Startup Founder — Batch 0

Builders is a venture studio out of Rotterdam. We co-found Enterprise AI companies for the future of work: AI-native products that change how teams operate, serving customers from SMB to enterprise. We put capital in, we validate alongside you, and we incorporate the company when the evidence earns it.

Our platform, VSI, runs on AI: every discovery call you have feeds in, patterns get extracted, and strategy stays tied to signal instead of slide decks.

This isn't an accelerator. It isn't advisory. It's a co-founding path.

Applications are open now. Once accepted, you start remotely straight away — running real validation, building real signal. The on-site kick-off in Rotterdam follows in June/July 2026, when the full cohort comes together to accelerate from there.

1. Remote validation, ~10 weeks. Discovery conversations with real buyers. Feed them into VSI. Meet other founders during this phase, teams form before incorporation, and we help match. By the end you should know whether there's a venture here, and have a direction backed by evidence.

2. Submit for incorporation. When the evidence and your conviction line up, you make the case. Up to 3 submissions allowed; this is a human call informed by the data. On approval the company incorporates in NL and you get funded: pre‑seed, 12 months runway, clean governance, founder-friendly terms.

3. Shape, on-site in Rotterdam (Batch 0 kickoff, Q3 2026), 10+ weeks. First paying customers. Investment-grade pitch. Founding team complete. From validated idea to real company with customers and capital in the bank.

4. Beyond Shape. Keep building. Expanding customers, hiring, working toward Series A with Builders' capital and investor network behind you.

Founders ready to commit like founders. People come in from different starting points: some from years selling into a market, some from a builder's seat, some from deep insider access in a specific industry. The strongest teams pull from all three. What matters at this stage is that you lead with one of them clearly, and that you check these five:

• Domain sharpness. You can name the five people you'd call this week to validate a hypothesis.
• Product understanding. You have taste and you use it.
• Validation drive. You move in days, not quarters. Discovery energises you, it doesn't drain you.
• Distribution. You don't need 18 months to get in front of a buyer. You know them, or you know someone who does.
• AI fluency. You do everything with AI. Claude, Cursor, agentic workflows. This is how you work, not a side demo.

• Location. Global during remote validation. Relocate to Rotterdam from the Batch 0 on-site kickoff (June/July 2026); 3–6 months minimum on-site.
• Residency. EU passport or a valid long-term Dutch visa required for the on-site phase. Company incorporates in NL.
• Working language. English.
• Capital & equity. Batch 0 access is free for selected founders. No compensation during remote validation; everyone's investing time. Builders does not take equity for the validation phase. Equity, and pre‑seed capital, are on the table at incorporation, and only if both sides decide to build together.

No CV gymnastics. No recruiter queue. The moment you hit apply, you're in the conversation. Our Baseline Builder opens in the browser and your screening starts immediately.

About half an hour end-to-end, in two parts:

• Idea Baseline. A ~12-question conversation with our AI agent (voice or type) about the problem you're solving, who has it, what you've validated, and why you're the one to build it. Output is a structured summary, not a transcript.
• Founder Profile. ~20 situational questions that map how you think, decide, move, and work with others. You'll get your own archetype, energy map, and a collaboration guide.

You'll record a short in-browser webcam intro (video retained 30 days). We review fast: days, not weeks. If accepted, you share 5–10 customer conversations or working files to unlock full VSI.

One form. Click apply and you're straight into the Baseline Builder. Tell us what should exist that doesn't yet, and why you're the one to build it.

One application form covers all three tracks. Choose the one that fits you best:

Commercial: You know your market cold. Turn that into a company.

Technical: You ship fast. You want to ship the right thing.

Domain Expert: You don't have the usual startup CV. You have something better: access.