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Founder Fellowship

VHNYC

A fourteen-week Founder Fellowship for early-stage, overlooked founders building high-growth, tech and tech-enabled businesses. Through this hybrid program, you can join an exceptional cohort of 15 founders based in New York City.

A signature program of NYCEDC’s Venture Access NYC initiative, the Founder Fellowship is designed to improve access to capital and networks for underrepresented founders across all tech-enabled sectors.
APPLY TODAY! 
In partnership with
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Receive a $10K Business Grant

Your perspective, time, and business are valuable. You will receive $10,000 in non-dilutive funding as part of the VHNYC Fellowship—with the potential for future investments from Visible Hands.

Join a vibrant and uplifting in-person community

There’s nothing like the diverse New York entrepreneurial community. You will unlock hybrid opportunities to connect digitally and meet IRL across the five boroughs.

Attend hands-on workshops

You will access programming and expert-led workshops designed with the earliest stage in mind, covering topics from “Business Modeling and Financial Projections” to “Raising your Pre-Seed Round.” Each workshop will be led by a guest entrepreneur.
Fellowship Eligibility

Who is VHNYC for?

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Teams with at least one
co-founder currently living in one of New York City's
five boroughs
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Startups that have a tech or tech-enabled enterprise based in NYC
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Teams that can commit 2 hours a week to the Fellowship

APPLy today!
applications close 12/31!

APPLY TODAY
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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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Interview

You will hear back by February 2026 if you're invited for a 30 minute interview.

Frequently asked questions

What you might be asking yourself.

When will the Fellowship take place?

This fellowship will take place from March 2026 through June 2026.

Can I apply to the Fellowship 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. We are currently accepting startups with a maximum of 2 additional co-founders per company.

What do you look for in founders?

Our approach to investing is equitable by design so that founders aren’t overly diluted in future rounds. VHNYC is for overlooked founders based in New York who are running tech or tech-enabled startups, are pre-seed, and can dedicate at least 2 hours a week to the VHNYC program.

Can I participate in multiple accelerator programs at the same time?

If accepted, you cannot participate in any other Visible Hands / NYCEDC fellowships or accelerator programs throughout the duration of the VHNYC Founder Fellowship. Accepted founders also cannot be previous cohort members of other VH Founder Fellowships or NYCEDC City Fellowships.

What will I get out of this program?

The VHNYC Fellowship program will provide founders with $10K in non-dilutive funding, as well as access to hybrid programming, expert-led workshops, wellness sessions, and hands-on support from the Visible Hands team.

Who do I contact if I have additional questions?

If you have questions regarding the Fellowship selection process, please contact Monica Roman at monica@visiblehands.vc.
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If you have questions regarding the Fellowship selection process, please contact Justin Kang at justin@visiblehands.vc.
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If you have questions regarding the Fellowship selection process, please contact Fernando Montejo at fmontejo@edc.nyc.

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