San Francisco – The inaugural Solo Founders Program, launched in May by entrepreneur Julian Weisser, has announced significant early successes, with its first cohort of six founders collectively raising millions in capital and accumulating 35,000 GitHub stars within just 60 days. The program, which boasts an acceptance rate of less than one percent, aims to challenge the traditional venture capital bias against solo entrepreneurs.
Julian Weisser, known for his work with On Deck, initiated the program to empower individual builders often overlooked by investors. "Solo founders are underestimated. We’re changing that," Weisser stated in a recent tweet, highlighting the program's core mission to elevate solo founding as a legitimate and successful path for startups. The intensive program brings together a small, select group of founders to build their ventures in San Francisco.
The rapid achievements of the initial cohort underscore the program's effectiveness in fostering high-growth, solo-led companies. While specific investment figures for each venture were not disclosed, the collective "millions raised" signals strong investor confidence in the participating founders. Similarly, the 35,000 GitHub stars indicate significant developer community engagement and validation for the technical projects emerging from the program.
The initiative directly addresses a long-standing perception in the startup ecosystem where multi-founder teams are often preferred by venture capitalists. Despite the success of numerous solo-founded companies like Midjourney and Vercel, many investors continue to push founders to seek co-founders. The Solo Founders Program seeks to prove that solo entrepreneurs can achieve substantial growth and secure funding.
The program's success in such a short timeframe suggests a shift in how solo ventures are perceived and supported. With applications for the Fall 2025 cohort closing soon, the Solo Founders Program is poised to continue its work in identifying and accelerating the next wave of independent innovators, further solidifying the viability of the solo founder model in the tech landscape.