We want FIGHTERS, not fancy diplomas
As you may know, at STATION F we have 26 different startup programs — but one of them in particular captures how we feel about entrepreneurship: The Fighters Program.
Entrepreneurs from *all* backgrounds.
The Fighters Program was announced the same day as our inauguration — and strives to make entrepreneurship more accessible to people from underprivileged backgrounds. We see a lot of great entrepreneurs but often with similar profiles — with fancy diplomas and who grew up in rather privileged situations. And while that’s great, we believe that those coming from less privileged situations and backgrounds would make great entrepreneurs as well.
That’s why we created the Fighters Program.
The Fighters Program is a program for entrepreneurs from underprivileged backgrounds — which is not limited to but can mean refugees, people who grew up in difficult neighborhoods and rural areas, people who may not have a higher education degree, people with difficult personal stories, etc. The program offers a 1-year free access to STATION F’s Founders Program, where you’ll be surrounded by early-stage startups from around the world in a variety of industries and have access to everything we offer on campus.
Wait, why are there Fighters in the Founders Program?
That’s right, the Fighters will be integrated into the Founders Program. But why? Well, it was important for us not to separate the Fighters and the Founders — for us it didn’t make any sense. 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. Therefore, it made the most sense for us to integrate the Fighters directly into the Founders Program.
Applying as a Fighter vs. Founder.
In fact, even the applications for the 2 programs are similar. For the Fighters Program, we ask only a few additional questions and ask that the applicant explain to us why they identify themselves as a Fighter. We also allow Fighters to apply in French if they want, whereas Founders are required to apply in English. But that’s really about it. Otherwise, the application asks all the same questions about your team and your projet. We like to see that Fighters have moved past the idea stage and are already started building something — and of course Fighters can come from anywhere around the world.
Know a Fighter?
We see Fighters all around us. You may not realize it but Fighters include the likes of Coco Chanel or Malala Yousefzai — but we also have examples in the tech world like Jan Koum (Whatsapp) or Jack Ma (Alibaba). If you know a Fighter (maybe it’s you!), you have until October 2nd to apply online at stationf.co.
