After a full week of intensive Bitcoin programming training, the developers at Zone01 Kisumu moved into the most exciting phase of the bootcamp: building real-world solutions powered by Bitcoin, the Lightning Network, and LND.
One thing I learned throughout the experience is that the human mind is truly fascinating. The room was filled with innovative ideas, each attempting to solve a different problem. As the saying goes, no idea is a bad idea—every concept had the potential to make an impact.
A total of 17 teams were formed, and each team embarked on a 24-hour hackathon journey to transform their ideas into working products. After an intense day of development came the presentation phase, where we had the privilege of showcasing what we had built.
Our team developed Kasi, a WhatsApp chatbot that enables Bitcoin transactions directly through WhatsApp. The goal was to make Bitcoin payments more accessible by leveraging a platform that millions of people already use daily.
To build Kasi, we integrated the Twilio API for WhatsApp communication and utilized the Bitnob platform to facilitate Bitcoin transactions. Python was used throughout the development process. The project was brought to life by six developers: Claire, Lamka, Ijay, Dishon, Talo, and myself.
