Stardust Startups

Stardust Startups (formerly known as The Stardust-Startup Factory) is a women-run non-profit organization and Donor-Advised Fund founded in 2015 that provides financial, moral, and social support for emerging entrepreneurs and early-stage startups making positive social and environmental impact in the areas of sustainability, health, and learning. Since its start, the organization has supported 25 projects in 11 countries with microgrants, networking, and mentorship.

History

When co-founders Laura Jean Palmer-Moloney, Jim Moloney, and Camille Babington came together to turn grief to purpose in response to the death of Angus Moloney (Jean and Jim’s son; Camille’s boyfriend) they created The Stardust-Startup Factory on September 28, 2015.

The Moloneys and Ms. Babington committed to supporting emerging entrepreneurs like Angus and to provide microgrants to support early-stage startups. They recognized that challenges surrounding environmental sustainability, health, and learning need the flexibility and agility of entrepreneurs to help achieve solutions.

Stardust Startups began quickly—within two days—in response to Angus’s sudden death. The founders had not planned to build a nonprofit to support early stage startups. Guided by intuition and passion but with no business model with strategy and implementation plan in place, the founders drew on their experience, expertise, and extensive personal and professional networks to develop the organization’s mission, vision, and operational plan (including proposal application, selection, and award processes).

In the first two years, Stardust established itself as a 501(c)(3), defined its mission and vision, and built its Board of Directors and Advisory Board. From 2015-2016, the focus was on acquiring funds (primarily from friends and family) and finding qualified applicants.

As the organization grew in 2017, 2018, and 2019, so did its web presence, community, and workforce. It expanded beyond its website to social media platforms, added subscribers to its newsletter The Constellation, and offered opportunities to interns and volunteers who wanted experience working for a nonprofit.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change exigencies, 2020 brought significant positive changes. The organization aligned its goals with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and demanded a similar alignment of microgrant applicants. The application process was streamlined and additional interns, volunteers, and staff were recruited.  

By 2021, Stardust was leveraging SDG-aware impact investor and impact entrepreneurial networks to raise awareness and open opportunities. Analysis of the organization’s 2015-2019 affect resulted in publication of one report and one article in the launch edition of Impact Entrepreneur Magazine, a mainstream online publication.

Moving into 2022, Stardust is focused on developing the Stardust Entrepreneurial Network, building professional relationships with accelerator and incubator communities, anchoring in the impact entrepreneur/impact investor worlds, improving applicant recruitment, and extending reach beyond the original community as new partnerships are developed.

Operations

Since 2015, Stardust Startups has provided microgrants for 25 social and environmental projects worldwide.

Microgrant Program

The organization operates completely virtually. Aspiring impact entrepreneurs (individuals or teams) submit applications through the website. Applications are analyzed for feasibility by subject matter reviewers, then ranked by the Advisory Board according to several criteria (potential for positive social and/or environmental impact, innovativeness, entrepreneurial aspect, professionalism, and more). Once funding is secured, The Board of Directors approves the distribution of funds and microgrants ($2,000 USD) are sent to impact entrepreneurs through secure online wire transfer. Stardust Startups’ Terms and Conditions require that the part of the project for which funds were requested be actionable within 12-18 months of funding and expects quarterly updates from the recipient within that time frame.

“We provide non-threatening and non-binding early-stage microgrants to support entrepreneurs facing limited resources yet wanting to create multifaceted and interdisciplinary impact.”

Donor-Advised Fund

Stardust Startups was founded using a traditional charitable giving model. In 2020, the organization repositioned to become a “human-centered and future-focused” boutique Donor-Advised Fund (DAF). The Impact Investor community makes Angel-type philanthropic investments and receives income tax deductions. Stardust Startups then connects the impact investors with selected mission-aligned projects/founders and serves as the pre-seed pollinator for early-stage startups that could have global impact.

