Applications open for Founders and Fighters Programs: what’s the difference?
On STATION F startup campus, you can find 30 different startup programs you can apply to. With such a big selection of incubators and accelerators, our goal was to provide as many options as possible so that any kinds of startups would find the right fit for them.
Some programs focus on a specific industry vertical, a geography, or schools’ alumni communities. Most of them are managed independently by our partners.
There are 2 programs managed in-house by STATION F. The F-est of STATION F, if you will: the Founders Program, and the Fighters Program.
Applications for both are happening as we speak! Apply before September 25th for the Founders and October15th for the Fighters!
The Founders Program is STATION F’s program for early stage startups. It counts 200 startups a year on average (for a total of 1,000 at STATION F).
It’s targeted towards early-stage companies that already have a working prototype and are working full-time on their project.
Startups in the Founders Program must stay a minimum of 3 months and can stay until they reach 15 employees.
During their stay, they have access to all Station F resources and desks cost only €195/desk/month.
The Founders Program’s secret sauce:
The Founders Program is founded on a peer-to-peer learning model. In other words, everything that we provide has been tried, tested and recommended by other entrepreneurs. And at our core: our Guild model for collaboration.
You can read more about the resources and content of the program on our blog here:
The Fighters Program, in a nutshell, is part of STATION F’s core mission: to support diversity in innovation and provide support to entrepreneurs who come from underprivileged backgrounds.
We welcome 10 startups for free each year (the program lasts 12 months)to attend the Founders Program.
Fighters may be people who have a difficult personal history, who come from low-income families, who don’t have resources or a network, who are refugees, who come from rural areas, etc. They have one thing in common: they fought to build their own company, despite all the extra difficulties they had to face.
Fighters are already entrepreneurs, meaning the Fighters Program does not intend to turn people into entrepreneurs, but to give a bit of extra help to entrepreneurs who managed to start their company.
Essentially, there are no differences between Founders and Fighters during their stay at STATION F (except for price). They are mixed amongst the Guilds, go through the same workshops and challenges, and we expect the same level of performance from all startups.
“We want to offer the Fighters the same resources and same opportunities as everyone else, and we want to surround them with the very best we have to offer.” Roxanne Varza, STATION F director
The two selection processes are different, although very similar in many ways:
- Both start with an online form. Fighters get an extra question: “Why do you think you are a Fighter?”
- The Founders Program pre-selected startups go through a video interview, and then their applications are studied by our Selection Board.
- The Fighters Program pre-selected startups are invited to pitch in front of a jury made of entrepreneurs from the Founders Program, our team and some “Fighters spirit” advocates.
Founders Program selections happen twice a year, Fighters, only once.
Both the Founders and Fighters program are highly selective: only 6% of applicants get in!
During the selection, if you are hesitating between the two programs, you just need to ask yourself: do you need the Fighters Program or do you think someone else might need it even more?
Now, ready to apply?
Applications to the Founders Program must be done before September 30th
Applications to the Fighters Program must be done before October15th
