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Become fundable inSilicon Valley

A 6-week online program that makes you ready to raise, enter the US market, and operate at the level required to win.

Meet top founders and investors from the Bay Area

Learn from people who have actually done it - built, raised, or written checks in Silicon Valley.

  • Sequoia Capital
  • Y Combinatoralumni
  • ElevenLabs
  • xAI
  • Google
  • Apple
  • Harvard Law School
  • Stanford
Meet your future investor. 100+ investors in the network.
02The program

Six weeks to US-ready.

A focused online sprint with a small cohort. Workshops, 1:1 mentoring, investor panels, and legal + visa support. You leave with a US-ready deck, a clear US go-to-market plan, and a verdict from real investors - not another six months of polite feedback.

Starts
June 1, 2026
Duration
6 weeks
Where
Online
Admission
$1,800
Equity
None
03Mentors & Speakers

People who have actually done it.

No accelerator staff. No generalist coaches. You learn from the operators, investors, and specialists you would otherwise spend a year networking to meet.

01 · Curriculum

Six-week curriculum

Live workshops with U.S. investors, operators and specialists. From Silicon Valley diagnosis to investor pitch — one focused theme per week.

  1. Week 01

    Roadmap for Silicon Valley

    Diagnose where you stand vs. the SV bar. Sessions with Bay Area angels, a mentor auditing YC- and Peter Thiel-backed funds, and Communication Lab I with a Bay Area actress.

  2. Week 02

    Positioning, GTM & customer-led growth

    Build a U.S. GTM hypothesis with a YC growth leader, an a16z scout, a 0→$100M ARR operator, and partnership builders behind deals with TikTok, Meta, Netflix, Uber and WeWork.

  3. Week 03

    Product Silicon Valley readiness

    Pressure-test product, UX, activation and churn with a 0→1 AI product builder, a Stanford UX lecturer, and a customer-success leader who scaled teams at Indeed, Wix and Datto.

  4. Week 04

    Fundraising, legal & immigration

    VC structure and legal risk with a Harvard Law expert. Founder visas (O-1, EB-1, EB-2 NIW) with a Techstars- and YC-affiliated immigration team. Communication Lab II.

  5. Week 05

    Finance, metrics & operating model

    Get numbers investor-ready: investor-facing metrics with a finance expert, a globally scalable operating model with a YC operator, and funnel + revenue ops with a YC, ex-BCG operator.

  6. Week 06

    Investor panel & final pitch

    Founder leadership with a Harvard lecturer, Communication Lab III for final pitch prep, and short founder pitches followed by unfiltered feedback from Silicon Valley investors.

02 · Conversations

Fireside chats

Operators from ElevenLabs, xAI, YC alumni, Persona, Google, Apple. Not theory - people currently building, hiring, and shipping at the level you're aiming for.

ElevenLabsxAIY CombinatorGoogleApple
03 · Pressure test

Investor panels

Not friendly. Not theoretical. Not “demo day energy.”

  • Direct, unfiltered feedback from investors
  • Challenged on how you think, speak, and operate
  • Forced to meet the real bar, not a local version of it
04 · Accountability

1:1 mentoring

Tailored sessions on positioning, pitch, GTM, and fundraising readiness. Weekly accountability, no drift.

04Mentors

Names you'd otherwise chase.

A few of the operators and investors teaching inside the cohort.

  • Diogo Assumpção
    Technical scale
    Diogo Assumpção
    Meta engineer, angel investor

    Pressure-tests how you talk about infrastructure, scale, and technical depth with US investors.

  • Harrison Rolfes
    Fundraising
    Harrison Rolfes
    Chair, California angel network

    Behind $280M deployed across 544 companies and $2.2B in follow-on. Tells you what California capital actually funds.

  • Anisha Yadav
    GTM
    Anisha Yadav
    GTM operator, $100M+ ARR

    Built GTM systems across NA, EMEA, and APAC. SF-based, plugged into the rooms you're trying to get into.

  • Mike Ball
    Partnerships
    Mike Ball
    YC operator, partnerships

    Built partnerships at GoGoGrandparent (YC S16) to 250+ health-system deals. Now runs GTM consulting for YC companies.

05Program lead

10+ years in the international startup ecosystem.

The program lead, who understands startups.

Aggie Krajewska, Founder & Program Lead at SF Startup Labs

Over the last 10 years, built programs, partnerships, and growth opportunities for 500+ founders across Europe and North America through roles at Google for Startups, Toronto Business Development Centre, and as CEO of ReaktorX — helped 200+ early-stage startups get to first customers and funding. A founder herself — has pitched her own startup to YC Partners and first-tier Silicon Valley angel investors.

I founded SF Startup Labs to bring most ambitious founders to the epicenter of the startup world — San Francisco Bay Area.
Aggie Krajewska
Founder & Program Lead
07Who this is for

This is not for everyone.

Being explicit about the fit protects the cohort and saves you time. If you are not below, the program will not produce outcomes you expect.

For you
  • Working MVP or validated prototype
  • Early traction or clear path to it
  • Committed founding team
  • A clear ambition to scale globally
Not for you
  • Idea-stage, still deciding what to build
  • Can't take direct, unfiltered feedback
  • Looking only for community or warm validation
  • Not planning a US raise or US launch
Built with speakers & mentors from
Sequoia CapitalY CombinatorElevenLabsxAIGoogleAppleHarvard Law SchoolStanford
08Application process

Selection process.

Small, curated cohort. Spots are filling on a rolling basis, so we encourage founders to apply early.

Selection process
  1. 01
    Submit application

    Short form. Tell us what you're building, and where you are along the way.

  2. 02
    20-minute interview

    Selected founders only. We use it to confirm fit in both directions.

  3. 03
    Final cohort selection

    If selected, you’ll receive an onboarding details shortly after the interview.

Next cohort starts June 1, 2026.
Apply now
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09FAQ

Questions, answered.

What are the program outcomes?

A structured 6-week program: hands-on workshops, 1:1 mentoring, investor exposure, legal and visa support, direct access to the Silicon Valley ecosystem, and real-time feedback and accountability. SF Startup Labs prepares international founders to:

  • Raise capital from US investors
  • Launch and sell in the US market
  • Operate inside Silicon Valley standards
  • Become “legible” inside the networks that matter

You don't get access in Silicon Valley just because you show up. You get access because the right people already know you before you arrive. This program is designed to make that happen.

Do I keep full ownership of my company?

Yes. We don't take any equity.

What does it cost?

$1,800 per startup, cost-recovery only. We're a non-profit — mentors and speakers donate their time, and the fee covers program operations only. That's how we keep tuition at cost and the bar high on who teaches you.

Do I have to travel to San Francisco?

The program runs fully online. Most founders come to San Francisco and:

  • fill their calendars
  • meet a lot of people
  • leave with nothing that moves the company forward

This program is designed to prevent that. We don't optimize for activity. We optimize for outcomes.

Do you help with visas and legal setup?

Yes — this is a core part of the program. You get:

  • Legal workshop led by a Harvard Law School attorney
  • Immigration session + 1:1 consultation with a Techstars-affiliated lawyer
  • Guidance on US company structure, fundraising setup, and visa strategy

Getting this wrong early is expensive. We fix it upfront.

As a founder, can I involve my team in the program?

Yes. We encourage you to invite team members who would find the session topic useful.

What if I miss a live session?

Sessions are scheduled across European and Pacific time zones and recorded. But participation in the simulations and communication labs is non-negotiable. Skip those and you don't get value out of the cohort.

Have more questions? Contact us directly at hello@sfstartuplabs.com.