TRANSCEND FELLOWSHIP
The Go-To Program for Early-stage Founders in Edtech
45 countries
195M raised
94+ NPS
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The Transcend Fellowship is a selective program for early-stage founders building in education and the future of work!
We help you find product-market fit, run lean customer experiments, and receive 1:1 curated mentoring with experienced founders in the space!
Applications for TF12 are now open!
We help you find product-market fit, run lean customer experiments, and receive 1:1 curated mentoring with experienced founders in the space!
Applications for TF12 are now open!
transcend fellowship
OUTCOMES
For founders looking for product-market fit
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10 sessions/cohort
Drive customer traction through PMF-experiments
Run weekly experiments to crack customer acquisition & retention!
As a fellow, you will focus on rapid customer learning by of running lean & low-cost experiments. You will track your results with fellow founders and move faster product-market fit.
96% of TF11 Fellows graduated running weekly experiments
As a fellow, you will focus on rapid customer learning by of running lean & low-cost experiments. You will track your results with fellow founders and move faster product-market fit.
96% of TF11 Fellows graduated running weekly experiments
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$165M raised
Receive 1:1 mentorship from experienced founders
Get matched with experienced founders in edtech with decades of experience.
Each Fellows is matched 1:1 with former founders and operators from a highly curated network of mentors, based on your PMF stage and challenges.
97% of TF11 Fellows said they built meaningful mentor relationships through the program.
Each Fellows is matched 1:1 with former founders and operators from a highly curated network of mentors, based on your PMF stage and challenges.
97% of TF11 Fellows said they built meaningful mentor relationships through the program.
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+100 investors
Fine-tune your Fundraising Strategy
Fine-tune your fundraising strategy through our sessions and feedback.
Our funding model sessions are designed to give you clarity with regards to what funding model (VC, bootstrap, nonprofit, impact investment) is a best fit for your startups. Our follow up consultation will give you feedback on your current fundraising strategy.
92% of TF11 Fellows defined their funding model through the Fellowship.
Our funding model sessions are designed to give you clarity with regards to what funding model (VC, bootstrap, nonprofit, impact investment) is a best fit for your startups. Our follow up consultation will give you feedback on your current fundraising strategy.
92% of TF11 Fellows defined their funding model through the Fellowship.
OUR IDEAL FOUNDER
This fellowship is for you if you...
Have identified a customer pain point
Have live users with some traction but want to speed up growth
Have a larger product vision but lack go-to-market conviction
Want to raise a funding round in the coming months
Want to build a network of trusted peers & advisors
Have an idea you want to validate
Are pre-product & pre-revenue
Are looking to launch your startup to solve a problem in the space
You are in the right place
INDUSTRY EXPERTS
What's the word on us?
“Just wanted to give a big shout out to my friends at Transcend, the best edtech incubator in the world”
John Danner
3x Founder, Leading edtech investor
"A great opportunity for early edtech founders!"
Julia Stiglitz
Investor and Founder, CoRise
Transcend Network is doing so many incredible things!
Dan Carroll
Co-Founder, Clever & Transcend Fund LP
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TESTIMONIALS
Hear it from the fellows
OUR SCHEDULE
The Experience
We only accept 25 founders in each cohort who, as a tight-knit group, go through the journey of running experiments and finding PMF while focussing on either Acquisition or Scale.
The Fellowship experience focuses specifically on 3 outcomes:
The Fellowship experience focuses specifically on 3 outcomes:
Product-Market Fit Experiments
Curriculum
In week 1, you will meet other founders in your cohort and get started with our orientation to the Transcend Network. You will go through our product-market fit playbook (employed by 200+ startups),getaccess to your Transcend Resource Guide, and understand the frameworks of running lean experiments through actual case studies of Transcend fellows building in the space.
96% of TF11 Fellows were running weekly experiments by the time they graduated from the Transcend Fellowship, the majority running 2-3 per week!
96% of TF11 Fellows were running weekly experiments by the time they graduated from the Transcend Fellowship, the majority running 2-3 per week!
1:1 Mentor Support
Curriculum
Founders don't need more advice – they need the right mentors to listen to their challenges, give constructive feedback, and share what worked best for them.
Transcend Fellows will get 1:1 matched to successful founders mentors who have exited, scaled or grown an edtech startup before (and are now founders, angel investors or VCs). In our mentoring sessions on Week 3 & Week 6, fellows will be matched with mentors, receive feedback and brainstorm on PMF Experiments to run in future weeks.
97% of TF11 Fellows said they built meaningful mentor relationships through the program.
