Program logistics
Rolling
Application period
TBD
BSF14 cohort selected
TBD
BSF14 online
TBD
BSF14 in-person in TBD
LOCATION
Online & in-person
INTENSITY
High
TIME COMMITMENT
20 hrs/week
CONTACT TIME
2 hr / 2 times a week
Wilbe Outcomes
$13M
the median valuation of Wilbe portfolio companies
$365M
combined valuation of 12 Wilbe portfolio companies
2.5%
average spinout terms negotiated for Wilbe founders with Technology Licencing Offices
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What are the selection criteria for the program?We are looking for scientists – postdocs, PIs, or those working in industry who are founders or about to become founders. Their solution should aim to solve a global problem and involve a scientific breakthrough. They should be gearing up to raise funding. You are strongly encouraged to apply even if in doubt of eligibility. If you think this is too advanced for your current stage, please join Wilbe Sandbox with free educational content and a community of like-minded scientists and scientist founders where you can kick-start your journey.
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How is the BSF program structured?The BSF program is hybrid and runs over 3 1/2 weeks, including 1/2 week in person in Austin, TX. Each week, we expect roughly 20 hours of work.
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What is the time commitment for the BSF program?For those selected as part of the BSF program, we expect a time commitment of 20 hours a week. These are split into two online sessions that include 1:1s with the Wilbe team and group sessions for the entire BSF13 cohort, and approximately 17 hours of self-study each week. Please note we expect 100% attendance and commitment to this scale. Establishing and running a company is a unique challenge that requires time commitment to be successful.
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Are there any geographic restrictions for applicants?No, there are no geographic restrictions. Just make sure you are available to join the online sessions and the onsite in Austin, TX from March 1 to 6.
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What is the purpose of the BSF program?We run the BSF program to help selected new founders avoid expensive mistakes and perform to the best of their capacity. Through the course, we share with you our playbook and connections and spend time with you, learning about the extent of your vision and observing your development as a founder. The ideal outcome is that we can become your first investors and help you line up conversations with other aligned investors.
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Is this an accelerator?This is not an accelerator and there are no required terms to sign prior to joining. This is a crash course in fast, practical decision making for scientist founders.
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How can I get in touch with you?Feel free to reach out to our Founder Advocate Ali Farzanehfar at ali@wilbe.com
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Is there a fee to take part in BSF?For participants that are successful in the application process and selected into the course, there is no participation fee. However, we expect 100% participation in all activities from all full-time co-founders during the bootcamp. Due to the short and intense nature of the course we actively remove participants who cannot commit fully. Additionally, Wilbe covers accommodation and food during the onsite days. If you are not selected but still wish to learn more about how to start your journey as a scientist founder please join Wilbe Sandbox where you can find a freely open-sourced educational material on becoming a scientist founder.
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When does the next program take place?BSF14 dates are to be determined (TBD). BSF13 took place between February 10 and March 6, 2025, with an in-person program in Austin, TX from March 1 to 6. Applications for BSF14 are open now.
Previous Instructors and Guest Speakers
Annalisa Jenkins
Board Member of multiple biotech companies
Committee Member, Science Board to the U.S. FDA
Brian Fiske
Co-founder & CSO at Mythic Therapeutics
Saalim Chowdhury
Ex Partner at 500 Startups, MD at Techstars
Ex CTO at Skillbridge (acq by Toptal)
Joshua McKenty
CEO at Polyguard.ai
Ex Pivotal, OpenStack, NASA, Netscape
Lita Nelson
Ex Director, Technology Licensing Office at MIT
Ilan Gur
Founder at Activate.org & Cyclotron Road
Program Director at ARPA-E, CEO of ARIA
Wilbe founders
Kart Tomberg
(BSF2)
Co-founder & CEO of ExpressionEdits
Redefining the status quo of protein expression.
Francesco Sciortino
(BSF7)
Co-founder & CEO of Proxima Fusion
Bridging the energy of stars to Earth with fusion power plants.
Assia Kasdi
(BSF3)
Co-founder & CEO of Milvus Advanced
Developing affordable substitutes to rare Earth materials.
Shamit Shrivastava
(BSF2)
Co-founder & CEO of Apoha
Building the first machine that understands sensory data.
Alex Webster
(BSF8)
Co-founder & CSO of U-Ploid
Restoring fertility to
aged eggs.
Zahra Jawad
(BSF7)
Founder & CEO of Creasallis
Creating a second generation of antibody-based medicines.
Who is this for?
Background
You are a scientist (PI, postdoc, industry) who is a founder, or about to become one
Ambition
Your company aims to solve a global problem using a scientific breakthrough
Stage
You are gearing up to raise funding
What is Wilbe?
We are venture operators and investors who have built a global community of ambitious scientists and developed a playbook to launch and scale high performance science-based companies. We are behind the development of some of the most exciting scientist-led companies and offer the most supportive infrastructure to the ecosystem across 4 different levels:
Kick-starting the founder journey
We operate Wilbe Sandbox – a hub where scientists connect and build outside of academia
Helping founders secure lab space
We provide scientists with the core infrastructure of where to build their venture
Boosting scientist founders
We run BSF to help the existing scientist founders make fast and smart decisions in their journey
Partnering with select founders
We help select founders with the spinout process, IP, talent and other operations needed to succeed
"Honestly I can't imagine the company without them. Their devotion and energy kept me going when all seemed overly frustrating!"
Kart Tomberg, Co-founder & CEO of ExpressionEdits
"Wilbe believed in our project from day 1. It accelerated us enormously in the early days, helping us get on track to develop a first-class team"
Francesco Sciortino, Co-founder & CEO of Proxima Fusion
"Wilbe have always backed our biggest ambitions. And we get advice that is geared towards 'how can you be just completely true to yourself and to the reason you built the company'"
Shamit and Anshika Shrivastava Co-founders of Apoha
"Ale and Dee have followed me throughout my whole entrepreneurial journey with the same constant and relentless support. They are the people whom I trust the most in the entrepreneurial world and definitely the most human."
Assia Kasdi, Co-founder & CEO of Milvus Advanced
