People
Before
Ideas.
No traction, no idea — no problem. We invest in you.
Are you technical with a bias for speed?
Our Founders-in-Residence typically...
Meet Afore's Founders-in-Residence Program:
Apply now
Afore founders have built iconic companies from nothing.
Afore always gets to the most important question in your business. Once you de-risk the hardest thing, everything becomes easier. And they will help you raise an insane series A.
Kashish
Sign your first 5 design customers.
We’ll handcraft your narrative and curate a room of 200+ top tier investors at our Spring & Fall Showcase, so you raise on the best terms.
Idea to Traction to Series A at Warp Speed.
Our founders have raised $3B+in follow-on capital with a combined market cap of $12B+ from the best funds in the world:
Structured enough to push you hard. Loose enough to let you build.
We invest on a rolling basis year-round.
Our founders have raised $3B+in follow-on capital with a combined market cap of $12B+ from the best funds in the world:
Any more questions? Apply now or reach out.
Apply now
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many Founders-in-Residence do you invite?
We only invest in ~10 teams per cohort allowing us to be highly-selective and hands-on. You'll be joining an exclusive and tight-knit group.
Who should apply to join Afore as a FIR?
Afore’s FIR program is for technical builders with a bias for speed. You’re likely a fit if you have 2+ years of work experience, are validating ideas against real customer opportunities, and are ready to leave, or recently left, your job to build full-time.
Do you back solo founders or teams?
Both! We’ll also help you find a co-founder — just let us know in the application above.
How much do you invest?
At least $100K — we’re flexible and want to give you ample capital to get to the next stage.
When does the next residency kick off?
We kick off Summer 2026 on Jul 6, 2026. The Fall 2026 cohort will kick off Oct 1, 2026.
Do I have to wait for next cohort start date to receive funding and start working together?
No — we operate on startup speed — aka, ASAP. We make investment decisions year-round, can sign docs & wire next-day, and invite you to start working out of our office, alongside our team, as soon as you'd like. You are then eligible to join the full 2-month programming for the next cohort, whenever it begins.
Is the Afore residency in-person?
Yes — we’ll be sitting side by side with our FIRs ready to help in South Park, San Francisco. We recognize all teams can’t make it there so we encourage you to apply nonetheless.
Am I too early?
No! We’ve worked with 100+ founders over the last 7 years, many of whom have nothing more than the will to start a company with a Google doc of ideas, or scrappy demos they’re tinkering with. We enjoy the heavy metal company building phase and want to partner with you from the earliest days.
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