A clear beginning.

1. Who can apply

Founder Mode welcomes startups and founders worldwide: every industry and stage, AI and non-AI, solo founders and teams, incorporated and unincorporated ventures, and funded or unfunded businesses. Age, language, business form and funding status are not application selection restrictions. You may submit text and videos in your own language.

Founders of all ages use the same application form. Where applicable law requires parent or guardian authorization, that authorization must be obtained. If you are under 13, have a parent or legal guardian complete and submit the same form using their own name and contact details; do not submit your personal contact information yourself. No separate advance contact with the casting team is required. A minor’s own checkbox is not a substitute for verifiable parental consent where that is legally required.

For a guardian-submitted initial application, focus on the project and omit unnecessary information identifying the child, including their direct contact details, school, precise location and recordings. Additional legally required privacy, media, filming, travel and investment permissions will be completed before the relevant collection, use or participation. If we learn that personal information was collected from a child without required authorization, we will pause the relevant processing and obtain appropriate authorization or delete it as required.

Free application and accurate information

Applying and participating in the casting process are free. You are responsible for the accuracy of information you provide and for having permission to share other people’s contact details and materials. Do not impersonate others, submit unlawful material, or provide secrets, private credentials, government identification, bank records or information you are not authorized to disclose. You retain ownership of your startup and original materials.

Submitting an application does not form an investment agreement, grant equity, create an employment relationship, or guarantee selection. We may ask you to clarify or verify material information. Deliberate material misrepresentation, rights violations or failure to complete required participation arrangements may result in removal from consideration.

Online submission and updates

Complete the application, review your answers and select Submit application. Your information is saved to the application register. The on-screen confirmation and application ID confirm that the record was received; they do not confirm selection. If a save fails, an error is shown and your answers remain available to retry. Selected files are uploaded after the application record is saved. If a file upload fails, your application remains saved and you can retry the upload or return to edit your materials.

Keep the private edit link supplied after submission. Anyone holding that link can view or change the application. The link is not an invitation link and should not be shared with co-founders. Contact us if it is lost or compromised.

Each co-founder completes their own profile and permissions. After submitting, the lead founder can share the separate co-founder profile link. Profile links associate submissions with a startup but do not give access to another person’s private application. Invitation and receipt emails are not sent automatically. A lead founder cannot accept personal permissions for another founder. Initial review does not need to wait for all profiles; missing permissions must be resolved before the relevant person participates.

2. The selection journey

There are three casting rounds: (1) initial application, (2) founder video by invitation, and (3) Zoom interview by invitation. A suitable video already provided may be reused at round two. We may request clarification within a round; that is not an additional formal casting round.

We evaluate the founder and their journey, capacity to grow, the startup’s potential, and the story ahead. More information can provide useful evidence, but length, attachment count, production polish and Premium purchase do not determine selection. A short application is valid. Personal trauma, prestigious credentials or previous funding are not required.

The 150-team finalist cohort

The 150 selected finalist startup teams will receive on-screen representation and a professionally produced Founder Story Film at no additional cost, subject to completing required participation agreements and production arrangements. Finalists will receive promotional use rights for their film, with the scope and terms specified in the participant agreement. This does not transfer ownership of the series or all production footage. “150” refers to startup teams, not individual founders. Screen time, format, prominence, placement, editing and release scheduling are editorial and production decisions. Selection does not promise a particular amount of screen time or unrestricted rights to reuse finished program footage.

The cohort is intended to include mentor connections and partner resources. Individual matches, sessions and additional partner rewards will be announced as confirmed. It is not a promise that every team receives a particular mentor, investor introduction or partner benefit.

Program development and distribution

The show’s format is in development. Distribution discussions are underway, targeting a major streaming platform. No platform or release date is confirmed. Our season-wide targets are 18 million viewers and 1 billion cross-platform impressions. These are planning objectives, not guaranteed audience results, individual startup reach or commitments from a distributor. Published timeline dates are working targets and may change. Participation, recording, publicity and use of final footage will be addressed in additional agreements before formal production participation. You may review those agreements before accepting an invitation.

Silicon Valley filming and travel

As the competition progresses, selected founders will be invited to Silicon Valley for filming. The finale will take place in Silicon Valley, and this season’s investors are based in the United States. Not every finalist is necessarily invited to travel at the same stage.

