Crypto Innovators Converge: Cypher Tank Doubles Down on Bitcoin Founders in Lugano

Cypher Tank, the Bitcoin-focused pitch competition, has announced the opening of applications for its 2026 event. Building on the success of its 2025 edition, which attracted over 4,000 participants from 64 countries, this year’s competition maintains its distinctive format: a "Shark Tank"-style negotiation paired with a documentary-style production. The event, promoted and funded by the Plan ₿ VC Fund and the Plan ₿ Foundation, films real pitches, investment deals, and judge deliberations, which are later released as an online series.

For its 2026 iteration, Cypher Tank is expanding its finalist pool to include 12 projects, an increase from last year’s eleven. These finalists will comprise eight for-profit and four nonprofit ventures. Founders will compete not only for direct investment from a panel of judges, affectionately known as the "honey badgers," but also for one of three $100,000 prizes allocated for incubation, acceleration, or relocation services.

Finalists are carefully selected by a committee based on three stringent criteria. Firstly, projects must demonstrate a strong alignment with the core values of individual freedom, privacy, decentralization, and resilience. Secondly, the committee evaluates the execution ability, sustainability, and market feasibility of each project. Lastly, integration within the broader Plan ₿ ecosystem is a crucial consideration for selection.

The competition is structured into four distinct phases. The application period commenced on August 13 and will close on September 25, 2025. Following this, finalists will begin receiving notifications starting September 30. The finals themselves are scheduled to take place from October 25 to 27 at PoW Space Lugano, immediately after the conclusion of the Plan ₿ Forum. The finals will kick off with a dedicated coaching day on October 25, where finalists will rehearse their pitches with communication experts, followed by two intensive days of live pitching and negotiation, split into batches on October 26 and 27. Winners will be announced at the close of the second pitching day.

After the live event, the recorded episodes will enter post-production, which is expected to last through the end of the year. The online series showcasing the competition will then air in January 2027. Subsequently, the incubation and acceleration support for the winners will officially begin at the end of February 2027, once their Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) have lapsed.

The inaugural season of Cypher Tank in 2025 set a high benchmark, offering over $850,000 in total prizes. Its judging panel featured prominent figures in the crypto space, including Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, Blockstream’s Adam Back, Ten31’s Matt Odell, Lightning Ventures’ Mike Jarmuz, and Ego Death’s Preston Pysh. The first season capitalized on the momentum of a record-breaking Plan ₿ Forum, which drew over 4,000 attendees from 64 countries and garnered more than 800,000 livestream viewers. Its episodes premiered at the Plan ₿ Forum El Salvador in January 2026, with the winners formally honored in Lugano that March.

With the second season now in progress, Cypher Tank aims to build upon its initial visibility. By offering a larger pool of finalists and implementing a tighter four-phase structure, the competition continues its strategic push to establish Lugano as a global hub for Bitcoin and freedom-tech innovation. Interested founders can find more information and access the application portal online.