Go from idea to conviction.

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A residency for the most ambitious founders in the -1 to 0 stage.
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Build alongside a network of prospective customers.
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Flexible capital, designed to fuel your company.
Apply
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Who you are

A student, part-time tinkerer or working full-time on exploring ideas. The earlier the better.
Ambitious with a bias towards iterating with users.
Focused on getting to traction with your company.
Self-motivated and excited to build alongside a community of incredibly bright and driven founders.
Currently in college or graduated recently? Apply for Founders-in-Residence University instead.

The Afore Residency

Hands-on 1:1 support focused on accelerating you to PMF.
Afore Hive: access to our network of 10,000+ prospective customers and design partners.
A selective, curated group of 5-8 FIR teams will join the residency.
Flexible funding - we will invest $100K or more.

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MEET OUR FIRs

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"FIR program is the ideal solution to take you from -1 to 0. Jack, Anamitra and the Afore team offer invaluable feedback during our weekly demos. The FIR program really sped up our MVP idea by working right by the Afore office daily."

Kathryn Wu & Richard He

Co-founders, Openmart

Three yellow vertical bars forming a stylized logo element on a transparent background.Black rectangular text box with white text reading 'F3'.Stylized cartoon illustration of a bee with large eyes, smiling and flying, with visible wings and blue stripes on its yellow body.
Three yellow vertical bars forming a stylized logo element on a transparent background.Black rectangular text box with white text reading 'F3'.Stylized cartoon illustration of a bee with large eyes, smiling and flying, with visible wings and blue stripes on its yellow body.
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"FiR helped us to get clarity. Steeve, Anamitra, Derrick and the rest of the team are experienced mentors and past operators who know  the art of going from 0 to 1. Loved working with a small close knit community of founders"

Rutvik Rau, Thomas Bueler & Joe Thomas

Co-founders, Vec-Flow

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“FIR was a great way to get started and meet other extremely smart founders to learn from. The team gave fantastic intros to customers and advisors that helped us get off the ground. Afore was the first to believe in us and we’ll never forget that.”

Vikram Jayanthi & Shankar Krishnan

Co-founders, PromptArmor

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“It’s the best place for an idea stage founder to generate momentum, have accountability, and learn from other founders.”

Akash Samant

Co-founder, Milk AI.

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Whiteboard with handwritten text and simple diagrams, including arrows and boxes, representing a flow or process.Black and white horizontal striped ribbon with a round pin featuring a smaller horizontal black and white striped pattern.
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“Loved the weekly IRL sessions and accelerated learnings with a tight-knit group of founders. FIR helped me build momentum in prototyping,
speaking to users, and getting rapid feedback
from the Afore network!”

Claudia Zhao

Founder-in-Residence Spring 2023

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Close-up of a hand holding a 3D accuracy drawing compass used for technical drawing and geometry.A cup of black coffee on a saucer next to a croissant on a wooden table.
Young man in a black tuxedo with a bow tie smiling outdoors with trees and sky in the background.

"The FIR program is an amazing start to any founder's journey. Steeve and the Afore team were great at helping me build conviction, iterate faster, and meet the right people. They know how to help early founders accelerate!"

Harish Kamath

Co-founder, Wordband

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Black and white pixelated pattern resembling an abstract maze or digital noise on a white background.Black silhouette of a right hand with the index finger pointing to the right, accompanied by three curved lines indicating motion.
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"Incredible program working with a talented and experienced team- Afore FIR helped me reach conviction, I got to learn from some incredible fellow founders, and Afore has valuable niche insight into consumer/growth and a never-ending network. Can't recommend it enough."

Nikita Agarwal

Founder-in-Residence Fall 2023

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“It’s the best place for an idea stage founder to generate momentum, have accountability, and learn from other founders.”

Jon Khaykin

Co-founder, Benbase

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Minimalist black and white abstract shape with horizontal black lines and a small vertical black rectangle.Three yellow vertical bars forming a stylized logo element on a transparent background.
Smiling young man with short black hair, wearing a black jacket, with green plants and a blurred office background.

“LOREM IPSUM AMAZING QUOTE ABOUT FIR LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM”

SOHAN CHOUDHURY

Co-founder of Flint K-12, FIR Cohort #1

Smiling woman with long black hair standing outdoors with the sea and sky in the background.

