What do you do?

On Deck is a global, invite-only community aimed at equipping our members with the network, tools and resources to unlock their full potential and thrive in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Over the years, we have become masters of engineered serendipity. We have continued to fine tune our events and community culture to create an environment that's conducive to deep bonding, brainstorming, and collaboration.

What’s the goal of On Deck?

Starting a company is hard. And worse, the lack of adequate resources and infrastructure available at this formative stage makes it even harder.

The goal of On Deck is to help amazing people that are "on deck" for their next thing find the following:

• Co-founders
• First hires
• Investors
• Startup tools and resources
• Confidentially brainstorm and bounce ideas off of each other
• Exclusive advice from top-tier investors and entrepreneurs
• Referrals to job opportunities at early stage breakout startups

Who should join?

You should join the On Deck community:

1 - if you’re considering founding a company in the next 6 months, or if you’ve recently started on this path but you're still early on

2 - if you’d like to apply your unique talents to joining a high caliber startup

3 - if you have deep subject matter expertise and a track record of success, where you'd like to mentor or advise early stage entrepreneurs

What if I want to join a company instead of start one?

This is the perfect place to meet people looking to hire, both for small and big companies.

We also recently built Via, a referral-based hiring platform where top talent can request introductions to companies they're interested in.

Where are your events located?

In-person events are currently being hosted across the United States: San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Boulder. We’ve also gone international with active communities in London, New Delhi, and Tel Aviv. We’re intentionally keeping each community small to create tight-knit groups of founders and ensure confidentiality.

What if my company finds out?

First, your name will be completely confidential and there will be a strict off the record policy. And don’t worry: A few great founders/investors will be attending dinners as "advisors," so if you get caught, you can just say you’re there to "advise.” We'll cover for you.

Will anyone else know that I’ve joined?

Participation is held in strict confidence. Even if you’re happy to share, you are requested to respect the privacy of other members who aren’t ready to make their plans public.

How do you assess candidates?

We’ve developed a framework for assessing candidates on at least one of the following:

1. Raw entrepreneurial potential and network
   • Previously founded or was early generalist employee of a notably successful company, and is now moving on to a 2nd/3rd/etc venture.
2. Technical excellence
   • Has advanced degree and/or recognized as a research leader within applicable technology fields (e.g. machine learning, STEM).
3. Product leadership
   • Held senior roles at notable companies, and can point to examples of products they’ve built/scaled to hundreds of thousands of people.
4. Industry experience
   • Worked in X industry for Y years, and has developed + can speak to unique insights or unfair advantage they possess vs. all others.
5. Exceptional promise
   • None of the above, but shows exceptional promise and has referral/reference from a trusted source.

What is the On Deck Fellowship?

The On Deck Fellowship is an invite-only 8-week program, designed to bring the very best talent from across the On Deck network together to connect over a series of dinners, co-working days, expert workshops, 1:1 introductions, and more.

The goal of the Fellowship is ultimately to help more people build better companies by forming stronger, better aligned founding teams; fast-tracking early hires; and helping founders construct a community around themselves at the very earliest stages.

We aim to have several cohorts per year. For more information, see our announcement post

What stage are members typically at?

We feel the formative stages of a company are the most critical, and that they set the foundation and trajectory for the journey ahead. We want to ensure founders at this early stage have the adequate resources and infrastructure they need to succeed.

What does it cost? What do I get as a participant?

The 8-week Fellowship costs $990.

We aren't an investor - we don't charge equity (which is much more expensive), or make you take our money once you graduate. We're a startup too, and aim to cover our costs first and foremost.

Charging for participation allows us to keep the wheels turning, to allocate full-time resources towards managing operations, contributes to the cost of the all-day kick-off retreat and wrap up event, 10+ dinners, hackathons, co-working, and expert workshops/fireside chats you get access to as a Fellow.

We also believe that each participant having some "skin in the game" encourages them to make the most out of their investment; to be present and engaged with the community and opportunities that come their way - this was certainly the case in Fellowship #1, with tremendously high engagement levels throughout the program.

Our goal is to make the Fellowship accessible to the absolute best talent around. Because we know not everyone has a spare $990 lying around, we're excited to be able to offer assistance to those who have all the skills and potential, but don't have the means. You can indicate your interest in this option when you apply, and we'll work with you to help the best we can.

I’m not looking to start a company in the next 6 months, should I still join?

Thanks for being upfront. The community works best when members are all at similar stages of planning to found a company or transition into something new in the immediate future. If you think you’ll be a bit longer, come back once you feel the timing is right.

Can I host On Deck in my city?

Drop us a line via team@beondeck.com