What FOUNDER.org does

FOUNDER.org (operating as The Yope Foundation Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that runs a fellowship and grant program targeting deep tech founders under the age of 30. The foundation backs founders building breakthrough science and deep technology ventures across verticals including earth observation, healthcare diagnostics, emergency response, ecosystem restoration, and digital health. Its core offering is a bundled program: a 6-month online "Venture Ready" fellowship that covers strategy, storytelling, and investor readiness, paired with $100,000 in non-dilutive seed funding delivered via a SAFE grant, plus personalized mentorship from alumni founders who have scaled deep tech companies.

The core technology of the foundation is its programmatic content and fellowship curriculum, not a software product; the organization explicitly does not develop proprietary technology products. Its principal assets are the mentor network (anchored by high-profile operators such as Michael Baum, founder of Splunk, and Andreas Loy, co-founder of KONUX) and a sourcing pipeline constructed through partnerships with top universities and research labs. Marketing and applicant acquisition run through the yope.org website, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram, and YouTube, focused on storytelling around portfolio founders such as ICEYE, Eko Health, RapidSOS, and KONUX.

The business model is grant-based rather than commercial: The Yope Foundation Inc. is a philanthropic organization funded by donors and backers, with the objective of deploying non-dilutive capital and support into the deep tech startup ecosystem rather than generating commercial revenue. There is no cost to participate for accepted fellows; the foundation is paid for via donor contributions. Headcount is reported as 11-50 employees, and the cumulative footprint is 145 backed startups that have collectively raised over $3B in subsequent capital. The organization's stated reach is global with no geographic restrictions on applicants.

Name

FOUNDER.org

Legal name

The Yope Foundation Inc.

Website

https://founder.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FOUNDER.org (The Yope Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides $100K non-dilutive SAFE grants and a 6-month Venture Ready fellowship to deep tech founders under 30, pairing them with alumni mentors and sourcing talent through university and lab partnerships globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator Fellowship

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Deep tech fellowship
• Startup accelerator program
• Non-dilutive seed funding
• Founder mentorship network
• Venture readiness program

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Operations (Grant-Based Model): Yope operates as The Yope Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides non-dilutive funding to deep tech founders. The foundation awards $100,000 via SAFE grants to fellowship recipients. Revenue generation is not the primary objective as Yope is structured as a philanthropic organization funded by donors and backers to support the deep tech startup ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FOUNDER.org (operating as The Yope Foundation Inc.) runs a 6-month online Venture Ready fellowship program that pairs deep tech founders under 30 with $100,000 in non-dilutive SAFE grant funding and personalized mentorship from successful alumni founders. The fellowship covers strategy refinement, storytelling development, and investor readiness, and is designed to bridge the gap between university/lab research and venture-scale investment.

Product overview

Yope is a fellowship and funding program for deep tech founders. The core offering consists of three integrated components: the Venture Ready Program (a 6-month online fellowship that helps founders bridge research and investment), $100k Award Funding (non-dilutive SAFE grant capital), and Founder Mentorship (support from successful alumni founders). These elements work together to accelerate deep tech startups from university research to market-ready ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Ready Program A 6-month online fellowship designed to help deep tech founders under 30 bridge the gap between university research and investment, refining their strategy, storytelling, and investor readiness to scale breakthrough science into real companies.
• $100k Award Funding Non-dilutive seed funding of $100,000 provided through a SAFE grant to each Yope Fellow, intended to accelerate their venture from university research to real-world impact.
• Founder Mentorship Personalized mentorship provided to all Yope Fellows by past alumni founders who have successfully scaled deep tech ventures, including operators from Splunk, ICEYE, RapidSOS, Eko Health, Konux, BIOS Health, and Dendra Systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 145 startups backed with over $3B in capital raised by portfolio companies

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Top Universities and LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYope partners with top universities and labs to identify and support researchers and scientists transitioning from academic environments into venture creation. The partnership helps bridge the gap between classroom or lab bench research and real-world venture implementation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The canonical US startup accelerator offering standard and non-dilutive fellowships (YC Safe) plus mentorship and Demo Day. While not exclusively deep tech, it competes with Yope for top deep tech applicants and shares the non-dilutive funding + community model.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network with mentor-driven programs and equity-based standard deals. Competes with Yope for early-stage founders across verticals, including deep tech, and offers similar mentorship and community support at much larger cohort scale.
• SOSV (incl. IndieBio): Multi-stage venture fund with dedicated deep tech accelerators (notably IndieBio for biotech and HAX for hardware). IndieBio in particular targets scientist-founders, making it the most direct competitor for Yope's deep-tech-founder-under-30 thesis.
• Antler: Global early-stage investor and founder residency program operating across 25+ countries. Competes with Yope for technical founders globally and offers pre-seed capital plus mentorship, though Antler's scope is much broader than deep tech.
• Plug and Play: Large global accelerator network running vertical-specific programs (health, mobility, fintech, deep tech). Overlaps with Yope in deep tech themes and in the mentor + investor readiness structure.

Direct peers

• Creative Destruction Lab: Science- and deep-tech-focused founder program that pairs research-driven ventures with experienced operators. Mirrors Yope's emphasis on commercializing breakthrough research and operates globally via partner universities, much like Yope's university pipeline.
• Thiel Fellowship: Two-year fellowship program for young founders under 22 (recently expanded) founded by Peter Thiel. Closest demographic match to Yope's under-30 founder focus, providing non-dilutive funding and a peer community to young entrepreneurs in science and technology.
• Echoing Green: Global fellowship for early-career social entrepreneurs providing non-dilutive seed funding and leadership development. Operates on a similar nonprofit, cohort-based fellowship model and shares the donor-funded, non-dilutive grant structure.
• Schmidt Futures: Philanthropic initiative funding science talent and fellowships, including support for young researchers and founders. Competes for philanthropic mindshare in the science-and-deep-tech founder pipeline that Yope targets.

Regional players

• Berkeley SkyDeck (incl. SkyDeck Fund): University-anchored accelerator affiliated with UC Berkeley that recruits research-driven founders from its own campus pipeline. Mirrors Yope's university-partnership sourcing model and serves a similar deep tech / science-founder audience at a regional US concentration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/founderorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn1E6MWo6bosL5niahR1kjA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-yope-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/theyopefoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/founderorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments42 records

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

Frequently asked questions about FOUNDER.org