“LOREM IPSUM AMAZING QUOTE ABOUT FIR LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM”

SOHAN CHOUDHURY

Co-founder of Flint K-12, FIR Cohort #1

Smiling young man with short brown hair and round glasses against a plain light background.

“LOREM IPSUM AMAZING QUOTE ABOUT FIR LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM LOREM IPSUM”

SOHAN CHOUDHURY

Co-founder of Flint K-12, FIR Cohort #1

What To Expect

Curriculum

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.

Community

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.

Capital

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.

Curriculum

Get you to your first 5 customers.

Afore Hive: Access to 10,000+ potential users and design partners, via our product for founders

Bespoke programming: Fireside chats, 1:1 whiteboarding sessions, pitch practice and more — custom built to fit your company's needs and working style.

Community

Learn from other exceptional founders.

Afore Advisors: A relevant, bespoke 1:1 mentor who are partnered with you to help get to traction faster.

FIR Community: Sit & ship side-by-side with 5 to 8 exceptional builders.

Afore Founders: Learn from 100+ founders who've gone -1 to 0 with Afore.

Capital

We'll be your first believers.

Flexible Funding: We'll invest at least $100K to leading your pre-seed round, whatever is best for the stage of your company.

Angels & Advisors: We'll find relevant angels who will Increase your chance of succeeding via our Common-App Network.

Pre-seed is where we thrive

100+

Afore founders

$2b

raised across our founders

34x

follows every $1 Afore invests

65%

of follow-on $ from intros Afore made
Logos of companies BetterUp, Petal, neo, Flatfile, and kubecost arranged horizontally on colorful vertical panels.

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

Grid of colorful blocks displaying logos and names of companies including BetterUp, Flatfile, Petal, kubecost, neo, hightouch, BenchSci, OVERTIME, MODERN HEALTH, and pomelo.
Row of five colorful vertical panels with company logos: hightouch, Modern Health, BenchSci, Overtime, and pomelo.

We're in the business of heavy metal company building

BenchSci company logo with stylized circular icon and text.
“Thanks to Afore, we were able to
land our first big partnership with
Moderna which helped us in our
earliest days.”
$215M+ in total funding raised
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Liran Belenzoh

CEO, BenchSci

Security shield icon with a check mark on a white background.
“Afore led our pre-seed round and
we worked with them to refine
our product via introductions to
Gamma and Highnote as customers.”
$2.7M+ from Afore and angels
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Sam Seely

CEO, Knock

Iterative company logo with colorful interlocking shapes followed by the word 'iterative'.
“We met BenchSci within the Afore
portfolio, who later on became one
of our first customers.”
$25M+ raised in funding
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Dmitry Petrov

CEO, Iterative

Orange and white headphone icon in a circular shape on a black background.
“We powered Modern Health's virtual
conference, who we met through
Afore. They took a chance on us
early and we delivered for them.”
$40M+ total funding raised
Smiling young man with dark curly hair wearing a dark blazer and light blue shirt on a bright turquoise background.

Kishore Kothandaraman

Co-founder, Goldcast

BenchSci company logo with stylized circular icon and text.
“Thanks to Afore, we were able to
land our first big partnership with
Moderna which helped us in our
earliest days.”
$215M+ in total funding raised
Headshot of a man with short curly hair and a beard against an orange background.

Liran Belenzoh

CEO, BenchSci

Security shield icon with a check mark on a white background.
“Afore led our pre-seed round and
we worked with them to refine
our product via introductions to
Gamma and Highnote as customers.”
$2.7M+ from Afore and angels
Portrait of a young man with short brown hair and beard, wearing a white shirt, against a bright green background.

Sam Seely

CEO, Knock

Iterative company logo with colorful interlocking shapes followed by the word 'iterative'.
“We met BenchSci within the Afore
portfolio, who later on became one
of our first customers.”
$25M+ raised in funding
Smiling man with glasses and short hair against a purple background.

Dmitry Petrov

CEO, Iterative

Orange and white headphone icon in a circular shape on a black background.
“We powered Modern Health's virtual
conference, who we met through
Afore. They took a chance on us
early and we delivered for them.”
$40M+ total funding raised
Smiling young man with dark curly hair wearing a dark blazer and light blue shirt on a bright turquoise background.

Kishore Kothandaraman

Co-founder, Goldcast

$2B raised from the best investors
to fuel Afore's founders

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10 weeks.
Go from idea to conviction.

