About Us

After three years of building, learning, and partnering across the creative economy, Co‑Stellar is concluding its operations. What began as a shared belief between founders Sarah Rathbone and Abe Claiborne - that the creative sector deserves financial systems, products and services designed with their realities in mind - has merged with a national conversation about how capital can better serve artists, cultural organizations, and creative entrepreneurs.

Together with our CFO, Brian Abeel, we developed novel models to inspire more equitable investment in the creative sector. Our goal has always been to bridge long‑standing gaps between the money and the people doing cool shit! 

We’ve looked to solve this problem collaboratively. With insights from people representing the full spectrum of the creative economy, financial services, impact investment, and philanthropic sectors we investigated and imagined what may be possible to bridge these gaps.  

With support from Renata Lumanau, we developed an alternative model for “social underwriting” to complement the 5Cs of traditional credit analysis. With Cheri Jamison we surveyed hundreds of working creatives to discover their biggest barriers to capital access. With Cat Martin, Joe Sky-Tucker and Michael Greer, we investigated the catalytic power of philanthropically-backed lending pools and began mapping the way forward. With Hilary Cherner and Falona Joy, we examined the role of fiscal sponsors, philanthropic advisors, and the possibilities for foundations to leverage their assets in new ways through program related investments (PRIs) Program Related Investments AND mission related investments (MRIs) in the creative economy.     

We’ve assembled case studies to capture this data and also contributed this as context for CEFN’s recent capital opportunities assessment for WA state.  

We’ve assembled case studies to capture this data and also contributed this as context for CEFN’s recent capital opportunities assessment for WA state.  

As for what comes next for our founders:

Sarah Rathbone will launch FWD Group. Beginning in September 2026, FWD Group will take on new clients and projects with visionaries, founders, and institutions seeking clarity on strategy, long‑range vision, and full capital‑stack potential. The firm supports “capital allocators” — including family foundations, community foundations, and individual philanthropists — to align investment and grantmaking strategies with mission, values, and long‑term impact. This next chapter builds directly on the insights, relationships, and systems‑level perspective developed through Co‑Stellar.

Sarah is proud to partner with the Creative Economy Finance Network (Alice Loy & Mike Young) as a Washington State ambassador helping to build better capital infrastructure for our creative economy. As a member of the statewide Creative Economy Coalition (Wheelhouse) and supporter of Seattle Creates' incubator and business accelerator - she is committed to keep moving this work FORWARD! 

Abe Claiborne will continue his work through 2Doors Management, helping artists scope and navigate the realities of the music business with clarity and care. A foremost expert in music‑sector nonprofits, Abe will build on his deep board experience both locally and internationally. His gift for translating creative vision into reality — grounded in a rare fluency across both for‑profit and nonprofit worlds — will continue to shape the careers of artists and the evolution of arts organizations worldwide. He will also advance international cultural exchange, strengthening connections between creative communities across borders.

To everyone who partnered with us, challenged us, and believed in this vision — thank you. 

Our Co‑Stellar constellation is a beautiful thing! This work will continue in parallel and in partnership with the many people reshaping what’s possible for the creative economy.