For invited founders, Founder Mode covers meals and accommodation during the official filming period and can provide an invitation letter. Airfare arrangements are still being finalized. The invitation will specify filming dates, covered nights, arrangements and any other supported expenses before travel is accepted. Do not book travel expecting reimbursement before receiving those details.

An invitation letter is not a visa or a guarantee of entry. Participants must comply with applicable immigration, travel and participation requirements. Arrangements for young founders must involve a parent or guardian and comply with applicable requirements; guardian travel arrangements will be confirmed individually.

3. The investment prize pool

The allocation between second and third place will be announced separately. These awards are investments, not unconditional cash grants or payment for simply appearing in the program.

Investment awards are subject to due diligence, applicable legal and investment eligibility requirements, and definitive agreements with the relevant investor or investing entity. Structure, valuation or valuation cap, ownership implications, conditions, timing and other commercial terms will be disclosed before a team accepts an investment. No equity percentage, investment instrument or unconditional funding date is fixed by this application.

Founder Mode’s broad application eligibility does not remove requirements that may apply to an actual investment or cross-border transaction. Applying, advancing or winning a placement does not itself close an investment. This open call is not an offer to sell securities to applicants or the public, and applicants are not asked to invest money.

Detailed judging, competition progression and award procedures will be provided before participation in the relevant competition stage. Material changes to the stated opportunity will be communicated to affected applicants before they are asked to accept new commitments.

4. Partner benefits and optional Premium

Microsoft for Startups and HubSpot for Startups are confirmed partners. Their eligibility rules are separate from Founder Mode’s casting rules. Provider review, availability, verification, activation, progression, expiration and product terms apply. A referral does not guarantee approval, savings, cash value or credit activation. Benefits cannot be added together to imply a cash award or a guaranteed total package value.

Founder Mode’s Microsoft referral support is part of the optional Premium package. The starting offer is $25,000 in Azure credits for eligible Premium startups after our partner eligibility screening and Microsoft verification. Finalist selection is not required for that starting offer. Paying Founder Mode does not waive Microsoft requirements or guarantee approval. Eligible startups may progressively unlock up to $150,000 under Microsoft requirements; selected finalists may qualify for an enhanced offer of up to $250,000. These are levels, not cumulative awards.

HubSpot’s free tools are publicly available without Premium. Founder Mode’s HubSpot referral and enrollment support is included in Premium. Eligible startups may qualify for partner startup pricing on applicable net-new Professional or Enterprise products, subject to HubSpot verification and subscription terms. Existing customers should contact HubSpot regarding eligibility. See the full partner offer details.

Premium is an optional, one-time US$199 package per startup for startup credits and partner benefits, a Founder Storytelling Toolkit, fundraising and investor-readiness resources, and an Application Activity Dashboard. The package includes access to all confirmed partner offers made available through Premium, including additions during the season; each provider retains its eligibility and activation requirements. Access does not mean every product a provider sells, unlimited services or guaranteed approval. It does not improve casting odds, buy screen time, or guarantee investment, discounts or credits. Your application stays free if you do not purchase Premium. Selecting an upgrade or opening checkout does not constitute payment or activate benefits. Premium payment status is confirmed only after a successful payment verified by the payment provider. Included resources, any applicable taxes and purchase / cancellation terms must be displayed before you authorize payment; any legally required consumer rights remain unaffected.

5. Application review, submission media release and investor sharing

Application review

By submitting, you confirm your application and authorize Founder Mode and its authorized casting and production personnel and service providers to receive, store, review, internally reproduce and, where needed, translate your application and supporting materials for casting evaluation, eligibility checks, application communications and administration of the open call. This permission covers those stated purposes; it is not permission for unrelated uses.

Submission Media Release

Founder Mode is a storytelling and media platform. The required agreement before submission includes the following release for the submitted story materials described below. Read it before checking the box; it is distinct from the optional investor-sharing permission.

What is covered. Your startup or working project name, current team introduction and business overview, including your own founder identity and story where you have authority to share them; your public profile and project links; and photographs, audio, video, demos, presentations or other materials you newly upload with this release, only to the extent you own or are authorized to license them. A link does not give us rights to third-party content you do not control. You do not need to prepare a separate public-ready application, but you should submit only story and business content you are comfortable making public and remove confidential or third-party personal information from materials.

What is excluded. Basic contact names, private email addresses and phone numbers, private edit links, credentials, private administrative records, confidential business or investor-only information, sensitive personal information, and another person’s rights you are not authorized to grant. Listing a co-founder, advisor or referrer does not release their likeness or personal story. A guardian’s contact name is not treated as the child’s public founder name. Historical fields and files submitted under an earlier private-review form are not brought into this release merely because you update the application; they need separate, specific clearance. Current story and business answers that you review and resubmit under this agreement are covered.

