Founder In Residence
San Francisco, CA
Platform – CORE /
Remote /
Remote
About Us
Platform Venture Studio (platformstud.io) is the best co-founder you could have. Created by founders for founders, our tried and true methodology turbo charges startups’ velocity to success.
Our studio team does real work, we don’t waste time, and we’ve been there. Platform’s creators, serial entrepreneur Jeremy Burton and 2020 Midas List investor Tim Connors, have 30+ years of experience developing highly successful startups.
In addition to support from our studio team and other portfolio companies, we have a guild of coaches, investors, and advisors, and ~65K+ Platform’s deep network contacts.
We don't chase fads, and we do no harm. Our mission is to build companies that change the world for the better. Each of our startups aligns with our vision and fits into at least one of our themes: the new economy, climate, social justice, and civic engagement.
About the Founder-in-Residence Role
- A Founder-in-Residence (or "FIR") is an entrepreneur we partner with to build a venture-backed company that solves an Unmet Need. Typically, we begin a partnership with a FIR to develop an idea that is still in its infancy
- Please review our Founder Deck here for more information: https://decksend.net/d9c55b6bc5a4d5aa
- If you have already raised capital, or already found product-market fit and your unit economics work, then you are likely too late for our Founder in Residence program. We do make a select few traditional pre-seed investments in highly thematic companies. If you are interested in pitching for a direct investment, please use Platform's DeckSend tool to send your deck for consideration: https://decksend.net/
- We recommend reviewing this blog post prior to applying to determine if it makes sense for you to apply: https://www.platformstud.io/blog/why-you-should-not-work-with-platform
What Platform FIR’s Get
- Income: we believe that the inability to work without income is often a big part of what prevents some founders—particularly those from underrepresented groups—from starting the entrepreneurship journey. However, equity is of course always the primary reward for being a startup founder
- Validated startup idea (in the form of Unmet Need and Solution) with strong chance of success
- Initial capital and access to our investor network
- Tried and true glide-path to success with specific, measurable milestones
- Talented, flexible, remote-first studio team with deep expertise in design, engineering, research, and growth to help you build, launch, and iterate efficiently
- Shared ops, HR, and G&A functions—legal, talent, finance, etc
- Access to Platform Guild, our network of trusted advisors and subject-matter experts
- Coaching all along the way
Who We’re Looking For
- “Startup DNA”: You have a tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity, paired with a bias toward action and proactiveness. You are driven to succeed. You are always coming up with new ideas and thinking about ways to make things better. Bonus points if you know how to prioritize your ideas to focus on ones that will move the needle
- Understanding of founder life: You understand both the highs and the lows of the founder journey, and you have the grit and mental fortitude for it (of course, we are here to support you all along the way!). You know that the day-to-day of a founder’s life is not necessarily glamorous. You might have gotten this understanding from starting a company already, being an employee close to a founder at an early-stage startup, or experimenting with your own entrepreneurial projects and initiatives
- Learning ability and growth mindset: You possess strong self awareness, situational awareness, and the capacity for critical self-reflection. You’re not afraid to ask for help, and you’re open-minded, curious, and eager to learn from others. You are able to objectively analyze and communicate your decisions, actions, and their results; process external feedback and other perspectives; and quickly adapt with new information
- Passion for our themes: You agree with the quote: “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution” (from Uri Levine at Waze). At the end of the day, you care most about solving a real problem in spaces that matter, and making an impact for those with a deep Unmet Need within our current four themes: new economy, climate, social justice, and civic engagement
- Goodness: You have low ego and high integrity. You’re motivated by wanting to change the world for the better. You do what is right. You are collaborative and communicative. You treat your customers, your team, and your advisors with utmost thoughtfulness. You are able to inspire others to goodness.
This application is for Founders in Residence who are interested in partnering with Platform to work on an unmet need of their own proposal. If you would be interested in being the founder for a Platform internally incubated unmet need, you can apply for the available concepts listed here: https://jobs.lever.co/platform-stud/?department=Platform&team=CORE
Note: Please do not pitch us in this application. We do not want to be pitched. We don't want to hear why your idea is the greatest thing ever. At this stage, no idea is the greatest idea ever. That also means if you don't feel like you have a bulletproof, perfect answer to some of these questions that's OKAY. Do your best and show your work.
We most want to understand who you are: your story, your motivation for being a founder, why you care about the problem you're trying to solve, and how you think about and approach problem solving. Take this opportunity to tell us who you are and let it serve as a reflective exercise for yourself as a founder.
