We read
every one.
There is no algorithmic screen and no junior associate gate. A studio partner reads each application and scores it against the same signals. This page lists exactly what we look for and what gets a fast no.
From submission to term sheet.
The process is designed to reach a clear yes or no quickly. We do not drag founders through multiple rounds of social calls without evidence.
We ask for the named buyer and the wedge. A work sample is also required. Incomplete applications are not reviewed. The form takes 15–25 minutes if you know the answers.
A studio partner reads the application directly. Roughly 70% are a no at this stage. The decision is based on fit, not polish.
Two or three video calls with operators. We dig into the buyer, the wedge, the product state, and the founder's ability to ship and sell.
A 60–90 minute working session where we pressure-test the wedge and run a real sales sequence against one target account.
If the evidence holds, we issue a standardized term sheet: 15% common equity and a build-value SAFE. Legal close follows within two weeks.
What moves you forward.
These are the signals we weight when we read an application. The first four are required. The rest make the case stronger.
We do not build toward a persona. We need a specific buyer title at a specific type of account, plus the founder's permission to sequence outbound.
The first sale must be small and obvious. A broad platform pitch is a sign the experiment is not scoped tightly enough.
The founder must be able to ship without a hired engineering team in the first 90 days. We accept technical co-founders.
The cohort is not compatible with fractional work, side consulting, or another full-time job. The experiment moves too fast.
Founders who flag stalled pilots and real constraints early perform better. We look for evidence-based honesty, not performance optimism.
We accept founders from any timezone if they can overlap at least four hours with the operating team during the work week.
Healthtech clinics, marketing agencies, and similar buyers move faster than enterprise procurement. We avoid regulated sales cycles that need 12 months to close.
We back founders who want to run the company. We do not replace CEOs and we do not install operators in operating roles without founder consent.
What stops the process.
A fast no is not a judgment on the founder. It means the current application does not fit the experiment format.
- No named buyer
A vague ICP or a broad market is not enough. We need a real account list and a real buyer title.
- Part-time or fractional commitment
Founders who cannot commit full-time will not keep pace with the cohort.
- Fundraising now
We discourage active fundraising during the experiment. Premature investor conversations distort the evidence.
- Services or agency model
We build repeatable B2B software, not consultancies. Custom services revenue is not the same as product revenue.
- No wedge or unclear first sale
If the first 90 days cannot be scoped to a single, small sale, the experiment is not ready.
- Geographic immobility
We are global, but the founder must overlap at least four hours with the operating team. Fully nocturnal schedules do not work.
Credentials that do not count.
We do not score applications on pedigree or presentation. The evidence we want is cheap and hard to fake.
- Pedigree
- We do not weight schools, employers, or previous startup logos. The buyer list matters more than the resume.
- Deck quality
- A beautiful pitch deck is not evidence. We would rather see a messy prototype and a real email thread with a buyer.
- Total addressable market
- Big TAM slides do not impress us. We care about the first ten accounts and the path to the first hundred.
- Prior capital raised
- Having raised before is neither a plus nor a minus. The current wedge and the current buyer are what matter.
Buyer · Wedge · Speed · Honesty.
Every application is read through four questions. If the answers are strong, we move to diligence. If they are weak or missing, we pass.
Is there a named buyer title and a reachable account list? Do you already have conversations or pilots in progress?
Is the first sale small, specific, and defensible? Can we test it in 90 days?
Can you ship weekly, meet twice a week, and decide within 24 hours? Is the calendar clear for 90 days?
Do you tell us what is actually broken? We prefer founders who flag risks over founders who sell us a dream.