LA

We find the best founders globally and prepare them for accelerators, investment and revenue.

Waitlist
Applications open
Jul 15, 2026
Applications close
Sep 15, 2026
Program starts
Oct 1, 2026
Demo day
Early December
Delivery style
In-Person

You're Invited to Demo Day!
Join us to celebrate our Spring 2026 cohort, hear our startups pitch, and connect with fellow ecosystem leaders.

Join Demo Days

Meet the Spring 2026 Startups

Lately

https://www.lately.la/
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Lately helps salons and spas fill their last-minute openings; currently the way we do this is offering these spots at a discount and as we expand we ultimately will be the customer acquisition toolkit that solo beauty pros need, whether that's filling last-minute openings at a discount or simply an added discovery engine.
Marketplaces, Beauty
Close
Company Logo

Lately

Our Website
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Lately helps salons and spas fill their last-minute openings; currently the way we do this is offering these spots at a discount and as we expand we ultimately will be the customer acquisition toolkit that solo beauty pros need, whether that's filling last-minute openings at a discount or simply an added discovery engine.
Marketplaces, Beauty
Sales Motion:
B2B2C
Revenue Model:
Marketplaces
Investment Stage:
Friends & Family
Revenue Stage:
Post-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

Zoooom Inc.

https://zoooom.me
Cerritos, California, United States
Zoooom is building the financial infrastructure for private-party car sales, enabling buyers and sellers to verify identities and vehicles, access financing, and complete secure transactions without a dealer in the middle.
Fintech, Automotive
Close
Company Logo

Zoooom Inc.

Our Website
Cerritos, California, United States
Zoooom is building the financial infrastructure for private-party car sales, enabling buyers and sellers to verify identities and vehicles, access financing, and complete secure transactions without a dealer in the middle.
Fintech, Automotive
Sales Motion:
B2B, B2C, Marketplace, P2P
Revenue Model:
Marketplaces
Investment Stage:
Friends & Family
Revenue Stage:
Post-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

The Unravel Network

http://unravel.network
Los Angeles, California, United States
Unravel flips who pays for advertising; communities pool small contributions to fund reviewed campaigns for nonprofits and creators who cannot afford reach, we score every campaign with our proprietary Trust Score before a dollar is spent, then run it as targeted paid social to persuadable audiences beyond one's current social circle.
Adtech, Consumer Internet, Creator Tools, Edtech, Martech, Marketplaces
Close
Company Logo

The Unravel Network

Our Website
Los Angeles, California, United States
Unravel flips who pays for advertising; communities pool small contributions to fund reviewed campaigns for nonprofits and creators who cannot afford reach, we score every campaign with our proprietary Trust Score before a dollar is spent, then run it as targeted paid social to persuadable audiences beyond one's current social circle.
Adtech, Consumer Internet, Creator Tools, Edtech, Martech, Marketplaces
Sales Motion:
B2B2C, Marketplace
Revenue Model:
Services/Fee for Service
Investment Stage:
Pre-Seed
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

F-U Cancer Inc

http://fucancer.health
Irvine, CA, United States
F-U Cancer is building RiseStrong, a digital supportive oncology platform for people with cancer and their caregivers; we close the critical gap between medical treatment and everyday care by identifying supportive-care needs early and delivering personalized nutrition, movement, symptom, emotional health, and caregiver support at scale.
Healthtech, Healthcare, Biotech
Close
Company Logo

F-U Cancer Inc

Our Website
Irvine, CA, United States
F-U Cancer is building RiseStrong, a digital supportive oncology platform for people with cancer and their caregivers; we close the critical gap between medical treatment and everyday care by identifying supportive-care needs early and delivering personalized nutrition, movement, symptom, emotional health, and caregiver support at scale.
Healthtech, Healthcare, Biotech
Sales Motion:
B2B2C, Enterprise
Revenue Model:
Subscription
Investment Stage:
Pre-Seed
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

kwieri.ai

www.kwieri.ai
Redondo Beach, CA, United States
Human Quality Control for AI Work - Patent-protected platform that pairs AI with real-time human expertise
Software, SaaS
Close
Company Logo

kwieri.ai

Our Website
Redondo Beach, CA, United States
Human Quality Control for AI Work - Patent-protected platform that pairs AI with real-time human expertise
Software, SaaS
Sales Motion:
B2B, Enterprise
Revenue Model:
Subscription with Metered Services
Investment Stage:
Pre-Seed
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Pre-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

Imperium Care

www.imperiumcare.com
Los Angeles, California, United States
Imperium Care is a healthtech platform connecting older adults with trained pre-healthcare student caregivers, expanding reliable in-home support while creating paid pathways into healthcare careers.
Health & Wellness
Close
Company Logo

Imperium Care

Our Website
Los Angeles, California, United States
Imperium Care is a healthtech platform connecting older adults with trained pre-healthcare student caregivers, expanding reliable in-home support while creating paid pathways into healthcare careers.
Health & Wellness
Sales Motion:
B2B2C
Revenue Model:
Services/Fee for Service
Investment Stage:
Pre-Seed
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Pre-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

Meet the Program Team

Mentor image

Name

Chief Officer

Name

Chief Officer

Name

Chief Officer

Name

Chief Officer

Name

Chief Officer
Program Leaders

Paul

Shustak

Director
Program Leaders

Christina

Wilson

Director
Program Leaders

Jordan

Syms

Director

About Us

Actionable insights, friendly mentors, and a global network that's coveniently packaged in a 6-week program.

Proven Outcomes
‍
During our 8 years, our mentor-driven, structured program has helped over 600 startups transition from validating their idea to building a scalable, impactful business. Our alumni have raised over $400M in funding and are accepted into premier accelerators such as Y Combinator, Techstars, and a16z.

