be announced by May 22nd.
Stage Two: MiniPay Launchpad (May 27th — July 25th, 2024)
This 8-week acceleration and mentorship program guides founders towards building mobile-first solutions for MiniPay. Each week of Celo Camp focuses on themes integral to a startup’s growth. Topics range from conducting research, designing user experiences, integrating with Celo and MiniPay, developing go-to-market strategies, and pitching to investors.
Through both small group workshops and personalized 1-on-1 mentorship (from organizations such as Mento Labs, GoodDollar, EchoVC, and more) camp participants will learn from industry experts representing organizations such as the Celo Foundation, Opera, IDEO, cLabs, and more. After the program, selected teams will pitch their projects to viewers from around the world during Celo Camp’s Virtual Demo Day (watch the recording of the Batch 8 Demo Day here).
Camp Benefits & Perks
Camp participants have access to a wide range of resources while participating in the program:
- Virtual community: Meet founders from around the world in this remote program
- Individualized mentorship: One-on-one guidance from industry experts at leading organizations, such as Opera, Climate Collective, Flori Ventures, and more.
- Workshops and events: Attend workshops, networking events, and mindfulness sessions led by experts, mentors, investors, and partners.
- Technological support and integration: Receive dedicated support from Celo engineers.
- Celo Camp partner support: Access products and services from camp partners including AWS, Twilio, Notion, Hubspot, Tatum, Hacken, and more.
- Networking: Opportunities to connect with like-minded creators and entrepreneurs in the Celo community.
- Funding: Exposure to investors.
- Prizes: Awards granted to the top three teams who build a dApp for MiniPay.
Apply Now
Apply for Celo Camp by May 6th to take the next leap forward in your entrepreneurial journey. Visit celocamp.com to learn more about the program and the benefits it can offer startups.
To stay up to date on the latest Celo Camp news, subscribe to the Celo Camp newsletter, or follow us on Celo Camp’s Twitter/X.
