FAQs

All you need to know about
Co-Founders before you apply.

Application

  • Everyone and anyone! Applicants will need to be based in the UK or Ireland as there are in-person mandatory sessions in Belfast.

    There are various reasons why you might want to join the Co-Founders programme.

    Do you:

    • Have a passion for start-ups or want to learn more about entrepreneurship?

    • Have come across a problem space that you would like to explore with a team to come up with a solution?

    • Have a product idea that is innovative and has high-growth potential, and you would like to explore further with your own team or find co-founders?

    • Have skills you know would be useful to start-up? For example: social media, app design, accounting, legal, marketing, and sales user research.

    If you answered yes to any of the above, then you will be a perfect fit for Co-Founders!

  • Yes, you can apply if you’re already part of a team but you have to apply as individuals and everyone has to take part in the Hothouse weekend. For readily formed teams, the programme can help identify if they need to bring an additional person onto their team. We know from experience that early-stage startups usually have 2 to 4 people so 4 is the maximum number for a team on the programme.

  • Not at all; we welcome anyone who has a passion or interest in being involved in a start-up no matter your educational background. We all have a skill set that could be useful to a start-up.

  • Absolutely not. Our programme brings together people with Ideas, people who have identified a problem space and people with skilled backgrounds who want to work on a start-up idea.

    We’ve had people from the following sectors on previous cohorts of the programme: Product Managers/Designers, Data Scientists, Medical Professionals, Software Developers / CTOs, Engineers, Architects, Wealth Managers, Lawyers, Project Managers, Entrepreneurs, Product Developers, UX Designers, Marketing / Digital Specialists, Sales/Business Development Professionals.

  • The programme is open to anyone based the UK or Ireland with a high-growth idea or a skillset that can help a start-up grow.

    Co-Founders is a hybrid programme, with some in-person sessions in Belfast - your participation in the programme will require attendance at our in-person sessions to gain the most value from the programme.

  • For the 2024 programme, applications will open on the 16th October 2023 and close on the 30th November 2023.

    The application form takes around 10 minutes to complete which if successful, is then followed by a 20-minute interview.

  • Co-Founders is a free programme and no costs are involved to participate or apply.

Team Formation

  • This is perfectly normal and if you don’t meet someone in the first 4 weeks, you will have developed your network with a bunch of like-minded and skilled individuals and will have learnt new skills. You are welcome to come back to a future cohort and try again with a fresh batch of candidates.

  • Ahead of the Hot House weekend, everyone will do a personal pitch by way of introduction to the group. For the remainder of the weekend, we will facilitate a series of energetic challenges aimed at getting to know each other and building relationships.  

    We encourage everyone to network over the first few weeks of the programme to help make an informed decision about who they want to work within a team. Everyone has to be in a team for entry into the Core Programme. 

    We also provide supplementary information, including a document containing a breakdown of the people on the cohort & their skills, as well as video pitches to assist you in finding the people you want to team up with!

    Find out more here.

Core Programme

  • No, the Co-Founders programme is the first step on your entrepreneurial journey, introducing you to the support and help available and more importantly helping you to validate your idea. 

  • All candidates have to sign NDAs at the start of the programme however it is up to each candidate and/or team to manage their own IP. 

  • Co-Founders takes place from February to June 2024. The Hot House and Ideas Bootcamp will take place over weekends (in person). This is followed by the core programme over 12 weeks. The core programme sessions are on Monday evenings 6pm – 8.30pm online, however some in-person sessions may be factored in.

    Outside of the programme sessions, you will need to dedicate some time each week to work on your start-up eg user research, team catch up. However, it is manageable alongside a full-time job or studies.

  • Currently we do not allow start-ups to apply directly to Co-Founders+. Co-Founders+ is designed for start-ups that have gone through all the learning elements of the core programme and been selected to move forward with their team and idea. If you believe you have an idea that would benefit from Co-Founders+ then consider applying to the Co-Founders Core Programme first.