HFO

What HFO does

HF0 is a San Francisco-based venture capital accelerator and residency program exclusively serving repeat founders — entrepreneurs who have previously built and exited companies. The firm operates a deliberately constrained model, backing only 10 teams per batch and running two residency cohorts per year (Spring and Winter), with structured programming that culminates in demo days each June and December. HF0 is structured as a General Partnership led by Dave Fontenot (GP/CEO), Emily Liu (GP/COO), and Evan Stites Clayton (GP/CTO), supported by a small operational team of approximately 1-10 employees that includes a CFO, Head of IR, Director of Program, Director of Operations & Events, and Director of Admissions.

The program's core product, the HF0 Residency, provides selected repeat founders with a curated peer community of other proven operators, structured mentorship, and pathways to follow-on capital. HF0 does not publicly disclose a program fee or pricing model, and revenue mechanics are not disclosed in the source material; the firm appears to monetize primarily through equity participation in portfolio companies rather than per-application tuition. Acquired cohort outcomes have escalated materially over time, with disclosed batch milestones progressing from first $1M contract by demo day (W23) to $82M average post-demo day valuation and a top team breaking $20M annualized revenue (S25). Distribution runs through the firm's website (hf0.com/apply), founder-to-founder referrals, and earned media, with NY Times editorial coverage featured on the homepage as a credibility signal.

HF0 deploys capital as a co-investor alongside tier-1 lead investors across recent portfolio financings, including a $7.5M seed in Hamilton AI alongside TTV Capital, a $7M seed in Tenkara alongside True Ventures, a $20M round in Gency AI alongside Streamlined Ventures, a $1.3M pre-seed in Favorited alongside Soma Ventures, and a $3.4M seed in Manifest alongside a16z Speedrun. There are no disclosed acquisitions, geographic expansions, regulatory actions, or institutional funding rounds for HF0 itself in the source data; the company's footprint remains single-site in San Francisco.

Name

HFO

Legal name

HF0

Website

https://hf0.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HF0 is a San Francisco-based venture accelerator and residency program exclusively for repeat founders, running two curated 10-team cohorts per year with demo days and follow-on capital pathways. The firm deploys small checks into early-stage startups alongside tier-1 lead investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator / Venture Capital Residency

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator
• Founder residency
• Venture capital
• Pre-seed funding
• Repeat founders

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HF0 runs a startup accelerator residency program exclusively for repeat founders, admitting 10 teams per batch and running two cohorts per year (Spring and Winter). The program provides a structured residency with peer community, mentorship, and demo day events, and HF0 deploys capital into participating founding teams.

Product overview

HF0 is a startup accelerator program designed specifically for repeat founders. The single offering is the HF0 Residency program, which runs in cohorts (batches) with Demo Days as the culminating event. Batch schedules include January 4 and September 13 start dates, with Demo Days on June 23 and December 4.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HF0 Residency

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Founders Factory: Operates residency-style accelerator programs with hands-on operational support and follow-on investment, comparable to HF0's structured residency model.
• SOSV: Runs multiple vertical-specific accelerator programs (HAX, IndieBio, etc.) with cohort structures and demo days; comparable operating model though industry-focused rather than founder-stage focused.
• Plug and Play: Runs industry-specific accelerator batches with demo days, corporate partnerships, and follow-on capital; structurally similar to HF0 with broader industry focus.
• Entrepreneur First: Invests in exceptional individuals (often repeat technical founders) at the idea stage through cohort-based residencies in multiple geographies; directly comparable to HF0's founder-development model.
• Y Combinator: The largest and most well-known startup accelerator running biannual batches with demo days; the default benchmark for HF0's residency model, though YC accepts first-time and repeat founders alike.
• Antler: Global residency program with a strong focus on repeat and technical founders across multiple hubs; competes most directly with HF0 on the 'repeat-founder' niche and provides follow-on capital similar to HF0's model.
• Techstars: Large accelerator network running multiple cohort-based programs annually with mentor-driven residencies and demo days; comparable to HF0 in batch structure and capital deployment.
• 500 Global: Global accelerator running batch-based programs with demo days and follow-on capital; comparable scale and structure to HF0, though broader in stage and geography.

Broad incumbents

• a16z Speedrun: Andreessen Horowitz's accelerator program providing capital and mentorship in cohort format; overlaps with HF0's residency-plus-capital model but operates as part of a larger venture platform.

Emerging players

• Pioneer: A community and curated accelerator for elite early-stage founders, with overlap in the repeat-founder audience but a more digitally native model than HF0's in-person residency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hf0residency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hf0

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments20 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HFO