We believe that the more connected to a problem you are, the better positioned you are to do something about it. But we also know that it can be hard to access the support and resources to translate your experiences into an idea, and ultimately an impactful company.
That's where we come in. Our Founder Studio is built to cofound companies with people who understand the types of problems that come up around kitchen tables - things like keeping a small business afloat, finding and keeping a great paying job, having a stable place to live, and juggling kids and work.
We help you explore these problems deeply and build a company you are uniquely suited to start. We then invest in the best concepts to run pilots and help you transition to building an impactful company full-time.
Selected individuals will participate in our 3-month program, following a structured process to translate your experience into an idea that can become an impactful company.
We spend the first month exploring who you are and what you know - understanding what problem you are best positioned to solve and where there is an opportunity for a business.
We spend the next month working with you to define the opportunity. What need are you filling? What isn't working about the current solutions? What value could be unlocked?
We spend the last month working with you to brainstorm and test solutions and business models. We will help you build prototypes, talk to potential customers, and model how the business could work.
At the end of the three months, we'll make an investment offer to founders who can take advantage of working with our Beta City Fund to launch an MVP and transition to working on their company full time.
We will work closely with you to build out your pilot plans, focus on the best assumptions to test, and develop a first version of your product with low/no-code tools. We'll help you pitch our South Bend network to secure early customers and partners.
We'll offer a $20k - $50k investment to help you transition to building your company full time and work with you to define a funding path for your company that aligns with what matters to you.
We love betting on people that have a history of starting things, but haven't yet found the company they want to start. By working together before you have an idea, we can be true co-founders and help you build a business that lies at the intersection of the problems you feel connected to and the skills and experience you bring to the table.
These are the kinds of problems that show up in people's lives on a daily basis and really matter to solve. We focus on areas that that connect to things like financial health, employment, childcare, transportation and small business. Not only are these problems critical to solve for a majority of Americans, but they also represent big opportunities for impactful businesses.
We believe small and mid-size cities can act as co-founders. They have deep knowledge about problems that affect people's daily lives, and over 40% of the US population lives in places like this. Their networks of trust, knowledge, and desire to spur entrepreneurship and innovation make them ideal partners for motivated potential founders to tackle tough problems and build impactful businesses.
We love betting on people that have a history of starting things, but haven't yet found the company they want to start. By working together before you have an idea, we can be true co-founders and help you build a business that lies at the intersection of the problems you feel connected to and the skills and experience you bring to the table.
We believe small and mid-size cities can act as co-founders. They have deep knowledge about problems that affect people's daily lives, and over 40% of the US population lives in places like this. Their networks of trust, knowledge, and desire to spur entrepreneurship and innovation make them ideal partners for motivated potential founders to tackle tough problems and build impactful businesses.
These are the kinds of problems that show up in people's lives on a daily basis and really matter to solve. We focus on areas that that connect to things like financial health, employment, childcare, transportation and small business. Not only are these problems critical to solve for a majority of Americans, but they also represent big opportunities for impactful businesses.