Grants & Funding
Stellar matching fund
The Matching Fund is an investment track within the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) Enterprise Fund, designed specifically for earlier stage companies (Pre-seed to Series B) interested in building on the Stellar network. We will match investments raised from lead investors of up to $500,000 USD. This allows us more co-investment opportunities in companies with investors from around the world and helps us to grow the number of companies we can support.
Why is this important? The mission of the SDF is to provide equitable access to the global financial system. The success of our mission depends in large part on companies all over the world having access to risk capital, especially in emerging markets where investors are new to blockchain, including the Stellar network, and/or have underdeveloped venture ecosystems.
Eligibility
Investment criteria
All investment decisions will be made in SDF’s sole and exclusive discretion. Make sure your project meets the minimum requirements outlined below in order to be eligible for a potential Matching Fund investment.
1. raise capital: secure a lead investor and submit your term sheet.
- If selected, funds will be matched 1:1 up to US $500,000, with a minimum check size of US $200,000. Funding is provided in the form of USD, USDC, or XLM.
- The lead investor should be an experienced investor who has made a similar type of investment within the last 12 months.
- If selected, any existing SDF grants made to your company must be canceled prior to receiving a Matching Fund investment.
2. the Stellar network scope: submit a description of your integration scope on the Stellar network.
- Your company’s proposal must use the Stellar network in a meaningful way that aligns with the mission of SDF.
- Your proposal should be a maximum of 1 page, and the proposed Stellar network integration(s) must be performed within 1 year of investment close.
- Proposals from companies already building on the Stellar network must demonstrate a new or expanded use of the Stellar network. See the Enterprise Fund for areas of interest.
- If selected, SDF will work with your company to finalize your integration scope.
3. due diligence: submit business and legal diligence materials and participate in an SDF screening interview.
- Screening interview to be conducted by at least two SDF representatives.
Learn More
How to apply
To be considered for a Matching Fund investment, please complete the application form below. Please submit the following four items:
- Term sheet or SAFE from lead investor.
- Fundraising deck.
- List of all investors in the round, their confirmed amounts, and how much you’re seeking from us.
- Please provide a detailed explanation of your proposed integration with the Stellar network and bullet pointed list of the product scope (1 page max).
- Example product scope: Within one year of investment we will create Stellar network wallets for [xx] users and enable users to send, receive, and hold Stellar network assets.
- Example KPIs for estimating your impact on the Stellar network: Volume-based (GTV, send/receive volume, # of transactions), Value-based (AUM, TVL, daily or monthly transaction volume), User-based (# of wallets, DAU/MAU), and Other (key referrals or partners, etc).
Next Step
Submit your application
Ready to Apply? Please send an email with the documents and answers to above questions to [email protected]. Only complete applications will be considered. SDF will review applications and respond if there is interest in moving forward with your submission. At that time, you may be invited to submit standard diligence materials and be scheduled for an interview.
Portfolio
Matching fund recipients
- Geography: Africa
- Stage: Series A
- Co-Investors: Dragonfly Capital, Sequoia China, Golden Tree Asset Management, SoftBank Opportunity Fund
LatAm fiat-to-digital asset payments and liquidity provider
- Geography: LatAm
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: White Star Capital, Sino VC, Arrington Capital, PayCargo, Morgan Creek, Department of XYZ, Circle Ventures
Cryptocurrency payroll solutions
- Geography: Latam
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Draper Associates, Gaingels, Overton VC
Unified payment app for digital nomads and expats across LatAm
- Geography: LatAm
- Stage: Pre-seed
- Co-Investors: Y-Combinator
B2B Cross-Border Payments Infrastructure
- Geography: Africa
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Confidential
Technology-Driven Credit Assessments
- Geography: US/Europe
- Stage: Series A
- Co-Investors: S&P Global, Coinbase, Hashkey, Polychain, Coinshares, GSR, Amber, DCG, Gemini, Spartan Group
Issuer of tokenized real-world assets
- Geography: Global
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Abridge, Ligero, Deem Finance, Zera, and Eikon Therapeutics
- Geography: US
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Formic Ventures
Multi-asset, full-service tokenization platform
- Geography: US
- Stage: Pre-seed
- Co-Investors: Blizzard Fund, Blue Bay Ventures, Decima Fund
Payment orchestration platform
- Geography: Africa
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Flourish Ventures, Visa Ventures, TLcom Capital, Lava, Musha Ventures, 4DX Ventures, Antler
Unlocking the power of invoices for instant credit
- Geography: UAE
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Undisclosed
Working capital financing for EM SMEs
- Geography: Africa, Southeast Asia
- Stage: Undisclosed
- Co-Investors: Undisclosed
- Geography: LatAm
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Blockchain Ventures, Vamos Ventures, Grit Capital Partners, Credibly Neural Ventures
African cross-border payments and credit-building application
- Geography: Africa
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: BFF, Launch Africa, Techstars, Team Ignite Fund
On-chain property management and tenant payments application
- Geography: US
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: BFF, Better Tomorrow Ventures, The Mint, Orange DAO, On Deck, Common Metal
Fair, easy access to global banking
- Geography: LatAm
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Draper University, Undisclosed
End-to-end asset tokenization platform bridging emerging markets into the global financial ecosystem
- Geography: LatAm
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: RevRoad Capital
Blockchain-based financial infrastructure provider built around QCAD/VCAD
- Geography: Canada
- Stage: Pre-Series A
- Co-Investors: Circle Ventures, Genesis, 3iQ
The stablecoin operating system
- Geography: Global
- Stage: Undisclosed
- Co-Investors: Undisclosed
African consumer payments app built on USSD
- Geography: Africa
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Noemis Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures, Orange DAO, Manhattan West
Borderless finance for African travel
- Geography: Africa
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Circle Capital, TLcom Capital, Enza Capital, Incisive Ventures, CV VC, Equitable Ventures
- Geography: Global
- Stage: Seed
- Co-Investors: Undisclosed
AI-powered address verification for business
- Geography: Africa
- Stage: Undisclosed
- Co-Investors: Undisclosed
Explore
Other grants & funding
The Stellar Development Foundation also offers other sources of funding for projects in the Stellar ecosystem. Explore our grants and award programs below and see if you’re eligible to apply today.
Enterprise fund
The Stellar Enterprise Fund is a venture-style fund for growing the network, including direct investments or acquisitions in companies.