visionaries accelerator

Truly seen, truly supported

A $200K investment, game-changing resources, and a community that supports you every step of the way.

  • 20 founders
  • 10-week virtual-first programming
  • Hands-on coaching and design support
Applications Are Now Closed
Applications close May 29
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Founders Love Visible Hands

Hear from some of our Accelerator Alumni

People were truly authentic, almost immediately, and continue to be collaborative and giving in a way that I have not experienced in any other program.
Sarah Millar
CEO & Founder at Let's Get Set
To have a community of other founders who look like me, have similar backgrounds, and totally get it without me having to explain my entire journey is such a big game-changer.
Jeff Bussgang
Founder & CEO at The Closed Round
The step-by-step personalized structure of ‘let’s solve a concrete problem in your business’ was the reason why Visible Hands is special and just totally different.
Victoria Bell
CEO & Co-Founder at The Home Dispatch
The caliber of talent that Visible Hands has been able to bring together has been crazy. I’m blown away by who I’m working with and talking with on an almost daily basis.
Victoria Bell
Founder & CEO, rees
I’ve learned so much. No matter what stage we’re at, there is a massive amount of knowledge and expertise that every individual holds in their own domain.
Victoria Bell
Founder and CEO, Beautocracy
I’ve been blown away by the talent in this cohort and I’ve just been really impressed by the support we’ve gotten from the Visible Hands team.
Victoria Bell
Co-Founder, Meru
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Our alumni have raised from top investors, including:

How it works

In-person orientation

To kick-off, we bring the cohort together for an amazing week of connection (lodging & travel is covered).

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$200K Investment

Founders receive a $200,000 investment to enable you to work full-time on your startup during the program.

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Customized experience

You’re matched with an experienced mentor and a Visible Hands advisor aligned with your unique needs and goals.

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Get hands-on design support

We believe in design as a competitive advantage. Fast-track your brand and product design with an expert design team so you’re set up for success.

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Join a deeply supportive community of founders

You’ll be part of a close-knit cohort of extremely talented founders who will share and empower your entrepreneurial journey.

Learn from experts who have been there

You’ll have access to hundreds of private events throughout the accelerator: fireside chats, tactical workshops, office hours, and everything in between.

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Catalyze your growth with our networks

Through our founder perk offerings, you’ll have access to the right tools for your business from leading partners in the startup ecosystem like Brex and AWS for Startups.

Our 2-Stage Investing Approach

Receive $25k investment upfront
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Visible Hands currently makes dilutive investments in founders who are selected for our accelerator programs.

Each founder or company will receive an initial $25,000 pre-seed investment structured as a post-money SAFE for 2.5% equity. You do not need to have an incorporated company going into the program — our team will assist you in setting up the required legal structures to receive this investment. Visible Hands currently makes dilutive investments in founders who are selected for our accelerator programs.

This investment aims to provide you with financial stability throughout the 14 weeks. You can use it to help launch your company and pay your living expenses.

Apply for an additional investment of up to $150k
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Our process for the second investment starts in the final weeks of the accelerator where we begin to accept requests for additional funding from our founders. Founders are invited to request up to $150k during this second stage, and we continue to accept and review funding requests on a rolling basis, approximately every 8 weeks, following the conclusion of the program. Visible Hands has the option to invest an additional amount of up to $150,000 post-money SAFE at a $3,000,000 valuation cap. This valuation cap is increased only if a company has closed at least $200k in funding prior to receiving Visible Hands’ participation agreement. In that situation, the valuation cap on the SAFE note can be increased to match the valuation cap on existing terms with the company’s institutional investors.  For such a decision, we also consider other elements of the business such as the strength of the team, customer engagement, product quality, revenue generation, and commercial traction.

As of March 2022, 21 companies from our inaugural cohort have received investments of $100k or greater from Visible Hands.

ACCELERATOR eligibility

Who we support

  • You are the founder of an early-stage, tech/tech-enabled startup with high growth potential
  • Your gender and/or racial identity is underrepresented in entrepreneurship. This includes - but isn't limited to - women, non-binary, trans, Black, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Indigenous American people
  • You can commit to building your startup full-time for the entirety of the 10-week program
  • Your company is incorporated (or planning to incorporate) as a C-corp in the United States
  • Visible Hands is sector agnostic, but we generally do not invest within the cannabis, BioTech, or Life Sciences industries

What do we look for in our founders?

At Visible Hands, we bring together ambitious and talented founders to build venture-backed companies. If you think you have what it takes, we want to work with you.

Exceptional Founder-Problem Fit

You bring deep professional or personal experience that gives you a competitive advantage in building and distributing a solution.

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Proven Customer Validation

You have a strong understanding of the customer’s pain points and demonstrated that strong demand exists for your solution.

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Defined Go-to-Market Strategy

You have comprehensive plans that outline how you will bring your product and/or service to market and generate revenue.

Stay tuned for the cohort announcement

Applications are now closed.

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1. Application

The application should take you less than an hour to complete. We ask for some basic information about you and your startup, as well as some short answer questions.

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2. Interview

During a 30-minute interview, we dive deeper into your insights, talents, and experience. If you apply with other team members, we will interview you together.

THINGS TO KNOW

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the Accelerator take place?
The Visionaries III accelerator will run from September 11, 2023 to November 17, 2023.
Can I apply with a co-founder? 
Yes! If you would like to go through the program with your co-founder(s), please submit one application and include information about them where prompted.

If your answers differ from your co-founder's answers, you can submit separate applications and they will both be reviewed.
How do I know if this program is right for me?
If you meet the eligibility criteria, we encourage you to apply! 

If you’re in the idea to pre-revenue stage, we recommend that you check out our Fellowship programs first where founders get non-dilutive funding and specific support around MVP and GTM strategy.

If you're still not sure, you can reach out to Daniel Acheampong for assistance.
When should I expect to hear back about my application?
You will be notified by the end of June 2023 of the decision. Due to the number of applications we receive, we will be unable to provide feedback at this time. We deeply appreciate your patience and understanding.
What are the terms and when will I receive the funding?
As soon as legal diligence is complete at the start of the program, we will invest a $200,000 check in each company selected for Visionaries III. Our terms are $200,000 for 5% equity on a post-money SAFE.
Can I participate in multiple accelerator programs at the same time?
If accepted, you cannot participate in any other Visible Hands accelerator or fellowship programs throughout the duration of the Visionaries Accelerator. However, if you are a part of other non-Visible Hands related programs, you are still eligible for this accelerator.
Who do I contact if I have additional questions?
If you have questions regarding the Accelerator selection process, please contact Daniel Acheampong.

If you have questions regarding the Accelerator programming, please contact Juan Young.