The organization is unique among DAFs in that they do not require a minimum investment/contribution amount from donors and donors can choose from a selection of impactful, value-aligned projects with certainty that the process is fully transparent and the relationships are human-scale. Stardust Startups as a fund does not hold any investments that put the overall principle at any risk of declining and inhibiting its potential for donations. The portfolio is made up of only cash or held in money market funds.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Stardust Startups has said that SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 4 (Quality Education), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption), and 13 (Climate Change) align most with their mission; however, they believe that each goal is a step in the right direction for global positive change.

The UN SDGs became an important part of the selection criteria in 2020: the chosen projects must illustrate at least two of the Sustainable Development Goals. Stardust Startups ensures that impact investors—who see the UN SDGs as a crucial way to measure impact—have the opportunity to fund and grow projects that align with those values and their own. And one of the ways project success is measured is through progress within the SDGs.

Communication

The organization communicates through its website, its newsletters, and social media. The Constellation (newsletter) is a monthly publication highlighting new, positive initiatives within impact entrepreneurship, health, sustainability, and education, as well as specific updates on previously funded projects.

Fundraising

Stardust Startups derives the majority of its funding through personal donors and private family foundations. As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, individual donors in the United States are able to take tax deductions on their gifts to Stardust Startups. In addition to soliciting funds from individuals and family foundations, the organization continues to diversify its funding channels through the use of peer-to-peer fundraising platforms and events-based fundraising.

Initial Fundraising Efforts

Stardust Startups began when young, aspiring entrepreneur Angus B.E. Moloney died suddenly on September 26, 2015 in a hiking accident. At only 22 years old, Angus Moloney was well on his way to making substantive contributions to environmental and social issues. Opening his own internet business in 2014, Angus was in the process of building a web presence. Among others, startups he supported included a massage therapy practice, a job assistance center to help US veterans, and an experiential learning program.

Having this at the forefront of their minds, Stardust co-founders Jean and Jim Moloney and Camille Babington determined that they would further Angus’s drive to make the world a better place. Within the first days of his passing, Stardust Startups was christened and, in lieu of flowers, a Crowdrise donations site was established for friends and family members to donate funds for microgrants to early stage entrepreneurs like Angus. By November 2015 Stardust had its 501(c)(3) status and by December 31, 2015 had raised $15,000.

Fundraising Events

For Stardust Startups, events are fundamental to the organization’s awareness-building and funding strategies. Since the nonprofit’s founding, Stardust Startups has held events across the United States, including in North Carolina, Washington D.C., New York City, and Upstate New York. Stardust events have taken a number of forms, ranging from a beach-side dance party fundraiser in Morehead City, North Carolina, to a Community Meetup in Arlington, Virginia.

Stardust’s annual fundraising event, known as the “Givenar,” provides a comprehensive presentation of the projects from that year’s funding cycle as well as updates on the organization’s corollary activities. In response to public health guidelines brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization was unable to hold in-person events from March 2020 until September 2021. Instead, Stardust held fundraising events online. This allowed for the organization to hold its annual “Givenar” in a virtual format for the first time.