Transcend Fellows will get 1:1 matched to successful founders mentors who have exited, scaled or grown an edtech startup before (and are now founders, angel investors or VCs). In our mentoring sessions on Week 3 & Week 6, fellows will be matched with mentors, receive feedback and brainstorm on PMF Experiments to run in future weeks.
97% of TF11 Fellows said they built meaningful mentor relationships through the program.
Fine-tuning your Fundraising Strategy
Curriculum
A core objective of this fellowship is to allow you to identify & activate the right funding model for your startup.
In our fundraising sessions, we explore the current state of the fundraising market in edtech anddiscuss all the different models that are available for founders including Venture Capital, Bootstrapping, Nonprofit, or Impact investment. You get to explore what the right 'Funding-Market Fit' is for you on first principles and activate the right strategy for your organization.
92% of TF11 Fellows found that Transcend helped them identify the right funding model.
In our fundraising sessions, we explore the current state of the fundraising market in edtech anddiscuss all the different models that are available for founders including Venture Capital, Bootstrapping, Nonprofit, or Impact investment. You get to explore what the right 'Funding-Market Fit' is for you on first principles and activate the right strategy for your organization.
92% of TF11 Fellows found that Transcend helped them identify the right funding model.
Fellowship Tracks
Fellows are placed on one of our tracks depending on their stage: Acquisition or Scale.
Acquisition Track
Tracks
Looking to build your customer base?
The Acquisition Track helps founders validate one value proposition for their customers, so you can bring in more customers and achieve stronger traction. You will run low-cost experiments to understand your customer validation before you focus on raising lots of funding, building a big product and growing your team.
Acquisition Track founders will get 1:1 matching with founders experienced in the 0 to 1 stage.
Scale Track
Tracks
Looking to scale to thousands of customers?
The Scale Track will help founders take their early signs of customer magic, and take it to many more customers, solidifying your PMF. You will run low-cost experiments to understand where to focus your efforts as you grow your product and organization.
Scale Track founders will get 1:1 matching with founders experienced in the PMF Scaling stage.
Weekly Schedule
On average, Fellows take on a 3-hour per week commitment (two 90 minute sessions), but can increase their engagement through optional sessions and community chats.
Acquisition Fellows meet on Mondays & Fridays.
Scale Fellows have meet on Tuesdays & Thursdays.
Our schedule is designed to be flexible as we believe you have a clear understanding of your needs as a founder.
Acquisition Fellows meet on Mondays & Fridays.
Scale Fellows have meet on Tuesdays & Thursdays.
Our schedule is designed to be flexible as we believe you have a clear understanding of your needs as a founder.
Mon
Founder Lab #1
(Acquisition)
(Acquisition)
90 mins
Live, interactive 90min session facilitated by the Transcend team
Content & Case study
Async
Learn from our frameworks and real life case studies
1:1 Founder Intro
Async
Connect 1:1 with founders in our network
Tue
Founder Lab #1
(Scale)
(Scale)
90 mins
Live, interactive 90min session facilitated by the Transcend team
Wed
Expert Roundtable
60 mins
Learn from leading experts in the space about PMF, fundraising, experiments, GTM, and much more.
Fundraising Office Hours (optional)
60 mins (biweekly)
For those looking for support with their fundraising. Space for feedback, insights
Thur
Founder Lab #2
(Scale)
(Scale)
90 mins
Second session of the week with Transcend team & peer coaching
Fri
F(Acquisition)
90 mins
Second session of the week with Transcend team & peer coaching
Fundraising Support
Async
Get feedback on your materials and get connected to investors in the future of learning and work on a 1:1 basis
Transcend Mentors
1:1 Mentor matches with industry experts
Get 1:1 matched during our mentoring sessions with successful founders and operators in the space, to receive tactical feedback on your startup's challenges.
You will be assigned a set of curated mentors whom you will get to meet 1:1 according to your sector or PMF stage so that you gain value from these conversations.
Transcend mentors bring years of experience as Edtech founders and support our network by mentoring fellows, and facilitating open discussions on growth, branding, fundraising, etc.
You will be assigned a set of curated mentors whom you will get to meet 1:1 according to your sector or PMF stage so that you gain value from these conversations.
Transcend mentors bring years of experience as Edtech founders and support our network by mentoring fellows, and facilitating open discussions on growth, branding, fundraising, etc.
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JOIN US
TF12 Fellowship + Lifetime access to the Network at $1490 USD
If accepted, you will enroll in the TF12 Transcend Fellowship + receive a lifetime membership to the Transcend Network. Check out our FAQs if you have any questions about the sessions or the cost of the program.
You can also learn more about our scholarships here: Transcend (TF12) Scholarships.
You can also learn more about our scholarships here: Transcend (TF12) Scholarships.
