I
Week 01
Break the ice.
Meet the people you'll build with. Share what you're working on, explore ideas, and start making things together.
Find your people.
A six-week program
Build the tools. Ship the future._
Not a conference.
Not a hackathon.
Not an incubator.
A program to ship something real.
Six weeks21 PeopleOne island
II–III
Weeks 02—03
Go deep.
Small teams. Hard problems. Long stretches of uninterrupted work. Builders beside you who understand why the details matter.
Work all week.
IV
Week 04 / Break week
Breathe.
Step away from the screen. Explore the island, rest, and let ideas settle. Come back with fresh eyes for the final stretch.
Room to breathe.
V–VI
Weeks 05—06
Ship it.
Turn the experiments into something people can use. Test it, fix the rough edges, and put it out into the world.
Make it real.
Friday = Demo Day
Show it.
No decks. No theatre. Put working software in front of the room, learn fast, and return sharper on Monday.
Demo on Friday.
Beyond the Cohort
Keep building.
Join a community of alumni who keep building together. Shipped apps, projects running in production, and collaborators to call on long after you leave the island.
The work continues.
Proof
of work.
Explore the project archive ↗
No Solutions.
Walking dialogues about freedom tech, open protocols, and the trade-offs of building in the open.
Listen to dialogues ↗From the people who were there
In good company.
The past two months [at SEC-01] were probably two of the best months of my life and I'm not young anymore. [...] I met so many amazing people during that time and it was incredible to explore the beautiful Madeira island together, sharing wild ideas, helping each other's projects, discussing stuff, learning with each other, making new friendships, shipping the future.
balasAlphaama
I'm surprised that I'm still here! (Uttered during the last week of SEC-04, after moving flights twice.)
Justin MoonZig Evangelist
Sovereign Engineering is the best place to focus on what you can do with the tech, but also pushing hard on the philosophical application of the Bitcoin+Lightning+Nostr+AI stack. Madeira island is like a paradise with one of the most advanced bitcoin economies I've ever seen. I highly recommend it, and I hope I can do another one soon.
PedroAnatomy of Bitcoin
Don't miss the opportunity of a lifetime.
Tim BoumaSafebox
Sovereign Engineering has proven to be a place where the foundations of the internet are being redefined.
ArjenTollgate
You should apply to Sovereign Engineering.
Justin MoonZig Evangelist
Yesterday I had the privilege of witnessing the demos of the first Sovereign Engineering cohort here in Madeira. Mind completely blown. Everyone should check out these projects. People have no idea how good Nostr is going to get.
miljanPrimal
Back on the farm after an incredible week of Sovereign Engineering.
Niel LiesmonsZaplab Design
The SEC-01 was the most exciting and bullish set of presentations at Bitcoin Atlantis. These people are building our future and will have an immense impact upon our world. I look forward to seeing was SEC-02 will build. Plus, Madeira is incredibly beautiful.
Derek RossGrow Nostr Initiative
been there twice. it was epic.
dr. calleCashu
I went to the first cohort of Sovereign Engineering last year and felt a profound sense of being in the right place at the right time with the right people. Bitcoin and nostr are not just protocols, they are a rallying point for people who know we can do better and want to contribute to something bigger than ourselves, and Sovereign Engineering is a catalyst for making that happen. More importantly than all that though, I made friends for life.
gsovereigntyNostrovia
Sovereign Engineering is Bletchley Park ² A mind melding brain melting cornucopia of creative coding for humanity It's all quite bonkers
Chiefmonkeyplebeian.market
I returned to the real world three weeks ago and I'm still fired up to ship every week. It's been a life changing experience.
vnprcHashpool