Fellowships & Investor Programs to validate your idea
Fellowships, grants-for-founders and investor-run programs with a public application. Every listing below helps you validate your idea. Ranked by editor score with what you get and who qualifies.
Updated October 2026 · 3 listings
How to choose fellowships & investor programs to validate your idea
Read the deal terms (cash, equity, SAFE or not), talk to two founders from a recent batch, and check where the last cohort raised money afterwards. Apply early in the window: many programmes review on a rolling basis and fill up before the deadline.
South Park Commons Founder Fellowship 🚀 AcceleratorFree
$400K for 7% on a SAFE plus $600K guaranteed in your next round, for founders still finding their idea.
Z Fellows 🚀 AcceleratorFree
One-week fellowship with an optional $10,000 investment at a $1B cap; rolling applications.
ODF Founder Fellowship (formerly On Deck) 🚀 AcceleratorPaid
One-week, in-person founder sprint in San Francisco; non-dilutive, pay-what-you-can (suggested $1,000).
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