TF12 Fellowship + Lifetime Membership to Network
COST
$1490 USD
UPCOMING COHORT
TF12
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Oct 13
DATES
Oct 30 - Dec 8
We also provide scholarships to promising founders. Learn more here: TF12 Scholarships
FAQs
Got a question about our Transcend Fellowship?
If you want to learn more, ask questions, and meet the Transcend founders join us for our Info Sessions! RSVP below.
Can any startup join the Fellowship?
We exclusively work with startup founders that are in some way addressing how people learn or work and take a broad definition of edtech or the future of work.
We think about this space very broadly, and like working with projects that intersect with fintech, mental health, HR, or anything that gives you a unique angle!
We think about this space very broadly, and like working with projects that intersect with fintech, mental health, HR, or anything that gives you a unique angle!
What if I can't afford the cost of the Fellowship? Do you provide any scholarships?
Yes we do!
Read more about our Scholarships here and see if you are eligible any of them!
We work hard to make the Transcend Fellowship inclusive and accessible for eligible founders around the world, and hence, offer limited scholarships and discounts based on stage and geography.
Read more about our Scholarships here and see if you are eligible any of them!
We work hard to make the Transcend Fellowship inclusive and accessible for eligible founders around the world, and hence, offer limited scholarships and discounts based on stage and geography.
What's the best stage to apply?
The fellowship caters to founders who have defined a problem they are solving, identified a customer persona, gotten a bit of validation or traction, and are in the process of finding a product-market fit.
When in doubt, apply – we review every single application and will reach out with personalized feedback.
When in doubt, apply – we review every single application and will reach out with personalized feedback.
Do I need a project to get selected?
Yes – the Fellowship is exclusively for founders working on an existing project.
However, if you don't have one but have identified a customer persona to serve, we encourage you to still apply!
However, if you don't have one but have identified a customer persona to serve, we encourage you to still apply!
Will I receive fundraising support?
A core part of our curriculum and community experience is to help you identify & activate the right funding model for your startup. You will dive deeper into fundraising in Week 5 of the fellowship and, as part of our community, receive access to our bi-weekly Fundraising Office Hours.
If as a fellow you qualify pre-seed metrics and are looking raise funds, you are eligible for 1:1 intros with investors in our network.
You also get to apply for funding from the Transcend Fund once you graduate from the fellowship!
If as a fellow you qualify pre-seed metrics and are looking raise funds, you are eligible for 1:1 intros with investors in our network.
You also get to apply for funding from the Transcend Fund once you graduate from the fellowship!
What days and times are the seessions scheduled?
For Acquisition fellows: live sessions will take place on Mondays and Fridays at 8 am Pacific Time.
For Scale fellows: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 AM PST (US West Coast).
We will also facilitate optional-to-attend weekly open discussions with industry experts every Wednesday and bi-weekly office hours.
For Scale fellows: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 AM PST (US West Coast).
We will also facilitate optional-to-attend weekly open discussions with industry experts every Wednesday and bi-weekly office hours.
Is the Transcend Fellowship an accelerator?
Not quite – unlike accelerators, we don't take equity in exchange for participating. We think this helps you have flexibility as a founder while operating at such an early stage.
What is the exepected time commitment? Will I have to attend every session?
The fellowship is designed to be flexible. We understand that as founders you know what your focus needs to be. Hence, once selected you will receive the schedule for all 5 weeks and you can choose which sessions you want to attend, depending on what is a priority for you.
We host 2 fellowship sessions in the week along with Office hours, optional events, and an active Slack community. On average, you can expect anywhere between 3-5 hours per week during the 5 weeks of the Fellowship.
After the fellowship, it's a totally optional commitment, but we maintain the active community and weekly programming for all founders.
We host 2 fellowship sessions in the week along with Office hours, optional events, and an active Slack community. On average, you can expect anywhere between 3-5 hours per week during the 5 weeks of the Fellowship.
After the fellowship, it's a totally optional commitment, but we maintain the active community and weekly programming for all founders.
Can my co-founder join the fellowship with me?
We accept founders individually, not teams. If you have multiple co-founders who are interested, you should decide who will make the most of the program.
You can also apply together and decide after the interview who will be best suited for the Fellowship.
You can also apply together and decide after the interview who will be best suited for the Fellowship.
When does the next cohort start?
Applications to the TF12 Fellowship close October 13! The Fellowship will run from October 30 -December 8.
To stay updated on our Fellowships, subscribe to the Transcend Newsletter, follow us on Twitter or on LinkedIn.
To stay updated on our Fellowships, subscribe to the Transcend Newsletter, follow us on Twitter or on LinkedIn.
I have other questions
Join our weekly info sessions on Thursdays and ask any questions you may have directly to our team! You can also reach out to michael@transcend-network.com
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