* Stellar launches SCF Growth Hack Cohort 1 to help Stellar mainnet teams run go-to-market and user acquisition for real-world adoption.
* Cohort includes stablecoin payments, cross-chain, and Soroban ZK-ready projects as the network deploys Protocol 25 X-Ray upgrade.
Stellar has launched the Stellar Community Fund Growth Hack Cohort 1, a program aimed at helping companies already deployed on the mainnet strengthen go-to-market execution and reach product-market fit. The initiative centers on user acquisition campaigns and is positioned as a support track for teams building consumer and business-facing applications that use stablecoins and blockchain-based payments.
Stellar said the Growth Hack cohort will work with participating projects on campaign design and distribution, with a focus on real-world adoption. The cohort includes products targeting cross-border commerce, merchant payments, and tools intended to make stablecoin use simpler for end users and small businesses.
Several cohort members are oriented toward payments in emerging markets and travel use cases. Payabroad enables street vendors and local stores to accept payments from travelers using stablecoin wallets. The CashAbroadApp will be centered around stablecoin remittance to importers, alongside programmable treasury solutions.
Stellar Targets Payments, Interoperability and Onchain Access
Other members of the inaugural cohort are focusing on infrastructure and asset management. Allbridge deals with privacy solutions and cross-chain interoperability, such as between EVM and non-EVM networks. ROZOai is described as constructing intent-based interoperability that has the potential to bridge liquidity between EVM networks and Solana, with the ability to support payments to users and the least blockchain-familiar merchants.
The cohort also includes projects tied to savings and investing experiences. Defindex, working with BeansApp and Blend Capital, is providing tools for digital asset management on Stellar, designed for inflation-affected economies.
Normalfi offers everyday investors simpler access to crypto investing and index products through Stellar’s infrastructure. Seevcash provides low-cost cross-border payments for the African diaspora, including USD accounts backed by stablecoins and transfer tools designed to reduce fees.
Alongside the cohort announcement, Stellar, as we reported, has deployed the X-Ray protocol upgrade, Protocol 25, on its mainnet. The network is expected to add new cryptographic building blocks intended to support zero-knowledge applications on Soroban smart contracts, expanding the set of privacy and verification features available to developers.
Other blockchain ecosystems have also reported new programs aimed at supporting developers and early-stage teams. The Cardano Foundation has partnered with Draper Dragon to launch an $80 million fund to scale Cardano adoption over the next six years. The fund is set to focus on direct startup investments, marketing, liquidity provision, and education support tied to Cardano-based development.
Ripple has also announced a new academic-linked builder program. The company launched the University Digital Asset Xcelerator, or UDAX, created with UC Berkeley to support early-stage teams building on the XRP Ledger. Ripple said the accelerator extends its University Blockchain Research Initiative, which connects academic research with practical blockchain development efforts.
Despite the cohort developments, the XLM price has failed to recover. At press time, XLM was trading at $0.2069, 0.25% decline.
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