SCF Kickstart
Last updated
Last updated
Updated 01/17/2025
The SCF Kickstart track is for teams that need support validating their business idea on Stellar. It consists of the SCF Kickstart Cohort and the SCF Kickstart Award.
The SCF Kickstart Cohort is a focused 5-day virtual bootcamp hosted every two months for teams interested in receiving expert guidance from mentors in the Stellar ecosystem who will help you turn your idea into an actionable Proof of Concept.
By completing an SCF Kickstart Cohort, founders can then apply for an SCF Kickstart Award of up to US$15,000 in XLM* to validate their projects - a necessary step to becoming eligible for further awards and support from the Stellar Community Fund.
1️⃣ | Project Idea Submission
All projects interested in SCF Kickstart need to start by submitting their project idea. This Project form will allow the SCF team to assess the best SCF program for your project. Please note that successfully passing the eligibility review of the project submission does not guarantee acceptance into any of the subsequent SCF programs.
2️⃣ | Submission
If your project idea passes eligibility review and you’re invited to submit for Kickstart, you will receive the submission form via the email you entered. Please take a close look at the and before applying to SCF Kickstart.
3️⃣ | Review and Selection
After the application deadline of SCF Kickstart, your application will be reviewed by members of the Stellar Development Foundation and in accordance with the .
4️⃣ | Participant Preparation
Selected participants will be notified immediately following the selection and review phase. They will receive bootcamp information, preparation guidelines, and calendar invites for the virtual bootcamp and other relevant activities. In order to comply with US regulations, SDF asks that SCF Kickstart participants complete a Know Your Customer (KYC) check. The KYC information that will be collected can be found on. Note: If applying as a team of individuals, each individual on the team should complete the form. Please refer to the for more information on how SDF uses and retains data. If an SCF Kickstart Participant does not pass the required eligibility and compliance checks by the specified deadlines, they are no longer eligible to participate in the SCF Kickstart and may be disqualified from consideration in future Stellar Community Fund programs.
5️⃣ | 5 Days of Kickstart
Developed by —a leading technology partner in the Stellar ecosystem—and the Stellar Development Foundation, the SCF Kickstart adopts a version of a design sprint process developed by leaders at Google Ventures and seeks to shortcut the endless debate cycle of product development and compress months of discussion and development into a single week. Mentors from , the Stellar ecosystem and the Stellar Development Foundation will provide support through a dedicated Slack channel, where you will have access to experts in Business, UX/UI, Software Engineering, and more.
To submit a project for an SCF Kickstart Award, fill out all the required fields on the Kickstart Award submission form provided upon completion of an SCF Kickstart cohort.
7️⃣ | SCF Kickstart Award Submission Review (1 week)
If your Project is selected for an SCF Kickstart Award, move on to step (8).
If your Project is not selected for a SCF Kickstart Award, you will be notified of that decision and may also receive an email with anonymous comments from reviewers.
8️⃣ | SCF Kickstart Award Distribution
Projects must have passed the compliance checks in step 4 in order to be eligible for the SCF Kickstart Award. If you already have a whitelisted Stellar address and have successfully completed all the preceding steps, SDF will be able to send the SCF Kickstart Award directly to the Stellar address. If you don’t have a whitelisted Stellar address yet, then:
SDF will send a test transaction to the Stellar address (and memo) you provided in step (4) and will notify you by e-mail when the test transaction is sent.
You will need to check the test transaction and report back the amount to SDF via the form.
Once SDF has confirmed that the reported transaction amount matches the test transaction, SDF will send the SCF Kickstart Award amount in XLM* to the Stellar address.
Upon distribution of the SCF Kickstart Award, you will receive instructions on how to prepare for next steps and opportunities.
9️⃣ | Kickstart Project Validation
~4-6 weeks after the bootcamp finishes, the Project will be invited to pitch to a panel consisting of employees from the Stellar Development Foundation and BiGGER, as well as Stellar community members, showcasing whether their Stellar solution has found validated Product-Market-Fit by proving initial traction. If the panel decides to approve the Project to apply to the SCF Build Award, the Project will receive an email with further instructions and information on how to do so.
Projects are advised that receiving initial approval to apply to the SCF Build Award in no way guarantees or ensures that the Project will receive any additional SCF Award or any other form of economic support from SDF.
August 2023
*To determine the number of XLM equal to the USD value of any Award, the USD valuation of XLM shall be calculated using the CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Settlement Price as administered, maintained, and reported by the cryptocurrency index provider CF Benchmarks Ltd. (using the ticker “XLMUSD_RR”) (available at https://www.cfbenchmarks.com/indices/XLMUSD_RR), or, if such settlement price is unavailable or reasonably suspected by SDF to be unreliable, the settlement price as reported on a substantially similar and equally reputable cryptocurrency index provider as determined by the SDF in its discretion. The USD valuation of XLM for any particular Award shall be calculated using the CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Settlement Price (or other agreed upon settlement price) reported on the day such Award is scheduled to be paid. The Participants acknowledge and understand that XLM is a highly risky and volatile asset, and that SDF does not provide any representations, warranties, or guarantees of its value.
After completing a SCF Kickstart Cohort successfully, teams are invited to apply for a Kickstart Award of up to $15,000 in XLM*. Take a close look at the before submitting your Project for a Kickstart Award. Each Participant will only be able to make one (1) submission at a time.
After the submission deadline, your SCF Kickstart Award submission will be reviewed by a selection panel in accordance with the The amount of the SCF Kickstart Award ($5,000 in XLM*, $10,000 in XLM*, or $15,000 in XLM*) will be determined by a diverse selection panel consisting of SDF employees and verified members of the Stellar ecosystem.
BiGGER is a software development company with deep expertise in blockchain and Stellar. The company has a team of 90+ people, including developers, software architects, designers, and product owners. They have helped over 35 startups launch and scale across Australia, the US, and Europe. BiGGER possesses deep expertise in Stellar, having built its products on Stellar, such as Planet Pay (), and has also been featured in Stellar case studies:."
Starting in 2021, the Stellar Development Foundation has hosted several bootcamps (with partners such as) to boost development in the Stellar ecosystem. Several participants went on to receive further funding from the Stellar Development Foundation, and beyond.
DAY 1
Define your Minimum Viable Product
Teams engage in problem validation and definition of their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of their idea to build on Stellar.
DAY 2
Create a UI/UX Mockup
Building upon defining their MVP, teams will move forward with outlining their solution's user interface and experience.
DAY 3
Outline Technical Architecture
To support the user flows created, teams will draft a technical architecture outlining how Stellar and relevant technologies power their ideas.
DAY 4
Develop a Go-to-Market Strategy
Leveraging insights gained from previous days, teams will formulate a comprehensive go-to-market strategy to ensure successful launch and adoption of their Stellar-based solution.
DAY 5
Pitch your Product
Concluding the intensive development phase, teams will present their Stellar project, showcasing the MVP, UI/UX design, and strategic planning to a panel of industry experts, gaining valuable feedback and potential stakeholder interest.