Request for Founders Applications close {{ applyDeadline }}

Request for Founders

A Venture Building Initiative by ExpresSo NB

Get paid up to 50,000 THB a month to build your venture. Pass one pitch and access up to 1,000,000 THB in seed funding.

Open to any founder, anywhere.

Apply before {{ applyDeadline }}

Limited seats. First come, first served.

Read the five theses
The five theses

Five Bets We Believe In

Your idea has to map to one of the five. Open a thesis to read what we're looking for and what we're not.

What Founders Get

A Stipend While You Build

A monthly stipend of up to 50,000 THB while you prepare your proof of concept (POC) for the pitch, so you can commit to the thesis full-time.

What's a POC? A plan that lists your riskiest assumptions and the experiments you'll run to test them to determine whether you have product-market fit.

Hands-On Support to Shape Your Venture

A structured curriculum that helps you shape your venture idea and prepare your pitch, backed by weekly one-on-one office hours with the Venture Building team, so you're never building alone.

Up to 1,000,000 THB in Funding

One pitch on {{ pitchDate }} decides your funding, not months of investor meetings. Ventures that clear the pitch can access up to 1,000,000 THB to run their POC and keep building with us.

Program timeline

A Funding Decision in Under a Month

  1. {{ decisionDate }}

    Final Selection

    We choose up to five founders to join the program. Paperwork and logistics are finalized with selected founders before classes begin.

  2. {{ orientationDate }}

    Classes Begin

    Weekly classes to refine your venture idea and prepare your POC pitch, plus one-on-one office hours to track progress and troubleshoot.

  3. {{ pitchDate }}

    POC Pitch

    Pitch your venture idea and POC plan and get a funding decision.

  4. {{ programEndDate }}

    Program Ends

    The program wraps up. Founders who clear the pitch work with us to finalize funding and logistics.

  5. {{ buildStartDate }}

    Building Begins

    If you pass the pitch, you start building with us from this date, with your stipend continuing.

Who Can Apply?

What we need from you
An idea that answers one of the five theses. Within a thesis, you choose the persona, the market, and your wedge, the specific angle you'll attack it from.
The drive to build and run a company. You want to own this venture long term, not just try an idea or land a job.
Full-time commitment from {{ orientationDate }} through {{ programEndDate }}. Exception: 20 hours a week or more can work in some cases, as long as your other job doesn't conflict with the venture.
What you don't need
A co-founder. The program is designed for solo founders by default, but pairs can apply. We'll evaluate those case by case.
A shipped product. Proof of shipping strengthens an application but isn't required. We'd rather meet you at the idea stage.
A particular passport or postcode. Applications are open globally with no residency requirement.

What to Submit?

01
A Pitch Deck

Responding to one of the five theses. Customer, pain, and solution are only the start. Make the full case for your venture, in whatever way you think shows it best.

02
Your Professional Profile

A copy of your CV or resume.

03
Optional: Proof of Shipping

A live product, a hackathon result, a GitHub repo, a portfolio link. An existing product is fine; we'd still rather meet you early.

Applications close {{ applyDeadline }}. You'll hear either way by {{ decisionDate }}.

Application process

From Application to Selection

  1. Apply Through the Form

    Pick a thesis and submit your pitch deck and professional profile through the application form. Every application is read and scored by the Venture Building team.

    Deadline · {{ applyDeadline }}

  2. Interview With Our Team

    Shortlisted founders are invited to a video call with the Venture Building team to talk through the idea, your connection to the problem, and how you'd approach the thesis.

    Interview · {{ interviewDates }}

  3. Final Selection

    We choose up to five founders to join the program. We finalize paperwork and logistics with selected founders before {{ orientationDate }}. Everyone who applies hears back either way.

    Selection · {{ decisionDate }}

How we choose founders

What We're Looking For

Problem-Solution Fit

A real, painful problem for a specific persona, and a solution that beats what they use today.

Founder-Market Fit

You understand the persona and the problem well, or have a credible plan to learn them fast.

Execution Capability

Proof you can own product decisions, run the POC, and win early customers.

Note: It's fine if a thesis goes unfilled this cohort. We'd rather leave one open than force a fit.

Questions

Can I apply with my own idea?

It has to map to one of the five theses. Within a thesis, the persona, market, and wedge are yours to choose.

Do I need a co-founder or a product?

No to both. The program is designed for solo founders, and we prefer founders still at the idea stage. Coming as a pair? Tell us and we'll discuss it.

Where do I need to be based?

Anywhere. Applications are open globally with no residency requirement.

How much time does it take?

Full-time is the default. In some cases, we'll consider 20 hours a week or more, provided there's no conflicting employment.

Can I use AI tools?

Yes, and we encourage it. We expect to assess how you use and manage AI agents on real tasks, so be ready to show your process, not only the result.

What happens after the pitch?

An approved pitch lets you access up to 1,000,000 THB to run your POC plan and validate whether you have product-market fit. Founders who pass keep building with us, and the stipend continues.

Still have a question? Write to us at RFF@expresso-nb.com

Pick a Thesis. Send Us Your Deck.

Applications close {{ applyDeadline }}. Hear back by {{ decisionDate }}.

Clear the pitch and access up to 1,000,000 THB in seed funding.

Submit your deck