On Deck First 50 Fellowship (OD50)
Land your next role at a breakout startup
The First 50 Fellowship is an 8-week program for operators who want to find their next roles at world-changing companies. We combine a next-level curriculum, private access to startup founders, and a community of incredible peers to help you accelerate your career.
"Today's highlight: getting to know #OD50's incredible candidates!."
"Highly recommend the OD50 program. The team is awesome, and your peers in the program will be super high caliber (we've recruited multiple candidates from this pool!)."
"The team have built something truly special at #OD50 and joining was one of the best career decisions I ever made. Looking forward to life as an On Deck alum!"
"I interviewed many MBAs to explore that path. Not worth the time or $ for me. I’m using OD50 to pivot from consulting to startupland instead for 1% of the cost."
"If you are an operating leader considering your next act in world-changing start-ups, highly recommend @beondeck's OD50. The programming & community as part of this program is TOP notch. Your network and mindset will expand instantaneously."
"In this last round of recruiting, @beondeck helped me immensely. I went into the program not knowing what type of role I wanted next — just that I was ready for a change. 8 weeks, many sessions, and so many new friends / advocates later, I can't recommend this fellowship enough."
"Excited to do this public fireside chat on Thursday with the @beondeck team. Being early to join a company is a great way to learn and get into startups."
"Probably one of the best decisions in recent times I made. @beondeck, @shriyanevatia, and @antnar appreciate what you guys are doing. Love every bit of the community you are building. I found my sounding boards, mentors, and friends."
"I’m super grateful for @beondeck’s OD50 cohort...they never cease to amaze. Shoutout to my learning group for holding me accountable!"
Bring intentionality to your search and land the role you want
Identify breakout companies
Master the mechanics of a successful job search
Access unique job opportunities
A great community
with a commitment to privacy
Senior Engineering Manager with e-commerce expertise
Consultant turned first intl. hire for series D company
Big Tech designer seeking more entrepreneurial role
Employee #5 at just-acquired fintech startup
Product exec from Big Tech looking to lead product at a startup
Symphony musician transitioning to Bizops role in tech
Fortune 500 salesperson pursuing passion for climate tech
Private banker transitioning to fintech
VC Principal at $200mm firm moving to the operating side
CTO at late-stage healthtech startup
Entrepreneurial 2nd year MBA from top 5 school
Director of Engineering at edtech startup
Apply for the First 50 Fellowship
Only 1 week into's First 50 Fellowship program and I am soooo totally blown away.
Can't wait to get at it tomorrow for week 2!
@beondeck has created an unparalleled product, community & a loyal, authentic member base like I’ve never seen before. In my time in SV I’ve seen many attempts at creating communities large & small. On Deck is magical because the team behind it is just relentless & good people.💕
I'm in @beondeck #ODF4 for the last few weeks and it's easily the best decision I've ever made. It's a perfect combination of what I love about school - fun, engaging, incredible community and lots of valuable knowledge without the tests.
Plus the community is so so helpful!
Since starting @beondeck, I've been happier and more creatively fulfilled than at any other point in my career (my mood tracking data shows it).
This community is magic. Momentum is a hell of a drug.
My DMs are open if you're thinking about applying!
Couldn't recommend this enough. If you're writing for the internet or writing in general, this is the community you never knew you needed.
Speakers & Curriculum
Merci Grace
Aston Motes
Sarah Smith
Linda Xie
Anand Chopra-McGowan
Albrey Brown
Tom Conrad
Ming Lu
Introduction
Get to know the First 50 Fellowship
Navigating the startup ecosystem
Job-search mechanics
Direction setting
Storytelling
Networking strategy
Interviews
Accepting offers
Compensation negotiation
Legal and stock options
Success as an early hire
Insights from early hires at prominent startups
Community of early hires
INCLUDING...
Intimate masterminds
Talent Demo Days
Access to top startups
The On Deck Method
We're building a modern educational institution that redefines how community and learning come together. Being part of any On Deck program means you’ll have access to a community of world-class professionals. With every new program we launch and cohort we start, your network gets stronger.
Here are the cornerstones of the On Deck experience:
Deep Friendships
Unparalleled Knowledge
Community Diversity
Scaled With Software
Engineered Serendipity
Spirit of Service
Apply for the First 50 Fellowship
Hear from OD50 Alumni
Read Alumni Case Studies
FAQ
To be a good fit for OD50, you are probably:
* An outstanding performer in your respective industry / job function
* Mentally ready for your next role, whether or not you currently have a job!