‍Impact Focused
‍
We're committed to enhancing startup ecosystem accessibility, with 80% of our startups founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs.

‍Founder Friendly
‍
Requiring no equity and no fees, our 6-week program is designed for busy founders with limited budgets.

Illustrative image of a startup's journey.

Investors in our alumni include

Kleiner Perkins logoPlug and Play logo
Techstars logoWavemaker logoWayra logoY Combinator logo
Alchemist accelerator logoCrane logoMass Challenge logoMucker Lab logoRough Draft VC logo

Perks Over $200k
with Partners Including

1Password logoAWS logoBamboo HR logoBrex logoGoogle for Startups logoHubSpot for Startups logoSegment logoStripe logoUnbounce logoZendesk for startups logo

Founder Core Experience

Shot from above of startup founders sitting around a table working and dialoging.

Proven Outcomes

During our 8 years, our mentor-driven, structured program has helped over 600 startups transition from validating their idea to building a scalable, impactful business. Our alumni have raised over $400M in funding and are accepted into premier accelerators such as Y Combinator, Techstars, and a16z.

Impact Focused

‍Impact Focused:  We're committed to enhancing startup ecosystem accessibility, with 80% of our startups founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Founder Friendly

Requiring no equity and no fees, our 6-week program is designed for busy founders with limited budgets.

Logistics and Expectations for our Program
Work 1-1 with startup ecosystem leaders, serial entrepreneurs, and industry-defining thought experts. Focus and execute on the tasks that will move the needle the most.  Cohorts are carefully selected for cohesiveness, with about 10 startup companies selected per location.

Time Commitment
6 weeks of 3-hr Weekly Focus Sessions plus additional 5 hours per week for deliverables.

Location:
In-Person, Virtual, or Hybrid. Please check your chapter's application page.

Weekly Focus Sessions
Action-driven fundamentals that focus on the key success drivers for early-stage companies.  Network with all global program participants at the Global Kickoff Event.

Investor-Facing Pitch Opportunities
The cohort culminates with a local Demo Day. Showcase your startup at the twice-yearly Global Investor Showcase.

Startups that are a Good Fit
Tech-based, scalable business across all verticals.  Small, dedicated teams.  Initial customer traction.  Diverse, underrepresented founder teams are encouraged to apply.

Weekly Focus Sessions

One-on-One Mentorship

Expert Speakers

Pitch Coaching

Week 1: Customer Development & Problem-Solution Fit
People in a meeting

Define your Ideal Customer Profile

Learn the best practices for collecting, analyzing and acting on customer feedback in an objective manner to refine your product offering.
* Refine your customer persona using demographic and psychographic data
* Capture feedback and prioritize feature roadmap without scope creep
* Metrics to assess product value delivery

Week 2: Pitch Deck and Delivery Mastery
Founders preparing a pitch

Pitch with Confidence

Create a pitch that investors will remember - and fund. Learn the top skills to tell your story in an increasingly competitive funding landscape.
* Create a concise and compelling 3-minute pitch
* Highlight your unique value proposition that shows why your product is better, faster, or more innovative
* Deliver an engaging pitch with confidence

Week 3: Market Entry and Market Capture
Founders brainstorming

Showcase your Market Opportunity

Evaluate your TAM, SAM, SOM and identify fiscally viable adjacent markets for expansion.
* How to niche down your industry to find early adopters
* Go-To-Market strategies that build on your early traction
* Testing and optimizing customer acquisition channels

Week 4: Finding Product-Market-Fit
Founders brainstorming

Build a Lovable Product

Learn the keys to building a product that impacts your customers in a lasting way.
* Identify growth-loop tactics to increase customer adoption and retention
* Balancing quick iterations against long-term scalability
* Measuring PMF and customer success

Week 5: Investment Landscape and Fundraising Strategy
Founder working on his laptop

Plan your Methodical Investment Strategy

Identify the key drivers in the current investment landscape, how to position your company in a way that compels investors, and determine your initial raise strategy.
* Identify the different funding methods for startups, with pros and cons for each method
* Define your Ideal Investor Profile and how to source potential investors
* How to prepare for due diligence and investor questions

Week 6: Venture Funding and Accelerators
Founders during a presentation

Prepare for your Next Milestones

Learn about the different resources available within your local startup ecosystem and how to identify the best resources for each stage of your business growth.
* Determine how your fundraising strategy andneeds change as you scale
* How to assess the right accelerator for your continued growth
* Analyzing equity dilution and exit scenarios

Track Record

In 8 years, we've had the following impact on pre-seed founders.

An image referring to seed capital.

$400M

Funding Raised
An image of People of Color in an office.

80%

Startups have an Underrepresented Founder
An image of the Earth.

20+

Programs Globally
Founders holding hands.

2000+

Founders in our community

Investors and Accelerators for our Alumni

Kleiner Perkins logoPlug And Play logoTechstars logoWavemaker logoWayra logoY Combinator logo
Alchemist Accelerator logoCrane logoMass Challenge logoMucker Lab logoRough Draft VC logo

Program Partners

Global Accelerator Network (GAN) logoF6S logoTechstars logo
Sponsors logos
Sponsors logos

FoundersBoost Ecosystem Partners

Global Accelerator Network (GAN) logoF6S logoTechstars logo
Image of two Mobile Phones displaying the FoundersBoostX community platform.

Community

FoundersBoostX helps any early stage founder anywhere take the best next step in building their startup.

Here, you'll find a library of over 35 on-demand workshops to help you bring your startup to the next level.

Become a member

Get in Touch

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