What we look for in early-stage founders

Start with the person who has the problem

When we meet a founder, we want to understand whose day they are trying to make better. What is that person doing today? Where do they lose time, money or patience? How did the founder learn about it? A specific story often helps us understand a company faster than a market-size slide.

Maybe you watched a shop owner copy orders between three apps. Maybe you spent years dealing with a slow process at work. Maybe your first assumption was wrong and a customer helped you see why. Tell us that part. It tells us how you pay attention.

Show us what you have tried

Early-stage work comes in many forms. It could be an MVP, a prototype, a pilot or concrete evidence of a problem worth solving. Revenue is not required to apply to Assembly. What helps is being able to show what you have done and what you learned from it.

If a test failed, say so. Explain what you thought would happen, what happened instead and what you did next. An honest account gives us a place to begin. You can bring the unfinished version into the conversation.

For a hardware company, that might mean a part on a bench and notes from testing it. For software, it might mean watching one person try to finish a task. The evidence should fit the company you are building.

Good questions are part of building

We care about how people respond when something is unclear. Can you ask for help with a specific problem? Can you listen to a different view, decide whether it is useful and explain your decision? Founders spend a lot of time doing this with customers, colleagues and each other.

That is part of why we bring founders together. Someone nearby may have worked through the question you have been sitting with all week. You may be able to help them the next day. Small exchanges like that are part of the environment we want at The Founding Company.

A place to keep working

Assembly is our 70-day live-in startup program in Hyderabad, beginning November 2026. It gives founders and co-founders time together, shared accommodation, meals, internet and a community around the work. You can read the full support and commitment on the program page.

It is worth considering what you want to work on during that time. You might need to get a prototype into someone’s hands, understand a customer group or work through a difficult product decision. Being clear about that helps you decide whether the program would be useful.

Tell us where you are

If this sounds familiar, we would like to hear what you are building. In your application, describe the problem in your own words, show the work you have done and tell us what you still need to figure out. There is no need to dress up a small but useful result.

You can also meet the founders from our first Founders Residency to get a sense of the people and companies that have been part of TFC. Each has their own reasons for building. There is room for yours too.