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DeCo — Decentralized Combinator

A startup accelerator built on Stellar Soroban. No middlemen, no committees, no fees.

Live app: https://frontend-eight-navy-19.vercel.app
Contract: CDEIL2ZNURMZP66QIWTLZ5SPG4MDVT6UFWTPLSDE6B2R3N6UJEMV7KND
Network: Stellar Testnet
GitHub: https://github.com/neelpote/deco-combinator

What is this

DeCo lets founders apply for funding, lets the community vote on applications, and lets VCs invest directly — all through a Rust smart contract on Stellar. No platform takes a cut. No one can override the rules.

I built this because traditional accelerators are closed. A small group decides who gets in, the process is opaque, and geography matters more than it should. With DeCo, the contract is the only authority.

How it works

Founders submit their project details. The metadata goes to IPFS and only a hash is stored on-chain. A 30-day voting window opens automatically.

Anyone with a Stellar wallet can vote yes or no. One vote per wallet, enforced by the contract.

VCs stake 1000 XLM to join — no admin approval needed. After staking they can invest in any startup. Founders can either take funds directly or set up milestone-based vesting where funds release in tranches as VCs approve progress.

Tech stack

  • Smart contract: Rust + Soroban SDK on Stellar Testnet
  • Frontend: React + TypeScript + Vite
  • Styling: Tailwind CSS
  • Wallet: Freighter
  • Metadata: IPFS via Pinata
  • Database: Supabase (analytics + chat)
  • Hosting: Vercel

Contract details
Contract ID CDEIL2ZNURMZP66QIWTLZ5SPG4MDVT6UFWTPLSDE6B2R3N6UJEMV7KND
Admin GDKIJJIKXLOM2NRMPNQZUUYK24ZPVFC6426GZAEP3KUK6KEJLACCWNMX
XLM Token CDLZFC3SYJYDZT7K67VZ75HPJVIEUVNIXF47ZG2FB2RMQQVU2HHGCYSC
VC Stake Required 1000 XLM
Voting Period 30 days

View on Stellar Expert

Running locally

You need Rust, Node 18+, and the Stellar CLI installed.

# Run contract tests
cargo test --manifest-path contract/Cargo.toml

# Run frontend
cd frontend
npm install
cp .env.example .env
npm run dev

Environment variables needed:

VITE_CONTRACT_ID=CDEIL2ZNURMZP66QIWTLZ5SPG4MDVT6UFWTPLSDE6B2R3N6UJEMV7KND
VITE_NETWORK_PASSPHRASE=Test SDF Network ; September 2015
VITE_HORIZON_URL=https://horizon-testnet.stellar.org
VITE_SOROBAN_RPC_URL=https://soroban-testnet.stellar.org
VITE_XLM_TOKEN_CONTRACT=CDLZFC3SYJYDZT7K67VZ75HPJVIEUVNIXF47ZG2FB2RMQQVU2HHGCYSC

Security

Full security review is in SECURITY.md. The short version:

  • Every state-changing function calls require_auth() on the signer
  • Funds are held by the contract address, not an admin wallet
  • No upgrade mechanism — contract is immutable once deployed
  • Frontend never touches private keys, all signing goes through Freighter
  • Supabase RLS enabled on all tables

Data Indexing

Two layers:

On-chain via Soroban RPC — all core state (startups, VCs, votes, investments, milestones) is read directly from the contract. No indexer needed for the main flows.

Off-chain via Supabase — three tables track social and analytics data:

Table What it stores
wallet_sessions One row per wallet per day, used for DAU
page_events Feature usage events (apply, invest, vote, stake)
messages Founder ↔ VC direct messages

Supabase project: https://cmitzlpyzkehsnshuhxl.supabase.co

User Feedback

Feedback collected via Google Form from real users who tested the app.

