Get $25,000 to explore starting a company
Draw up to $25,000 from the On Deck Access Initiative to quit your job and explore starting a company. When you’re ready to build full-time, we’ll fund you via ODX.
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We've helped 650+ founders
go from idea to startup
On Deck guided our fundraising strategy and connected us to tier one investors from Silicon Valley and Europe. They were essential in helping us raise additional funding.
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Who should apply?
ODF Advance is designed for those who want to start a company but are blocked by financial barriers.
Financial obligations can make it feel unrealistic to start a company. Not anymore: ODF Advance provides you with the time, support, and structure to make a thorough, informed, and actionable decision: "Am I ready to launch a company to achieve a mission that inspires me?"
Apply to the On Deck Founders program. If accepted, we’ll work with you to understand your financial needs.
FAQ
You are eligible to apply for Advance after receiving an admission offer from ODF.
- We support you over 3-6 months for up to $25,000.
- If you decide to found a company, the On Deck Access Initiative will own 1% of the entity, and you will be admitted into ODX for the standard ODX deal of $125,000 for 7%.
- You are exited from ODF Advance.
- We help you find your next opportunity in partnership with our talent team (maybe employee #1, or the first Engineer, or a Senior Leadership Role at a pre-seed company about to raise a Series A). We will help you navigate what comes next. It's one of the things we do best.
- In terms of the financial support you received from ODF Advance, our expectation is that you will take steps to pay it back via the On Deck Access Initiative over the course of the next year. We will then use the funding to support another person, ensuring this remains an opportunity for many people over the long-term.
No. You can use part of the $25,000 to pay for healthcare that you buy directly.
Yes, so long as you are fully committed to incorporating a Delaware C-Corp if you achieve conviction to launch a company.
The purpose of the program is to enable you to dedicate full-time capacity to exploring an idea and achieving conviction. We expect you will need to leave your current job in order to fully engage in this process.
Happy to talk more: Reach out to [email protected] and we'll get back to you.