Matching Fund

Stellar Matching Fund

The Matching Fund is an investment track within the SDF Enterprise Fund, designed specifically for earlier stage companies (Pre-seed to Series B) interested in building on Stellar. 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 Stellar Development Foundation 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 Stellar, and/or have underdeveloped venture ecosystems.

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:

Requirements

How to Apply

African money transfer app

Vertical:

Wallets

Stage:

---

Use Case:

Remittance

Geography:

Africa

Co-Investors:

Press

Cryptocurrency payroll solutions

Vertical:

Payments

Stage:

Seed

Use Case:

Payroll

Geography:

Latam

Co-Investors:

Draper Associates, Gaingels, Overton VC

Press

Connecting creators with fans

Vertical:

Digital Assets

Stage:

Seed

Use Case:

NFTs

Geography:

Co-Investors:

Formic Ventures

Press

Blockchain-based financial infrastructure provider built around VCAD

Vertical:

Digital Assets

Stage:

Pre-Series A

Use Case:

Geography:

Canada

Co-Investors:

Circle Ventures, Genesis, 3iQ

Press

African consumer payments app built on USSD

Vertical:

Wallets

Stage:

Seed

Use Case:

Consumer Payments

Geography:

Africa

Co-Investors:

Noemis Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures, Orange DAO, Manhattan West

Press

Foreign exchange for Latam

Vertical:

Payments

Stage:

Seed

Use Case:

Geography:

Brazil

Co-Investors:

HOF Capital, Circle Ventures, BlockFi Ventures, Mantis Fund (Chainsmokers)

Press

Requirements

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.
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) Stellar Scope: Submit a description of your integration scope on Stellar.

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 integration(s) must be performed within 1 year of investment close.
Proposals from companies already building on Stellar must demonstrate a new or expanded use of Stellar. 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.

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 Stellar and bullet pointed list of the product scope (1 page max).

Example product scope: Within one year of investment we will create Stellar wallets for [xx] users and enable users to send, receive, and hold Stellar 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), Users-based (# of wallets, DAU/MAU), and Other (key referrals or partners, etc).

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.