Ripple Ventures is an early-stage venture fund seeking investments in B2B SaaS Startups located in Canada & the U.S. We are always seeking new investments in various industries ripe for disruption with a focus on workflow automation and data & analytics platforms.

As serial entrepreneurs, we are actively involved with all our investments and aren't scared to roll up our sleeves and get dirty. We provide ongoing advice and support to all our portfolio companies, in addition to helping them leverage our broad business networks.​

We support entrepreneurs who seek to revolutionize the most competitive global industries by solving difficult problems with the most unique solutions. Our industry focuses include: enterprise software, healthcare technology, and industrial technology.

The RippleX Founder Fellowship is a program specifically for B2B software companies built by underrepresented student/grad/dropout founders in Canada and the United States. This program is designed to help founders at the earliest stages get unique access to customers, esteemed operators, and hands-on support from the Ripple team. If you need help with validating your problem space with customers, all the way to getting your first dollars of revenue and funding, you've come to the right place. Companies accepted in the batch will have the opportunity to receive funding from Ripple via the Fellow Fund.

H1'25 Batch

• Runs from Jan - Apr 2025
• ~10 companies in each batch
• [NEW] Preferred in-person companies in Toronto or Vancouver (or able to commute to those cities 1-2 times/month for workshops/events)

How are you different from other programs?

• Instead of being 1/100 companies in a batch, you will be 1/10.
• Deep experience working with first-time student/recent grad founders to become venture-fundable.
• All companies will be building in B2B software and will get direct help and access to customers that is relevant to their sectors.
• Daily mentorship from the Ripple Ventures team to help you get on a venture-scale path.
• Workshops led by esteemed alumni, venture partners, and founders who have gotten to scale and exit.
• In-person workshops and events in Toronto and Vancouver to build a deep community across the batch.
• Ran by an established venture capital fund with incentive to help you get on track to be funded and on a venture-path.

FAQ:

• What are the criteria to apply for the program?
• Companies founded by current students, recent grads, or dropouts (within the past two years) 
• At least one founder must be from underrepresented backgrounds inclusive of: Women (femme-presenting / identifying); Indigenous Peoples; Racialized, Black and/or people of color (visible minorities); Persons who identify as LGBTQ2+ and nonbinary individuals; and Persons living with disabilities.
• The company must have an idea in B2B software, meaning tools that are used in a professional or business setting (ie. Figma (design tool), Quickbooks (SMB accounting software), Supabase (backend development platform), to Amazon Web Services (enterprise cloud infrastructure))
• Founders must be based in Canada or the United States
• The company must be or plan to be incorporated in Canada or the United States
• Companies that apply must not have previously raised any institutional venture capital funding
• What does the application entail?
• Eligibility confirmation
• Company details
• Founder details
• Problem and solution overview
• 90-second video pitch
• What can founders expect from the program?
• Weekly calls with the Ripple team and cohort members
• Biweekly content modules to complete that are in tandem with real business outcomes
• Milestone setting for every month
• Hands-on support and guidance from the Ripple team and mentors and alumni from RippleX
• Demo day to present and potentially receive funding
• Deep community and support from other founders in the same stage
• How many companies will you accept?
• 10 companies per batch
• How long does each batch run?
• There will be two batches run each year, split by H1 and H2
• Do we apply as individuals or as a company?
• Apply as a company - there will be a section specifically for you to add details of each founder
• What are the non-negotiable terms of accepting an offer for the Founder Fellowship Program?
• A 6-month option but not the obligation for Ripple to invest in your company via its standard non-negotiable Fellow Fund terms:
• Standard YC SAFE: Within 4 months of joining the program, Ripple has the option but not obligation to invest $75K USD at a $2M USD post-money SAFE (3.75% equity)
• Side Letter: A 12-month option for Ripple to invest in your company with a $200K USD check at a $5M post-money standard YC SAFE note (4% equity), standard information rights, standard pro-rata rights
• Why is the standard program deal worth considering for founders?
• You will get hands-on operational support from partners at Ripple Ventures to help you navigate building your business every day
• You will get access to Ripple's portfolio and customer network to get your product to market
• Access to portfolio perks worth over $1M across all the tools that you love
• Access to our talent and hiring network
• Access to the Ripple core portfolio founder community to get support in navigating building a venture-scale business
• Access to capital to get your company off the ground and avoid common pitfalls to increase your chance of succeeding
• Comparable total dilution compared to other programs but with a lot more hands-on support

Application process and timelines:

• Applications are open now until November 8, 2024.
• Stay in touch with us in the meantime: https://linktr.ee/ripplexfellowship