Open-source payments network and Libra rival Celo has announced 18 finalists spanning 15 countries from its CeloCamp blockchain accelerator program hosted in partnership with digital events company Upright. The program, launched during mid-February, comprises an eight-week virtual boot-camp intended to stimulate app-building on top of the Celo blockchain prior to its launch. The teams are competing for $21,000 in prizes — with the winner receiving $10,000, the runner-up getting $5,000, and three teams chosen by public voting set to receive $2,000 each. The camp will provide the teams with mentorship from PayPal, Winklevoss Capital, a16z, and Polychain, with the program …

Open-source payments network, Celo (cGLD), announced on March 31 that it had awarded $700,000 in developer grant funding to 16 startups looking to build on the Celo network. Cointelegraph spoke to Xochitl Cazador, the head of ecosystem growth at cLabs — the company behind Celo — to discuss what they look for from grant applicants, and Celo’s plans for 2020. Celo provides grant funding to 16 startups Cazador states that the most important criteria applicants are assessed on is whether they “support Celo’s mission of building an open financial system that creates conditions of prosperity for all.” In addition to …