Frequently Asked Questions

EWOR gives rebels, nerds, and visionaries an unfair advantage in building companies that matter on a global scale.

We offer:
- Up to €150,000 in immediate funding
- Access to the top 0.1% of founders, peers and investors
- Support in securing a multi-million euro funding round within 12 months

EWOR was built by founders for founders. We’ve founded and exited companies such as SumUp, Adjust, ProGlove, Felyx, United Domains, New Now Group (collectively worth over €12bn), initiated the largest global entrepreneurship society for those under 26 (Sigma Squared Society), and made more than 100 private angel investments.

You’ll join a community of the top 0,1% of global outliers building nuclear test reactors, the future of energy storage, and raising Europe’s biggest-ever DeepTech pre-seed round.

We run two programmes:
- an Ideation Fellowship that supports people as early as pre-idea
- a Traction Fellowship that supports people with early traction up to €1M ARR

The programme is virtual but invites you for regular founder retreats, up to 2 months of co-working per year at beautiful locations, and bespoke invite-only events.

If you are applying to us without traction for your business idea yet – or you are still in the ideation phase of your own start-up – the Ideation Fellowship is the right fit for you.

If you already have your own start-up with first traction or getting ready to raise funding, the Traction Fellowship is the right fit for you.

After submitting your application, the process is different for each fellowship.
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While Ideation applicants will hear back from us shortly after the application deadline, we review and accept Traction Fellowship applications on a rolling basis and will get back to you within two weeks.

Hence, Traction applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as they are ready.

There are no cash fees for the EWOR Fellowships. In place of fees, there are different equity participation policies for both fellowships.

We design our fellowships exclusively in English to accommodate our diverse, international cohorts. All communication between mentors, speakers, the EWOR team, and talents is in English as well.

For those who don’t have traction for their business idea yet, the EWOR Ideation Fellowship turns an aspiring entrepreneur into a successful tech entrepreneur.

As founders of some of the most successful companies in Europe, our lecturers and mentors have all learned first-hand what it takes to succeed in the business world. They give engaging live lectures in phase one, while the second phase gives EWOR members access to hundreds of resources on our platform, network, and feedback sessions with our mentors.

Ideally yes, but not necessarily. The EWOR Ideation Fellowship is designed for those who don’t have traction for their business idea yet. The EWOR Ideation Fellowship is entirely remote and turns aspiring entrepreneurs into business owners.

For those who don’t have traction for their business idea yet, the EWOR Ideation Fellowship turns aspiring entrepreneurs into business owners. For those who do already have traction, the EWOR Traction Fellowship is designed to help them scale their venture.

Please use the application form on our website to apply for our Fellowships. It’s an extensive questionnaire that inquires about your experiences, motivations, and qualifications. Applicants typically take at least 30 minutes to complete the questionnaire.

We do not limit ourselves and our talent pool to a specific industry or technology sector.

Our selection committee consists of successful serial entrepreneurs and start-up investors - including several unicorn founders. The EWOR Fellowships have an acceptance rate of 0.1%.

The EWOR Fellowships are your launchpad to unicorn status. As an aspiring high-growth entrepreneur, you'll gain access to a powerful ecosystem designed to accelerate your journey from idea to industry disruption. Our program offers intensive, hands-on learning from seasoned unicorn founders and industry titans who've been in your shoes and scaled to billion-dollar valuations.

You'll dive deep into cutting-edge strategies for rapid scaling, securing VC funding, and building world-class teams. Our global network opens doors to potential co-founders, early adopters, and investors crucial for your startup's hypergrowth. Through real-world projects and personalized mentorship, you'll develop the visionary leadership and execution skills needed to transform industries.
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EWOR doesn't just teach entrepreneurship; it immerses you in it. You'll emerge with a battle-tested business model, a robust network, and the unshakeable confidence to take on incumbents and create the next billion-dollar company. If you're ready to think big, move fast, and leave a lasting impact on the world, the EWOR Fellowship is your first step towards unicorn success.

The live sessions are in the late afternoon or early evening CET time, but you will receive information on your schedule during the onboarding process.

We do expect our Fellows to be present for these input and feedback sessions. However, we understand that in some cases, circumstances will keep talents from participating.

In place of formal tuition fees, EWOR takes 3% equity in companies that talents build by the end of the Ideation Fellowship. In addition, EWOR will invest up to €150k in selected start-ups at €1,0M post-money valuation cap.

Typically, there are no additional equity allocations to third parties.

EWOR may invest up to €150k in selected start-ups and connect you to our investor network.
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Please note that not all fellows receive investment.

For those who already launched their start-up with first traction, the EWOR Traction Fellowship is designed to help them scale their venture.

The Traction Fellowship is split into two phases to make it the most effective. As founders of some of the most successful companies in Europe, our lecturers and mentors have all learned first-hand what it takes to succeed in the business world. They give engaging live lectures in phase one, while the second phase gives EWOR members access to hundreds of resources on our platform, network, and feedback sessions with our mentors.

Yes. While the main Fellowship intakes are in April and September, we’re flexible with investment timing. We regularly assess applications and can make investments at any stage — before, during, or after the Fellowship.

Our commitment to supporting start-ups extends beyond the structured Fellowship dates to ensure innovative ideas receive the necessary backing when it’s most critical.

After you get accepted to the Fellowship, we will enable you to join the next batch. So, for example, if you apply and get accepted in August, you will still be able to join our September batch.

We strive to respond to your application within a few days. However, please note that if you apply closer to the deadline, our response time might extend up to 2 weeks.

Yes, the Traction Fellowship is designed for those who have already launched their start-up.

For those who don’t have traction for their business idea yet, the EWOR Ideation Fellowship is entirely remote and turns aspiring entrepreneurs into a business owners.

For those who do already have traction, the EWOR Traction Fellowship is designed to help them scale their venture.

Please use the application form on our website to apply for our Fellowships. It’s an extensive questionnaire that inquires about your experiences, motivations, and qualifications. Applicants typically take at least 30 minutes to complete the questionnaire.

Sure! We encourage you to choose one person to apply (preferably the CEO or CTO) and list all other co-founders in the application form. There is no need to apply twice for the same start-up. Once admitted, your co-founder(s) are able to join the Fellowship as well.

We do not limit our talent pool to a specific industry or technology sector.

The EWOR Ideation and Traction Fellowships have an acceptance rate of 0.1%.

Our selection committee consists of successful serial entrepreneurs and start-up investors - including several unicorn founders.

The live sessions are in the late afternoon or early evening CET time, but you will receive information on your schedule during the onboarding process. We do expect our Traction Fellows to be present for these feedback sessions. However, we understand that in some cases, circumstances will prohibit talents from participating.

The Grand Pitch takes place at the end of the Fellowship and offers an opportunity to pitch your start-up in front of a diverse group of angel investors and early-stage VC funds.

We will help you prepare for this virtual event during feedback and mentoring sessions. The Grand Pitch has been a game-changer for a lot of our talents and, in some cases, reduced fundraising time by more than 80%.

There is no tuition fee for the Traction Fellowship. EWOR will invest in selected start-ups up to €150k at a € 1,5m post-money valuation cap.
All Traction Fellows receive an investment.

EWOR will invest in selected start-ups up to €150k at a € 1,5m post-money valuation cap. Our investment timing for Traction Fellowship applicants is flexible, as we can make investments at any stage - before, during, or after the fellowship officially kicks off. All Traction Fellows receive an investment.