APPLY
Week of aug 14
Kickoff!
Week of Aug 21
MARKET DISCOVERY
Week of Sept 4
What should I build?
Week of Sept 18
How to ask for user feedback?
Week of Sept 25
Positioning your killer feature
Week of Oct 2
How to communicate
Week of Oct 9
How to close a pilot customer
Week of Oct 15
PITCH! 🎉
Wrapping up with FIR Day investors, founders and friends of Afore on Week 10  🎉

Learn directly from founders who've gone FROM IDEA TO CONVICTION

Smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing layered gold necklaces and a light blue top.

Alyson Watson

CEO & FOUNDER
Blue and dark gray stylized letter M logo with three sidelights to the left.
Series D, with over $170M raised
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Evan Moore

CO-FOUNDER
DoorDash company logo in red with a stylized 'D' symbol on the left.
Publicly listed as NASDAQ:DASH
Man wearing glasses looking to the side with a thoughtful expression.

Dan Porter

CEO
Horizontal black and white waveform pattern with irregular peaks on a transparent background.
Series D, with over $250M raised
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a blue floral dress outdoors.

Sara Mauskopf

CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Blue lowercase text spelling the word 'winnie' on a white background.
Series A with over $15M raised
Smiling man with short brown hair and beard wearing a dark blazer and light blue shirt in front of green foliage.

Mike Vichich

CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Wisely company logo.
Acquired by NYSE: OLO for $187M
Portrait of a man with gray hair wearing a dark blazer and white shirt, smiling softly against a light background.

Arpit Goel

Gamma Networks acq. by Palo Alto Networks
Logo featuring a stylized letter G made of connected purple dots with the word 'Gamma' in black next to it.
Acquired by Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW)
Black and white minimalist line drawing of a person's face with short, messy hair and simple facial features.

Ivan Zhao

Mayhem acq. by Niantic
White barcode on a black background.
Acquired by Niantic Labs
Smiling man with short brown hair wearing a gray jacket against a plain gray background.

Paul Klein

Streamclub acq. by Mux
Logo with stylized letters M, U, and X in a gradient of orange to red.
Acquired by Mux
Smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing layered gold necklaces and a light blue top.

Alyson Watson

CEO & Founder
Blue and dark gray stylized letter M logo with three sidelights to the left.
Series D with over $170M raised
Smiling young man with dark hair wearing a light blue shirt against a blue tiled background.

Evan Moore

Co-founder
DoorDash company logo in red with a stylized 'D' symbol on the left.
Publicly listed as NASDAQ: DASH
Man wearing glasses looking to the side with a thoughtful expression.

Dan Porter

CEO
Horizontal black and white waveform pattern with irregular peaks on a transparent background.
Series D with over $250M raised
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a blue floral dress outdoors.

Sara Mauskopf

CEO & Co-founder
Blue lowercase text spelling the word 'winnie' on a white background.
Series A with over $15M raised
Smiling man with short brown hair and beard wearing a dark blazer and light blue shirt in front of green foliage.

Mike Vichich

CEO & Co-founder
Wisely company logo.
Acquired by NYSE: OLO for $187M
Portrait of a man with gray hair wearing a dark blazer and white shirt, smiling softly against a light background.

Arpit Goel

Founder and CEO
Logo featuring a stylized letter G made of connected purple dots with the word 'Gamma' in black next to it.
Acquired by Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW)
Smiling man with glasses and short dark hair in an outdoor setting.

Ivan Zhao

Mayhem acq.
Founder
White stylized fox head inside a hexagon on an orange background.
Acquired by Niantic Labs
Smiling man with short brown hair wearing a gray jacket against a plain gray background.

Paul Klein

Founder
StreamClub logo with a stylized white circular design featuring a play button inside on a black background.
Acquired by Mux
Smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing layered gold necklaces and a light blue top.

Alyson Watson

CEO & Founder
Blue and dark gray stylized letter M logo with three sidelights to the left.
Series D with over $170M raised
Smiling young man with dark hair wearing a light blue shirt against a blue tiled background.

Evan Moore

Co-founder
DoorDash company logo in red with a stylized 'D' symbol on the left.
Publicly listed as NASDAQ: DASH
Man wearing glasses looking to the side with a thoughtful expression.

Dan Porter

CEO
Horizontal black and white waveform pattern with irregular peaks on a transparent background.
Series D with over $250M raised
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a blue floral dress outdoors.

