When the internet emerged, no one could have predicted all the possibilities that would develop and transform our lives. One of the brightest ideas was crowdfunding, an innovative way to finance projects and causes.
Before crowdfunding, the most common methods for raising funds involved raffles and events. However, the emergence of platforms such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Catarse, and others revolutionized this process. These platforms allowed entrepreneurs, artists, and organizations to obtain funding directly from supporters around the world, offering rewards in return. Yet, these platforms still face challenges such as geographic barriers, political censorship, and the need for financial intermediaries.
It is in this context that Geyser emerges, inaugurating a new era for crowdfunding. Combining the best technologies available—the internet, Bitcoin, the Lightning Network, and Nostr—Geyser breaks the limitations imposed by traditional platforms.
Therefore, it eliminates geographical barriers, introduces new forms of contribution, and enables anonymous, instant, and direct donations, without the need for intermediaries.
In this article, you will discover how Geyser works and learn how to enter your project to start raising funds in bitcoin!
What is Geyser and how did it start?
Geyser is a Bitcoin-based crowdfunding platform.
Launched in 2022 by founders Mick Morucci and Stelios Rammos (photo below), the platform is integrated with the Lightning network and allows anyone, from anywhere in the world, to create and finance different types of projects.
In just two years of existence, Geyser’s numbers are impressive: more than 70,000 users have financed projects, more than 1,800 projects have already been registered and a total of more than 34 BTC have been donated.
So much growth it’s no surprise, that the advantages of using Geyser are several, especially compared to traditional crowdfunding.
Advantages of using Geyser
As mentioned, registering your project on Geyser offers several advantages compared to traditional crowdfunding platforms, such as:
Global access
While traditional crowdfunding is only available in 30 countries and has limitations due to restrictions on the use of local fiat currencies, Geyser is accessible to anyone around the world, simply by having internet access to participate.
Furthermore, Geyser uses Bitcoin, a global and decentralized currency. This means project creators can raise funds from supporters anywhere, significantly expanding their funding reach.
No intermediaries
Geyser enables supporters to send money directly to the project creator’s wallet via the Bitcoin lightning network. This way, transactions occur instantly, eliminating the need for intermediaries like banks and payment processors.
Therefore, creators do not need to wait for the balance to be released, receipt is immediate.
Censorship resistant
Bitcoin is a decentralized technology, which makes it resistant to censorship. On traditional crowdfunding platforms, a project creator’s accounts can be blocked or frozen. On Geyser, this does not happen because the funds raised are not held by the platform, but are sent directly to the Bitcoin address of the project creator.
Low fees
The Geyser fee is 4% of the total amount collected. However, if you operate your own Lightning node, the fee is zero. This is a great incentive to run your own node!
Furthermore, there are no costs to register a project on the platform.
Open source
Geyser innovates by positioning itself as an open-source platform.
But what does this really mean?
It means that Geyser’s source code is open, ensuring full transparency. Anyone can review, contribute to, and improve the platform, fostering community trust and collaboration. This encourages continuous innovation and reduces dependence on a single controlling entity.
In this way, Geyser is fully aligned with Bitcoin’s decentralized principles, ensuring that the platform remains accessible and evolves with the needs of the global community of creators and supporters.
What projects can I create on Geyser?
On Geyser, you can create projects in a wide variety of areas, such as events, communities, open source software, content creation, and more.
Furthermore, projects do not need to be directly related to Bitcoin.
Some examples include:
- Financing for startups;
- Collective art exhibition;
- Financing for a music festival or an independent film;
- Organization of events and meetups;
- Development of open source software;
- Raising funds for social projects;
- Book publishing;
- Game launch;
- Support an independent content creator.
Now that you’ve seen that there are countless possibilities, let’s see in practice how to register a project on Geyser.
Step by step to register your project
1. The first step is to access the website geyser.fund and click on “Start Your Project” in the top menu:
2. Then you will connect to Geyser using an email or social network like X, for example, and click on “Continue”:
3. Once that’s done, it’s time to describe your project.
As a global crowdfunding platform, we recommend registering your project in English so that more people can understand and support your initiative, increasing your chances of success.
However, if you prefer, you can register projects in different languages. If you want to do that just click on your profile and then on the button indicated by the arrow (image below):
The website’s language options will appear:
So let’s move on…
In the project description, you will add a title, briefly describe your goal, include a photo of the project, and provide a contact email.
Please note that when you add your project name, Geyser will create a Lightning address for you where funds from backers will be received and then directed to your own wallet. However, don’t worry about that, we will explain this later.
After that, just click continue.
4. In the next tab you can add project links, related tags, and the region:
5. The next step is to describe your project in more detail.
In this section, you can add photos and videos to help supporters better understand what you already do and learn more about your proposal:
6. Moving forward, you can offer rewards to your supporters, such as a project member badge, an experience, or a physical product. This serves as a thank you for your support and can also encourage larger donations.
