FAQs

How do I apply successfully?

Check out this read.

Can people, teams and startups from anywhere in the world participate?

Yes. This is a global program, proudly. But we are part of a US based entity (Mozilla) and must comply with all laws, so, regrettably, if you or your team are based in a country that is under US sanctions, we cannot accept you into our program. In particular, we cannot accept residents from Iran, Syria, North Korea and the Crimea Region of Ukraine into any of our Summer Builder programs.

Are the Summer programs fully remote/online?

All of Mozilla Builders Incubabor programs are 100% remote/online, as are any interviews that are part of the application process.

What is your trademark policy?

Rules for Use of the Mozilla Builders name & logos:

Participants You’re participating in one of our programs, that’s cool. We’re proud to have you. You can wear the respective badge (MVP Lab, Open Lab etc.) proudly on your personal LinkedIn, resume, blog posts, communication, etc. We love it. Drop out in week 1 and say you participated? Lame. Be honest, we trust you.

Products / Projects Our marks (Mozilla, Mozilla Builders, and our logos) cannot be used without permission on a product or project. If you want to use one of our marks this way, you must make a request. Permission is not implied or granted. Sorry we have to be strict about this, but we must.

Can I apply by myself for the Startup Studio or MVP Lab?

In rare cases, one person can build a product all by themselves. Since you’ll be building software, such a person would, by definition, be a strong coder who also has strong design and product sense.

In the vast majority of cases, it takes a team of 2 to 4 people to build shippable software, including engineering, design, and other key skills.

We expect both our Startup Studio and MVP Lab to be highly competitive programs. We don't expect to admit more than max 1 "solo" project.

What if I want to apply but don't have a team?

We have created a GitHub repository and issues list and a Slack channel where you can post your project and look for teammates. You can also pivot or abandon your project as you connect with teammates.

What if I want to apply but don't have an idea?

We have created a GitHub repository and issues list and a Slack channel where you can look for teammates and ideas.

Intellectual Property

Your work belongs to you and you may license as you see fit. We firmly believe in open source and encourage you to consider open source licensing.

What is Demo Day?

We will organize a Demo Day at which the startups present to a carefully selected, invite-only audience.

What kinds of things do the Mozilla Mentors and the Mozilla Builders community typically help teams with during the incubator programs?

• Building, shipping and interacting with customers in fast phases and through valuable chunks of work
• Downscoping
• Use case refinement
• Reprioritization
• Pivots and testing the assumptions around pivots
• Simplifying and reducing the amount of technology proposed to solve a business or user problem.
• Being careful with overbuilding and underdelivering user value
• Tech platform assessments
• Discovery process for consumer customers (who is your user, which segment/profile)
• Customer discovery for B2B type customers (who is your business customer and their b2b needs)

If I applied for the Spring MVP Lab, how will that affect my chances of being accepted this time around?

Whether or not you did the Spring MVP lab will not affect your odds of being accepted into the Summer programs. That said, we do hope the feedback and mentors you’ve had access to in the Spring MVP & Open labs will help you put together a stronger application!

If my program was accepted in the Spring MVP Lab, can we apply again for the Summer MVP Lab, or the Startup Studio?

Yes, you can. We do expect however, that the majority of programs accepted into our Summer programs will be new projects.

What’s different this time around vs. in the Spring?

• Please note that you cannot revise your applications after you’ve submitted them. That’s different.
• We will place greater emphasis on fully flushed out product ideas, including strong ideation sprints, user feedback, a strong sense of how you’re going to connect with user needs and attract your first groups of users.
• We are asking for a greater team commitment to join the MVP Lab.

How many teams will be accepted into the Startup Studio and MVP Labs this Summer?

This Spring we accepted 25 teams into the Spring MVP Lab. We expect the Summer programs to be highly competitive and we expect to again accept just a small number of applicants.

Where can I see the official rules of the whole program?

Head over here to see the official rules of the Mozilla Builders Incubator including details about the rules for applying, program administration, etc.