Interested to become a VC scout? Join our community →

RippleX Fellowship

Fellowship

Discover how to join
RippleX Fellowship
including requirements, application process, and compensation and explore other programs to join!

Overview

The RippleX Fellowship is a three‑month founder‑development experience created by Toronto‑based seed fund Ripple Ventures to help student and recent‑graduate entrepreneurs validate, build and fundraise for B2B software companies. Since launching in 2021, 13 cohorts and more than 325 fellows have completed the programme, raising over $50 million in follow‑on capital.

Fellows work through a structured, milestone‑driven curriculum that mirrors the firm’s own investment process. Weeks 1–4 focus on problem discovery, customer interviews and MVP design; Weeks 5–8 dive into go‑to‑market strategy, metrics and financial modelling; Weeks 9–12 prepare founders for institutional fundraising with term‑sheet workshops and mock partner meetings. Sessions are led by Ripple Ventures partners, portfolio CEOs and guest operators from companies such as Shopify, HubSpot and Snowflake.

A distinguishing feature is the Fellow Fund. Teams that demonstrate traction during the programme can receive a SAFE cheque of $50 000–$100 000 and continue working with Ripple Ventures as full portfolio companies. To preserve founder ownership, Fellowship cheques are issued on founder‑friendly terms with no board seat requirements. The programme is equity‑free unless a Fellow Fund investment is accepted.

Graduates join the RippleX Alumni Guild—a Slack and in‑person community that shares investor intros, talent referrals and discounted SaaS perks. Alumni gatherings rotate between Toronto, New York and San Francisco each quarter, and the community hosts an annual “RippleX Summit” alongside Toronto Tech Week.

Want to become a VC scout?

Join the Superscout community!

🌍 Meet other scouts globally.
👀 Get first dibs on new scout programs and VC openings.
✨ Get feedback and investor recommendations for your deal memos.
✌️ Learn and grow together as a community!

Investment Focus

Admissions

Applications open three times a year (January, May, September). Applicants submit a short form, a two‑minute product‑vision video and evidence of problem validation. The selection team screens for founder‑market fit, B2B focus and bandwidth to ship weekly milestones. Short‑listed teams complete a 20‑minute Zoom interview before final cohort invites are issued. Acceptance rates hover around 7 percent, with cohorts capped at 25 teams to maintain a 1‑to‑5 mentor ratio.

Price

There is no tuition or platform fee. Ripple Ventures covers software, mentor honoraria and optional in‑person events. Fellows only pay incidental travel costs if they attend physical meet‑ups.

Application Advice

Compensation

The programme itself is unpaid and equity‑free. Founders that hit traction milestones can opt into a follow‑on SAFE investment of $50 000–$100 000 from the Fellow Fund in exchange for standard pre‑seed equity. No carry or fee is taken on companies that choose not to raise.

Overview

Timeline

Timeline (Rich Text): A typical cohort proceeds as follows.

  1. Week 0 – Onboarding & goal‑setting
  2. Weeks 1–4 – Problem discovery & MVP design
  3. Weeks 5–8 – Go‑to‑market, customer traction & metric tracking
  4. Week 9 – Fundraising fundamentals & term‑sheet teardown
  5. Weeks 10–11 – Investment‑committee simulations & pitch refinement
  6. Week 12 – Demo Day to Ripple Ventures LPs and angel network; Fellow Fund decisions

Media

Watch

Feels like a match?

Consider becoming a
RippleX Fellowship
scout!
Get in touch »

Further Reading

No items found.

All trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks, and brands does not imply endorsement.

Other VC Programs

Join the Superscout Insider List

Join 9,000 scouts & operators staying ahead with monthly venture insights.