Torram takes the number 1 spot in two categories: Startup of the Year, Toronto - Startup of the Year, Toronto - https://hackernoon.com/startups/north-america/north-america-toronto-canada?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/startups/north-america/north-america-toronto-canada?embedable=true Start up of the Year, Developer Tools - Start up of the Year, Developer Tools - https://hackernoon.com/startups/industry/developer-tools?stup=671bc2b8680441f5b22d481c&embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/startups/industry/developer-tools?stup=671bc2b8680441f5b22d481c&embedable=true Tell us about you. Tell us about you. Torram is building the first unified complete middleware infrastructure stack for institutional use cases on the Bitcoin network. We do this by enabling data infrastructure, institutional-grade applications and programmability on Bitcoin. We’re unlocking Bitcoin’s core strengths, finality, decentralization, and security — and adding the missing ingredients: native oracles, structured data access, smart contracts and stablecoin rails. The result? A network that can finally support native RWA tokenization, collateralized lending, and Bitcoin native stablecoins. It's important to highlight here that Torram is the first and only complete infrastructure and middleware stack natively on Bitcoin, that has the four primitive components for any application. Torram Torram A decentralized oracle network
A decentralized indexer network
A programmability layer
A programmable Token Standard A decentralized oracle network A decentralized indexer network A programmability layer A programmable Token Standard Torram not only finally makes Bitcoin more useful, but it allows applications to build on Bitcoin in a way that is easy and unfragmented. Read more on how Torram is using TSB tokens without compromising privacy, decentralization, or trustlessness. TSB tokens TSB tokens Tell us how your startup is changing the world. Tell us how your startup is changing the world. Bitcoin is the most secure and trusted blockchain in the world, but it’s been limited to one use case: store of value. Torram is changing all of this and making Bitcoin more useful. We’re transforming Bitcoin into a platform that can power real-world finance, stablecoins, and asset tokenization in a way that is easy for builders. With a unified infrastructure stack built natively on Bitcoin, and our upcoming launch of our Torram Network Beta, we make it possible to build decentralized apps, tokenized treasuries, stablecoin ecosystems, and financial protocols without the infrastructure fragmentation that builders and Institutions face today. Today most projects in the space focus on one thing, programmability layer here, an indexer there, a non native oracle somewhere else, this results in various infrastructure risks. Torram solves that by building one complete stack that dApps can use to build on Bitcoin with all the components they need. FULLY DECENTRALIZED. In short – we’re turning Bitcoin from just a store of value to a programmable economy in a way that is unfragmented. Read more about how Torram is aligned with Bitcoin’s core ethos. Bitcoin’s core ethos Bitcoin’s core ethos What sets you apart from the competition? What sets you apart from the competition? Torram doesn’t just scale Bitcoin – we extend its capabilities as natively as possible. There is a lot of noise in the space of mostly trend hunters. Bitcoin Layer 2s are mostly EVM chains that actually have nothing to do with Bitcoin and have confused a lot of people in the space and many have yet to ship a product on mainnet or even get anchor applications to use them. In less than 6 months and with less than $750k in capital, our team has built the entire stack on testnet that will make many of these other projects irrelevant. We know how to execute and ship quickly, given our seasoned team and leaders. Also, while most solutions rely on L2s, centralized bridges, or wrapped assets, Torram brings: A decentralized oracle network streaming market data to Bitcoin L1


