Running your first cohort: a starter guide
From application form to graduation — a practical structure for accelerators running their first program on shared infrastructure.
Running a great cohort is mostly about structure. Here's a practical sequence accelerators use to go from open applications to graduation.
1. Design the application
Build a form that captures what you actually score on — and nothing you don't. Define a weighted rubric up front so review is objective and fast.
2. Review and select
Move applicants through a stage-gated pipeline with your whole team. Score, rank, and decide with a shared system of record instead of a thread of emails.
3. Run the program
Drive execution through phases, tasks, masterclasses, and attendance. Keep founders investor-ready throughout, not just at demo day.
4. Connect to capital
Graduation shouldn't be the end. Connect your cohort to clubs and syndicates so the strongest companies have a structured path to funding.
The goal: every cohort compounds the last, instead of starting from zero.
Put this into practice on Fundu.
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