Why we opened our community to every builder — and what we have learned since.
When we started hosting pitch nights in New Haven, most of the founders in the room came from a handful of universities. The companies were strong, but we kept asking ourselves who we were missing.
Pedigree is a weak signal
Looking back at the founders who made the most progress after pitching with us, very few of the strongest predictors had anything to do with where they studied. Speed of execution, depth of customer insight and resilience mattered far more.
Opening the doors
So we changed our approach. We removed any university requirement from our application, started running online pitch nights, and actively reached out to community colleges, bootcamps, and founders building outside major tech hubs.
What changed
Our applicant pool became more diverse in every dimension — geography, age, industry and background. The quality of the companies did not drop; it rose. Our investors noticed, and many told us they were seeing opportunities they would never have found on their own.
We believe great companies can come from anyone. If you are building something ambitious, wherever you come from, we would love to see your deck.