Telegram founder giving developers $1M in grants to build bots

Telegram isn’t conceding the bot market to Facebook or any other messaging platform — it’s putting more resources into building its service out, Venturebeat.com reported.

The company revealed that in order to attract developers to its service, its founder Pavel Durov will be giving away $1 million in grants to those who “create an impressive bot” using Telegram’s Bot API. Grants start at $25,000 each and could go higher.

In a blog post, the company suggested that areas developers should focus on include integrations, tools for bot builders, AI stuff, and natural language processing. However, it doesn’t want to limit a bot’s potential and asks to be surprised.

“We don’t mind if you port your bot from a different platform,” the company explains. “Just make sure it really feels at home in Telegram.” Bots must be fast, useful, and ideally should also work in the app’s inline mode.

To submit a bot, Telegram asks that developers contact them at BotSupport and include their work’s username and the tag #BotPrize.