Is this actionable now?

rolling. Rolling applications with no deadline and multiple cohorts each year; each cohort brings together ten builders for one week.

Technical builders of any age and in any country may apply solo or once per team. The official site explicitly includes side-project builders, students, dropouts and people with full-time jobs.

What burden and restrictions apply?

The one-week program is mostly virtual; the final day is in person in San Francisco or New York. No grant-style reporting schedule is published. The headline $10,000 is not a grant: it is an optional investment converting to stock at the next priced round with a $1 billion cap.

Z Fellows

Participation can be equity-free with no money, or the founder can optionally accept a $10,000 investment that converts at the next priced round with a $1 billion valuation cap · Z Fellows (founded by Cory Levy) · rolling applications

Z Fellows fast-tracks early technical builders into Silicon Valley through a one-week, mostly-virtual program (final day in-person in SF or NYC) alongside top founders and mentors. Fellows receive $10,000 and lifelong network access; participants may optionally take a $10,000 investment at a $1B valuation cap. Current lifecycle: rolling. Real economics: Participation can be equity-free with no money, or the founder can optionally accept a $10,000 investment that converts at the next priced round with a $1 billion valuation cap.

Tier 3startuptechnical-foundersinvestmentrolling

Apply Official site Open in the live directory

Key facts

Funder	Z Fellows (founded by Cory Levy)
Amount	Participation can be equity-free with no money, or the founder can optionally accept a $10,000 investment that converts at the next priced round with a $1 billion valuation cap
Deadline	Rolling — apply anytime
Decision time	No decision-time commitment is published.
Eligibility	Technical builders of any age and in any country may apply solo or once per team. The official site explicitly includes side-project builders, students, dropouts and people with full-time jobs.
Restrictions	The one-week program is mostly virtual; the final day is in person in San Francisco or New York. No grant-style reporting schedule is published. The headline $10,000 is not a grant: it is an optional investment converting to stock at the next priced round with a $1 billion cap.
Status	rolling

Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.

Application process

Submit one application per team
Receive rolling review for the next cohort
Join a mostly virtual one-week cohort
Attend the final day in San Francisco or New York
Choose whether to accept the optional convertible investment

Background

Z Fellows (founded by Cory Levy) operates Z Fellows. This pass separates direct cash, repayable finance, credits, incentives and umbrella programs so later ranking does not compare unlike instruments. The official site names Cursor, Cognition, Etched and other alumni and states alumni have raised billions of dollars The mentor roster includes founders of Netflix, Eventbrite, AngelList, Figma, Vercel, DoorDash, Ramp and Deel

How the application really works

Submit one application per team → Receive rolling review for the next cohort → Join a mostly virtual one-week cohort → Attend the final day in San Francisco or New York → Choose whether to accept the optional convertible investment

Tips

Show direct fit with consumer.
Show direct fit with enterprise.
Show direct fit with defense.
Show direct fit with healthcare.
Show direct fit with fintech.
Show direct fit with AI and ML.
Show direct fit with climate.
Show direct fit with biotech.
Show direct fit with other technical startups.

Watch out for

Current lifecycle is rolling.
The one-week program is mostly virtual; the final day is in person in San Francisco or New York. No grant-style reporting schedule is published.
The headline $10,000 is not a grant: it is an optional investment converting to stock at the next priced round with a $1 billion cap.

Track record

The official site names Cursor, Cognition, Etched and other alumni and states alumni have raised billions of dollars
The mentor roster includes founders of Netflix, Eventbrite, AngelList, Figma, Vercel, DoorDash, Ramp and Deel

Cohorts contain ten builders, but application totals and a comparable acceptance rate are not published.

Frequently asked questions

Is this actionable now?: rolling. Rolling applications with no deadline and multiple cohorts each year; each cohort brings together ten builders for one week.
What is the real economic value?: Participation can be equity-free with no money, or the founder can optionally accept a $10,000 investment that converts at the next priced round with a $1 billion valuation cap
Who is eligible?: Technical builders of any age and in any country may apply solo or once per team. The official site explicitly includes side-project builders, students, dropouts and people with full-time jobs.
How does selection work?: Submit one application per team; Receive rolling review for the next cohort; Join a mostly virtual one-week cohort; Attend the final day in San Francisco or New York; Choose whether to accept the optional convertible investment. No decision-time commitment is published.
What burden and restrictions apply?: The one-week program is mostly virtual; the final day is in person in San Francisco or New York. No grant-style reporting schedule is published. The headline $10,000 is not a grant: it is an optional investment converting to stock at the next priced round with a $1 billion cap.
What evidence exists?: The official site names Cursor, Cognition, Etched and other alumni and states alumni have raised billions of dollars The mentor roster includes founders of Netflix, Eventbrite, AngelList, Figma, Vercel, DoorDash, Ramp and Deel Cohorts contain ten builders, but application totals and a comparable acceptance rate are not published.

Sources

www.zfellows.com — Official live program, application, cohort size, global eligibility, optional investment, reapplication, contact, mentors and alumni (checked 2026-08-10)