On Deck
On Deck operates the On Deck Founder Fellowship, a non-dilutive, cohort-based program for idea-stage entrepreneurs featuring a one-week in-person onboarding in San Francisco, lifetime access to a 3,000+ member alumni community, and $800k+ in partner perks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What On Deck does
On Deck (legally nZero Labs, Inc.) operates the On Deck Founder Fellowship (ODF), a non-dilutive, cohort-based fellowship program for idea-stage and pre-founding entrepreneurs. Each cohort runs an intensive one-week in-person onboarding in San Francisco with 80-100 participants (over 50% technical), followed by lifetime access to a 3,000+ member alumni community platform. The program is structured around matching potential co-founders, validating ideas, recruiting early teams, and finding first beta customers during the founder-to-CEO transition. On Deck does not take equity from participants and bundles $800k+ in perks from partners including Mercury, AWS, and Stripe Atlas.
The company's core assets are its community network and brand reputation rather than proprietary technology — the platform technology stack is not publicly disclosed, no AI/ML capabilities are evidenced, and no patents or trademarks are filed. Since 2020, ODF alumni have launched more than 1,000 startups and collectively raised over $2 billion from tier-1 investors including Khosla, Sequoia, a16z, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Benchmark, Index, Lightspeed, Bloomberg Beta, Sam Altman, and Elad Gil. Notable alumni companies include Loyal, Luma, Cal.com, Traba, Levels, Partiful, and Finch.
On Deck's revenue model is not publicly disclosed; the fellowship is explicitly non-dilutive, so it does not capture equity in the startups it supports. The company is venture-backed, with a disclosed $20 million Series A led by Founders Fund in March 2021 alongside earlier seed and pre-seed rounds. The go-to-market motion is community-led: applications are sourced primarily through alumni referrals, content marketing via the ODF website, and organic social channels. Headcount sits in the 101-250 range, and a related sub-brand — the Solo Founder Program — was launched in 2025 to serve individual founders. The next cohort, ODF28, is scheduled for Q3 2026.
On Deck firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- On Deck
- Legal name
- nZero Labs, Inc.
- Website
- https://beondeck.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- On Deck operates the On Deck Founder Fellowship, a non-dilutive, cohort-based program for idea-stage entrepreneurs featuring a one-week in-person onboarding in San Francisco, lifetime access to a 3,000+ member alumni community, and $800k+ in partner perks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
On Deck industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Founder Fellowship Programs
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alumni, Peer & Community Networking Programs (EDAMAKAM)
Keywords
Where On Deck is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
On Deck business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Non-dilutive fellowship: On Deck Fellowship is non-dilutive and does not take equity from participants. Revenue model is not explicitly disclosed in available sources; the organization appears to operate as a fellowship program potentially funded through partnerships, perks arrangements, or other means not specified.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Founder Fellowship Program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
On Deck product offering
Product offeringCore offering
On Deck runs the ODF (On Deck Founder Fellowship), an intensive one-week in-person fellowship in San Francisco where 80-100 idea-stage founders per cohort meet collaborators, explore startup ideas, and gain conviction. The program is non-dilutive (no equity taken), offers over $800k in partner perks from Mercury, AWS, Stripe Atlas, and more, and provides lifetime access to a 3,000+ member community platform for ongoing networking and support.
Product overview
On Deck offers a portfolio of founder-focused programs centered around the ODF (On Deck Founder Fellowship), an intensive one-week in-person experience in San Francisco designed to help founders explore ideas, meet collaborators, and build conviction. The portfolio includes the core ODF fellowship, the Solo Founder Program for individual entrepreneurs, and a 3,000+ member Community Platform providing lifetime alumni access. On Deck does not take equity in participants (non-dilutive) and provides over $800k in perks through partners like Mercury, AWS, and Stripe Atlas. The organization has supported over 1,000 startups to date.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ODF (On Deck Founder Fellowship): An intense one-week in-person experience focused on meeting collaborators, exploring ideas, and gaining conviction for building companies.
