When Justin Rice (@jricetweets), VP of Ecosystem at SDF (@StellarOrg) described how builders go from first commit to a funded, launched project on Stellar, he started with Rise In. He called it “a whole ladder of programs.” Builders learn and ship their first project with @riseinweb3, build through hackathons and ambassador Instawards, and grow into the Stellar Community Fund, which lets founders launch. We take that first step seriously. We get builders from zero to their first real project, then connect them to the funding, support, and mentorship that come next. Right now, around 100 projects from the Rise In community are building toward Instawards. At #HackMeridian2026 in Lisbon, our @VN_Stellar Chapter Lead Tiffany H. (@Tiffany_herefen) talked with Justin about where the ecosystem is heading. His advice to founders: start with a real problem, focus on access in your market, and remember that “what you need now more than anything is hustle.” 🎥 Full interview below 👇 Proud to help grow the Stellar ecosystem with @StellarOrg & @BuildOnStellar 💛

We made it to #HackMeridian2026! 🚀 Our Country Leads from Türkiye 🇹🇷, Vietnam 🇻🇳 and the Philippines 🇵🇭 are here in Lisbon with us, and 6 of our ambassadors from Türkiye came along too. These are the first few moments, filmed on the ground. 🎥 @Stellar_Turkey @VN_Stellar @PHI_Stellar Our India 🇮🇳 and Indonesia 🇮🇩 leads couldn’t make it. Turns out building on Stellar is fast, getting a visa appointment is not 🐌 Big thanks to @StellarOrg and @BuildOnStellar. 🙌 @OpenZeppelin @trustlesswork @itsgrantfox @dripsnetwork @defindex_ @57blocks @XoxnoNetwork @bastiankoh