Most people don’t expect strangers to believe in them. Maybe there’s a catch, a trick, or something expected in return. Belief is the most important thing we offer to our Protostars.

The concept of Protostars is simple: find people with a passion project, give them a small amount of money and surround them with a community of creators. Then give them total, uncomplicated belief. Once someone is told their passion is important, that it really matters, they are given the freedom to imagine, explore and create. And once this cohort of Protostars was selected, that’s exactly what they did. They were made up of musical theatre directors, vintage camera builders, film makers, Web 3 builders, art curators, publishers, engineers and metaverse fashion designers from the far reaches of Australia and New Zealand. What we’ve seen in this cohort is just the beginning.

Belief changes everything.

Joel Connolly, Creative Director & Head of Blackbird Foundation