Questions, answered.

About 1–3 hours to complete. You can save your progress and return to it at any point before the submission deadline.

Yes. Your progress is saved, and you can return to the application any time before the deadline.

Cohorts usually consist of five or six startups. Small enough to keep support personal and to build a real community among the founders. Beyond the individual companies, we look for a cohort that can have fun working and learning together.

An evaluation committee made up of our program and fund team, our Venture Partners who help us find exceptional innovation and companies where they can add real value, and industry experts and mentors from the LearnLaunch network as needed.

We do not sign NDAs as part of the application process. Everything you share with us is treated as confidential and reviewed only for evaluation purposes.

We primarily work with early-stage companies that have a defined product or service, have achieved forward traction in the market, and are looking to scale.

We typically target companies with a revenue range of $200K annually. If you are pre-revenue but have demonstrated strong traction or a clear path to market, you are still encouraged to apply.

Companies generating over a couple million may be too advanced for this program. We have seen a lot of companies come in at the $300K to $900K range and then see revenue double in 12–18 months. We focus on companies in the early scaling stage looking to grow their revenue and customer base.

We look for ideas that demonstrate innovation in technology, delivery model, or approach to a specific market problem. Originality is valued, but the scalability and feasibility of your idea matter just as much.

We work with companies that have a US legal presence by the time we are selecting companies for the program. If you are selected to pitch, we will send the requirements at that time. Companies should also be able to actively participate virtually and in the in-person program week in Boston (July) and Demo Week in NYC (October).

We are looking for scaling companies, so we would want to understand future funding sources. We would invest in a slow pay-back, royalty or revenue-style note with enough return to fit our obligations to our limited partners. We invested in Quill, a high-growth non-profit.

Expect a weekly average of 4–5 hours of synchronous learning sessions and 2–4 hours of asynchronous meetings with Venture Partners, mentors, and our team. The program requires founders to be fully engaged.

Work projects alongside the programming include a business model, product-market fit analysis, logic model and impact measurement roadmap, product roadmap including AI strategy, a short-term detailed outcomes plan with milestones, and a pitch deck. We use a “teach to fish” philosophy: after each class you do the work projects yourself, with office hours available with the instructors (our entrepreneurs in residence) and others to help.

We expect one or two people will be consistent participants in the program. For a select few sessions, such as Boston In-Person Week and Demo Day, others who are appropriate can attend.

Participants are required to attend a few in-person and virtual events:

• Orientation sessions Virtual
• Weekly workshops and mentor meetings Virtual
• Pitch practices Virtual
• Boston In-Person Week In person
• Demo Day In person

No. By the time those events come around, you will have received the initial investment. We are happy to help you find cost-effective lodging.

It is an equity investment, not a grant. We invest in your company in exchange for a small percentage of equity.

Milestones are specific, measurable goals set throughout the program to help you track progress and achieve critical outcomes, such as:

• Customer acquisition goals
• Revenue growth targets
• Product development stages
• Impact metrics that show product effectiveness
• Securing partnerships or additional funding

We are impact investors. We want this fund to deliver great results for our limited partners while being committed to a positive impact on education and work upskilling systems. We start investment discussions at 5–6% and look at the risks facing the company. We understand the challenges facing startups, and that if you have been involved in another program your cap table will have been affected. We take these factors into account during discussions of investment terms.

LearnLaunch’s terms are broadly in line with other leading accelerators, typically involving ~5–6% equity for the initial accelerator investment. Unlike some accelerators, LearnLaunch does not charge program fees, allowing founders to retain more capital. The program is also sector-focused on edtech, giving founders specialized mentorship, industry connections, and access to a network of education investors and operators.

No. We assign one or two Venture Partners to each company, who meet with you weekly joined by a LearnLaunch venture partner. That time can be spent on the accelerator’s work projects or on other company goals.

For workforce development companies we offer tailored support, including:

• Market research and validation
• Connections to enterprise clients, workforce boards, and key industry players
• Mentorship on scaling and B2B partnerships
• Strategies to improve customer acquisition and user retention