Cypher Tank is back in Lugano, and applications for the 2026 edition of the Bitcoin-focused pitch competition are now open. Bitcoin Magazine reported that last year’s event drew more than 4,000 participants from 64 countries.
The format follows the model used in 2025. Promoted and funded by the Plan ₿ VC Fund and the Plan ₿ Foundation, Cypher Tank combines a Shark Tank-style negotiation setup with a documentary-style production that films real pitches, deal negotiations and judge deliberations for release as an online series.
A larger finalist pool for 2026
This year’s edition expands the finalist field to 12 projects, up from 11 last year. The lineup will include eight for-profit ventures and four nonprofit projects. Founders selected for the finals will negotiate directly with a panel of judges known as the honey badgers while competing for one of three $100,000 prizes tied to incubation, acceleration or relocation services.
Finalists are chosen by committee using three criteria:
- alignment with the values of individual freedom, privacy, decentralization and resilience;
- execution ability, sustainability and market feasibility;
- integration with the broader Plan ₿ ecosystem.
Four phases from applications to finals
The competition is structured in four phases. Applications opened on Aug. 13 and close on Sept. 25. Finalists will then begin receiving notifications starting Sept. 30.
The finals will take place from Oct. 25 to Oct. 27 at PoW Space Lugano, immediately after the Plan ₿ Forum. The first day is a coaching session in which finalists rehearse their presentations with communication experts. Live pitching and negotiations then run across Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 in batches, with winners selected at the close of the second day.
Episodes set for January 2027
After filming, the recorded episodes move into post-production through the end of the year and are scheduled to air online in January 2027. Incubation and acceleration support for the winners begins at the end of February, once their NDAs expire.
Season one launched in 2025
The first season debuted in 2025 with more than $850,000 in total prizes. Its judging panel included Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, Blockstream’s Adam Back, Ten31’s Matt Odell, Lightning Ventures’ Mike Jarmuz and Ego Death’s Preston Pysh.
That first run built on the momentum of a record-setting Plan ₿ Forum, which drew more than 4,000 attendees from 64 countries and over 800,000 livestream viewers. The episodes later premiered at Plan ₿ Forum El Salvador in January 2026, and the winners were formally honored in Lugano in March.
Lugano remains central to the project
With season two now underway, Cypher Tank is betting that a larger finalist pool and a tighter four-phase structure will build on the visibility created by the first season. The effort continues its push to position Lugano as a global hub for Bitcoin and freedom-tech innovation.
Bitcoin Magazine said founders can visit the application portal for more information and to apply. The report was written by Mathew Di Salvo.