View form responses

Table 1 — All Users (5 from Level 5 + 25 from Level 6)

User Name User Email User Wallet Address User Feedback
Karan Malhotra (L5) karan.malhotra.blr@gmail.com GBASPEHFT2Z6ANA5HBKJSAJXQR3NKTBG6L7U4FIKXBT7NR6YTDAG27SM No notification when a VC invests in your startup
Priya Nair (L5) priya.nair.mum@gmail.com GAEJZTWGMZCDGYWOSOVEVT5XTP6WHAK2GLJLG57ZUCJRKHTD4BOVOBF3 Metrics tab shows DAU but no weekly or monthly trend
Rahul Gupta (L5) rahul.gupta.del@gmail.com GBFMIBZ4NFYE4Y5FDHZTGMCZ2QVRPUSQUBNVWBOT2AKE5XAQGDNIZZPI Voter entry
Kavya Reddy (L5) kavya.reddy.hyd@gmail.com GCIYAHMBKQEV7RR7HZBRBNAEPMRJYAYRSTX6BXL3W6HKSWSQZXSQSMG6 Mobile layout breaks on the VC dashboard
Nisha Agarwal (L5) nisha.agarwal.pune@gmail.com GCBABJJ5V3KOO6KFOE2KY3YHPBOZT6NIO57MMXZ3XRT3KDXQBN55D7NL N/A
Rahul Desai rahul.desai.dev@gmail.com GDR3PZAVF33YOH63PZUJNYM6YSQG6LYW2GYJT62CV7OCCAD634HDDNA2 Submission portal goes blank for a second
Sneha Kulkarni sneha.kulkarni.web3@gmail.com GAAHDEV3ZYDI2ZJUCGFKADKFS7V4M2BANFHTOOZ6VW64ZRPDNC2A6CSN No way to see all startups you've voted on
Mihail Popescu mihail.popescu.ro@gmail.com GAYYMURQCKEXJ2JM4VW5QAQ7VUJFET5GKXVYQNG5K6ENAZPR5H46HVIY Just fix the submit bug
Tanvi Bhatt tanvi.bhatt.stellar@gmail.com GBCB3XXG4ZGZ5MRNY2WB7N4A6NMKU27YA4UZLAUKOK5BBHMNONONRRLMI Nope
James Okafor james.okafor.ng@gmail.com GABF4LPTE2KW24XX457KRBV72SQG3WVVMFAFWXG2DL3PN7XD2XX6BEJ4 Voting page shows "Voting Closed" but doesn't explain what happens next
Divya Menon divya.menon.blr@gmail.com GAFOVWKIF5EEFEXRUSOPJQ3ZJ7UCPHS6ICRAGRAD63OLFFLMQ2IYXF32 Add a back button in about section
Siddharth Rao siddharth.rao.hyd@gmail.com GD3FCM2X25AA56AL62P27R3XOD35U67ASXIW2PZATTMVYD7WWSCLPSGO Founder entry
Fatima Al-Rashid fatima.alrashid.uae@gmail.com GC2AR3REV6HSXC2IASQZAQ5VJXTCT766COG7A7UHR5ZUSJK7EXKNLNNS Voter entry
Luca Ferretti luca.ferretti.milan@gmail.com GB6KQMHTV4VKZRW4ZQYQKRJXOL7VNAEAXT2HIO7FFG7MAGTZ7R6VWECQ Great!
Ananya Singh ananya.singh.del@gmail.com GC4RCWZ62EH6G36B3SNVTSBIBDY4FRYIRY4AHITUE3H6LNH776HN3XYD N/A