If you prefer not to add rewards, simply click “Skip” and continue:
7. Now comes a very important part: adding your Bitcoin wallet to receive the funds.
On the screen, there is an explanation that a Lightning address has been created in Geyser with the name of your project, but you need to provide your own wallet, where Geyser will directly send the collected funds.
In other words, Geyser does not maintain custody of balances but routes Lightning transactions for you.
You can use lightning wallets such as Wallet of Satoshi, Blink, and Alby, which we have already shown here on the blog, or you can use any other you prefer.
If you are an experienced Bitcoin user and already have a Lightning node, click the “Lightning Node” button to connect your node to Geyser.
Therefore, let’s insert a Lightning Address created in the Blink wallet here:
Transaction limits
See that “Wallet Limit” information appears. Depending on the wallet you use, there are transaction limits. In this case, it showed that the minimum value is 1 satoshi and the maximum is 100 million satoshis.
Currently, one satoshi is equivalent to less than a cent. The maximum value of 100,000,000 satoshis is currently equivalent to around $56,000. Remembering that these values in fiat currency fluctuate according to the price of Bitcoin.
8. It’s time to launch the project to the world!
On the next screen, you can launch or save the project as a draft:
And ready! Your project is live!
Now it’s time to spread the word, keep supporters informed of the project’s progress, and monitor the campaign’s progress!
Get inspired
Want to get inspired? Here are some amazing projects being funded through Geyser:
Hero of Bitcoin
Anyone from the 90s must remember the Game Boy and even feel nostalgic!
For those who don’t remember, the Game Boy is a portable console developed by Nintendo that became a cultural icon.
Released in 1989, it quickly took the world by storm and became one of the most popular and iconic video game consoles of all time. The original Game Boy, with its monochrome screen and interchangeable game cartridges, brought a new dimension of fun and portability to gamers, setting the standard for future generations of portable consoles.
Inspired by Game Boy games, which have an 8-bit graphic style, the Hero of Bitcoin project recreates the atmosphere of the 90s with a game inspired by Bitcoin and that works on both Game Boy and cell phones and computers.
The game is a story inspired by Bitcoin culture and takes place in El Salvador. The scenery passes through iconic places such as Bitcoin Beach, the volcano, and much more.
The game follows the journey of a young man named Hero, a new bitcoiner, who travels to El Salvador wanting to help Bitcoin fight on the front lines. One of the goals is to help President Bukele and other Bitcoiners ensure that sh*tcoiners, bears, bankers, and others do not get in the way of Bitcoin adoption.
The crowdfunding campaign launched on Geyser in December 2022 and has received more than 20 million satoshis (approximately $11,000). In June 2024, Hero of Bitcoin was officially launched, check out the pre-sale announcement:
Bitcoin For Fairness
Bitcoin For Fairness is a non-profit initiative that aims to increase awareness and understanding of Bitcoin for people in emerging countries and disadvantaged communities.
The project was founded by Anita Posh and accelerated with the help of funding started at Geyser in October 2022. Since then, the project has received help from several supporters, totaling more than 85 million satoshis (or approximately 17 thousand dollars).
Save Gaza and donate for children in Gaza
In a war, citizens can easily lose access to their bank accounts, see their assets destroyed, and run out of money for basic items like water and food. We previously mentioned how Bitcoin crosses geographic barriers, and here is a great example of how this works in practice.
The Donate for Children in Gaza project aims to raise donations to help families in vulnerable situations amid the war between Israel and Hamas. The values reach the project creator’s wallet directly, which can instantly convert them into urgently needed items.
Led by Yusef Mahmoud and launched at Geyser in May 2023, the project has already raised more than 266 million satoshis, the equivalent of $148,000 or 740 thousand reais. Supporters can follow how the amounts raised are being used through posts made by Yusef on Geyser.
While no one wants to be in the middle of a war, it’s comforting to know that Bitcoin can provide crucial financial access when it’s needed most.
Conclusion
If traditional crowdfunding paved the way for thousands of projects to flourish, integration with Bitcoin and Lightning is taking crowdfunding to a new level.
Geyser has shown us that it is possible to make crowdfunding more accessible, efficient, and inclusive, driving a truly decentralized economy. And if this was already a major disruption, the coming years promise even more surprises: Geyser is looking to add mainstream payment methods, in-app and email notifications, and more tools for creators to succeed in their fundraising efforts.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about Geyser. Remember to launch your project—Geyser can really help make your ideas happen!
Until the next article and opt out!
Share on your social networks:
Founder of Area Bitcoin, one of the largest Bitcoin education projects in the world, she is a marketer, passionate about technology, and a full-time hands-on professional. She has participated in major Bitcoin conferences such as Adopting Bitcoin, Satsconf, Surfin Bitcoin, and Bitcoin Conference.
Enjoyed this article? Donate some sats so we can grab a cup of coffee and keep writing. ☕
