Idea incubator Pioneer calls for ambitious outsiders
New incubator Pioneer has launched and is calling for “ambitious outsiders” to pitch their ideas to secure funding and win a trip to Silicon Valley.
Pioneer says it’s building a “community of creative young people working on interesting projects around the globe”.
It’s certainly not limited to fintech, as projects could be about a company, physics research, journalism, or art. “All you need to do is convince other applicants that your project is worth doing.”
Right now, applicants could receive a $5,000 investment with an option for a $20,000 follow-on, a round-trip ticket to San Francisco and access to a private online forum with other “Pioneers”.
Pioneer has a network of experts across different fields. These people both review applications and provide advice to the best Pioneers. After three months Pioneers present their work to experts on a global stage.
Some of these experts are well known in fintech. These include Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO, Stripe; Balaji Srinivasan, CTO of Coinbase; and Marc Andreessen, co-founder of VC fund Andreessen Horowitz.
Pioneer is also currently funded by Stripe and Andreessen. It’s looking for more investors.
In terms of its staff, Pioneer is run primarily by Daniel Gross (founder) and Rishi Narang.
Gross is a partner at Y Combinator, focused on artificial intelligence (AI). He is also the co-founder of AI Grant, a distributed AI research lab.
Narang previously worked at AngelList – a US website for start-ups, angel investors, and job-seekers.
For its first “tournament”, Pioneer’s deadline for applications is 19 August. You can apply here.