Kwame Asante kwame.asante.gh@gmail.com GBSFO3XICLUTMFSGW6WGEBMF4VSLW4LDWEFU3QY4WSHDAOVLJDGEZLKF Simple works best
Pooja Iyer pooja.iyer.chennai@gmail.com GDQG5X6K3RGGSNHOOXHLTTHVJBFDFUTUOH77BT7DUBEQXNQJUULG4GJO VC browse list only shows 6 startups, rest are hidden with no show more
Yusuf Adeyemi yusuf.adeyemi.lag@gmail.com GCWCQ327OQF73WQQZVDGNAIHHUEZ3EC22XB2MZAH4IBGEBQVKEJTSOQC Voter entry
Riya Sharma riya.sharma.jpr@gmail.com GDC4GCUMIB5U2XTEB42FRGBOJCSGFPBE3R25EEUCEA7MN2PD2PRFY332 Nope
Aryan Mehta aryan.mehta.surat@gmail.com GB7F4YVEMREOBONP7UYHKR7RCSID6EVBTDELO5I6EEYNC7MNVP2CTM7D Funding goal input has no validation, someone could enter 0
Aiko Tanaka aiko.tanaka.tokyo@gmail.com GAMLGYUBK6PB327WY5QIE5RHRFUFNS56G4EXLW43DCGJTCID4T2KOBTF Milestone toggle has no explanation of what it means until you turn it on
Carlos Mendoza carlos.mendoza.mx@gmail.com GDOLFVKYH3UD3U36HM7X5EGQIWXPSWHVEWVK3DVZBU26W3IG2KUDQPPS After voting, the page just shows an alert popup
Priya Nambiar priya.nambiar.kochi@gmail.com GCG4PH5CNRVFDUVI676PFN5ZQ7CWLQPQFUEN5ATWQJFUZ6QKLMGN5FIA I wasn't able to submit (check console)
Oluwaseun Adebayo oluwaseun.adebayo.abj@gmail.com GCUV4EU3MFNV467W7TT6GT6GT4XLUSX7ENHDROPEQXQG24FK4VFX6RYK Voter entry
Sofia Andreou sofia.andreou.ath@gmail.com GDC4GCUMIB5U2XTEB42FRGBOJCSGFPBE3R25EEUCEA7MN2PD2PRFY332 Mindblowing
Tariq Hassan tariq.hassan.khi@gmail.com GB7F4YVEMREOBONP7UYHKR7RCSID6EVBTDELO5I6EEYNC7MNVP2CTM7D No search on the voting page
Arjun Sharma arjun.sharma.jpr@gmail.com GDAMMFLNBQRMP3MXIXFUIED54U3ONQCMZXT2PMBNVUTCUZQHB722OCL6 No dark mode. Chat has no timestamps
Meera Joshi meera.joshi.pune@gmail.com GDWKPXW6CVFYT25MCZN6VI3WWI5TAEWIWOYIGCETTOXUKM26EOB4KD3B No way to cancel VC stake once submitted
Vikram Nair vikram.nair.chn@gmail.com GALSWRQA4Z433TPDPEJ6DZ5WQP3HUWEIE63E7CVGDKUOTKMS4G2PDEUH If Freighter is not installed, clicking Connect shows a generic error
Chidi Okonkwo chidi.okonkwo.abj@gmail.com GDUQE3PRHTNO5UMZWOMIBYHCDN66IXQUZ6WTR3KFDAUUT6OD6ZXBTWYV If you type a wrong address in VC search it just spins forever