- Solo Founder Program
Products and services
- ODF (On Deck Founder Fellowship) An intensive one-week in-person fellowship program held in San Francisco that helps founders develop ideas, meet collaborators, and gain conviction to start companies. The program features an onboarding week and provides lifetime access to a 3,000+ member alumni community. Cohort intake is 80-100 participants, with more than 50% technical. The fellowship is non-dilutive and includes over $800k in partner perks from Mercury, AWS, Stripe Atlas, and others.
- Solo Founder Program A program specifically designed for founders who are building their company alone, offering support and community resources tailored to solo entrepreneurs.
- Community Platform A 3,000+ member platform providing ongoing access and connection opportunities for ODF alumni and participants, enabling lifelong networking, mentorship, and business development across cohorts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,000+ startups launched from ODF alumni
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use On Deck
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
On Deck technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
On Deck partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- MercuryminorMercury provides banking perks and benefits to ODF participants as part of the program's $800k+ perks package.
- AWSminorAmazon Web Services provides cloud infrastructure credits and perks to ODF participants as part of the program's $800k+ perks package.
- Stripe AtlasminorStripe Atlas provides incorporation and startup services perks to ODF participants as part of the program's $800k+ perks package.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
On Deck competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- South Park Commons: South Park Commons operates as a founder community for technical and early-stage talent exploring ideas and finding co-founders, similar to On Deck's community-led model with non-dilutive membership structure.
- Entrepreneur First: Entrepreneur First is a global talent-first investor that helps individuals find co-founders and build companies from the idea stage, closely comparable to On Deck's co-founder matching and pre-formation focus.
- HF0 (House Fund Zero): HF0 is a San Francisco-based founder fellowship focused on helping technical founders launch companies, with a non-dilutive residency model that closely parallels On Deck's structure and target persona.
- Founder Institute: Founder Institute runs a global pre-seed accelerator program with structured cohorts, mentorship, and a fee/equity model targeting founders validating ideas — overlapping closely with On Deck's idea-to-conviction focus.
- Antler: Antler runs a global cohort-based founder fellowship program helping founders from idea to seed stage, including co-founder matching and initial capital — directly comparable to On Deck's ODF in structure and target market.
Broad incumbents
- Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the dominant startup accelerator offering cohort-based programs, mentorship, and demo days; it serves a similar founder demographic but at a slightly later stage and on a dilutive 7% equity basis.
- Techstars: Techstars is an established global accelerator network running cohort-based programs with mentorship and demo days, targeting early-stage founders across many verticals with an equity-taking model.
Emerging players
- Reboot Motion / Reboot Foundation: Reboot operates community-driven programs for early-stage and idea-stage founders focused on co-founder matching and validation, with overlapping value proposition to On Deck's networking and conviction-building core.
- Contrary: Contrary runs research-driven founder community and fellowship programs aimed at ambitious early-stage entrepreneurs, with comparable brand and audience overlap to On Deck's technical founder base.
Regional players
- Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA): ERA is a New York-based accelerator running cohort-based programs for early-stage founders with mentorship and demo days — comparable in structure but operating primarily in a different geography than On Deck's San Francisco base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
On Deck social profiles
Digital presenceOn Deck financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
On Deck leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
On Deck funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors23 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
On Deck M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments74 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about On Deck
What does On Deck do?
On Deck runs the ODF (On Deck Founder Fellowship), an intensive one-week in-person fellowship in San Francisco where 80-100 idea-stage founders per cohort meet collaborators, explore startup ideas, and gain conviction. The program is non-dilutive (no equity taken), offers over $800k in partner perks from Mercury, AWS, Stripe Atlas, and more, and provides lifetime access to a 3,000+ member community platform for ongoing networking and support.
Is On Deck a public or private company?
On Deck is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was On Deck founded?
On Deck was founded in 2020. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is On Deck based?
On Deck is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does On Deck make money?
One revenue line is on record: non-dilutive fellowship.
Who are On Deck's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are South Park Commons, Entrepreneur First, HF0 (House Fund Zero), Founder Institute and Antler. Broad incumbents are Y Combinator and Techstars. Emerging players are Reboot Motion / Reboot Foundation and Contrary. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) is listed as a regional player.
Does On Deck have an API?
No public API is recorded for On Deck.
What industry is On Deck in?
On Deck's product category is Founder Fellowship Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAKAM, Alumni, Peer & Community Networking Programs. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8200.