* Entrepreneurial, with a desire to help build an early-stage startup.
* Eager to be an active participant in a growing community, as much of the value of On Deck comes from the network and peer-to-peer connections.
All sessions, content, and interactions are completely off the record, including any acknowledgement of a Fellow’s participation. Some OD50 Fellows choose to be public about their involvement, while many more do not, especially those who are currently employed full time.
Everyone in the program is searching for something deeper in their next career chapter and making a big transition. Many have not publicly shared this journey with friends, family, or employers. We and all Fellows will honor that.
Also note that speaker sessions are recorded, which is beneficial from a scheduling perspective, but also important for a Fellow who happens to know a presenter.
Yes! OD50 is for people joining early-stage startups, regardless of role. There will be engineers, data scientists, and product managers alongside growth, sales, marketing, HR, and operations folks since all of these roles are essential to turning a startup’s idea into reality.
Fellows targeting similar roles will be paired so that they can share insights, suggestions, and potential connections to help each other through their respective journeys.
No problem! OD50 is broadly designed for two groups of people, with content specifically created for each:
* Fellows trying to pivot their career into startups.
* Fellows already working in tech who want to be intentional about the next steps on their career path.
The opportunity cost of choosing the wrong startup is huge. Surround yourself with a community of experts and peers to help you make an informed decision on what’s next, and get access to roles sourced from the On Deck community.
Early Bird pricing for those who complete an application by March 14th is $1,990. Regular pricing for those who complete an application after March 14th is $2,490. Tuition can be paid in a lump sum or 4 equal installments, starting when you accept your offer.
Yes! Our goal is to make the Fellowship accessible to the absolute best talent, no matter what their situation.
While many eligible applicants do have the means to support themselves, many others don’t. We’re excited to be able to offer scholarships to join the Fellowship through the On Deck Access Fund.
There are no fees to apply so please submit an application to be considered for the fellowship — you’ll have the option to request financial assistance if you receive an offer to join OD50.
The power of this program is in the community, and like any community you get back what you put in. OD50 is designed for people committing to spend 5+ hours per week on their job search, some of which will be engagement with OD50.
Yes: OD50 is run entirely remotely. This enables participation from all corners of the world. We’ve spent the past few ODF cohorts mastering the playbook for building remote communities and relationship building online, and will apply the same approach here.
Post-COVID, we’ll return to organizing offline programming like dinners, small gatherings, and retreats, but the core Fellowship will remain a remote-first experience.
You can view our values here, but to summarize: Service, Confidentiality, Respect, and Family.
After the fellowship, you’ll retain access to your cohort and be able to subscribe to Membership for continued access to the On Deck ecosystem.
If you’re committed to the founder path as the next step in your career journey (anywhere from ideation to cofounder dating and MVP building to first fundraise), the Founder Fellowship is definitely the right fit!
If you’re trying to make the founder vs joiner decision or likely want to join a startup as an early employee, then First 50 will be the best place to help you figure things out, from direction-setting to interview prep and offer negotiation.
We have a lot of cross-over between the two with fellows who do one and then the other as they figure things out. We also share some mutually-relevant programming.
On Deck Catalyst is designed for early-career individuals who want to make the most of their current position, or decide what to do next (found, join, or invest in startups), and are looking for a community of outstanding peers to grow alongside in the years to come.
OD50 includes some exceptional early-career individuals (~15% of the cohort) who are focused on finding their next role as their biggest immediate priority.
Many early career OD50 fellows will choose to join a later cohort of ODC after they find that next role. We also share some mutually-relevant programming.
Each of On Deck’s position-based fellowships include some job-seekers in the cohort, people who are clear on what role they want and how to get it so are leveraging the community to network with peers. But the primary content is designed for people who are looking to level-up in their current jobs.
If you are looking for help navigating your career journey, from direction-setting and storytelling through to interview prep and negotiation, then you should join OD50, which includes job-seekers across all functions.
We have a lot of cross-over between the two with fellows who do one and then the other as they figure things out. We also share some mutually-relevant programming.
Each of On Deck’s sector-based fellowships include some job-seekers in the cohort, people who are clear on what role they want and how to get it so are leveraging the On Deck community to network with others who care just as deeply about the space as them.
If you are looking for help navigating your career journey, from direction-setting and storytelling through to interview prep and negotiation, then you should join OD50, which includes job-seekers focused across all sectors.
We have a lot of cross-over between the two with fellows who do one and then the other as they figure things out. We also share some mutually-relevant programming.
