November cohort · Apply by Oct 15

Every Valley legend started in a garage. Yours is open.

Garage Accelerator is a 12-week virtual program run from Silicon Valley. Weekly ship deadlines, a mentor who has done it before, and a Demo Day in front of investors. You keep 100% of your company and never have to move.

Apply for November See the 12 weeks
Equity taken
0%
Program
12 wks
Cohort size
25 max
Location
Remote
6.1 M 3.0 M ELEV. A · 1:50
build.log · week 07
  1. MON 09:02commitship paid tier
  2. TUE 14:30mentorpricing review
  3. WED 18:00sessionblocked on webhooks
  4. FRI 16:45demo3 min, live product
  5. FRI 16:49shippedfirst paying user
01 Why a garage

It was never about the building.

In 1939, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started HP with $538 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto. Apple and Google followed a few miles away. The garages were small and cheap. That was the point.

1939
Hewlett-Packard
367 ADDISON AVE · PALO ALTO

Two engineers, one garage, $538 of starting capital. Now called the birthplace of Silicon Valley.

1976
Apple
2066 CRIST DR · LOS ALTOS

The Jobs family garage. Apple's first home, before it had an office.

1998
Google
232 SANTA MARGARITA AVE · MENLO PARK

Rented for $1,700 a month. Two founders and a handful of servers.

What a garage actually gave them

01

It was cheap to try.

Failing cost a few months of rent, not a career. We keep the cost of trying low: no equity, no relocation, and hours that fit around a job.

02

Nobody had to approve it.

No gatekeeper signed off on the idea first. We judge you on what you ship, not on who introduced you.

03

The door closed.

Focus. A place to work without noise. We add structure and deadlines, not busywork.

Most founders today get none of the three. Building is gated by geography, warm intros, and programs that ask you to move. We rebuilt the garage online so your address stops mattering.

02 The program

What you actually get.

Twelve weeks of structure, real people who have built companies, and a room full of founders at your stage. No dilution.

0%

Equity taken

We take no equity. Not now, not as a condition of Demo Day. Your cap table stays yours.

Founder-first

A mentor who has done it

Regular 1-on-1s with an experienced founder or operator matched to your market. One person who knows your company, not a list of names.

Demo Day

Pitch live to investors from our network at the end of week 12. No flights, no visa, no conference badge.

Capital access

An online HQ

One shared space for your cohort: live sessions, drop-in office hours, and async channels that work across time zones.

Progress you can see

Your weekly commitments, shipped work, and key metrics in one place, reviewed with your mentor. You always know if you are moving.

Alumni for life

Office hours, the founder community, and co-founder matching stay open after Demo Day. The garage doesn't kick you out.

Lifetime access
03 The 12 weeks

Four phases. One real output each.

Every phase ends with something you can show, not a worksheet. By week 12 you have a product in users' hands and a story investors can follow.

WEEKS 01-03

Teardown

Strip the idea down to its assumptions. Find the riskiest one. Talk to the people you think have the problem.

You leave withA one-page thesis: who hurts, how much, and what would prove you wrong.
WEEKS 04-06

Bench

Build the smallest thing that tests the riskiest assumption. Ugly is fine. Real is required.

You leave withSomething working in a real user's hands.
WEEKS 07-09

Ignition

Distribution. Get users, keep them, and charge money if you can. Measure what actually happens.

You leave withEvidence: users, revenue, retention, or a clear answer.
WEEKS 10-12

Demo Day

Sharpen the story, rehearse with your mentor, and pitch to investors. Then plan what comes next.

You leave withAn investor-ready pitch and a 90-day plan.
Every week

Same rhythm, every week.

5 to 10 hours a week, built to fit around a job. Most of that time is spent building.

MON

Commit

Post what you will ship by Friday. Your cohort sees it.

MID-WEEK

Work session

Small group with your mentor. Blockers and hard questions, not lectures.

FRI

Show the work

Demo what shipped in three minutes. Show it running, not a slide about it.

04 Is this for you

Built for people who build.

We would rather tell you now than waste your 12 weeks.

A good fit if

  • You have an idea, an MVP, or early revenue, and you want a deadline every week.
  • You are building somewhere the startup scene is thin, and you are tired of it holding you back.
  • You are a solo founder and need peers who are at the same stage.
  • You know an industry deeply and want to turn that into a company.
  • You would rather show a working product than a polished deck.

Not a fit if

  • You want a course or a certificate.
  • You are looking for someone else to build your idea.
  • You can't set aside at least 5 hours a week.
  • You would rather talk about the startup than work on it.
05 FAQ

Straight answers.

Do you take equity?

No. We take 0% equity. Not to join, not to pitch at Demo Day, not later. You keep full ownership of your company.

Who can apply?

Founders anywhere in the world. The program runs entirely online, so you never need to relocate or travel.

What stage should my startup be at?

Idea, MVP, or early revenue. Your goals for each phase are set for where you are, so an idea-stage team and a team with paying customers both get pushed.

Can I apply as a solo founder?

Yes. Solo founders are welcome. You also get access to co-founder matching through the alumni network.

How much time does it take?

Plan on 5 to 10 hours a week for 12 weeks. That covers live sessions, your mentor 1-on-1s, and building. Many founders do it alongside a job.

How do you choose teams?

We look at what you have built so far, how clearly you understand the problem, and how fast you move. A link to something real counts for more than a long answer. Each cohort is capped at 25 teams.

When does the next cohort start?

Applications close October 15. The cohort starts November 1 and runs for 12 weeks, ending with Demo Day.

What happens after Demo Day?

You become an alum, for life. That means ongoing office hours, the founder community, and co-founder matching whenever you need them.

06 Apply

Your garage is ready.

Skip the business plan. Tell us what you are building and send a link to anything real: a product, a prototype, a repo, or a landing page with signups. It takes about 10 minutes.

  • Keep 100% of your company
  • Join from anywhere in the world
  • Pitch investors at Demo Day
  • Alumni access for life
OCT 15
Applications close
+48 HRS
You hear back from us
NOV 01
The cohort starts. 25 teams max.

Application

* required
Product, prototype, GitHub repo, or landing page. Anything that runs.

We reply to every application within 48 hours.

Application received.

Thanks, founder. We will reply to within 48 hours.

status: submitted · next: review