Startups that are based in or serving Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. We are particularly interested in products that are reshaping DeFi, payments, and RWA. Your product lives on another chain? No problem! This program is designed to help support premium founders who have a desire to work on Stellar’s tech stack.

We are looking specifically for early-stage teams with an unfair competitive advantage, whether it comes to jurisdiction, team background, or having already found PMF.

Participants Eligibility:

• Teams of Eligible Individuals, as defined below; and
• Organizations (including corporations, not-for-profit corporations, and other nonprofit organizations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and other legal entities) that consist of Eligible Individuals and that are duly organized or incorporated and in good standing at the time of submission.

An “Eligible Individual” is a natural person who:

• Is 18 years of age or older;
• Is not a citizen of, located in, or otherwise normally residing in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, any Russian-controlled region of Ukraine, or any other country or region subject to sanctions by the US Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”), as may be updated from time to time;
• Is not identified on the Specially Designated Nationals or Blocked Persons list provided by OFAC; and
• Does not reside in a jurisdiction where the transfer and holding of cryptocurrency is illegal or would require a special license or authorization that the such person does not possess.

Submission Eligibility

A team or company will be ineligible to receive an award from the Stellar Development Foundation if they are or offer products/services that:

• violate any applicable laws, regulations, orders, judgements, or rules; infringe or violate any proprietary right of any party, including patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, right of privacy, right of publicity, or other rights;
• involve, facilitate, support, or promote unlawful activities, including, but not limited to: fraud, drug trafficking, purchases on dark web markets, theft, illegal arms trafficking, human trafficking, abduction, extortion, embezzlement, corruption of public officials, acts of terrorism or terrorist financing, and intellectual property violations;
• involve, facilitate, or promote gambling;
• are offensive, deceptive, harmful, or libelous;
• are/ or contain sexually obscene content;
• are discriminatory or abusive toward any individual or group;
• contain, transmit, or instill malware or phishing pages or devices;
• are primarily focused on promoting a specific token or a specific NFT or NFT collection with no real-world use case;
• are primarily focused on use cases that do not contribute to the growth and development of Soroban, the Stellar network, the Stellar ecosystem, and protocol (e.g., relying on Stellar for arbitrary data storage).

‍

‍

Applications are open now until early July. Applicants will be received on a first-come, first-served basis.

The program is slated to begin in early August, culminating at the end of October.

As part of the Stellar and CV Labs ecosystems, companies and founders have potential access to a wide range of grants and perks. Besides the $150K funding that startups will receive for development from Stellar, we also offer startups perks worth over $200K, incl. ‍co-working space access, cloud credits, design and branding consultancy, discounts on code audits, mentorship, and more. Furthremore, CV VC's recent merger with Elixir Capital provides access within the UAE (Hub71) for individuals seeking strategic opportunities in the region.

After submitting your application to the program, the CV VC & CV Labs investment team will begin reviewing your application. Projects we deem the most appropriate fit will be invited to an interview with the Stellar Development Foundation and CV VC. Following this selection process, an invitation letter will be extended to those we deem as a good fit for the program.

You will receive guidance on customer development and product strategy, while later-stage teams benefit from expertise in tokenomics, regulations, and go-to-market strategies.

Founders also gain access to a strong crypto network, fostering partnerships, user testing, sales, and fundraising opportunities.

You can find out more about our application guidelines and how to prepare here.

Yes, we will provide visa support by issuing official invitation letters for attending the international components in South Africa and Lisbon. These letters are designed to support your visa application process by confirming your participation and the legitimacy of the event, helping facilitate a smoother application experience with the relevant authorities when necessary.

Yes, applicants may receive up to $150,000 in XLM funding for development from Stellar. Applicants can be eligible for receiving funding such as a complimentary initial audit, Growth Hack Award, Marketing Grants, Matching Fund Investment, and other support programs from the Stellar Development Foundation on the condition of completing the mainnet launch on Stellar and meeting certain traction. This is a non-dilutive opportunity. Each participant will be considered by CV VC and the Stellar Development Foundation for investment, but an investment is not guaranteed.

Yes, participating startups may receive a stipend for travel, accommodation, and sustenance while in South Africa. Costs incurred for the Stellar Meridian Demo Day may also be covered by the Stellar Development Foundation.

No, the program is completely free for all startups that are selected.