Btrust Builders, previously known as Qala, has unveiled the eight finalists in the ongoing 'Build for Africa' hackathon. The competition, which was open builders leveraging Bitcoin and the Lightning Network to address African challenges, offers a total prize pool of $10,000 in BTC.

These finalists emerged following a community voting process to select the most promising startups, and here are the solutions they are working on:

1. Splice

Splice aims to reshape cross-border trade and investment dynamics in Africa. They are developing a peer-to-peer non-KYC system for cross-border payments while empowering mobile money agents and merchants to facilitate transactions.

2. Vyouz

Vyouz offers Africans the opportunity to earn SATs (units of bitcoin) by engaging with advertisements on various digital platforms, including websites, blogs, mobile apps, games, and popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.

3. Mava Pay

Mava Pay simplifies and expedites the remittance process. Users can send Bitcoin through their platform, ensuring almost instantaneous delivery of the equivalent amount in fiat to receivers' bank accounts.

4. BitPension

BitPension addresses retirement savings challenges faced by those in the informal sector. They're developing a multi-signature Bitcoin pension system designed to provide a secure and adaptable way for individuals to save for retirement.

5. SkillBit

SkillBit acts as a bridge connecting skilled talent with individuals and organizations in need of their expertise. They also leverage Bitcoin payments to facilitate transactions, reducing reliance on traditional payment methods.

6. BitSpend

BitSpend allows users to make payments in their local currencies while utilizing the Lightning Network to route funds to the payee, eliminating the need for direct engagement with Bitcoin.

7. Sats to Go

Sats to Go introduces a unique approach to addressing tardiness by gamifying punctuality. They also integrate services that enable participants to use the accumulated Sats.

8. Stealth Money

Stealth Money streamlines and automates the process of saving in Bitcoin, enabling users to build their savings in a self-custodial manner.

This hackathon marks one of the initial endeavours of Btrust Builders, formerly Qala, which focuses on training African Bitcoin and Lightning engineers. Qala was acquired in September 2023 by Btrust, a non-profit organization founded by Block CEO, Jack Dorsey, and rapper Jay-Z, to support Bitcoin development across the continent.

"We have several opportunities in the pipeline for all participating teams, including a pitching session with investors scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. These opportunities will be available to teams that continue nurturing and advancing their ideas," a Btrust spokesperson said.

The hackathon offers a combined prize pool of up to $10,000 in BTC, distributed as follows:

- 1st place: $5,000

- 2nd place: $2,500

- 3rd place: $1,500

- Best design: $1,000

The top entries chosen for the semi-finals will have the chance to refine and present their projects on demo day during the Africa Bitcoin Conference 2023 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, Ghana. This event is set for December 1st - 3rd 2023.