NYC

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

SparkLift

sparklift.ai
New York, NY, United States
Agentic design tool for 3D.
3D technology, AI / ML, AR / VR, Art, Animation, Creator Tools, Entertainment, Gaming, Interior Design, Manufacturing, Media, SaaS
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Company Logo

SparkLift

Our Website
New York, NY, United States
Agentic design tool for 3D.
3D technology, AI / ML, AR / VR, Art, Animation, Creator Tools, Entertainment, Gaming, Interior Design, Manufacturing, Media, SaaS
Sales Motion:
B2B, B2C
Revenue Model:
Subscription with Metered Services
Investment Stage:
Friends & Family
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

DUKE Analytics

https://duke-analytics.com
Saint Paul, Reunion, France
DUKE turns business questions into verified answers and ready-to-approve actions, on the data tools companies already use.
Analytics, AI / ML, Big Data
Close
Company Logo

DUKE Analytics

Our Website
Saint Paul, Reunion, France
DUKE turns business questions into verified answers and ready-to-approve actions, on the data tools companies already use.
Analytics, AI / ML, Big Data
Sales Motion:
B2B
Revenue Model:
Subscription
Investment Stage:
Friends & Family
Revenue Stage:
Post-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

Sapphi

https://www.sapphi.app/
New York, NY, United States
Sapphi is a location-based, sex-positive social discovery app for the lesbian, queer, and trans community combining digital connection and real life experiences.
Consumer Internet, Event Management
Close
Company Logo

Sapphi

Our Website
New York, NY, United States
Sapphi is a location-based, sex-positive social discovery app for the lesbian, queer, and trans community combining digital connection and real life experiences.
Consumer Internet, Event Management
Sales Motion:
B2B, B2C
Revenue Model:
Transaction Fee and/or Rental
Investment Stage:
Friends & Family
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

Second Seat AI

https://www.secondseat.ai/
New York, New York, United States
We are making a tool to help in every aspect of a criminal law case.
Legaltech
Close
Company Logo

Second Seat AI

Our Website
New York, New York, United States
We are making a tool to help in every aspect of a criminal law case.
Legaltech
Sales Motion:
Marketplace
Revenue Model:
Subscription
Investment Stage:
Pre-Seed
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

20xwork

https://20xwork.ai/
New York, NY, United States
20xwork builds AI agents that learn how each employee works and get more from the tools you pay for; enterprises spend $280B a year on AI and the productivity never shows up, so we look at how each employee does their job across the tools they use, and close the gaps in execution.
AI / ML, Enterprise
Close
Company Logo

20xwork

Our Website
New York, NY, United States
20xwork builds AI agents that learn how each employee works and get more from the tools you pay for; enterprises spend $280B a year on AI and the productivity never shows up, so we look at how each employee does their job across the tools they use, and close the gaps in execution.
AI / ML, Enterprise
Sales Motion:
B2B
Revenue Model:
Subscription
Investment Stage:
Pre-Seed
Revenue Stage:
Pre-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-Product

Founding Team

No items found.

Project Stealth

n/a
New York, NY, United States
Project Stealth is an AI work infrastructure that makes agent execution durable, observable, and portable across tools and models.
AI / ML, SaaS
Close
Company Logo

Project Stealth

Our Website
New York, NY, United States
Project Stealth is an AI work infrastructure that makes agent execution durable, observable, and portable across tools and models.
AI / ML, 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.

Naturalness

www.naturalness.ai
San Francisco, California, United States
The operating system for deploying AI inside institutions; we benchmark which AI actually works on a firm's own documents, then deploy and maintain it inside their cloud, starting with real estate.
AI / ML
Close
Company Logo

Naturalness

Our Website
San Francisco, California, United States
The operating system for deploying AI inside institutions; we benchmark which AI actually works on a firm's own documents, then deploy and maintain it inside their cloud, starting with real estate.
AI / ML
Sales Motion:
Enterprise
Revenue Model:
Services/Fee for Service
Investment Stage:
Friends & Family
Revenue Stage:
Post-Revenue
Product Stage:
Post-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

Alex

Meredith

Director
Program Leaders

Matthew

Hooper

Director
Program Leaders

Michelle

Cheng

Program Manager

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
No items found.

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.

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