Sara Mauskopf

CEO & Co-founder
Blue lowercase text spelling the word 'winnie' on a white background.
Series A with over $15M raised
Smiling man with short brown hair and beard wearing a dark blazer and light blue shirt in front of green foliage.

Mike Vichich

CEO & Co-founder
Wisely company logo.
Acquired by NYSE: OLO for $187M
Portrait of a man with gray hair wearing a dark blazer and white shirt, smiling softly against a light background.

Arpit Goel

Founder and CEO
Logo featuring a stylized letter G made of connected purple dots with the word 'Gamma' in black next to it.
Acquired by Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW)
Smiling man with glasses and short dark hair in an outdoor setting.

Ivan Zhao

Mayhem acq.
Founder
White stylized fox head inside a hexagon on an orange background.
Acquired by Niantic Labs
Smiling man with short brown hair wearing a gray jacket against a plain gray background.

Paul Klein

Founder
StreamClub logo with a stylized white circular design featuring a play button inside on a black background.
Acquired by Mux
Smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing layered gold necklaces and a light blue top.

Alyson Watson

CEO & Founder
Blue and dark gray stylized letter M logo with three sidelights to the left.
Series D with over $170M raised
Smiling young man with dark hair wearing a light blue shirt against a blue tiled background.

Evan Moore

Co-founder
DoorDash company logo in red with a stylized 'D' symbol on the left.
Publicly listed as NASDAQ: DASH
Man wearing glasses looking to the side with a thoughtful expression.

Dan Porter

CEO
Horizontal black and white waveform pattern with irregular peaks on a transparent background.
Series D with over $250M raised
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a blue floral dress outdoors.

Sara Mauskopf

CEO & Co-founder
Blue lowercase text spelling the word 'winnie' on a white background.
Series A with over $15M raised
Smiling man with short brown hair and beard wearing a dark blazer and light blue shirt in front of green foliage.

Mike Vichich

CEO & Co-founder
Wisely company logo.
Acquired by NYSE: OLO for $187M
Portrait of a man with gray hair wearing a dark blazer and white shirt, smiling softly against a light background.

Arpit Goel

Founder and CEO
Logo featuring a stylized letter G made of connected purple dots with the word 'Gamma' in black next to it.
Acquired by Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW)
Smiling man with glasses and short dark hair in an outdoor setting.

Ivan Zhao

Mayhem acq.
Founder
White stylized fox head inside a hexagon on an orange background.
Acquired by Niantic Labs
Smiling man with short brown hair wearing a gray jacket against a plain gray background.

Paul Klein

Founder
StreamClub logo with a stylized white circular design featuring a play button inside on a black background.
Acquired by Mux

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  💬  

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10 weeks.

Go from idea to conviction.
With a community of exceptional founders.

Apply now for the next cohort

FAQ

How many Founders-in-Residence do you invite?

You'll be joining an exclusive group of 5-8 tight knit, high-caliber FIRs in summer 2024.

Who should apply to join Afore as a FIR?

We back talented FIRs who are self-motivated and ship and iterate with customers daily. This could be a student hacking on projects, or someone tinkering with ideas after work wanting to take the leap on an idea.

‍

No one is too early, and none of them have full clarity of what they’re building on day 1 — but all of them leave, going from idea to conviction.

Do you back solo founders or teams?

Both! We’ll also help you find a co-founder — just let us know in the application above.

How much do you invest?

At least $100K — we’re flexible and want to give you ample capital to get to the next stage.

When does the next residency kick off?

We kick off in summer 2024 and wrap up around ten weeks later.

What can you expect week to week?

We meet over lunch once per week, where we share demos, ask for help and get feedback. Oftentimes, founders who’ve gone through the -1 to 0 stage join us for these demos.

Is the Afore residency in-person?

Yes — we’ll be sitting side by side with our FIRs ready to help in South Park, San Francisco. We recognize all teams can’t make it there so we encourage you to apply nonetheless.

Am I too early?

No! We’ve worked with 100+ founders over the last 7 years, many of whom have nothing more than the will to start a company with a Google doc of ideas, or scrappy demos they’re tinkering with.

‍
We enjoy the heavy metal company building phase and want to partner with you from the earliest days.

‍

I want to help with FIR. How can I get in touch?

We’d love to hear from you! Email jack@afore.vc