Emerging Founder Residency
A year-long residency for technically skilled, early-stage founders ready to relocate to Cincinnati and build something real. $300K in capital. A tight-knit cohort. No side projects.
Emerging Founder Residency
A year-long residency for technically skilled, first-time founders ready to relocate to Cincinnati and build something real. $300K in capital. A tight-knit cohort. No side projects.
in early investment capital to kickstart your company
alongside a guided curriculum
of full-time support in Cincinnati with a tight-knit cohort
to to the Cintrifuse Capital team, and our investor network and corporate partners
The Emerging Founder Residency is a year-long, founder-focused experience designed to help recent graduates and early-career builders transform early concepts into viable, investable ventures. If you’re already thinking about starting something, this is your moment. Stop treating your idea like a side project.
Residents gain access to funding, mentorship, and a competitive cohort that accelerates learning and builds real companies, right here in Cincinnati. You’ll work directly with experienced founders, investors, and the Cintrifuse Capital team who show up with real feedback, not just encouragement, alongside a tight-knit group of peers pushing each other forward.
Silicon Valley is a state of mind — not just a place. Whether you’re in Dhaka, Palo Alto, or anywhere in between, what matters most is your mindset.
Vinod Khosla, Co-Founder, Khosla Ventures
Our curriculum covers what actually moves a company forward: customer discovery, MVP development, market entry, early sales, and building toward venture. But it’s not a fixed syllabus. The structure follows your company’s progress, so you’re spending time on what your business needs right now, with experienced founders and investors in the room to help you figure out what that is.
Learn how to uncover what your customers truly need. We’ll teach you how to run effective interviews, identify real problems, and avoid building based on assumptions.
Continued customer discovery runs alongside focused product development. You’ll learn to strip your idea to its essential value, create a simple first version, and test it quickly with real users.
Get clear on how to reach your customers and win your first traction. We’ll walk through positioning, channels, and the early tactics that actually move the needle.
Create a repeatable sales motion and establish a strong customer base so you are leaving the program with a fundable company and a clear path forward.
The people in your corner aren’t just advisors. They’re founders who’ve been where you are, investors who’ve backed what you’re building toward, and operators who’ve solved the problems you’re about to face.
We’re looking for early-career founders who are ready to bet on themselves. If you’re the kind of person who’s always had a side project, always been thinking about starting something—this was built for you.
Investment terms
Cintrifuse Capital invests $300,000 into your company via a post-money SAFE. All companies receive the same standardized terms—in exchange for the capital, resources, and mentorship, Cintrifuse Capital receives 10% equity prior to dilution from your future priced round.
A year-long program for early-career builders ready to turn early-stage ideas into real companies, combining capital, mentorship, and community to help them build, test, and grow their ventures in Cincinnati.
Emerging Founder Residency is a year-long cohort program based in Cincinnati, designed to help early stage founders validate ideas, build MVPs, and launch scalable companies.
Founders or founding teams who are in the very early stages of building a startup. Ideal candidates should be recent graduates or early-career professionals ready to commit to building their company in Cincinnati.
Participants in the Emerging Founder Residency benefit from $300K in funding, housing support, dedicated office space at Union Hall, one-on-one mentorship from successful founders, customer discovery training, and access to a broad network of mentors and industry leaders. The program offers a hands-on, community-driven approach with co-living arrangements and regular social programming.
Both solo founders and founding teams are welcome. The program is built to support founders at all stages of team formation, including those looking to find co-founders or early collaborators.
Each company receives $300,000 in investment capital through Cintrifuse Capital to support product development, customer discovery, and early market entry across the year-long program.
There’s no shortcut to building a startup, and the same is true for effectively validating ideas and building products. We expect that you are 100% dedicated to building a startup, with this being your full-time focus. This is a minimum one-year commitment.
Each founder is paired with mentors from the Cintrifuse network, including experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and subject matter experts who provide regular feedback, accountability, and practical guidance throughout the year.
Beyond the core program components, participants have access to various resources, including:
Applications for the 2026 Emerging Founders Residency are open now. Spots are limited and competitive.
Join the Emerging Founder waitlist to be notified when applications for our next cohort open.
