Do You Want to Found a Company?

Solve a problem. Change the game. Build a household name.

Menlo Ventures is currently accepting candidates for our Future Founders community.

Menlo Ventures is now accepting candidates for a selective program designed for future founders feeling the itch to start a company from scratch. Through this community, high-potential entrepreneurs can explore new startup opportunities, meet potential co-founders, and build relationships with fellow entrepreneurs, experienced builders, industry experts, and top VCs.

The only requirement: Be an active participant.

There are no binding commitments and no strings attached. You don’t need to quit your day job. We ask—and expect—that participants will draw on the expertise of their peers and the broader Menlo team as they refine their thinking on a new venture, with the understanding that if it makes sense—on both sides—they can co-found companies within our startup studio, Menlo Labs. Once “graduated,” alumni have continued access to the network and pool of founder resources.

To be considered for this program, you must:

• First and foremost, be ready and eager to start a new company in the next 12 months. We are looking for a hunger to start and a desire to start building!
• Be a star performer in your field with years of operational experience. You might be a technical, product, business, or domain expert—a leader who can make valuable contributions to a founding team.
• Be a talent magnet, capable of identifying and attracting A-players.
• Join a community with whom you will actively engage for one year. Because fellow members can keep their day jobs, participation requires confidentiality.

Program Benefits 

Within the community, we work together to align the stars around your next venture. Everything will be optional, but we are looking for founders who are serious about starting a business. The program will include:

• Ideation: Help to identify and hone in on a venture-scale opportunity
• Networking: Meaningful connections to A+ founders and the broader Menlo network through warm introductions and online and in-person events, including a fun and productive offsite
• Programming: Access to Menlo’s portfolio programming, including expert-led roundtables, webinars, and investor office hours to explore topics of interest and learn from experts (approximately 5 hours per month)
• Resources: Ongoing access to our library of resources, even after you graduate
• Funding: We provide full seed funding for backable ideas with promising teams (~$3M) 

This founder program is overseen by the team at Menlo Labs. 

Menlo Labs Starts Companies

Menlo Labs is a startup studio. We partner with founders to start and fund category-defining companies through a program designed to accelerate the process of building a startup and reduce risk to maximize the likelihood of building a successful business.

We are part of Menlo Ventures, a 46-year-old firm that has backed companies such as Uber, Roku, Chime, Carta, Warby Parker, and Rover. The firm focuses on the three stages of early investment:

Menlo Ventures vets thousands of companies each year in building our portfolio. At Menlo Labs, we leverage that expertise to build venture-backable businesses. We tap the team, network, reach, and resources of the firm to build companies from scratch. Our small, high-touch model means we’re able to go deep with our founders, working hand in hand to solve problems efficiently, reach milestones quickly, and uncover opportunities at every turn—essentially tilting the risk/reward ratio to their favor. Because it’s all-consuming work, we’re selective about the opportunities we pursue, focusing on a handful of the highest potential companies at a time and giving them our all.