Jessie A Ellis
Nov 25, 2025 13:33
The BTCfi and Payments Fellowship, backed by Sui, Walrus, and Press Start, accelerates innovation in crypto payments and BTCfi, offering mentorship and support to seven pioneering teams.
The BTCfi and Payments Fellowship, organized by the Sui Foundation in collaboration with Walrus and Press Start, has successfully concluded its inaugural session. The four-week program was designed to accelerate the development of next-generation financial technologies, specifically focusing on Bitcoin-native finance (BTCfi) and crypto payments.
Main Takeaways
The fellowship featured seven early-stage teams, each working on innovative solutions within the crypto payments and BTCfi sectors. Participants engaged in a rigorous schedule of workshops, peer reviews, and mentorship sessions, all tailored to refine their product offerings. According to the Sui Foundation, the program aimed to leverage Sui’s high-performance blockchain capabilities, which facilitate fast and scalable payment experiences.
Overview
The fellowship highlighted the rapid evolution of BTCfi and crypto payments, with stablecoins and AI-driven transactions becoming increasingly prevalent. Recognizing this trend, Sui Foundation, Walrus, and Press Start offered a platform for founders to innovate and build financial rails for the future.
Program Structure
The fellowship was structured as a high-intensity program, with teams participating in sessions covering customer development, product-market fit, and fundraising strategies. The sessions were led by seasoned builders, investors, and technical experts from Sui and Walrus, providing practical and interactive learning experiences.
Meet the Cohort
The participating teams included:
- Blend: Focused on DeFi savings with an adaptive strategy engine.
- Encrypto: Aims to integrate traditional financial systems with crypto wallets.
- Intuipay: Offers a crowdfunding marketplace for education and research.
- PIVY: Provides privacy-focused payment solutions.
- Silo: Simplifies crypto payments across multiple chains.
- Surgepay: Facilitates instant, fee-free remittances.
- WAP3: Develops payment solutions for AI agents.
Each team received a $25,000 investment from the Sui Foundation, with the possibility of additional funding from Press Start, enabling them to further develop their innovative solutions.
Insights and Future Prospects
The fellowship demonstrated the maturity of BTCfi and payments technology, with participants focusing on user-friendly solutions rather than complex protocols. The program underscored the importance of infrastructure like Sui, which supports high-volume, low-latency transactions crucial for scaling payment systems.
As the fellowship concludes, the Sui Foundation and its partners are committed to supporting the next wave of innovators. Interested parties are encouraged to register for future programs, ensuring a continuous pipeline of groundbreaking developments in the crypto space.
Image source: Shutterstock
