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Star uses conditional markets to determine which startup raises next. Participants trade markets using $star and USDC to express which project should be selected. Curators are rewarded for selecting startups that perform well post-raise, aligning selection with platform outcomes. This concentrates capital and attention on one founder at a time and provides continuous feedback before the raise begins.

Why curation markets

  • Leverage market intelligence: Price action aggregates conviction from many participants, improving selection quality over static committee decisions.
  • Focus attention and capital: One startup is selected at a time, creating a clearer focal point for the community and reducing fragmented liquidity.
  • Generate real-time feedback: Teams receive immediate signal from market behavior; strong teams get reinforced, weaker ones learn quickly and can iterate.

How curation markets work

1) Candidate set is formed

  • A batch of startups is grouped into one curation market.
  • Each startup has a corresponding conditional market outcome.

2) Conditional positions are minted

Traders deposit USDC and $star to receive conditional USDC and conditional $star for every project in the batch.

3) Traders express directional views

  • If you believe a project should win, you can buy using conditional USDC, which pushes that project’s price up.
  • If you do not believe in a project, you can sell conditional $star, which pushes that project’s price down.
Prices update continuously, creating a live ranking signal across all projects in the market.

4) Market resolves and winner advances

At resolution, the highest-signal project is selected to raise next. Capital and community attention converge on that single winner.

Curator incentives

Staked curators are rewarded for high-quality selection:
  • 2.5% of successfully raised funds
  • 100% of curation market trading fees
This rewards curators for producing signal that translates into strong post-raise outcomes, not just pre-raise hype.