10 weeks.
Go from idea to conviction.
With a community of exceptional founders.
Apply now for the next cohort
What To Expect
Structured programming around discovering what to build & validating it with market feedback.
Weekly lunch & learns: time for fireside chats with founders who’ve navigated the -1 to 0 stage.
You’ll also ship, iterate & share your progress over these intimate lunch sessions for feedback from other builders, operators and founders.
The best learning happens with others.
Afore Advisors: a 1:1 mentor that is partnered with you to help you get to traction faster.
FIR Community: Build alongside 5-10 other early-stage builders focused and shipping weekly.
Afore Founders: Learn from over 50+ founders within the portfolio who’ve navigated your stage.
The best learning happens with others.
Afore Advisors: a 1:1 mentor that is partnered with you to help you get to traction faster.
FIR Community: Build alongside 5-10 other early-stage builders focused and shipping weekly.
Afore Founders: Learn from over 50+ founders within the portfolio who’ve navigated your stage.
Discover what to build, through structured programming and market feedback
Weekly lunch & learns: time for fireside chats with founders who’ve navigated the -1 to 0 stage.
Structured programming: An exploration process designed to help you make weekly progress, with accountability, market feedback and structure.
The best learning happens with others.
Afore Advisors: Dedicated mentors who are partnered with you to help get to traction faster.
Office Space: Have dedicated office space in South Park for your company to work out of.
Afore Founders: Learn from over 50+ founders within the portfolio who’ve navigated your stage.
Ready to start? We’ll be your first cheque
Funding: Get to conviction and kicking off a fundraise? Afore will invest $100K.
Angels: Bring on relevant angels to help your company succeed via Afore's Common-App network.
OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉 & OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉 OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉 & OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉
OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉 & OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉 OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉 & OFFICE SPACE FOR YOU IN SOUTH PARK, SAN FRANCISCO 🌉
HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR FIRs
PRE-SEED IS WHERE WE THRIVE.
110+
Afore companies
$2B
raised across our founders
$300M+
in AUM for pre-seed
$11B
market cap those founders
10 weeks.
Go from idea to conviction.
APPLY NOW FOR THE NEXT COHORT 💬 APPLY NOW FOR THE NEXT COHORT 💬 APPLY NOW FOR THE NEXT COHORT 💬 APPLY NOW FOR THE NEXT COHORT 💬 APPLY NOW FOR THE NEXT COHORT 💬 APPLY NOW FOR THE NEXT COHORT 💬
APPLICATIONS DUE JULY 31 💬 APPLICATIONS DUE JULY 31 💬 APPLICATIONS DUE JULY 31 💬 APPLICATIONS DUE JULY 31 💬 APPLICATIONS DUE JULY 31 💬 APPLICATIONS DUE JULY 31 💬
10 weeks.
Go from idea to conviction.
With a community of exceptional founders.
Apply now for the next cohort
LEARN FROM FOUNDERS WHO'VE GONE 0 → 1
Alyson Watson
CEO & Founder
Evan Moore
Co-founder
Dan Porter
CEO
Sara Mauskopf
CEO & Co-founder
Mike Vichich
CEO & Co-founder
FAQ
Do I need an idea to apply?
Yes. We believe ideas are ever-changing and evolving but having a point of view on where to start helps those go through the exploration process with more rigor. We fully expect your idea to be refined over time (or even change!)
How much do you invest?
Have you gotten to conviction and you’re ready to start?
Afore will invest at least $100K on an uncapped safe with a Most Favored Nation (“MFN”) provision. You’ll also be able to pitch angel investors during Week 10’s Demo Day.
What is the time commitment?
10 weeks.
Every week there are weekly check-in calls with your cohort, talks, and a partner check-in (5 hr).
In addition to that, it’s encouraged that founders-in-residence work alongside their peers at the office spaces provided in San Francisco between 4 PM to 7PM.
What can I expect in any given week during the FIR program?
The weekly schedule will resemble the following schedule:
- Monday: Weekly cohort check-in call
- Tuesday: Speaker event
- Wednesday: Partner check-in + speaker event IRL in San Francisco
- Friday: End of week check-in
We encourage all FIRs to leverage the office spaces during weekdays & office hours sessions.
Where does the FIR program happen? Do I need to move to San Francisco?
Our program begins and concludes with events based in San Francisco. Throughout the program, we will have a combination of remote Zoom events and IRL events at our offices in South Park, San Francisco.
We encourage you to be located in SF to build alongside the community of other FIRs.
Not based in San Francisco? We’d love to still hear from you. Please apply.
Do I need to be full-time while at the FIR program?
No.
This program is designed for you to explore your idea, assess its viability and build confidence that you want to pursue this idea as a company. We hope you find that conviction to go full-time over the 10 weeks of the FIR program.
How large is the first cohort?
We aim to accept 5 to 8 FIR candidates. Our first cohort will be intentionally small so founders can build a tight-knit community, with personalized attention from the Afore team.
What if I’ve already raised capital?
This program is likely not for you. We help future founders go from idea to conviction.
FIR is an opportunity to gain market feedback, and the conviction that you actually want to pursue this idea as a company. If you’ve raised funding already, we assume you’re further along in your entrepreneurial journey.
Who should apply to Afore’s FIR program?
You should apply if you fit the following mould:
- You’re a technologist (product & engineering) who’s software from the ground up
- You’d like to explore and build conviction around an entrepreneurial idea
- You’d love to work alongside other future founders in a community based session
Our FIRs come from unique backgrounds, whether they’ve been the first employees playing pivotal roles at rocketship companies or have deep domain expertise in refining their technical crafts at companies.
Think you might be a good fit? Apply!
What are the upcoming key application dates and logistics?
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with decisions getting back to customers.
Deadline to apply is July 31, 2023. We’ll kick off the program in San Francisco during the week of August 14th.