LAUNCH Accelerator

The LAUNCH Accelerator is a high-impact, 14-week program for pre-Series A startups with real traction. It selects only seven companies per cohort and invests $125K for 7% equity. Founders get weekly pitch sessions with seasoned investors, personalized coaching on storytelling, fundraising and growth strategy, and the chance to pitch to a network of hundreds of VCs at demo day. The program is primarily virtual week over week, with two to three in-person sessions per cohort in San Francisco.

Key Benefits

• $125K investment for 7% equity
• Weekly pitch sessions with seasoned investors (typically 8–10 per week), culminating in a full demo day
• Personalized coaching on storytelling, fundraising and growth strategy
• Investor access: up to 100 active angels and VCs, with 300+ in the LAUNCH network (the home page says 500+ investors)
• Raise money faster, at a higher valuation
• Plug into a pre-existing Silicon Valley network from anywhere in the world
• Access to fellow founders in the LAUNCH family
• Prioritized speaking opportunities at This Week in Startups, Founder.University, and more
• LAUNCH has the option to invest $250k (or pro rata) in the next two rounds of funding

Eligibility

• Pre-Series A startups with traction
• Enterprise/marketplace startups: $2k+ in MRR with 20%+ growth month over month
• Consumer products: 3k+ DAUs with 5%+ week-over-week growth
• Deep tech startups: an MVP and a strong technical team
• Startups that have already raised an angel or seed round can apply
• Idea-stage founders without an MVP are generally too early (Founder University is suggested instead)

Program Structure

• 14 weeks; 25 intensive workshop sessions and 11 pitch sessions with investors
• 7–12 startups per cohort
• Primarily virtual week over week; two to three sessions per cohort in person in San Francisco, with potential travel to Austin and New York City
• Ends with a demo day