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Mozilla Builders Incubator Programs

Determining which program is right for you comes down to how committed you are about your project and how ready you are to develop the project over the long term. All three programs we are offering this Summer are backed with Mozilla mentorship, are part of our Builder community, and offer weekly cadences & resources.

Startup Studio
The Startup Studio is the place to cement the foundation of your startup and initial product traction.
  • Almost all programs accepted in the Startup Studio will be (very) early stage startups. This means you have a team and probably have a product or prototype with some users showing initial traction.
  • If you’re applying to the Startup Studio, you’re in it for the long haul, not just the 3 months of our Summer Builders. Only apply if you are serious about committing to building a startup and have already spun up an organization (c-corp, llc, b-corp, non-profit, distributed blockchain entity, other).
MVP Lab
The MVP Lab is to explore product concepts and, over the 8 weeks of the program, ship a minimum viable product that people want to use (we will measure usage during the program as a sign of viability).
  • Perhaps you’re still in school but about to make the jump to the startup life. The MVP Lab may be right for you. During our Spring MVP Lab, most participants were CS students.
  • Maybe you work in the industry and would like a structured environment and community to explore and build a high quality product. Some of our favorite programs during the Spring MVP Lab were just-getting-started startups that used the MVP Lab to kick into high gear.
  • Most strong MVP Lab applications will be from teams that plan to commit full-time during the 8 weeks of the program. We understand that some teams may not be able to work full-time, but we expect huge passion, high quality work, and a major commitment of time.
Open Lab
The Open Lab is for early exploratory work.
  • Participate in the Open Lab to hack on an awesome project in a structured way, create community around your project and, if you want, get it ready for launch or even a company.
  • The Open Lab gives teams whose ideas are not yet developed enough for our other programs the opportunity to engage with Mozilla mentors and the Mozilla Builders community to accelerate their product discovery work and grow.
  • Successful Open Lab participation requires at least a 10hr/wk commitment.

Program Details

Startup Studio Details
  1. Investment

    1. We will invest $75,000 on a post-money SAFE for 3.5% ownership in your company when the SAFE converts, or we will participate in an already-active investment round.
  2. Mentors

    1. All participants will be assigned to one or more of our Mentors who will be available for weekly working sessions at first, every other week thereafter, as your project dictates. Participants in our Spring program have found this to be by far the most valuable/important part of our program.
    2. During and after the 3 months we will introduce startups individually to people who can help them. This, combined with the mentors you will be assigned and, most importantly, your peers in the program, will be a powerful network for you.
  3. Weekly events

    1. During the 3 month cycle there will be weekly online events, including guest lectures, peer feedback sessions and more.
  4. Demo Day

    1. We will organize a Demo Day at which the startups present to a carefully selected, invite-only audience including investors, CEO’s, Mozilla Executives, and more.
  5. Commitment

    1. The Startup Studio is for startups. We expect the entire team to be all-in, working full-time on the project during the three months of the program and beyond.
  6. Resources

    1. AWS and GCP credits etc. Details TBD.
  7. Dates

    1. Application deadline has passed, but we are still accepting late applications. Startups that submit early have an advantage: we will accept candidates on a rolling basis.
    2. Finalists will be interviewed in June.
    3. All winners will be announced in late June.
    4. The program runs early July - September and will be held entirely online.
  8. There may be one or two exceptional cases where we will consider a non-profit organization, open source project or other “non-startup” into the Incubator program.
  9. The Incubator doesn’t really end after 3 months; only the talks do. We will continue to give advice and make introductions as long as you need.
MVP Lab Details
  1. Investment

    1. We will provide $16,000 in funding.
    2. If you are raising money and would like to have the $16,000 be an investment into your legal entity, we can do that. This will typically be in the form of participation in a SAFE or on already established deal terms.
    3. We are flexible about the legal setup for your project: can be just a group of friends, colleagues, or students building something together, or a startup, or a non-profit, or an open source project.
  2. Mentors

    1. All participants will be assigned to one or more of our Mentors who will be available for weekly working sessions at first, every other week thereafter, as your project dictates. Participants in our Spring program have found this to be by far the most valuable/important part of our program.
  3. Weekly events

    1. During the 8 week program there will be weekly online events, including guest lectures, peer feedback sessions and more.
  4. Demo Day

    1. We will organize a Demo Day at which the teams present to a carefully selected, invite-only audience.
  5. Commitment

    1. We expect that the majority of successful applicants to the MVP Lab will work full-time on the project during the 8-week term. We understand that not everyone is in a position to commit full-time, for a variety of reasons. If this is the case for you, please explain how we can rest assured that you are exceptionally passionate about this project and how each team member will make a major commitment to the success of the project.
  6. Resources

    1. AWS and GCP credits etc. Details TBD.
  7. Dates

    1. Application deadline has passed, but we are still accepting late applications. Teams that submit early have an advantage: we will accept candidates on a rolling basis.
    2. Finalists will be interviewed in June.
    3. All winners will be announced in late June.
    4. The program runs for 8 weeks starting early July and will be held entirely online.
  8. Outcomes

    1. MVP in 8 weeks with user signal. Projects to be in “shippable Minimum Viable Product” state by the end of the program. Core features, reasonably bug free, safe to download.
  9. This program is for students and professionals.

Open Lab Details
  1. Invite-Only

    1. There is no separate Application form for the Open Lab. Participation in the Open Lab will be by invitation from among the applicants to the Startup Studio and MVP Lab. During the Spring program we accepted 200 projects into the Open Lab.
  2. Commitment

    1. The Open Lab is not for everyone. To stay in good standing we expect weekly status reports and participation in scrum or office hours. Teams that are not in good standing will be asked to leave the program.
  3. Prizes

    1. There will be up to ten $10,000 prizes for the 10 Open Lab teams that build the most impressive MVP product, including user signal, during the duration of the program.
  4. Mentorship

    1. Access to mentors. Depending on the size of the Open Lab class this Summer, we will offer staff-run weekly scrum sessions to all Open Lab participants. In addition, each of our Mentors has set aside office hours time to support Open Lab participants. During the Spring, all Open Lab teams had access to weekly one-on-one office hours with one of our mentors. To qualify for this, you must remain in good standing in the program.
  5. Peer Groups + Community

    1. Open Lab meetups where you can show you progress, get feedback from your peers, and ask for help.
    2. A vibrant community that’s already 1500 strong on Slack. The perfect place to look for additional team members, get user feedback, get help with thorny issues etc.
  6. Weekly events

    1. We will have guest speakers and other workshops throughout the lab.
  7. Resources

    1. AWS and GCP credits etc. Details TBD.