The application is short and straightforward (no pitch deck or business plans required). With some preparation, most applicants can complete it in under 30 minutes. Your application will be reviewed by the Builders + Backers team and our program partners.

When we say we help you test your idea, we don’t mean the kind of tests we take in school. We test ideas by running experiments - putting something in front of potential users or customers and seeing what they actually do (or don’t do)...which is often very different from what they SAY they will do. We run experiments to prove (or disprove) the hypotheses behind our ideas. Experiments are quick, scrappy, specific and measurable. They help us figure out quickly (and inexpensively) whether our idea works (or not). And they prevent us from diving head first into an expensive, time-consuming and risky venture before we’ve proven that our ideas hold merit. To learn more about our approach to experimentation, check out this article with a deeper dive.

The program is virtual with the possibility for optional in-person events. Builders join all-cohort, live sessions every other week over Zoom. These sessions are 2 hours long and we pre-schedule them at the beginning of the program so everyone can block off the times on their calendars.

Between those live sessions, Builders are assigned self-paced learning modules. During the first 45 days of the program, as Builders are preparing to run their experiments, these modules are mandatory. During the second 45 days, as Builders are actively running experiments, the learning modules are optional (but intended to provide additional insights and resources and most Builders do join).

Each Builder who goes through the program has the opportunity to access up to $5,000 in Pebble Funds to cover the cost of their experiment. Builders are required to come to the virtual sessions, complete self-paced work, meet with their mentors and then complete a Funding Proposal. The Funding Proposal is reviewed and approved by a Builders + Backers Executive. Pebble Funds can be used to fund the costs of experimentation. 

Once this Funding Proposal  is approved, the Builder receives a controlled credit card which they may use to make pre-approved purchases, and they are responsible for submitting receipts for all expenses.

Nobody leaves the program empty-handed. First, everyone learns a completely new perspective on how to take their ideas into the world and a new set of tools for experimenting. Whether this idea or the next one, the program is excellent at teaching people simple and modern methods to validate their ideas and turn them into new companies.

Second, everyone who completes the program receives a digital credential in Venture Building. If you decide entrepreneurship isn't for you (at least for now), the skills you gain will help you in other career pathways.

Third, everyone who completes the program is invited to join the Builders + Backers Alumni community. There, you can continue to engage with the Builders + Backers team, your cohort and hundreds of other Builders from around the country. As an alum, you'll be invited to all of our events and opportunities to engage live with one another and our Backer community.

Join us for an informational webinar where you can meet us, hear more about the program, and have a chance to ask questions.

RSVP at the link above.

The Fall 2024 program is open to anyone living in the United States who is a resident of one of the eligible regions listed below:

- Residents of Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma
- Residents of Detroit, Michigan
- Members of the Eastern Shawnee Tribal Nation 
- United States Military Veterans (regardless of residence)