Indexing & querying of structured asset data from UTXOs


A decentralized validator network with institutional focus


A new bitcoin based taproot asset called TSB


Smart contract & programmability


Data finality and security anchored to Bitcoin blocks A decentralized oracle network streaming market data to Bitcoin L1 A decentralized oracle network streaming market data to Bitcoin L1 Indexing & querying of structured asset data from UTXOs Indexing & querying of structured asset data from UTXOs A decentralized validator network with institutional focus A decentralized validator network with institutional focus A new bitcoin based taproot asset called TSB A new bitcoin based taproot asset called TSB Smart contract & programmability Smart contract & programmability Data finality and security anchored to Bitcoin blocks Data finality and security anchored to Bitcoin blocks This is the first complete middleware stack purpose-built for Bitcoin and designed for institutional use cases. Read more about this powerful advancement in the Bitcoin ecosystem here. Bitcoin ecosystem here. Bitcoin ecosystem here. What does it mean for you to win these titles? What does it mean for you to win these titles? It means a whole lot to the team. Our engineers have been working around the clock to build Torram’s tech from the ground up and we’re seeing some significant progress. It’s also a powerful signal that the world is ready for Bitcoin to evolve. To win the Startup of the Year, Toronto and to take the number 1 spot in the Developer Tools category validates what we’ve believed from day 1, that there’s a massive opportunity at the intersection of Bitcoin and real-world finance. We're proud to be building the infrastructure to help the Bitcoin ecosystem move forward and winning these titles is really just the beginning for Torram. What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to set out for this mission? What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to set out for this mission? Our team has worked on some of the most complex problems in DeFi and TradFi— and who still believe Bitcoin is the best settlement layer we’ve got. From engineering to daily operations, the entire team brings together technical talent, market intuition, and an obsession with seeing Bitcoin succeed. More than anything, we are values-aligned: we believe in Bitcoin, in hard work, and in the “mamba mentality” -  a mindset we carry daily as we work to make Bitcoin the foundation of the future of finance. Looking back, what milestone was the biggest turning point for your startup? Looking back, what milestone was the biggest turning point for your startup? Launching our Torram Testnet Alpha was a major turning point. It was also the moment our broader vision clicked for the community: this wasn’t just theory or a whitepaper promise –  it was LIVE. Since then, we've onboarded top validator partners, seen strong demand from builders, and validated key use cases around RWA tokenization, collateralized lending, and Bitcoin-native stablecoins. What’s one valuable lesson you learned this year that you’d pass on to other startups? What’s one valuable lesson you learned this year that you’d pass on to other startups? Momentum and insane belief in what you’re building is greater than perfection. Launching early, even if the feature set is narrow, helps you pressure test assumptions, grow community organically, and shape your roadmap around real needs. We’ve also learned the value of building in public. Sharing our progress, challenges, and testnet updates has helped us attract the right kinds of contributors and collaborators. How do you envision your industry evolving in the coming years, and how will your startup stay ahead? How do you envision your industry evolving in the coming years, and how will your startup stay ahead? Over the next 2–3 years, the crypto industry will move beyond L1 tribalism and focus more on credible settlement + trustless utility. Bitcoin will remain the most secure base layer. But value will accrue to protocols that make it usable for lending, payments, tokenized assets, and programmable finance. Torram is positioned to lead that shift by staying Bitcoin-aligned and use-case-driven. We’ll continue improving our middleware stack, expanding oracle coverage, activating more validators, and supporting a new wave of Bitcoin-native dApps. How do you or your company intend to embrace the responsibility of this title in 2025? How do you or your company intend to embrace the responsibility of this title in 2025? Winning Startups of The Year is not just a badge, it’s a mandate to lead. Torram will use this recognition to further push Bitcoin into a programmable financial platform. This title amplifies our credibility with developers and global partners — and we’ll leverage that to accelerate validator adoption, deepen oracle coverage, and roll out smart contract functionality through our middleware stack. Startups of The Year Our goal is to demonstrate that decentralized infrastructure on Bitcoin L1 isn’t just possible, it’s superior. What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2025? Our top priorities for 2025 are: Mainnet Launch and Token Generation Event (TGE): Activating our economic layer with validator incentives, decentralized governance, and protocol-level staking.
Smart Contract VM Rollout: Deploying a Bitcoin-anchored virtual machine that enables programmable logic for stablecoins, lending, and RWAs directly verifiable on L1.
Institutional Integration: Partnering with asset managers, exchanges, and financial institutions to support Bitcoin-native stablecoins and tokenized products.
Oracle and Indexer Network Expansion: Increasing the depth, speed, and coverage of our decentralized data feeds and query infrastructure. Mainnet Launch and Token Generation Event (TGE): Activating our economic layer with validator incentives, decentralized governance, and protocol-level staking. Smart Contract VM Rollout: Deploying a Bitcoin-anchored virtual machine that enables programmable logic for stablecoins, lending, and RWAs directly verifiable on L1. Institutional Integration: Partnering with asset managers, exchanges, and financial institutions to support Bitcoin-native stablecoins and tokenized products. Oracle and Indexer Network Expansion: Increasing the depth, speed, and coverage of our decentralized data feeds and query infrastructure. These milestones will move Bitcoin one step closer to serving as a complete base layer for global finance. Read more about our Bitcoin native decentralized oracle and indexer network here. decentralized oracle and indexer network here decentralized oracle and indexer network here 2024 has been crazy, with all the new techs and geopolitical fluctuations. What are the impacts of these to your startup, and to your industry as a whole? The geopolitical instability highlighted the fragility of centralized systems, and that urgency bled into crypto. For Bitcoin, it renewed attention on its role as a neutral, censorship-resistant settlement layer. For Torram, it validated our thesis: the future of finance demands infrastructure that is trustless, verifiable, and global by design. We’ve doubled down on building middleware that doesn’t depend on centralized bridges or off-chain trust. We would love your feedback on HackerNoon as a tech publication! How has your experience been with us? Our experience with HackerNoon has been great. It’s one of the few platforms that balances technical depth and storytelling. The Startup of the Year series was especially valuable for us connecting emerging projects with the broader builder community. We appreciate the editorial openness, the distribution, and the commitment to featuring future-defining ideas early. Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us? Build what matters, and build it on solid ground. Ignore the hype cycles and short-term noise. Focus instead on foundational infrastructure, especially if you're building in crypto. Also talk to your users, pressure-test assumptions early, and stay close to the real-world problems you're solving. Visionary builders we want to hear from you, join us. Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch. Fill out this form Fill out this form To learn more about Torram, visit the links below: Website Website Website Follow us on X Follow us on X Follow us on X Join our Builders Community Join our Builders Community Join our Builders Community Explore Torram Testnet Alpha Explore Torram Testnet Alpha Explore Torram Testnet Alpha

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