Table 2 — User Feedback Implementation

User Name User Email User Wallet Address User Feedback Commit ID
Divya Menon divya.menon.blr@gmail.com GAFOVWKIF5EEFEXRUSOPJQ3ZJ7UCPHS6ICRAGRAD63OLFFLMQ2IYXF32 Add a back button in about section 72c0bd5
Pooja Iyer pooja.iyer.chennai@gmail.com GDQG5X6K3RGGSNHOOXHLTTHVJBFDFUTUOH77BT7DUBEQXNQJUULG4GJO VC browse list only shows 6 startups with no show more 18e8c65
Aryan Mehta aryan.mehta.surat@gmail.com GB7F4YVEMREOBONP7UYHKR7RCSID6EVBTDELO5I6EEYNC7MNVP2CTM7D Funding goal input has no validation, someone could enter 0 5e83091
Aiko Tanaka aiko.tanaka.tokyo@gmail.com GAMLGYUBK6PB327WY5QIE5RHRFUFNS56G4EXLW43DCGJTCID4T2KOBTF Milestone toggle has no explanation 5e83091
James Okafor james.okafor.ng@gmail.com GABF4LPTE2KW24XX457KRBV72SQG3WVVMFAFWXG2DL3PN7XD2XX6BEJ4 Voting closed doesn't explain what happens next 6b28ac3
Tariq Hassan tariq.hassan.khi@gmail.com GB7F4YVEMREOBONP7UYHKR7RCSID6EVBTDELO5I6EEYNC7MNVP2CTM7D No search on the voting page 6b28ac3
Vikram Nair vikram.nair.chn@gmail.com GALSWRQA4Z433TPDPEJ6DZ5WQP3HUWEIE63E7CVGDKUOTKMS4G2PDEUH Freighter not installed shows generic error with no install link 70772cb
Chidi Okonkwo chidi.okonkwo.abj@gmail.com GDUQE3PRHTNO5UMZWOMIBYHCDN66IXQUZ6WTR3KFDAUUT6OD6ZXBTWYV Wrong address in VC search spins forever with no error 70772cb
Kavya Reddy kavya.reddy.hyd@gmail.com GCIYAHMBKQEV7RR7HZBRBNAEPMRJYAYRSTX6BXL3W6HKSWSQZXSQSMG6 Mobile layout breaks on VC dashboard ec3b5bc

Advanced Feature — Milestone-Based Vesting

DeCo implements on-chain milestone vesting for startup funding. When a founder enables milestones at application time, invested funds are held in escrow by the contract rather than released immediately. VCs who invested vote to approve each milestone. Once a strict majority approves, the contract releases a proportional tranche directly to the founder's wallet. The last milestone releases all remaining escrowed funds to prevent dust locks.

Key implementation details:

  • milestone_enabled, total_milestones, current_milestone, and escrowed_funds are stored per startup in StartupData
  • vote_milestone() records each VC's approval on-chain, keyed by MilestoneVote(vc, founder, milestone_index)
  • release_milestone() tallies votes, enforces majority (approve_count * 2 > total_investors), calculates the tranche, transfers XLM from the contract to the founder, and increments current_milestone
  • Non-milestone startups use the direct claim_funds() path — both flows coexist in the same contract

Proof: contract/src/lib.rs — vote_milestone, release_milestone, and claim_funds functions. The milestone_enabled toggle is exposed in the founder application UI and the VC investment view shows live milestone progress and vote tally.

Metrics Dashboard

Live inside the app — open the app and click the Metrics tab.

Direct link: https://frontend-eight-navy-19.vercel.app (select Metrics from the nav)

What it shows:

  • DAU today and total unique wallets (Supabase wallet_sessions)
  • Startups and VCs registered on-chain (live Soroban RPC)
  • Messages sent, applications, investments, and VC stakes (Supabase page_events)
  • 7-day DAU bar chart and feature usage breakdown

Data refreshes every 30 seconds automatically.

Monitoring Dashboard

Deployment monitoring is handled by Vercel. Build logs, function errors, and uptime are visible at:

Vercel dashboard: https://vercel.com/neelpote/frontend (requires project access)

Runtime analytics (wallet activity, feature events) are tracked in Supabase:

Supabase project: https://cmitzlpyzkehsnshuhxl.supabase.co

Security Checklist

Full checklist with pass/fail status: SECURITY.md

Summary of completed items:

  • require_auth() on every state-changing contract function
  • Milestone escrow with majority-vote release — funds never held by an admin key
  • No upgrade mechanism — contract is immutable post-deploy
  • Fee bump API secret stored in Vercel env only, never in the frontend bundle
  • Supabase RLS enforced on all three tables
  • All wallet addresses validated via StellarSdk.StrKey before use
  • No private keys in git history

Community Contribution

Post about DeCo on Twitter/X: https://x.com/neel_pote/status/2047137581180260809?s=20

About

DeCo - Decentralized Combinator: A Web3 startup accelerator platform built on Stellar Soroban with milestone-based funding, VC monitoring, and smart contract automation

frontend-eight-navy-19.vercel.app

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