The application is short and straightforward. With some preparation, most applicants can complete it in under 30 minutes. Your application will be thoroughly reviewed by the Builders + Backers program team, along with program sponsors.

We are problem agnostic. In other words, we are not looking for specific types of problems to be addressed. Rather we are looking for people who care deeply about a problem and want to learn the tools to best solving it or turn it into a business venture.
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Builders from our prior cohorts have worked on problems such as lack of access to fresh foods, small businesses not participating in the digital economy, lack of non-college career paths for high school students, absence of community for young Black professionals, mental health challenges specific to men, limited exposure to science as a career for minority students, and more.

We are looking for bold, compelling, novel, and innovative ideas. They can be ideas in any industry or sector. We are problem-agnostic. In other words, your idea does not need to address a problem in a specific topic area.—The idea should be well defined and articulated in an easily understandable way.—Ideally the problem the applicant is trying to solve and the proposed idea are ones that could scale either as a business or as a solution implemented in other communities. Often an idea may not appear that way on its face but we are experts at recognizing scalable ideas that others might overlook.

When we say we help you test your idea, we don’t mean drawing up an exam. We test ideas through experimentation. Experiments to test an idea are ones that put something in front of potential users or customers and then gauge what actions those people do or don’t take (not what they SAY but what they DO). We run them to prove (or disprove) a hypothesis. They are specific. They are measurable. They help us figure out quickly (and inexpensively) whether our idea works (or not). And they prevent us from diving head first into an expensive, time-consuming and risky venture before we’ve validated that our ideas hold merit. —To learn more about our approach to experimentation, check out this article with a deeper dive.

The program is virtual with the possibility for optional in-person events. Builders join both all-cohort and small group live sessions weekly. These sessions range from 1–2 hours.  The events are pre-scheduled at the beginning of the program so Builders can block off the times on their calendars.

Each week, Builders are assigned self-paced learning modules. During the first 45 days of the program, Builders are preparing to run their experiments and these modules are mandatory. During the second 45 days, Builders are actively experimenting and all learning modules are optional but intended to provide additional insights and resources.

Each Builder, who goes through the program, has the opportunity to access up to $5,000 in Pebble Funds to cover the cost of their experiment. Builders are required to complete the prerequisite training and coaching sessions in the first 45 days of the program before funds may be accessed to begin their experiments.
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The Builders + Backers team helps each participant create and refine a Builder’s Blueprint, which includes a proposed experiment, an action plan and timeline, and a budget. Once this Blueprint is approved, the Builder receives a controlled credit card which they may use to make pre-approved purchases, and they are responsible for submitting receipts for all expenses.

Nobody leaves the program empty handed. Each Builder who completes the program leaves with a completely new perspective on how to take their ideas into the world and a new set of tools for experimenting that will help them refine their current or next idea. That outcome is a key part of the program that we believe will provide significant value to participating communities.

In terms of their experiments, some builders will learn that their ideas are not feasible in their current form. Following the program, they may choose to run further experiments, pivot or even begin thinking about an entirely new idea.

Everyone who completes the program is invited to join the Builders + Backers Alumni community, where they can continue to engage with the Builders + Backers team, their cohort and hundreds of Builders from around the country. Additionally, we invite all of our Builders to events and opportunities to engage live with one another and our Backer community.

We’ll be hosting two informational sessions where you can hear from us live and have a chance to ask questions. Dates and times to be announced.

If you are applying to participate in a community cohort, then you must be a resident of the city in which you are applying for.

To apply for this opportunity, you do not need a certain job title, role or affiliation. You do not need to have an existing legal entity (e.g. a business or nonprofit organization). You don’t even need to be planning to start a venture. You simply need a problem you care about, an idea for addressing that problem, some early-stage thoughts on how you would experiment with that idea, and a willingness to learn.