For years, creators in the Bitcoin ecosystem have been forced to think small.

If you were building a hardware prototype, translating a book, producing a board game, or launching a new open-source tool, raising funds was always a gamble. You could campaign your heart out, bring in some support, but still fall short of the real budget you needed. And yet, there was no safety net. No assurance. No mechanism to protect you or your supporters from a half-funded project doomed to stall.

Today, that changes.

We’re introducing All-or-Nothing (AON) crowdfunding on Bitcoin, a new funding primitive that lets creators swing big, confidently, and trustlessly. Funds are locked in a smart contract and only released if the project fully meets its goal.

If it doesn’t, every contributor automatically gets refunded. No custody. No intermediaries. No uncertainty. This is Kickstarter-style funding, but rebuilt natively for Bitcoin and open for anyone to use.

The current incentive problem

Imagine this scenario:

A creator launches an exciting idea with a clear budget. Contributions start coming in, but after a few days momentum slows. He’s nowhere near the goal. He’s stuck in the awkward middle: not funded enough to execute, but funded enough that contributors start asking questions and requesting refunds. He loses motivation, supporters lose confidence, and the project stalls.

The problems here are clear:

❌ Creator hesitancy

Creators often avoid launching ambitious projects because they fear ending up with a small, unusable budget. Delivering becomes impossible, and refunding is difficult.

❌ Contributor risk

Contributors hesitate to fund early-stage or lesser-known creators because they worry the goal won’t be reached and their money will be stuck.

This is a known problem in crowdfunding. Traditional platforms like Kickstarter solved it by introducing All-or-Nothing funding. But Kickstarter itself comes with serious limitations:

❌ Not Global:

Only works in about 25 countries.

❌ High fees

Between 8 and 11 percent.

❌ No Bitcoin payments

We're here to push the use of Bitcoin as everyday money.

❌ Custodial

Kickstarter controls the funds at all times.

All or Nothing fixes this

AON aligns incentives between creators and contributors.

✅ Creators can dare to dream big

Creators feel empowered to ask for the full budget they truly need, knowing that if the project doesn’t reach its goal, contributors remain fully protected.

✅ Contributor protection:

Contributors feel much more confident supporting new and ambitious ideas because their funds are only at risk if the project succeeds.

✅ A marketing engine

Clear goals and time limits naturally rally communities, incentivizing sharing and collaboration to push the campaign over the finish line.

✅ Reputation support

New creators with limited public track records can start strong. Since contributors know their funds are safe, they’re more willing to support early or experimental ideas.

Additionally, our implementation with Bitcoin and Rootstock enables:

✅ Global access:

Anyone in the world can contribute, instantly.

✅ No custody:

No platform or individual ever holds user funds. Everything is locked in a non-custodial smart contract. Only contributors can claims funds back while the goal is in the process of being reached.

Put simply: AON aligns incentives.

Creators get the confidence to ask for what they really need.

Supporters get the assurance their funds are safe.

And the Bitcoin ecosystem gains a powerful tool for enabling big, bold ideas.

How It Works: Trustless, Locked-Until-Success Funding

The beauty of AON is that behind the scenes it’s complex, but for users it “just works.”

The system is powered by an open-source smart contract on Rootstock, with native Bitcoin UX via Boltz for seamless swaps.

1. Set a goal

Creators define exactly how much they need.

2. Set a duration

Campaigns last from 1 to 60 days. The duration is fixed at deployment.

3. Funds are locked until success

Contributions are held in a smart contract. Neither the creator nor the platform can touch the funds unless the goal is reached.

4. Success = creator claims the funds

If the target is reached before the deadline, the creator unlocks the full amount.

5. Failure = contributor claims the refund

If the target is not reached, contributors can reclaim their funds from the contract—either onchain or through Lightning.

This trustless flow is what makes AON uniquely suited to Bitcoin: it removes custodians, removes dependencies, and protects everyone involved.

The Tech Behind It

AON is built as a modular, MIT-licensed set of smart contracts designed for broad adoption:

• Non-custodial: No platform ever holds funds. Everything is on-chain.

• Non-upgradable proxies: Minimum attack surface, maximum safety.

• Factory architecture: Any app or grant program can deploy AON campaigns easily.

• Rootstock smart contracts + Bitcoin UX: Contributors use Lightning or on-chain BTC without ever needing to understand Rootstock.

• Time-locked transitions: Rules are enforced by the contract, not humans.

• Refund, claim, cancel support: All flows are built-in, tested, and ready.

The code is fully open source and free for developers, platforms, and Bitcoin builders to use.

Conclusion

All-or-Nothing crowdfunding empowers Bitcoin creators, builders, educators, makers, and artists to take their ideas to the next level.

We built it because we believe these ideas will fuel the growth of the Bitcoin economy—by giving creators the tools they need to dream bigger and go further.

Not every project will get funded. We expect a success rate similar to Kickstarter, around 50 percent. But the ability to iterate on big ideas is where the magic happens.

All-or-Nothing brings Bitcoin’s creative energy to the next level.