Unlike traditional cohort-based accelerator programs, Moonshots accepts applications on a rolling basis with no fixed cycles or cohort windows. Selected teams can receive up to $350,000 before their product launches, with additional performance-linked funding bringing the total ceiling to $500,000. The package also includes audit credits, direct collaboration with Sui's DeFi engineering team, and coordinated marketing support at launch.

The foundation is explicit about what it is not looking for. "Most DeFi innovation today is incremental," the announcement states. "Faster execution, deeper liquidity, tighter spreads. Important progress, but rarely category-defining." The program targets four product types: financial primitives that do not yet exist on-chain, capital efficiency improvements with material improvements in liquidity or optimization, mechanisms that bring net new capital into decentralized finance, and high-value consumer products designed to sustain organic user engagement over time. Teams are evaluated by an internal committee spanning DeFi product, engineering, and partnerships functions. Selection criteria include technical depth, product originality, a credible path to revenue, composability with existing Sui infrastructure, and demonstrated execution ability.

The selectivity is the defining characteristic of the program. Ten teams per year globally is a narrow funnel. For context, Solana runs several distinct ecosystem funding programs: general Ecosystem Grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, Payments Grants of up to $150,000 for payment-focused projects, and SuperTeam microgrants of up to $10,000 targeting emerging market builders. Aptos operates milestone-based grants in a similar range. Moonshots' $500,000 ceiling is substantially higher than any of these, and the structure more closely resembles a venture co-investment model than a standard developer grant. The foundation has not disclosed whether the incentive is denominated in cash, SUI tokens, or a combination, which is a relevant gap for teams in jurisdictions where token-based compensation carries unclear tax treatment. That includes much of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Sui's on-chain metrics provide context for why the foundation is shifting toward a more selective model. Total value locked (TVL) on Sui reached an all-time high of $2.6 billion, up from approximately $212 million at the start of 2024. Monthly decentralized exchange volume hit $7.8 billion in November 2024. Protocols including NAVI, Suilend, and Cetus each crossed $240 million in TVL, and Scallop ranked second globally among DeFi lending protocols by revenue, behind only Aave. The foundation described earlier incentive rounds as having "helped bootstrap DeFi growth, seeding teams, activating liquidity, and accelerating a market that now supports real usage and scale." That history has roots in a deliberate strategic pivot: in October 2023, the Sui Foundation reclaimed approximately 117 million SUI tokens, valued at roughly $51.3 million at the time, from external market makers used during the May 2023 mainnet launch, and directed those funds toward ecosystem grants and the DeepBook liquidity layer. Moonshots represents the next phase of that evolution, targeting category-defining products rather than continued ecosystem seeding. SUI's native token trades at approximately $0.94 as of March 2, 2026, with a market cap near $3.67 billion and a fully diluted valuation of $9.4 billion. That price is well below the token's 2024 highs. If the incentive is token-denominated, the foundation's cost in USD terms is meaningfully reduced relative to what it would have been at those earlier prices.

For builders outside the United States, particularly in West Africa, the program connects to existing infrastructure. Sui opened SuiHub Lagos in July 2025, its fourth physical hub globally alongside locations in Dubai, Vietnam, and Athens. The hub is aimed at West African developers, with programming extending to Ghana and Kenya. Offerings include training in Move (Sui's programming language, originally developed at Meta/Facebook) and workshops on Sui-specific tools including zkLogin and Walrus decentralized storage. Adenyi Abiodun, co-founder of Mysten Labs, separately committed $1.3 million to support Nigerian students pursuing blockchain software development. The Moonshots selection criteria emphasize team execution capability and credible revenue trajectory. Teams based near SuiHub Lagos have direct access to the engineering mentors, audit partners, and investor connections that strengthen exactly those signals in an application.

South Asian builders face a wider gap. No dedicated Sui hub has been announced for the region, though Indian blockchain development firms have begun working on the Sui stack and the broader Indian Web3 sector continues to expand. The program's rolling application model means teams can apply at any time without waiting for a cohort window.

Sui's acceptance as a technical partner in the UNDP's SDG Blockchain Accelerator adds another dimension for development-focused builders. Teams working on financial inclusion products, a category that could qualify under the "net new capital onboarding" criterion, may find that alignment with development sector objectives strengthens their application narrative, particularly in markets where access to traditional finance remains limited.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis at the Sui Foundation's official program page. Given the stated annual volume of roughly ten selections worldwide, teams with a differentiated product thesis and a track record of shipping are the realistic candidates.