At the current stage of DeFi development, most innovation centers on improving matching efficiency, deepening liquidity, or reducing trading costs. While these improvements are meaningful, they rarely change the industry’s underlying structure. The Moonshots Program signals a shift in ecosystem strategy, moving from quantitative expansion toward qualitative breakthroughs. Its selection criteria emphasize architectural innovation, sustainable revenue models, credible product-market fit pathways, and contributions to ecosystem composability, rather than short-term TVL growth. Through a rolling review process and rigorous selection standards, only a small number of teams are chosen each year. Selected teams receive funding incentives, technical collaboration, security audit support, and coordinated market launch resources. These resources help projects with genuine breakthrough potential cross the critical stage from concept to large-scale deployment. By prioritizing structural innovation, this support model expands the design space for the next generation of DeFi.
The overall design of the Sui DeFi Moonshots Program includes strict team selection standards, a rolling review process, and a multi-layered resource support system. Selected teams can receive funding incentives of up to $500,000, work closely with DeFi engineering experts on technical collaboration, and gain access to resources for security audits and market launches. The program also prioritizes long-term product value and ecosystem composability. Evaluation focuses on protocol architecture innovation, product-market fit pathways, sustainable revenue models, and the team’s execution capability. Together, these mechanisms create an ecosystem environment oriented toward breakthrough innovation, enabling teams with both technical depth and market potential to build lasting influence within the onchain financial system.
What Is the Sui DeFi Moonshots Program?
(Source: SuiFoundation)
Along the current trajectory of DeFi development, most innovations are optimization-based upgrades, such as improving matching efficiency, increasing liquidity depth, or tightening trading spreads. These improvements are important, but they rarely reshape the industry’s structural logic. True paradigm shifts usually come from a small number of teams with both vision and capability.
The DeFi Moonshots Program launched by Sui is a selective support initiative designed specifically for high-potential teams. It focuses on builders capable of creating entirely new financial paradigms rather than participants who merely refine existing models.
Sui’s early ecosystem incentive strategies helped establish the foundation for DeFi by supporting teams, introducing liquidity, and expanding market scale. As the ecosystem matures, the next phase is no longer about expanding quantity, but about achieving qualitative breakthroughs.
The core objectives of the Moonshots Program are clear:
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Identify financial products that do not yet exist in the market
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Support technical architectures that significantly improve capital efficiency
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Introduce genuinely new sources of liquidity
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Redesign how users interact with onchain finance
The key word for this program is breakthrough, not optimization.
How the Moonshots Program Operates
Unlike traditional accelerators, the Moonshots Program does not follow a batch-based structure or fixed cohorts. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and remain open year-round, but the selection criteria are extremely rigorous.
It is expected that only around ten teams will be selected each year. Being chosen signals several things:
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Strong recognition of the team’s technical capabilities
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Strategic alignment with product direction
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Confidence in the team’s potential to reshape market dynamics
Evaluation does not prioritize short-term TVL growth. Instead, the focus is on several core factors:
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Innovation at the architectural level
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A clear and achievable product-market fit pathway
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A sustainable revenue model
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Contribution to overall ecosystem composability
Support Available to Selected Teams
The Moonshots Program concentrates on the critical resources required to bring real products to market, covering funding, technical collaboration, security, and market promotion.
Funding Incentives
Selected teams can receive up to $500,000 in funding support.
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Pre-launch teams can receive up to $350,000 in initial incentives
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Additional rewards may be granted based on-chain data and market progress
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If clear growth milestones are achieved, further incentives can be reviewed quickly
The primary purpose of the funding is user growth and market entry, rather than short-term metric inflation.
Technical Collaboration
Selected teams will work directly with DeFi engineering experts in practical collaboration across areas such as protocol architecture design, system performance optimization, and integration and scaling strategies. This collaboration is highly practical and focuses on addressing technical challenges that may arise during expansion.
Security Support
Teams can access audit credits through Sui ecosystem security partners, strengthening protocol robustness before deployment and scaling while reducing potential risk exposure.
Coordinated Market Launch
The program provides marketing exposure at product launch and key milestones. This includes launch planning, amplification of milestone announcements, and assistance in reaching the intended audience. The goal is to ensure high-quality products appear in the right context at the right time.
Teams That Are a Good Fit for the Program
The Moonshots Program is not designed for every team. It is intended for builders with both breakthrough potential and the ability to execute.
At the product level, evaluation focuses on whether the project truly delivers meaningful innovation. For example, does it introduce new financial primitives or interaction models? Does it achieve genuine technological breakthroughs in liquidity efficiency, pricing mechanisms, or risk management structures? Does it present a clear investment thesis capable of attracting new capital into the ecosystem? And in terms of mechanism design, does it emphasize long-term participation incentives and user retention rather than short-term growth? The extent to which the project enhances ecosystem composability is also a key metric.
At the team level, vision must be matched by execution. Evaluation will consider the team’s history of delivering products and achieving real adoption, their depth of expertise in financial systems or protocol design, the consistency and value of their open-source contributions, and whether the team has market validation or credible fundraising backing. Experience working on successful protocols or mature projects will also be a strong advantage.
Vision and narrative alone are not enough. What truly matters is the ability to combine high-level innovation with real execution.
Selection and Collaboration Process
All applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by the Moonshots Committee, whose members come from product, engineering, and ecosystem partnership teams. Evaluation criteria include the level of innovation, technical depth, feasibility of revenue growth, impact on ecosystem composability, and the team’s execution capability. Shortlisted teams will participate in structured discussions focusing on architecture design, roadmap planning, and market positioning.
Once selected, teams enter the collaboration phase and regularly engage with engineering experts and program leadership. After product launch, teams are required to share onchain data to support progress evaluation and the allocation of incentives.
Conclusion
The design space for on-chain finance is far from fully explored. The next generation of DeFi breakthroughs will rarely emerge from minor adjustments to existing models. Instead, they will come from teams willing to challenge structural assumptions and reinvent financial mechanisms. The Moonshots Program is not designed for incremental improvement. It is built for builders ready to redefine the rules. If team has the capability to turn innovative ideas into real market impact, this may be the starting point for the next leap forward.
