DFS Lab and the Stellar Development Foundation Launch Quarterly Blockchain Bootcamp for Startups
Empowering Entrepreneurs Globally to Build the Future of Decentralized Finance
We’re excited to partner up with Stellar Development Foundation, this time on the launch of the SCF Startup Camp! The SCF Startup Camp is a 5-day virtual and global bootcamp that will be held every quarter as part of the Stellar Community Fund. Building on the success of previous iterations, the bootcamp will support up to 40 teams building on Stellar and Soroban, Stellar’s new native smart contracts platform.
“We are excited to see the teams and innovations that come through our next bootcamp with the Stellar Development Foundation! We’ve seen that the Stellar ecosystem supports its companies like almost none other in the crypto space and we are glad to be partners and members of this vibrant community of innovators.” — Jake Kendall, Founder and Managing Director of DFS Lab
Leveraging a version of the design sprint process developed by Google Ventures, the bootcamp provides an opportunity for developer teams and startups to quickly validate their product ideas and develop user-validated prototypes.
The first SCF Startup Camp will take place in Q2 2023 from April 17 to 21 and will accommodate participants from all over the world on the SCF Discord in three major time zones. During the bootcamp, mentors from both organizations and the larger Stellar community will offer exclusive guidance and advice to participating teams.
The Five Days of SCF Startup Camp
Below is what you can expect during your time at Startup Camp:
- Day 01: Map problems and form ideas — With the guidance of dedicated mentors, teams map out their current problems and challenges, brainstorming potential solutions and ideas along the way.
- Day 02: Design a solution — Once the teams have mapped out their problems and formed ideas, they will select the most suitable solution and work together to further design it.
- Day 03: Prototype — Teams will create a prototype of the solution they designed on day 2, and can tap into the support of readily available experts for any (technical) questions.
- Day 04: Testing and feedback — After the prototype is completed, the Stellar community and potential users will test the ideas and provide feedback to improve and refine the solution.
- Day 05: Community Demo Day — On the final day of the project, teams will record demos and share them with the Stellar community and organizers for review. This will give the teams the opportunity to showcase their work and get valuable feedback from the community.
After the first bootcamp concludes, around 10 finalists will be chosen by a jury of members from DFS Lab and the Stellar Development Foundation to participate in the Investor Demo Day on April 26. Here, investors and representatives from VCs, accelerators, and incubators will attend the finalists’ pitches. The top 3 finalists selected by the jury will receive prizes totaling $30,000 worth of XLM*.
But the support doesn’t end there: all participants are encouraged to submit their project for SCF Awards to receive up to $150,000 worth of XLM* to support the development of their newly created MVP.
“The SCF Startup Camp provides a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to quickly validate — and begin to realize — their visions. Through this bootcamp, we hope to foster the development of innovative projects, build a strong Soroban ecosystem, and cultivate a vibrant community of entrepreneurs.” — Justin Rice, VP of Ecosystem at the Stellar Development Foundation
To learn more about the SCF Startup Camp, register to attend one of the four info sessions from March 6–10, 2023. See you there!
