FC Build

About

A free, non-equity accelerator run by Foundation Capital for early-stage technical founders, offering small cohorts, $1M+ in startup credits, San Francisco office space and hands-on fundraising and company-building support.

Benefits

• 🆓No fees or equity
  FC Build is free to join and Foundation Capital states it does not take equity for participation.
• 💰$1M+ in startup credits
  Selected founders receive $1M+ in startup credits including AWS, Azure, OpenAI, Anthropic and dozens more.
• 🏢Free San Francisco office space
  Participants get workspace in San Francisco alongside their cohort and the broader Foundation Capital network.
• 🤝Hands-on support from Foundation Capital
  The program provides office hours, pitch practice and ongoing feedback directly from the Foundation Capital team.
• 👥Small founder community
  Cohorts are intentionally small at about 8-12 founders, creating a high-signal peer community.
• 📈Fundraising support
  Foundation Capital helps with fundraising narrative and can introduce founders to its network of 200 investors.
• 🔓Access to FC investment
  Participants have access to Foundation Capital's investment team for fundraising, with no obligation on either side.

Eligibility Criteria

• Mandatory: Must be an exceptional technical founder or early-stage founder who has recently started a company or is seriously considering starting one this year.
• Mandatory: Must have a sharp insight into a problem and demonstrate an exceptional pace of execution.
• Mandatory: Must be able to maintain physical presence in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 16-week in-person cohort.
• Preferred: B2B enterprise or fintech focus, but the official page states this is a preference, not a rule.
• Open to founders from all schools and backgrounds, with active recruiting from Cal, IIT, Stanford, Harvard, CMU, Waterloo, Caltech and Georgia Tech.

Participation Commitments

• Maintain physical presence in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 16-week in-person cohort.
• Participate in in-person programming in San Francisco during the cohort.

Target Sector

Agriculture & Food, Defense & Security, Education, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Government & Public Sector, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Real Estate & Construction, Retail & Consumer, Semiconductors & Electronics, Sports & Fitness, Telecommunications, Transportation & Logistics, Travel & Hospitality, Other

Target Location

Applicants must be able to maintain physical presence in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 16-week in-person cohort. The program states it is open to exceptional technical founders globally and actively recruits from Cal, IIT, Stanford, Harvard, CMU, Waterloo, Caltech, Georgia Tech and other schools. No nationality or residence restriction is stated beyond the Bay Area presence requirement.