Permitted media uses. You retain ownership and grant Founder Mode a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, edit, excerpt, translate, subtitle, adapt, combine, display, publish and distribute covered material, including your authorized name, likeness and voice appearing in it, for Founder Mode founder profiles, storytelling, program development and production, the series, trailers, publicity and promotion. These uses may appear on websites, social media, streaming or broadcast services, press materials and Founder Mode campaign materials distributed by its production and distribution partners. Partners may exercise these rights only for these Founder Mode purposes; this is not an unrelated product endorsement or an unrestricted sale of your data.

Editing, duration and compensation. Founder Mode retains editorial control and does not need your approval of each permitted edit, excerpt or final presentation. The license lasts for the duration of the rights you can lawfully license, subject to applicable law and the limits below. No appearance, minimum exposure, payment or royalty is promised solely for use of submitted materials, unless separately agreed. The release does not authorize unlawful, defamatory or deliberately misleading treatment.

Limited release of claims. To the extent permitted by applicable law, you release Founder Mode and its authorized production and distribution partners from claims based solely on uses of covered materials that you have expressly authorized here, including claims concerning that authorized use of your name, likeness, voice or submitted content. This is not a release of claims for uses outside this scope, fraud, willful misconduct, unlawful conduct, or rights and remedies that cannot lawfully be waived. It does not prevent a lawful privacy request or a complaint to a regulator or court.

Personal-information rights and later filming. This content license is not a blanket waiver of privacy rights. We will obtain further consent or permissions before a particular use when applicable law requires them, including legally required guardian authorization. Where processing relies on data-protection consent, that consent may be withdrawn as provided by law without undoing earlier lawful processing; retention and continued use require a valid legal basis. If selected for an interview, new filming or participation in the show, you will receive a separate participant and appearance agreement before those activities. This submission release covers submitted materials, not consent to every future recording or commitment.

Optional investor sharing

If you select the separate investor-sharing checkbox, you authorize Founder Mode to share this application—including contact details, founder and business answers, co-founder information you are authorized to share, links and uploaded materials—with investors in Founder Mode’s affiliated partner network to consider potential investment opportunities. The checkbox is optional and not preselected; your choice does not affect casting consideration.

This investor permission covers your application and its supporting materials, not another founder’s separate profile or your private edit link. It does not itself authorize public publication, unrelated marketing or use for a different purpose. An introduction, reply or investment is not guaranteed. Additional notice or authorization will be obtained where required by applicable law.

You can withdraw permission for future investor sharing through your private edit link and submit the update, or contact info@foundermodetv.com. Withdrawal does not undo earlier lawful sharing. The Privacy Notice explains applicable rights and requests. This option remains available independently of the application deadline.

Earlier permissions and email updates

Earlier permissions apply only within their original scope unless lawfully withdrawn or superseded. Submitting this form does not enroll you in marketing emails. Any existing newsletter subscription remains a separate choice and may be cancelled without affecting casting consideration.

6. Confirmed submission, updates and contact

Once submitted, your application is confirmed and enters the casting review process. Submitted applications cannot be withdrawn from that process, except where applicable law requires otherwise. Subject to those legal limits, Founder Mode may continue the evaluation, administration and authorized media uses described in these terms; a later request does not undo review already lawfully completed.

You may update your answers and supporting materials through your private edit link before the application deadline. Select Submit updates to save your changes. If you cannot access the link, contact us using your original application email; identity verification may be needed. Explain material changes clearly. An update does not automatically reopen a decision already made. Confirmed deadlines will be communicated when set; the published season timeline is a planning target.

For questions about your application or permissions, contact info@foundermodetv.com. Applicable personal-information rights are explained in the Privacy Notice. The confirmed-submission rule does not waive rights that cannot lawfully be waived, remove a right to withdraw optional consent, or authorize uses outside these terms. Optional investor-sharing and marketing choices can still be changed independently of the application deadline.

We will contact applicants by email about invitations and confirmed schedules; individual feedback or a response within a particular period is not guaranteed. These initial application terms do not commit you to later filming, production or investment agreements. If these terms change materially, the updated version will be dated, and affected applicants will be informed before a new use or commitment requiring their agreement. New terms do not retroactively expand permissions granted under an earlier version.