SF 'Residency' Opens for Seed Founders
A San Francisco-based program called "residency" has launched a sprint for seed-stage founders. The program is designed to help entrepreneurs accelerate their traction and culminates in a demo day where they pitch to top venture capitalists. The application deadline for the spring cohort is March 10.
The Residency is a global network of founder houses with a significant presence in San Francisco, boasting five themed houses dedicated to areas like research, software, and hardware. The program is highly selective, with a mere 4% acceptance rate, attracting a pool of ambitious builders from around the world. Participants live and work together in these houses, with costs for a shared room around $1,800 per month, fostering a close-knit community and rapid feedback loops. The program is designed to be an alternative to traditional paths like college or accelerators, providing a structured environment for founders to go full-time on their projects for three to six months. The program offers more than just housing; it provides weekly syncs, coaching sessions, and valuable connections. Founders have the opportunity to engage in fireside chats with tech luminaries such as Sam Altman and receive introductions that can significantly alter their company's trajectory. The sprint culminates in a high-stakes demo day where founders present to a curated audience of top-tier investors. Venture capital firms like a16z, 1517 Fund, and ZFellows are known to attend, looking for the next breakout companies. The track record of The Residency is notable, with companies that originated within the network having reached a collective valuation of over $3 billion. This success has established the program as a significant player in the AI and startup ecosystem, providing founders with direct access to Silicon Valley's knowledge and capital.