Projects

All Projects Funded to Date

Name	Funding Cycle	Description	SDGs/Focus	Location of Immediate Impact	Type	Grant Used For:
Dabba Consigne	Fall 2020	Reusable Takeout Container Service Supporting Restaurateurs in their Waste Reduction	11, 12, 13	Grenoble, France	Startup	Purchase of hundreds of reusable containers
Tigoun	Fall 2020	Efficient and Ecological Long Conservation Bag for Sub-Saharan African Farmers	1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14	Madagascar	Invention, Startup	Production and shipment of 1,036 bags from Paris to their warehouse in Antananarivo
Suppli	Fall 2020	Reusable Takeout Container Service Making Zero Waste Living Easy and Affordable	11, 12, 13	Toronto, Canada	Startup	Containers, branding, and marketing for soft-launch
Renaissance Upcycling	Fall 2020	Inspiring Textile Reuse and Upcycling Through Innovative Technology	5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15	Paris, France	Invention, App	Part of app development
Mindkit	Fall 2020	Nonprofit Boosting Mental Fitness Through Accessible Workshops and Activities	3, 5, 10	Paris, France	Nonprofit	Instructor salaries, rent for classes, digital marketing, and insurance
ProApia Biotech	Spring 2020	Biotechnological Device Helping Bees Fight Parasites and Contaminants	Environmental sustainability, Learning, Physical health	Gex, France	Invention, Startup	Website and crowdfunding video
Caeli Energie	Spring 2020	Low-Consumption Indoor Air Cooling System Based on Thermodynamics	Environmental sustainability	Grenoble, France	Invention, Startup	Legal fees (B-Corp, etc.)
Ma Petite Maison Verte	Spring 2020	Eco-Responsible Tiny Housing Constructed by People with Disabilities Using Durable Recycled Cardboard	Environmental sustainability	Paris, France	Startup	Construction of first tiny home
SmartVrac	Spring 2020	Reinventing Bulk Food Distribution and Logistics for Consumers and Shopkeepers	Environmental sustainability, Physical health	Paris, France	Invention, Startup	Construction of prototype
Service Recovery Strategies	Fall 2019	Providing Aquatic Tanks to Reduce Stress in Those Suffering From PTSD	Environmental sustainability, Learning, Mental health	Tampa Bay, Florida	Nonprofit	Legal fees
James McAvene's Meadery	Fall 2019	A Homemade, Honey-Based Wine That's Raising Awareness for Dying Honeybees	Environmental sustainability	Mt. Vernon, Ohio	Small Business	Lease payments, an exhaust fan, a new sink, and floor polish for the space
Kajou	Spring 2019	Diversifying Natural Cashew Products to Create Jobs and Decrease Food Waste	Environmental sustainability	Côte d'Ivoire	Startup	Materials for juice production
Creopia Productions	Spring 2019	Building a Film-Based Creative Economy for Social Impact	Learning	Vanadzor, Armenia	Startup	Creative filmmaking course and new materials
Educate a Child	Spring 2019	Reading, Technology, and Sex-Ed Programs for Young Learners in Isheri-Osun	Learning	Lagos, Nigeria	Nonprofit	Rent for 2 years
Flora	Spring 2018	Everyday Tech Incentivizing Greener Habits and Environmentally-Friendly Behavior	Environmental sustainability, Learning	Los Angeles, California	App	App development
Dragonfly Effect Naturals	Spring 2018	A Holistic Products Company with a 1:1 Giving Philosophy	Environmental sustainability, Physical health	Oneonta, New York	Startup	Inventory expansion to meet growing demand
Ruscello Investments (formerly Fruitiesberg)	Spring 2018	Creating Jobs and Healthy Living with Natural and Organic Foods	Physical health, Learning	Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	Small Business	Fridge, blenders, food processors, juicers
Lumbrick	Spring 2017	Improving the Affordability and Accessibility of Alternative Fuel Sources	Environmental sustainability, Physical health, Learning	Cameroon and Kenya	Invention	Plane tickets to Cameroon for pilot project
Unfold	Fall 2016	A Wallet Company Promoting Community Development Through Economic Empowerment	Learning	Mbale, Uganda	Startup	New sewing machines, stools, desks, food for the staff, consulting, marketing materials
Ion-powered aircraft	Fall 2016	Self-Contained and Silent Aircraft Can Lift Its Own Power Source	Environmental sustainability, Learning	Oberlin, Ohio	Invention	Parts for the prototypes
The MirIAM	Spring 2016	Self-Sustaining Faith-Based Detox and Rehabilitation Center for Women	Environmental sustainability, Learning, Mental health	Carteret County, North Carolina	Nonprofit	Soft-shell crab shelling station for the women
Snail farming	Spring 2016	Poverty Reduction Through Food Security in Rural Ghana	Environmental sustainability, Learning	Abura Asebu Kwamankese District, Ghana	Nonprofit	Materials for the snail farming pilot project
The All Watch	Spring 2016	Developing Sustainable Leather Materials and Challenging Philosophies of Time	Environmental sustainability, Learning	New York, New York	Small Business	Sourcing and creating sustainable leather watch bands
Potter Farm	Spring 2016	Supporting Community-Based Agriculture And Locally Grown, Healthy Food	Environmental sustainability	Carteret County, North Carolina	Small Business	16 hours of backhoe use and machine operation on the farm

References

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